Lon Seidman just posted a video demoing the new iOS support for a few different models of 8BitDo controllers. After flashing the new firmware, simply put the controller in “D-Input mode” and you can wirelessly connect the controller to iPad, iPhones and any Apple TV game that supports MFi controllers. Also, any iOS devices with a USB-C connector (currently only some models of iPad) can connect directly via a USB cable. *Some compatible models are listed here, with more info and lag test results discussed below.
Firmware Info: https://www.8bitdo.com/apple/
SN30 Pro: https://amzn.to/3TLOPLJ
SN30 Pro+: https://amzn.to/3JOQTOw
SN30 Pro 2: https://amzn.to/3FOLZ2U
SN30 Pro for Android: https://amzn.to/3LOP2vJ
Ultimate Wireless 2.4g: https://amzn.to/3ZirB17
Lite SE: https://amzn.to/42EV34j
There’s a few specs on their website that are worth noting. First, rumble and motion control are currently not supported at all. Next, you can connect up to 4 controllers at a time per device. And lastly *8Bitdo’s own “Apple” page lists the above controllers as compatible, but also shows pictures of their Xbox controller on that page. Maybe I’m missing something? My advice is to just check your model for a firmware update and give it a try…
Now onto latency – The MiSTerAddons latency database shows that the SN30 controllers seem to average 6ms of latency in wired mode and around 20ms in wireless dinput mode. While 6ms isn’t bad, the only Apple device at the moment that supports USB-C controllers are a few models of iPad and not the Apple TV or iPhone. Also, the “Android” version of the controller isn’t compatible with a wired connection anyway (according to their site). So realistically, most people will be using them wirelessly and can probably expect about twice the controller latency of Xbox Elite or PS5 Dual Sense controllers. This isn’t necessarily bad…but worth noting if you haven’t bought a controller yet.
On a personal note, I’ve been begging 8BitDo to add this feature since 2016, as I was anticipating the Apple TV becoming a much more popular gaming platform. Is it? Am I just missing some great exclusives and should be paying more attention to Apple Arcade? Or is the library not focused on competing with modern platforms? The Breath Of The Wild clone that Lon showed in his video seemed to paint the picture that there’s at least a few cool games on there, so maybe I should give it another try?
Also, if you’d like to learn more about Lon, please check out the interview we did awhile back! You can either watch the video, or search any audio podcast platform for “RetroRGB Lon”!:
