8Bitdo NES30 Arcade Stick Works On Android, Nintendo Switch

Fighting games have been around since the earliest days of the arcade and have invade anything from PCs to mobile phones. But despite their ubiquity, such games are still best played on the machine that gave birth to them. Or at least something close to it. Even with pushy buttons, nothing beats the intense feeling of nearly destroying an arcade stick and mashing buttons. Well now you can have all that, take it with you where you go, and even make it work with your equally portable Nintendo Switch, thanks to the new 8Bitdo NES30 Arcade Stick.

OK, so you might not exactly be able to carry this around as easily as your Switch, much less your phone, but if you have space in your bag or luggage, this might be something you will want to take with you on your vacation. Or at the very least, you can take it with you anywhere around the house.

8Bitdo is one of the most trusted names when it comes to controllers masquerading as old-school gamepads. This, however, is their first venture at doing an arcade stick and it is just as impressive. It mimics the design the old NES Arcade Stick but only in the language and motif. It is, through and through, designed for modern gaming.

In addition to having more buttons than you have fingers on one hand, the NES30 Arcade Stick supports both Bluetooth and wired USB connections. For the former, it includes a built-in battery. It supports practically all the major operating systems, except iOS. That means Windows, macOS, Android, and perhaps even Linux systems like the Raspberry Pi. And, yes, it is compatible with the Nintendo Switch, though 8Bitdo warns that it doesn't support all the buttons and, naturally, doesn't support proprietary features like Rumble HD or Amiibo scanning.

The 8Bitdo NES30 Arcade Stick is currently on pre-order for $79.99. The controller will start shipping 20th August. And as a nod towards its passionate community, 8Bitdo promises that the NES30 is moddable and customizaable.