Controllers can be like a good pair of slippers; once you’ve used them for a while they feel comfortable and familiar, slotting into your hands like they were custom-made for you. This analogy would have probably worked better with gloves, but here we are…
When you find a good controller and learn the button layout, it can be confusing swapping between multiple machines and having to train your brain to a new setup. What’s more, not everyone has the capital to shell out for multiple controllers for all of their different consoles. That’s why I was intrigued by the prospect of 8BitDo’s Retro Receiver range, plug-in dongles that allow you to play old consoles with next-gen remotes, untethering your gameplay and doing away with wires altogether.
8BitDo kindly sent me their Sega Saturn Retro Receiver for review along with their M30 Gamepad, and while the M30 can and absolutely should be used with the Saturn to keep that Sega continuity going, I was more interested in how the Retro Receiver would fair with controllers from the big 3 consoles – the PS5 DualSense, Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, and the Xbox Series X Controler. So, let’s cut the chit-chat and tenuous analogies and get into it, shall we?
Thanks to 8BItDo for sending us the Retro Receiver for review, and a special thanks to
The Ghost Vault for hosting a Discworld II play-through. As always, Retro Dodo never accepts payment for our reviews, and we strive to provide unbiased assessments based on thorough testing of the products we receive. All of my thoughts are my own.
The 8BitDo Retro Receiver for the Sega Saturn does exactly what it sets out to and flawlessly. Simply plug it in and play with no messing around changing frequencies or mapping buttons. It’s an affordable solution for anyone wanting to use their favourite remote with the Sega Saturn and provides a strong connection that won’t fail while gaming.
- Price: £19.99/$24.99
- What’s In The Box – 8BitDo Retro Receiver for Sega Saturn, 1x USB C Cable
- Dimensions: 26.8mm x 51.8mm x 14.9mm
- Weight: 10g
- Connection Type: Bluetooth
- Controller Compatibility: 8BitDo Bluetooth controllers/arcade sticks; Sony DualShock & DualSense controllers; Xbox One, Series & Core controllers; Nintendo Switch Pro Controller & Wii U controllers, most third-party Bluetooth controllers
- Available From: Amazon, 8BitDo
Table of Contents
Hands-on With The 8BitDo Retro Receiver For The Sega Saturn
There it is, folks – the 8BItDo Retro Receiver for the Sega Saturn. It’s incredibly light, weighing in at just 10 grams and with a length of 26.8mm. In other words, it’s extremely portable and great for chucking in your pocket when you’re heading around to your friend’s house to play your favourite Saturn titles. It’s much easier than carrying a Sega Saturn controller around with you as well, and if your friends are all nerds like mine are, then you’ll have no problem picking from a selection of gamepads.
The receiver itself is incredibly simple; it looks like the end of a Sega Saturn controller for the most part, albeit with a plastic connector instead of a metal one as you can see in the picture below. It slots in incredibly smoothly and is powered by the console itself, so there’s no need to hook it up to a power source to make it work. There is a USB C slot on the side should you need to hook it up to a PC to update the firmware, however.
NB: It’s worth mentioning that this receiver only works with controllers that have Bluetooth connectivity and not devices that connect solely via 2.4GHz, so keep that in mind before purchasing.
How Easy Is It To Use?
The main difference on the dongle that you won’t find on the controller connector (apart from the complete absence of a wire which is a pretty big part) is the red button and connector light. This thing is super simple to use – simply press the red button on the receiver until the light starts to flash red, and then put your controller into pairing mode. Once your controller connects, the red light will turn blue, and you’re good to go.
Obviously, every controller goes into pairing mode differently; some have dedicated buttons like the one on the top of the Nintendo Switch Pro remote, while others need a combination of buttons pressing like with the DualSense controller (press the ‘create’ button to the left of the trackpad and the ‘PS button’ between the analog sticks at the same time until the light under the trackpad flashes blue rapidly). You can find pairing instructions for your individual controllers in your manuals or online.
One of the things that surprised me the most is that the analog sticks worked on every controller without me having to do any button mapping, which for a console that never actually had a controller with joysticks as standard without buying the 3D control pad is pretty cool. I connected up all the controllers you can see in the images throughout this article to test a variety of different remotes and everything worked as it should with minimal waiting time when pairing. Check out the video below to see it in action.
What’s The Response Time Like?
8BitDo state that the controller is virtually lag-free, and that would mirror my experience using each of the controllers I tested. Every button was responsive and I didn’t experience any latency, which is great for a modern device made for a console that’s over 30 years old and needs a coin battery to keep it powered even when plugged in.
Final Thoughts
The Retro Receiver does what it says on the tin and it does it effectively with zero fuss, all for less than £20. It’s small, it’s lightweight, and you can take it anywhere with you. More importantly, however, it allows you to enjoy your Saturn games in a whole new way, mostly not hunched over because the controller wire doesn’t reach all the way to the sofa.
As I said up above, this is an affordable solution for people who don’t own a 3D controller or simply don’t want to shell out for a Sega Saturn controller when they have plenty of remotes that they’re used to using at home. I’m all for wireless technology when it comes to my favorite retro consoles because I don’t want to game feeling like a prawn anymore. 8BitDo have knocked it out of the park with this one, and with a plethora of Bluetooth controllers sitting on the shelf behind me, there’s no chance that I’ll get bored of playing Sonic 3D or Virtua Cop 2 in a hurry.
