8Bitdo M30 2.4G Wireless Gamepad for the Original Sega Genesis and Sega Mega Drive - Sega Genesis,Black

UPDATE: So after updating the firmware to 2.0 I can honestly say everything I wrote down below about having issues is gone. Absolutely love this controller and I purchased a second one. Definitely worth getting!I'm leaving the old review for posterity sake, to show I had an issue and it was resolved quickly by the dev.I really want to sit here and write to you and tell you that I love this controller. However with good conscience I cannot. The feel of the controller is great, as someone that wasn't much of a fan of the original Genesis rounded controller as it just didn't feel right in my hands. I can say that this controller feels great in my hands. However the plastic does feel a little on the cheap side, but its sturdy enough.The buttons feel great, they've got a really good press to them, and the D-pad is responsive and accurate. Never have I felt that when I was pressing left or right would I accidentally get an up or down like has plagued the SN30. The D-pad just feels good to use.Price, well what's really to say about price. $25 for a wireless Genesis controller is absolutely killer. Simply the best and most reasonable price you'll find for a wireless genesis controller.However, the big issue I have with this controller right now is the wireless connection. When the controller works it works great, no noticeable lag that I can discern and the battery lasts a long time. However every so often the controller will de-sync from the console. Either allowing no button presses at all, or only relaying the last button press before the de-sync for a few seconds then it'll reconnect to the console. This is highly annoying when it happens. I don't think it has anything to do with the charge of the controller because my controller is fully charged, I'm guessing it might have to do with interference, but without the proper equipment to test that it's hard to be sure.There's only one other thing that I noticed, but I only noticed this once, and I'm not entirely sure it's accurate, but when I received a cell call and I was talking on the phone while playing the controls seem to have a tiny delay to them. This requires more testing, however I feel that the cell call was delaying my inputs to the console ever so slightly as button presses felt more mushy than responsive as they usually did.For these reasons I have to say I'm not in love with this controller. I wish I could give it 5 stars and a recommendation, however until these issues get fixed with either a firmware patch or a hardware replacement by 8bitdo I simply can't recommend this controller at this time. I'll be in contact with 8bitdo and we'll see how well their support is.

Like many retro hobbyists I've become accustomed to seeing high, high prices for modern upgrades on retro consoles. So when I saw this controller for under 30 bucks I wasn't expecting much. I was very surprised when the package came and I took this controller out. The controller itself looks much nicer in person than in the picture. It feels very premium in the hand. It's roughly the same size as the original Sega 6 button, but it has a more modern, curvy shape which makes it feel very comfortable to hold. The plastic texture has a very nice feeling, and the molding of the controller shell has nothing "off" about it. The two halves line up perfectly, and there are no sharp edges to annoy you or your hands.Side by side against my Sega 6 button, the d-pad feels nearly identical. The d-pad itself has the same non-glossy finish, and direction presses are responsive without unintentional inputs. The A-B-C / X-Y-Z button layout is also nearly identical in layout, button size, and feeling. Honestly the 8BitDo's buttons feel slightly better, but that's probably because the rubber membrane is brand new and the Sega controller is well over 20 years old. The Start button feels just slightly odd, like it doesn't spring back up as quickly as I expect. I plan on using this controller a lot so I'll update if it starts getting stuck or something.Connectivity is flawless. I didn't have to mess around with pairing this thing with the receiver. Just plug in and play. I have it connected to my MiSTer via SNAC adapter, but I would imagine that it would work just fine with a real Genesis, Mega Drive, or Mega Sg. I played half way through Sonic 1 and 2 and experienced zero issues. No input lag that I could detect, and I'm pretty sensitive to that. Inputs feel as instantaneous as my wired Sega controller. I just looked up what retrorgb posted and they found 3.4 milliseconds of input lag, which is less than 1/4th of a single frame. You can't get any better than that.I didn't plan on writing this much of a glowing review but I'm pretty impressed. BUT, again, this is only after playing half way through two different Sonic games. If the plastic starts degrading or if I start getting connectivity issues myself, I'll update my review. But at this moment in time, I am very pleased with this controller.

For the past 6 months or so the Joyzz controller from Krikzz has been my main controller for Genesis, and while it is a fantastic controller it is a bit expensive at $65. So when I saw the M30 get announced at a $25 price tag I was intrigued and decided to give it a try.The build quality like other 8bitdo controllers is very high quality. The plastic has a matte finish and texture that makes it feel more premium. The D-Pad is absolutely fantastic and the face buttons are as responsive as you'd expect. I also could not detect any input lag over the Joyzz, it felt equally as responsive.Syncing was super fast, just hold the start button for a few seconds and it just works. Also, for those games that require 3 button mode to work make sure to hold the - button for around 3 - 5 seconds.Lastly, unlike some other reviewers I have not experienced any interference issues or drop outs. I had both my M30 and Joyzz working at the same time with no problems at all. FWIW, I'm using this in a small room where my router is located. I hope 8bitdo fixes whatever issues other people have been experiencing, because when the M30 works its absolutely fantastic, especially at the $25 price tag.