Retro-Bit Saturn pad vs 8BitDo M30

[motorcitymarxist]

Hi all, first post here and apologies if it’s a topic that’s been covered before.

I play shmups on my Switch and occasionally on an old tablet through Final Burn Neo, and have a range of controllers (Switch Pro, 8BitDo fightstick, 8BitDo SN30 Pro) but am always looking to grow my collection.

I’ve heard many times about how good the Sega Saturn controller d-pad was, and would love to pick up a modern version to try our, but I’m struggling to choose between the main candidates.

I’ve seen lots of mixed things about Retro-Bit’s controllers - low lag, but variable build quality. And while I trust 8BitDo to make good stuff, I’ve seen it has more lag and doesn’t look as comfy to hold.

Would be really interested in anyone’s opinion on which (if either) is worth picking up.

Thanks!

[Gara]

We talking about the wireless Retro-Bit Saturn pad? Their wired controllers are crap. My wireless Retro Bit is pretty decent after I swapped in parts from a original Saturn controller. I'd give the edge to the M30 though. The M30 feels quite good right out of the box. Your mileage may vary when it comes to how it feels in your hand, but I can't see you being unhappy with the dpad. I don't use either of them on my Switch though, so I can't comment on lag.

[bigbadboaz]

I did not like the liberties 8BitDo took with the Sega template. The new shape doesn't fit my hands well and their Dpad looks the part but didn't have the same tactile response as a good Sega pad. And the feel of the button membranes was definitively terrible.

As such I voted RB but there are issues there as well. Obviously from what I've said the actual Saturn design is IMO better. But the RB pads don't quite get everything right; they also have worse tactile/button feel than real pads, and more concerning are the widely reported durability issues.

I've actually found their Genesis controllers get it closer than their Saturn controllers. Membrane feel is much closer and there have been fewer reports of broken Dpads. I bought a Genesis 2.4G as a result and have been happy.

BTW, if you can wait just a bit they've run a Sega Black Friday sale every year since releasing these pads.

[it290]

I have 2 of the Saturn pads and multiple M30s. The M30 is a better, more ergonomic design overall and generally much more comfortable to use. Dpad on the two is about the same. The shoulder buttons are better on the M30. Face buttons are about the same. My Saturn pads have an issue where the battery drains even when the controller is asleep, which is overall the biggest thing that keeps me from using them, but even were not the case I would prefer the M30 for its feel. Any latency difference between the two is negligible (when referring to the 2.4ghz model of the M30).