8Bitdo Bluetooth Retro Receiver for Original NES, Compatible with DualShock 3, DualShock 4, Wiimote, Wii U Pro, Switch Joy-Cons, Switch Pro Bluetooth Controllers

I've owned the 8bit NES 30 Pro for over a year now, and it was always a great controller, but now that I have this Retro Receiver, it's nearing perfection. The greatest feature of this device is the ability to use it as a Bluetooth receiver for the NES. Some reviews have reported firmware issues, but right out of the packaging, I was easily playing Castlevania III wirelessly with minimal lag. Everything worked exactly as you would expect with the original controller, but with a few enhancements, including the improved form factor of the NES 30 Pro and the addition of turbo buttons. Pairing my controller to the receiver was very easy. Once I was satisfied that it works well on the NES, I decided to see how it would work as a Bluetooth Receiver on my PC, and the results here were also quite satisfying and addressed one of the few problems I had with the NES 30 Pro. I have never managed to get the controller working correctly on my PC other than when plugged into the USB port. My PC would always recognize it as a keyboard. Thankfully, when pairing the controller with the Retro Receiver, it functions as a gamepad, and it even supports X-Input by default. I would have been happy to have had it recognized as a generic gamepad, and the support for X-input puts it over the top. Besides the NES30 Pro, I also tested the Wiimote and the DS4, and every feature that I have mentioned seems to be true of them as well. and I really think that is probably the tip of the iceberg. Even if you don't have an NES, this might be worth checking out just as an alternative to the X360 controller for Windows, as it makes the experience so easy. No work arounds or USB cables. Simple Bluetooth pairing right out of the packaging translated to a format that most games will support. My only complaints with this receiver are that it seems to only support one device at a time, which is different than what was advertised and that I can't use it on my other retro consoles, but I will definitely be looking into the SNES receiver that they've created, and any any others that may be on the way, as this has exceeded all my expectations. I had to backorder the item, but it ended up shipping before the original expected date, and it was well worth the wait. I am exceedingly happy with the results thus far.

What's the biggest hangup for older consoles in the modern setup? Well really there are two. Getting a video connection to modern TV's and connecting controllers wirelessly so that no one (including animals) trips over the controller cables potentially hurting themselves or tearing up the video equipment. Well 8BitDo has solved the wireless controller issue brilliantly. I read another reviewer say that the Bluetooth dongle is a ripoff because the 2.4 GHz controller comes with a dongle instead of being sold separately. I mean absolutely no disrespect to that reviewer and if you want the 2.4GHz controller and dongle I'm certain that that combo works well as I have had to purchase that combo for some of the other consoles I own. But 8BitDo has actually done something very smart and very generous. By not linking the Bluetooth dongle with a controller they are actually giving you great freedom and an inexpensive way to get more life out of both the dongle and any controller purchase. You can actually purchase Bluetooth dongles for NES and SNES. And you can then attach to them with the same Bluetooth Controller. For example I purchased the 8BitDo SN30 Pro+ controller and it can connect via Bluetooth to both my NES and SNES, and my Nintendo Switch (great for the NES and SNES retro consoles inside the Switch). The controller connects to more than that, but by making the Bluetooth dongles for both retro consoles I now have the best of both worlds. One controller for both consoles. And it works absolutely great. I recommend you follow the instructions and upgrade the dongles as soon as you get them. The instructions are very clear. You have to hold the pair button down as you attach the USB cable to your computer and make certain the light is green. Otherwise if it flashes blue its trying to pair and won't update. My dongles came with the 1.10 beta still loaded as their firmware. But after a really fast and easy update they plugged in, paired with my controller, and I was playing The Legend of Zelda once again and loving it in a very comfortable chair from across the room. I highly recommend these dongles. In fact I bought a couple more dongles since I have an original NES in two different rooms and now I don't have to shuffle dongles back and forth. Well worth the purchase price.

Using this with the NES controllers that you get direct from Nintendo. Work perfectly. My son has been using them to play Mario 3. There's basically no noticable delay.