As an appreciator of comically tiny pieces of PC hardware, 8BitDo’s new Micro Bluetooth Controller puts a smile on my face. The Micro is perfect for anyone who always needs to have a retro game controller at the ready—assuming they don’t mind that it’s clearly made for squirrels.
As you can see, this thing is very, very small. Just how small? The Micro is 72mm (2.8 inches) wide and 14.1mm (.55 inches) thin and weighs 24.8 grams. In fact, it’s so small I can’t see anyone outside of a child efficiently using it for gaming. Even so, it’s adorable, travels well, and I want one.
On top of being used as a controller for classic gaming, the Micro can be used in what 8BitDo calls “Keyboard Mode,” which lets you map shortcuts to different pieces of software like a photo editor or turn the thing into a fun-looking remote clicker for PowerPoint presentations.
Bluetooth support lets you connect the controller to almost anything, like Android and iOS devices, PCs, Macs, Nintendo Switches, and even a Steam Deck. It also connects to devices via USB Type-C for wired gameplay.
8BitDo squeezed a 180mAh rechargeable battery inside the Micro that it claims gets you about 10 hours of battery playtime with 1-2 hours of charging time. Not the best battery, but it’s much more than I expected.
8BitDo Micro Bluetooth Gamepad is available now at 8BitDo directly for $25 and comes in either blue or green. Believe it or not, this isn’t even the smallest controller 8BitDo makes: That honor goe5s to the Zero2, which the company refers to as a “key-chain-sized” controller, though it lacks many of the Micro’s features.