Free yourself from stick drift with a Hall effect 8Bitdo controller on sale for $40
8BitDo Ultimate | 2.4 GHz Wireless | Charging Dock | $49.99 39.99 at Amazon (save $10 with Prime)
A well-built wireless controller with good battery life and "Hall effect" sticks, which aren't susceptible to the drift that most controllers develop over time. (Here's more on what Hall effect means and why we prefer it.)
Price check: Target $49.99View Deal
During Amazon's previous Prime Day sale, PC Gamer's Jacob Fox and Kara Philips both recommended that we all snag wireless 8BitDo controllers, and they were so persuasive that I'm picking up the torch and spreading their message myself, because one of these quality gamepads is on sale again during Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days event.
"Once upon a time, I had a plentitude of Xbox controllers which I verily enjoyed, then I found 8BitDo, and I've not turned back since," Jacob wrote earlier this year. His favorite controller in the 8BitDo family, the retro 8BitDo Pro 2, is sadly not on sale this time, but the more Xbox-like 8BitDo Ultimate is $10 off on Amazon.
- We're curating the best Prime Day PC gaming deals right here.
Here's what Kara had to say about the 8BitDo Ultimate back in July: "I use the Ultimate as my go-to controller for most things. Its build is far more comfortable than the majority of other Xbox-style controllers I've used, which is important for me since after a few hours I tend to find my hands cramping with a lot of controllers. It's also got a fantastic battery life, which I've tested to be around 40 hours, and even then it only takes a couple hours to charge when flat."
Aside from the generally good build quality and battery life, one convicing reason to switch to an 8BitDo controller is their use of "Hall effect" sticks. Rather than measuring your analog stick movements with a potentiometer, which can wear out and cause the dreaded stick drift phenomenon, Hall effect sticks use a sensor that does not require physical contact, so they don't succumb to wear and tear in the same way. It's not a new technology, but it's the one we prefer for controllers.