This 8BitDo Ultimate controller and charging dock is the best deal under $50 today

8BitDo Ultimate on a pink deals background — (Image credit: 8bitdo)

Third-party controllers have gotten so good in the last few years. I'd argue they've developed so well that the likes of Sony and Microsoft have fallen behind.

If you are looking to pick up a new controller and you have less than $50, I couldn't recommend anything over the 8BitDo Ultimate 3-mode today, now that it's $40 at Amazon.

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Looking at this price point, you can pick up the Xbox wireless controller on sale for just shy of $50, but the 8BitDo comes with a charging stand, a better polling rate, Hall effect sticks and triggers, and a comparably strong build quality.

You could go for the likes of the GameSir Nova Lite 2 for $30 at Amazon. This would be a solid pick, as it offers Hall effect sticks and a higher 1,000 Hz polling rate, but I'd personally pay the extra $10 for the charging dock and 8BitDo's excellent design and feel. It makes surprisingly premium-feeling controllers for reasonable prices.

A photo of the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 Wireless game controller for Windows PC and Android devices — (this is the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 Wireless, not the 8BitDo Ultimate 3-mode) (Image credit: Future)

And if you don't like the black variant, the white one is the same price, and the Xbox Jade model is $5 more. Either way, you are getting a few extra buttons (two paddles on the back) and three-way connectivity. It has Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz (which you can pop into the dock to require just one USB cable to power the controller and its dock), plus wired mode.

8BitDo notes that the Ultimate 3-mode is compatible with Xbox, and that's true, but only while wired. It's still better than some controllers, but worth noting nonetheless. As such, that makes the Ultimate a great controller to primarily use on your PC, with the option to connect to other devices in a pinch.

With the Xbox logo on the top and the asymmetrical sticks, you are getting a comparable experience to the Xbox controller here, but without stick drift, with higher polling, a charging dock, extra buttons, and (to my eye) a better aesthetic too.

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Best PC controller 2026

1. Best overall:
GameSir G7 Pro

2. Best budget:
GameSir Nova Lite

3. Best high end:
Razer Wolverine V3 Pro 8K PC

4. Best for couch
Steam Controller (2026)

5. Best wired:
Scuf Valor Pro

👉Check out our full PC controller guide👈

James is a more recent PC gaming convert, often admiring graphics cards, cases, and motherboards from afar. It was not until 2019, after just finishing a degree in law and media, that they decided to throw out the last few years of education, build their PC, and start writing about gaming instead. In that time, he has covered the latest doodads, contraptions, and gismos, and loved every second of it. Hey, it’s better than writing case briefs.