There are some highly effective third-party controllers for the Change 2 to date, however 8BitDo’s Professional 3 has confirmed significantly interesting with its SNES-inspired design, TMR stick expertise, and tactile (albeit noisy) D-pad. In my view, this was the very best various when you did not wish to use Nintendo’s personal Professional controller.
Till now, sure. Gulikit made headlines in 2025 by saying the primary third-party controller with wake-up help for Change 2. Nevertheless, whereas the Elves 2 actually boasts a singular design, it in the end lacks in different areas and appears a bit “low-cost” when in comparison with different fashions.
Nevertheless, with the TT Professional / TT Max pads, Gulikit has created the very best controllers at $59.99 / Β£59.99 and $69.99 / $69.99 respectively. In my view, these two simply edge out 8BitDo’s Professional 3 because the strongest third-party merchandise for Change 2 to date.
You would be forgiven for taking one have a look at the Professional or Max (we’ll speak about each right here) and pondering, “But it surely’s simply an Xbox controller!” Granted, Gulikit has relied closely on Microsoft’s design for some time now, so the general form is just about the identical. If you happen to put it side-by-side with an official Xbox pad, you may discover that the Professional/Max is barely longer, however in any other case you would be hard-pressed to seek out a lot of a distinction in kind issue.
what enamel What’s totally different, nevertheless, is the position of the D-pad, which has been changed with the left analog stick and has a extra symmetrical design just like the PlayStation DualSense (professional 3, coincidentally, for comparability). Whether or not that is good or not relies on private desire, however I prefer it. The upper placement of the D-pad makes the Professional/Max an amazing selection for each preventing and retro video games, however if you wish to use each analog sticks for 3D titles, that is nonetheless very comfy.
The D-Pad consists of two floating designs and might be changed on the fly. One is extra conventional and has a cross on the floor, whereas the opposite is principally only a concave disc. After I noticed the latter in promotional pictures, I feared the worst, but it surely’s truly my go-to choice. You’ll be able to really feel the tactile response to the 8-directional enter, and it feels actually good to wiggle it round. General, the D-pad is responsive and comfy to make use of, however does not have the annoying “click on” sound that the Professional 3 has.
The analog stick has a very good really feel and is provided with TMR expertise. ought to Stop the dreaded stick drift for years to come back. Gulikit additionally consists of RGB lights round each sticks when you’re into that kind of factor, and you may change this through the controller itself to show fundamental blue, rainbow, multi-color results, or to activate the lights relying on the route you progress the sticks. If you happen to do not want these, you’ll be able to flip them off fully.
That is additionally the most important distinction between the Professional and Max. The latter consists of 4 extra stick caps of assorted heights. In testing the controller, I did not actually run into any situations the place I discovered I wanted longer stick caps, but it surely’s good to have them included.
Max additionally consists of an choice to toggle between 4-way and 8-way enter for the D-pad. Moreover, the “Autopilot Sport” (APG) characteristic, which lets you document and playback particular enter combos, consists of longer period choices.
The ABXY buttons all really feel as you’d anticipate, however they’re typically a bit quieter than the Professional 3, as is the D-pad. If you wish to use Professional/Max on PC, you may also use the included tweezers to swap out the buttons to the usual Xbox format. The spacing is barely tighter than on Nintendo’s official Professional controller or Professional 3, so every little thing is inside simple attain, and the convex form of the buttons themselves are comfy sufficient.
There’s an Xbox-inspired set off on the highest, and similar to on the Professional 3, you’ll be able to toggle between microswitch inputs and pressure-sensitive Corridor impact inputs with an related change on the again. Each choices are very comfy, so I change between the 2 relying on the video games I play. So I would favor a full Corridor impact set off for one thing like Mario Kart World, and a microswitch for one thing extra retro like Tremendous Metroid. To be clear, Mario Kart doesn’t use analog triggers. It feels extra pure to me in trendy video games.
Each pads include extra paddles that may be added to the 4 slots on the again. These are virtually equivalent to those discovered on the Xbox Elite controller, so that they’re designed to comfortably relaxation your two center fingers with out by chance pushing them in.
Once more, all mapping of inputs to those is finished by way of the controller itself, using the settings button within the middle of the gadget. Gulikit features a guide for the settings you wish to mess around with, which is way preferable to loading an app. Even when you do not like paddles, you may really feel comfy and not using a controller.
The Professional and Max have all of the bells and whistles you’d anticipate, plus loads of extra choices. We have already talked about just a few, however there are additionally totally different rumble settings relying on how a lot suggestions you need. I can not stress sufficient how good Rumble is. It’s extremely near being on par with the official Professional Controller 2.
You may as well regulate issues like gyro sensitivity and deadzone, and there is additionally a seize button to document your superb wins in Mario Kart World. Exclusions embody the dearth of a headphone jack, NFC amiibo help, and a devoted chat button. I personally do not take into account any of those to be needed, however you might really feel otherwise.
Gulikit says the wi-fi latency at a 730Hz polling fee (the frequency at which information is shipped from the controller to the console) is 2.62ms, however this additional reduces to 2.16ms if you join a controller. After I used them, I discovered them to be surprisingly responsive.
The retail mannequin additionally comes bundled with Gulikit’s personal Hyperlink 2 adapter, so if you wish to use Bluetooth wi-fi whereas eliminating the opportunity of interference from different places, you may also quote a polling fee of 820hz at 2.95ms (additionally Actually If you need, you’ll be able to hyperlink your PS5 Dualsense to your Change 2 utilizing an adapter (wild stuff).
Alternatively, I particularly used the Max virtually daily for a month and solely wanted to cost it as soon as. Gulikit claims it would take 14-26 hours between costs relying on settings, and that appears about proper. It truly lasted simply round 20 hours. So it is head and shoulders above a lot of the competitors, and possibly second solely to Nintendo’s Professional Controller.
So, all in all, the TT Professional and Max are simply beasts. Not solely have they got wake-up help for the Change 2, however these are simply two of essentially the most comfy controllers I’ve ever held with soiled gloves. The D-pad placement works effectively for me, however I can actually perceive when you favor an offset strategy. And with a TMR stick, Corridor impact triggers, RGB lighting, and a great deal of settings to fiddle with, Gulikit provides nearly every little thing you could possibly fairly need or want from a third-party pad.
Whereas most individuals might be very pleased with the Professional mannequin, there are just a few who will really be capable to use the additional stick caps discovered on the Max. Nevertheless, at $70, the Max provides almost each characteristic present in Xbox’s personal Elite controller for greater than half the value. It’s extremely price efficient and for my part the very best third celebration controller for Change 2 to date.
Now, if firms may cease utilizing the phrase “Professional” in controller names, that will be great.
The samples used on this evaluation had been supplied by Gulikit.