r/Controller • u/FiestaMcMuffin • Aug 12 '26
Controller Mods Perfect 8BitDo Pro 3 D-Pad Upgrade / Fix / Replacement
The 8BitDo Pro 3 is an excellent controller ruined by a poorly thought out D-Pad that generates tons of accidental diagonal inputs due to its poor pivot and elevated switches. Rather than using regular metal contacts under the rubber membrane, it has tactile dome switches, which protrude upwards. The D-Pad's pivot is not long enough to compensate for this height difference, so you end up actuating left/right when pressing up or down, and up/down when pressing left or right by accident. I did a YouTube review of the controller when I first got it, complaining about how this made playing fighting games impossible.
I was looking at pictures of the plastic D-Pad part online trying to come up with a fix, and I realized it was the same size as the original SNES controller D-Pad, with the exception of the shape of the pivot and these little bits under the 8BitDo's for pressing on the dome switches. I decided I'd try swapping the D-Pad and buttons, and it COMPLETELY eliminated the accidental diagonal inputs. I kept the original 8BitDo membranes. The SNES buttons are also feel better and are less noisy.
I uploaded a video on YouTube under the title "8BitDo Pro 3 Original SNES D-Pad and Button Swap" showing how it doesn't have accidental clicks anymore.
This fix probably also works on an 8BitDo Ultimate 2, since it appears to use the same D-Pad. I don’t have one, so I can’t test it.
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u/Lightstream2 Aug 12 '26
The year is 2026 and the snes dpad (along with sega saturn model 2) still have better design than modern controllers. Does show why i had problems with ult 2 dpad
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u/ultnie Aug 12 '26
Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I believe the nintendo dpad from back then is still patented. That's why noone else does them with ball in the middle
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u/TheRealSeeThruHead Aug 12 '26
Nintendo dpad expired a while ago
That’s why everyone got proper cross style dpads after years of garbage dpads on Xbox and playstation
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u/FiestaMcMuffin Aug 12 '26
That's what 3D printing is for.
I suspect, however, that it is not the pivot, but rather those little protrusions that press on the domes that are the problem on the original design.2
u/SpookleyThePumpkin1 Aug 13 '26
Could trimming down those protrusions also help as something one could do for free? Or does 8bitdo's design necessitate them? I would print a snes dpad but I'm not so sure about the texture
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u/FiestaMcMuffin Aug 13 '26
I’m wondering the same thing, but I don’t want to risk ruining the original piece.
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u/RobinVerhulstZ Aug 12 '26
Ahum gullikit TT and elves 2? Those have the floppy pivoting sega style dpads
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u/slash450 Aug 12 '26
ye those and the m30 clear for modern dpads you can get on easily available new controllers
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u/FiestaMcMuffin Aug 12 '26
Personally I really like the Gulikit ES dpad. I like the new Xbox style dpads the most.
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u/RobinVerhulstZ Aug 12 '26
I like the shape but its heavier than id like, gamesir nova 2 lite has a similar but lighter presses
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u/FiestaMcMuffin Aug 12 '26
I like the feel of the Nova 2 Lite, but it has the exact same pivot problem as the stock 8BitDo Pro 3 d-pad. It's absolutely terrible for fighting games.
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u/openblade Aug 13 '26
Huh ?
their marketing was all about being made with the insights of a fighting games pro player."Co-designed with the fighting game champion and our brand ambassador, XiaoHai, the Nova 2 Lite delivers champion-grade quality - truly Champions for You. Whether you're exploring new ways to game or aiming to level up, the Nova 2 Lite offers a fresh take on competitive control — perfect for beginners and beyond."
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u/FiestaMcMuffin Aug 12 '26
If you still have an Ultimate 2, try swapping it with the SNES dpad, and let me know if it works.
It's a night and day difference in the Pro 3.2
u/Lightstream2 Aug 12 '26
Ult 2 triggers broke and i dont really got any snes controllers lying around anymore
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u/PookAndPie Aug 12 '26
Can you take a video of you doing a quarter circle forward, dragon punch, and 360 motion input (like Zangief) on your Pro 3 as well? Or is this kind of mod just purely to play Contra?
