All categories/Computing & Gaming/Game Controllers/8BitDo/Pro 3
Pro 3

Pro 3

Scored on 109 verified owner verdicts, from 1,282 comments read across 1 community
TL;DR
Owners split over the d-pad: fans call the clicky, tactile pad the best part of the controller, while a large group gets false diagonals and dropped inputs, especially in platformers like Celeste and Silksong and in fighting games. Away from the d-pad, most owners like the grip, the triggers that switch from analog to short digital clicks, and the stable wireless connection with gyro and Steam Input support. Many owners, fans included, say the face buttons are loud; most fans got used to it and a few with later units say theirs are quieter, but some owners gave up on it over the noise. Several buyers returned more than one unit for uneven d-pads or trigger stop faults.

50% of 109 verified owners recommend the Pro 3, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.

See the problems 42 owners report →

What 109 owners say
1,282 comments reviewed · scored on the 109 clearest verdicts
50%
Recommend
54 owners
11%
Neutral
13 owners
39%
Don't recommend
42 owners
Last 6 months:54% recommend(63 recent verdicts)→ holding steady vs older reviews
Source
Score
N
Counted in the score
Reddit
50%
109
Reviewed, but not counted — and why
No clear verdictiSetup, tips & quirks
100

The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. is shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.

What owners like
  • A clicky, tactile d-pad that fans call precise and a clear step up from the Pro 2
  • Comfortable grip that owners often prefer over the Ultimate 2 and Pro 2
  • Triggers that switch between analog and short, clicky digital presses, plus well-liked shoulder and extra bumper buttons
  • Stable wireless connection with gyro and Steam Input support that PC players value
What owners flag
  • Loud, clacky face buttons, a complaint many fans share
  • False diagonals and missed inputs on the d-pad when pressed firmly, which ruins platformers and fighting games for some owners
  • Inconsistent units: owners report stiff or uneven d-pads, faulty trigger stops, a trigger or stick that registers input on its own, and colored face buttons that crack
  • Several Pro 2 owners call it a step backward, with a stiffer d-pad and noisier buttons
Who it's for
A great fit if
  • Players who like a firm, clicky d-pad for classic and SNES-era games
  • PC players who want gyro, Steam Input support, and a 2.4GHz dongle
  • Players who find the Ultimate 2 or Pro 2 less comfortable in the hand
  • Players who game with headphones on and won't hear the button noise
Look elsewhere if
  • Platformer and fighting game players who need clean cardinal inputs from the d-pad
  • Anyone playing in a shared living room where loud face buttons will bother others
  • Pro 2 owners hoping for a big upgrade
  • Buyers who don't want to risk exchanging a unit for an uneven d-pad or faulty triggers

Synthesized from what Pro 3 owners say — not a spec sheet.

Top quotes, sourced

1,282 reviewed · 109 shown
Sentiment
Sort
Reddit▼ don’t recommend

I wanted to love the Pro 3, but the D-pad was an atrocity. Pressing a pure direction too hard giving a diagonall 100% of the time made me wonder if anyone even tested the design.

Reddit▲ recommend

Battery life on the P2 is great, but every now and then I forget to plug it in when I am done gaming and I pick it up next day and it is out of juice 5 min into my game. P3 never is.

Reddit— neutral

I personally only have issues with the dongle mode only working with x-input as I prefer d-input because that allows me to use gyro and analog triggers at the same time when playing games.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

I actually found the d-pad so incredibly stiff that I could only get diagonals by pushing way harder than I normally do. It was effectively useless for fighting games as a result

Reddit▲ recommend

Been using mine as my main controller after I swapped the buttons from my 8bitdo pro 2 into it. Steam input support is by far the most important feature on any controller for me.

Reddit— neutral

then i decided to try Stellar Blade, and it just didn't work, even tho on the Pro 2 i never needed Steam Input there

Reddit— neutral

It's hard to justify if you have the Pro 2 since the improvements, while there, are pretty minimal.

Reddit▲ recommend

I got the orange Pro 3 I believe shortly after release and I love it. Love the dome switch dpad, love the triggers although they can snap back to analog mode pretty easily

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

coloured buttons set are one-piece things and trash quality, I barely used this controller, and they had cracks anyway and green buttons just fall apart by itself in the box

Reddit— neutral

I use the Pro 3 for games played with the d-pad, otherwise I use the official pro controller.

