Our 8BitDo Pro 3 was sent to us by Banggood (the video’s partner, affiliate link in the description); 8BitDo had not answered our loan requests. This origin may have influenced our appreciation. We had used the Pro 2 for several years and compare the two, with trials on iPadOS 26, macOS and Android; we did not try other platforms.

The shape remains that of the Pro 2, with long grips and a good hold. The changes are many: removable TMR joysticks with spare round caps; ABXY with engraved letters and interchangeable magnetic buttons (a suction tool is supplied) to switch from Xbox to Switch layout; a different D-pad that felt more precise; Hall-type triggers switchable to click with a switch; extra front buttons R4 and L4; two rear click paddles, more prominent. Connectivity covers Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz with a dongle stored in the charging dock, or wired. The well-finished dock takes the controller by three contacts and has a compartment with buttons and the dongle. The battery is no longer removable. The Ultimate Software 2 app assigns buttons, up to four profiles and macros, adjusts dead zones and triggers, and works on iPad; on Mac, the app opened in an Asian language that we could not change. On-the-fly customisation (paddle + star) works well, with two turbo modes. 2.4 GHz was more difficult on iOS and Mac, where we use Bluetooth.

Price €47.10 on Banggood at the time of the video, which we find very good. Three colours are offered (burgundy, GameCube-style purple, grey).

Watch the video test