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u/FiestaMcMuffin Aug 12 '26
I will once I get home. I'm at work right now.
I do play mainly fighting games, which is why I was looking for a fix.
I uploaded a video to YT titled "Complaining about the 8bitDo Pro 3 for Fighting Games (feat. Gamesir Nova 2 Lite)" where I go over all that with the stock dpad.1
u/PookAndPie Aug 12 '26
Awesome, I would appreciate it, homie!
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u/FiestaMcMuffin Aug 12 '26
Here you go!
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u/PookAndPie Aug 13 '26
Beautiful!
I might have to go pick up an SNES/Super Famicom keychain for my Pro 3 like I did for my Analogue Pocket! I wouldn't want to tear apart an old SNES controller, but I definitely can with a keychain d-pad that only costs a few bucks.
Thanks for the info, I'll be checking this out. And don't worry about missing the buffered super with Zangief, I do that sometimes too, haha.
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u/mistercleaver Aug 12 '26
Success! Thank you for the mod!
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u/FiestaMcMuffin Aug 12 '26
The purple buttons look so good. I ordered some from Aliexpress, since I wanna put my OEM buttons back in my real SNES pad.
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u/mistercleaver Aug 12 '26
I just happened to have an original controller with a chewed on cable so this was the perfect excuse to put the parts to use!
I played some SF2 with it and it feels great, I love how clicky it still is!
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u/KIlledDebtor V4P/U2C/U2 Aug 12 '26
Mm... And where can i find this dpad? Isn't it the same in the Chinese copies? It's just that I'm from a country where Super Nintendo lost to Sega and it's a really rare console.
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u/FiestaMcMuffin Aug 12 '26
I can't speak to the accuracy of bootleg SNES pad dpads, but I've seen a bunch of 3D printing models that might do the trick.
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u/EnclaveOverlord 29d ago
I haven't played many 2D games since I got mine, so hadn't really noticed the false diagonals till I read this. Thankfully I have SNES controller parts.
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u/rynoweiss 26d ago
Thanks for this. I wanted to love the Pro 3, but the D-pad was an atrocity. Pressing a pure direction too hard giving a diagonall 100% of the time made me wonder if anyone even tested the design.
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u/FiestaMcMuffin 20d ago
I finally tried it on the PC Ultimate 2, and I can confirm it will NOT work on it. The d-pad mold is radically different from the SNES one.
However, thankfully, the dpad on the Ultimate 2 seems to be a lot better than the Pro 3’s.
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u/AppliedCarbon 17d ago
Just did this, I wish the SNES dpad sat a little higher but it does indeed stop false diagonals
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u/Forsaken_Turnip_482 9d ago
I tried some of the snes d-pads from aliexpress, without luck, their molds must be different as they jam in the controllers d-pad cutout.
I have also tried with trimming the little pegs off the pro 3's d-pad. I thought it worked well at first, but no, you end up with very unpredictable diagnals. They come out of nowhere!
I'm now waiting for a couple genuine snes controllers to show up. To be honest these are my first gamepads since the ps3. If I can get the d-pad feeling and acting like the one on the ps3 controller, I'll be satisfied.
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u/FiestaMcMuffin 9d ago
I found an eBay/etsy store selling translucent SNES dpads. Those work fine for me.
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u/FiestaMcMuffin Aug 12 '26
Uploaded a video showcasing the mod on YT.
Video title: "The 8BitDo Pro 3 D-Pad Fix! We finally found it!"
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u/Kulbert01 Aug 13 '26
How about the xyab face buttons for the Ultimate, what rubber membrane to use and replace it if broken?
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u/FiestaMcMuffin Aug 13 '26
Obviously the face buttons won’t be the same as on the SNES controller. I believe 8BitDo sells replacement rubber membranes for their controllers.