Reddit▲ recommend

The 8Bitdo Pro 3 solves the issue that I have with ALL 8bitdo controllers, making this may favorite controller of all time: The ability to convert from analog triggers, to digital triggers.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

My L2 trigger started acting on its own... quite disappointed :( Gamepad Tester is showing the value changes from 0.00 to 0.01 intermittently, which is enough to make some games unplayable.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

I am selling it - I just really dislike the hard clackiness of the face buttons and the D pad. It’s also giving me an insane amount if false diagonals in Celeste.

Reddit— neutral

I only prefer the Pro 3 for games where I'll be using DPad movement. Otherwise, Ultimate 2.

Reddit▲ recommend

The TMR sticks and 2.4G connection were enough for me to buy the Pro 3. Plus, the charging dock keeps the batteries topped up while the controller isn't in use; it looks really sleek on your desk.

Reddit▲ recommend

the D-Pad of the Pro3 is leagues above the Pro Con 2 and is the best D-Pad I've used on a controller above anything from the big 3 console makers

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

Fine but I stopped using it a couple days ago as I got another Tarantula pro, which out of the box is superior in every way for competitive rocket league.

Reddit— neutral

They do come with spare buttons but it will make the controller look a bit ugly lol

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

Was playing Mega Man 6 last night with this controller and realized how often I was missing inputs on the dpad, or hitting more directions then expected.

Reddit— neutral

The tension on these joystick kinda strong or maybe that's just my controller

Reddit▲ recommend

I have had no issues so far. I love the clicky dpad, face buttons are great, shoulder buttons are great. Whole thing has been spectacular so far.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

I returned 3 pro controllers. Had varying issues with the trigger stops between the 3 and the dpads all dropped inputs when quickly changing direction.

Reddit▲ recommend

once you give it a proper chance the Pro 3 D-Pad is amazing. It's very responsive and I barely if ever get an unwanted diagonal or anything bad.

Reddit— neutral

I have both, usually I use Pro 3. But ultimate 2 has more functional pros

Showing 124 of 109

Common problems & things to know

Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.

Redditⓘ good to know

The sticks on the entire SN30 lineup are incredible slippery, I put the skull and co stick toppers on, all 3 sizes (OEM style, to the FPS tall) have clearance on the Pro 3 and fit perfectly.

Redditⓘ good to know

Well, worn out membranes is normal, should take years of casual gameplay or at least 1 year under warranty with very intense daily gameplay, and they are easy to replace unlike mechanical buttons.

Redditⓘ good to know

Just so you’re aware, the joystick inclusions aren’t part of the normal package. They’re added by some Amazon sellers as incentives to buy from their stores.

Redditⓘ good to know

Newer revisions of the 8bitdo Pro 3 come with thin rubber lining inside the shell, between the shell itself and button. That helps mask the noise that was present with the first version of the controller.

Redditⓘ good to know

With what's under it, it looks like those 3 lil cylinders take most of the force and if you get your finger lower on the trigger it puts the majority of it on that one that broke. Seems like a shit design.

Redditⓘ good to know

That's correct, all of the controller's features in D-input mode are supported by Steam Input, including the back buttons independently and gyro. Everything can be mapped to whatever you want in Steam Input.

Redditⓘ good to know

She'll just keep walking diagonally even though I'm pressing right. I have to either push down super hard to get it to click or let off the dpad completely and press the new direction. Completely impractical.

Redditⓘ good to know

The joysticks are replaceable, and they come with a set of mini arcade-style sticks mainly as a novelty, I hear they aren't very ergonomic.

Redditⓘ good to know

I thought it worked well at first, but no, you end up with very unpredictable diagnals. They come out of nowhere! I'm now waiting for a couple genuine snes controllers to show up. To be honest these are my first gamepads since the ps3.

Redditⓘ good to know

I love the Pro 2, but I haven’t bought the 3 because of a combination of seeing broken buttons and the noise of the buttons.

Redditⓘ good to know

It’s the same price as the U2, which is a more comfortable controller with the generally preferred asymmetric thumb sticks.

Redditⓘ good to know

The updated Pro 2 with Hall effect sticks wasn't that old, and then the Steam Controller came out as well (I have both of them and didn't end up getting a Pro 3). Also the extra shoulder buttons instead of 4 back buttons was an odd choice.

Redditⓘ good to know

The loud buttons are why I didn’t take the plunge on the 3. The buttons on the 2 are as loud as I can tolerate.

Redditⓘ good to know

When it first came to the market, it also was somewhat common for people to have cracked/broken buttons after use or a fall. Normally it would the SNES colored styled ones. I haven’t had that happen but I also don’t use those ones and stick the ABXY ones.

Redditⓘ good to know

A quick look at that official website and it says that it can shake to wake for the Switch 1 only