Nintendo’s mini Super Nintendo is a delightful little box, packed with over a dozen classic SNES games.
It’s just got one big problem: The Super NES Classic Edition has wired gamepads, just like the original Super Nintendo. And who wants wires stretching across their living room, from TV to sofa? Nobody.
Thankfully, there’s an amazingly simple, elegantly retro solution from 8bitdo in these wireless Super Nintendo gamepads that cost just $25 apiece.
After playing several different games with 8bitdo's wireless SNES gamepad, I was sold. Check it out:
For $25, you get everything below (except for the SNES console itself, of course):
After opening the box, I found four things inside:
- A wireless gamepad
- A micro USB charging cable
- A wireless receiver to plug into your Super NES Classic Edition console
- A bare-bones instruction manual.
Setup is a cinch. All I did was plug the receiver into my SNES Classic Edition, push the Start button on the gamepad, and that was it. It took less than 20 seconds.
Here's a closer look at the wireless receiver:
Nintendo's been using the same controller ports on its consoles since the Nintendo Wii. The bizarre-looking plug you see above is the same one found in everything from the Wii to, now, the Super NES Classic Edition.
You simply open the front face of the console, like you would normally to plug in gamepads:
Only, instead of plugging in the SNES gamepads that comes with the console, you plug in the wireless receiver. Simple!
The wireless gamepad itself is an excellent facsimile of the real SNES gamepad.
From the way the buttons squish to the uncomfortable stiffness of the d-pad, 8bitdo's wireless gamepad is a near-perfect stand-in for the Super Nintendo's classic gamepad. Perhaps you're an absolute purist and want the same colored buttons from the original US Super Nintendo? That's an option!
Even better: Though the Super Nintendo's quad-colored gamepad was exclusive to Europe and Japan, you can get the wireless 8bitdo version in the US. As you can tell from my photos, I prefer the quad-color version.
And yes, both versions cost the same $25.
You can charge the gamepad in a wall or on your Switch or wherever else you plug in USB devices for a charge.
The micro-USB port is up top, sitting between the shoulder buttons. Did you know that the Super Nintendo was the first major game console to have a controller with shoulder buttons? Now you do!
Also up there are two lights, indicating whether you're playing as player one or player two.
Beyond fixing the wire issue, the 8bitdo wireless SNES gamepad fixes one other huge problem.
On the SNES Classic Edition, you push the reset button as a "Home" button. It brings you back to the main menu, and enables the console's save feature (so you can return to a game in-progress).
But with 8bitdo's gamepad, you can push down on the d-pad and the Select button at the same time - that functions as a Home button instead of having to get up and push the Reset button. Really! That's two major problems solved with a single $25 gamepad that also looks great and feels great. I cannot suggest the 8bitdo wireless Super Nintendo controller enough.