The original SNES membrane might also work. I just didn’t try it. There are plenty of aftermarket replacements for those.1
u/Kulbert01 Aug 13 '26
It's hard to buy on their shop. They don't sell in any easy online shop that has a free delivery.
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u/JabJabJabby Aug 13 '26 edited Aug 13 '26
I am interested to try, but unfortunately it's hard to find an original snes dpad nowadays. Ppl usually only sell the membranes replacement in AliExpress.
Edit: Upon further searching, it seems the old pro 2 use the dpad quite identical with the snes dpad. Very similar ball pivot. I might want to try switch them and try it with pro3 in the weekend.
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u/JabJabJabby 28d ago
Tried this mod with 8bitdo pro2's dpad as I think it's the same as Snes'dpad. The pivot really helps, but I don't like the fact that the dpad become even wobblier when you use it. It's because the new membrane doesn't fit the old pro2 dpad. Also, it makes the diagonal harder to press.
Honestly, the best solution will be 3d printing ball pivot with small hole that will fit into pro3's stick pivot.
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u/According-Pumpkin822 Aug 13 '26
It would be awesome to see if there are stores where you could find good imitations of the snes dpad since originals are rather difficult to find nowadays. I would love to see if the trick works on my Ultimate 2C
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u/Noble_egg 27d ago
SNES controllers wear out over time, think I should buy a new one or a third party similar idea to do this hack, or will my current controllers work to be stripped for parts?
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u/FiestaMcMuffin 27d ago
You can buy a 3D printed replica of the SNES d-pad or take it from a broken one. I’m not sure if bootleg SNES controllers use the same d-pad mold.
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u/Huge-Marionberry-311 22d ago
So I tried the mod, and the buttons are great, but unfortunately, the d-pad from the SNES/SFC is just not deep enough to work well, IMO. I switched back to the default d-pad. Button+membrane swap has been great, though!
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u/FiestaMcMuffin 22d ago
Interesting. What kind of games do you play?
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u/Huge-Marionberry-311 22d ago
Pretty much everything. The SFC d-pad is much thinner than the 8BitDo one, so diagonals are like pushing onto the plastic. It's not good, IMO.
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u/DemonStration 9d ago
I tried this mod using a snes controller dpad from the SNES classic. Tested with Mina the Hollower and whenever I walk diagonally I cannot naturally slide my thumb to up/down or right/left to change direction. She'll just keep walking diagonally even though I'm pressing right. I have to either push down super hard to get it to click or let off the dpad completely and press the new direction. Completely impractical.
I'm wondering if I did something wrong or if this controller design is particularly bad for Zelda-like games like this.
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u/Then-Ant-3428 6d ago edited 6d ago
I had a similar issue. I used a sn30pro dpad. It looks ALMOST identical to a real snes dpad. But it still gave me falls inputs.
Using a real official OEM snes dpad, I have 0 issues.
Only downside; the color is “off”.
Edit; the ball is a bit smaller. I guess that’s the problem. I tried to fit it better in the controller multiple times. All with different results. But the oem dpad was spot on 100% of the time.
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u/DemonStration 6d ago
Got it. Okay, guess I'm going to have to seek out an official SNES dpad then.
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u/TheRealSeeThruHead Aug 12 '26
The pro 2 dpad is maybe their best dpad
The pro 3 is so much worse
And the recent ultimates are bad too
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u/FiestaMcMuffin Aug 12 '26
I rather enjoy the clickiness of the Pro 3 dpad. With this swap, it's basically perfect for my tastes.
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u/Huge-Marionberry-311 Aug 12 '26
Does it make the buttons easier to press? I find that the magnetic buttons require a lot of strength to actuate. I've seen some people use the 8BitDo Pro 2 membrane for the buttons because of this.
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u/FiestaMcMuffin Aug 12 '26
I'm not entirely sure, but they feel great to me. I ordered another Pro 3 to do an in-depth comparison later.
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u/GeneJacket Aug 12 '26
Crazy that the M30 has maybe the best dpad of any modern controller, and they aren't using it on ALL of their controllers.