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What am I up to this weekend? Well, since you asked, I'll be punishing 8Bitdo's M30 2.4Ghz Sega Genesis/Mega Drive controller with multiple Sonic the Hedgehog 2 playthroughs. That way, I'll be able to return on Monday and let you know if it's worth replacing your trusty old wired retro console controller with the wireless alternative, or if cutting the cord is too much of a compromise.
The 8Bitdo M30 has been around since 2019 and comes in 2.4GHz and Bluetooth flavors. The latter is sitting pretty at Amazon for $25.99, but you'll splash out another $20 on a Retro Receiver to use it with the OG system. That's half the reason I decided to opt for the dedicated 2.4GHz version for $24.99 instead, since it comes with its own 9-pin controller port adapter for your Genesis, or in my case, Mega Drive.
The other big reason why I picked up the 2.4Ghz M30 is tied to the idea of reducing potential latency. That's not to say Bluetooth controllers will inherently introduce unplayable lag, as I've been using a Blueretro adapter with Nintendo's official Switch Online GameCube controller without any connectivity complaints. I'm also a huge fan of the 8Bitdo N64 controller and couldn't feel any lag whatsoever with the Analogue 3D or actual console.
Okay, that might make it sound like there was zero reason to buy the 2.4Ghz M30 other than not having to buy another Retro Receiver. My upcoming tests might even prove that to be true, but the plan right now is to try to work out if there is an impactful frame delay and whether it matters when playing old 16-bit outings.
It's easy to simply assume that Bluetooth controllers will feel worse than direct wireless. The assumption comes from the fact that 2.4GHz signals allow for a 1,000Hz polling rate, whereas Bluetooth typically hits 125Hz. In reality, while that gap looks massive, not everyone's going to pick up on the latency during normal gameplay. I've not decided if I'm in that latter camp, so to truly get a feel for if it matters, I'm going to torture myself trying to survive Metropolis Zone repeatedly, get a proper feel for the level of responsiveness, then switch connection type.
The natural caveat of just going for 2.4Ghz is device versatility, as you'll be buying a controller exclusively for a specific system. That's why, at the moment, my best modern controller pick for retro consoles overall might very well be the Gulikit Elves 2 Pro, as you'll be able to pick up one pad then use it with multiple systems by acquiring cheaper-than-a-whole-new-gamepad receivers.
Basically, I'm planning to judge the M30 based on its abilities as a wireless Genesis/Mega Drive controller, then assess whether an alternative Bluetooth controller feels laggy by comparison. There's every chance that even 2.4Ghz won't feel quite right compared to my main weapon of choice, my six-button Japanese Mega Drive gamepad that happens to be smaller than the US or UK version, but I'll be sure to let you know after a few days blasting through my Sega collection.
P.S, if you're more into the Mega Drive's 3D successor, there's a Retro-Bit Sega Saturn Pro controller review you should probably check out.
Prefer to play on the go? Take a peek at the best retro handheld options for emulation devices and more.
