Gulikit NSW KingKong Pro 2 vs 8bitdo Pro 2
What are the pros and cons between the two?
I’ve been eyeing the 8bitdo Pro 2 for a while now for using on my PC, Android, and Switch. But then I saw that Gulikit was available locally as well at almost the same price.
I’m interested in the Gulikit because of the supposedly better joystick durability due to the hall effect joysticks.
Thoughts on these two controllers?
Any glaring issues I should know about?
Also I know both of these controllers don’t support PS5, but it would be a plus if there’s some way to use it on a ps5 as well.
I’ve reached the point where if a controller doesn’t have back buttons I don’t even consider it anymore. That’s the only reason I haven’t gotten a kingkong pro 2. I have the 8bitdo ultimate and I like it quite a bit, though I haven’t used the pro 2.
Yeah, I am in this boat too, regardless of the quality of the controller, I can’t go without the back buttons anymore.
It has really spoiled me.
I thought gulikit had it, I guess not
that’s one of the cons of gulikit then, thanks.
And why aren’t you considering 8bitdo Ultimate Bluetooth?
As for PS5, I think the only way to use these controllers on it is using Brook adapter (or any other adapter of this type), but it’ll only work in PS4 games
Looking up the 8bitdo Ultimate again, I think it’s better than both the 8bitdo pro 2 and the gulikit. However, I think the reason why I didn’t consider it before it’s because of the battery replacement.
In the pro 2 it’s easy as putting in AAs or new 8bitdo batteries. The ultimate feels like if the battery dies it will be more convenient to buy another than to replace it.
Currently checking out how durable the battery for Ultimate is and weighing if it’s worth the trade-off.
If the battery averages to last about at least 2 years of regular use, I’m leaning towards the ultimate.
The site said ultimate is only compatible with Switch, Windows, and SteamOS.
I was wondering if you know if it’s compatible with Android as well.
(8bitdo Ultimate Bluetooth)
I bought a couple of Pro 2s and they didn’t work for my use case. Bluetooth controllers are always very sketchy on my computer, so I was trying to use them over 2.4GHz. They were really responsive, but unfortunately there was no way to switch them off of Xinput. Xinput is fine, but it doesn’t support gyro inputs. So basically if I was playing a game that used gyro, it was bluetooth or nothing. Ended up being a dealbreaker for me and I returned them.
At the time, there was a beta firmware floating around that had support for what I needed, but I never ended up getting it to work and the 8Bitdo support team said there was no timeline for an official release. YMMV, it could be available now.
besides the incompatibility for the 2.4ghz thing.
Did you like the controller? Did it feel like it was built well?
Yeah absolutely. From a build quality perspective it was great.
As I recall they both have hall effect joystick, not sure about the triggers but I know that the KKP2’s triggers are hall effect.
I’m pretty sure only the Ultimate has HE from 8bit do. The Pro 2 definitely seems to not have them with the amount of posts I’ve seen asking if retro-fitting them is possible.
King Kong 2 both pro and non-pro have HE sticks and triggers, I’ve got a KK2P and that’s the reason I wanted one. 8bitdo don’t seem to mention it on their website but I remember the release press articles mentioning some recent model coming out with HE sticks, but nothing is mentioned in the product pages.
That’s why I have the KK2P as well. When I was in the market I was watching review videos on different models from both companies and the only 8bitdo controller I got confirmation of HE sensors on was the Ultimate so it’s prudent to assume the others don’t.
I guess I confused the 8bitdo Pro and Ultimate, yeah never meant to imply other controllers from 8bitdo had them.
No problem. It doesn’t help that both companies have a “Pro 2”.
The 8bitdo Pro 2 does not have Hall effect sticks afaik. The only 8bitdo controller that does as of now is the Ultimate Bluetooth model (not the 2.4ghz or wired).
Fair dues, didn’t pay attention to that distinction. Mb
if they both have hall effect joysticks then in my case it would be a no brainer to get the 8bitdo.
I’ll have to look it up to make sure though.
thanks.
I was pretty sure the 8bitdo ultimate was supposed to have HE sticks and triggers, not sure if the different models use different sticks but would seem unlikely, but another user mentioned they were indeed different.
I only have the gulikit so I can only give you my opinion on that. The controller feel extremely well built, I like it more than the switch pro controller after some mantainance. I used it for the switch and PC with no noticeable lag on Bluetooth, they do have a 2.4ghz dongle. There are problems with my when I got it. The gyroscope and joysticks need to be calibrated and one of the abxy button slightly binds on press. Have to take it apart and lube it.
Warranty wasn’t available?
How easy was it to fix yourself? (if you’ve taken apart any play station joysticks, how would it compare to those?)
Got it from online store, not worth the trouble to ship it back since this is quite a quick fix.
Never taken apart a PS controller but this is quite easy to take it apart
Besides the lack of hall effect sensors, the biggest complaint I’ve heard about the 8bitdo is the ergonomics. Because of the shape, your sits have to stay at a sharper angle which causes joint fatigue much quicker than the KingKong.
Personally, I own the KKP2 and love it. The shape is exactly the same as on Xbox so if you’re familiar with that and like the feel, I absolutely recommend the Gulikit controller.
I love the way the SN-30 Pro+ feels over an XBox style controller, but maybe that’s because I grew up on an SNES controller.
Quite possibly. My first console was the PS1 was the steeper angle feels closer to a neutral posture for me, only problem with them being they became uncomfortably small as I grew up to the point I can’t use them for very long without getting hand cramp. Needless to say the Switch’s Joy-Cons were torture for me.
I’m more of a playstation guy, so I don’t really know how an xbox controller feels.
I do have huge hands so hopefully it’ll feel comfortable.
I’ve typically bounced back and forth between Playstation and Xbox so I can say that if you preferred the overall feel of the DualShock 4 over the previous DS controllers you’ll probably find the shaper incline of the grips on the KKP2 feel more natural to you but the upshoot is both controllers are on the larger size so size shouldn’t be an issue for you either way.
I can’t speak for the KingKong other than that I have a friend who has one and loved it enough to buy another.
I can speak for the 8bitdo Ultimate Wireless and Pro2.
Although the ultimate wireless is the better wireless controller for latency (2.4ghz) and most features (hall effect sensors, ability to wake the switch) - I still prefer my Pro 2. I find the triggers less fatiguing for long sessions of racing games and the controller is the most comfortable I’ve ever used. Plus, the convenience of having a switch on the back for 4 (though I’ve only used 3) Bluetooth compatibility profiles is so convenient, it’s the controller I bring with me when going to a friend’s because I know that as long as they don’t use playstation I can use my controller.
The positioning for the dpad on the Pro2 also makes Tetris much more comfortable.
Both controllers are great though, it would probably come down to whichever one was more comfortable in your hands.
Chiming in on the 8Bitdo SN-30 Pro+ (which I think is largely identical to the Pro 2 apart from the new back buttons on the pro 2):
Pros:
- Personally I like the feel more than an XBox style controller. YMMV.
- Solid feel for a rather low price
- Never gave ME any problems with Bluetooth on PC, but everyone seems to have different experiences with pretty much any brand of Bluetooth controller without a dedicated receiver
Cons:
- After 2.5 years of moderate usage, I’m starting to see some light stick drift. I do think I want my next controller to use Hall effect sticks, but if you’re the type to upgrade periodically anyways, might not be a big deal to you.
- Rumble motors feel a bit meh?
- There have been times where I’ve had to re-set my brain to deal with Switch vs XBox button naming when playing on PC. It looks like the KingKong 2 Pro lets you physically swap the button caps easily, which is a good idea IMO.
