We love the Nintendo NES Classic Edition and Super NES Classic Edition, but they aren't perfect. On one hand, they both let you play dozens of classic 8-bit and 16-bit games, including some of the best titles ever made. On the other hand, their controller cables are infuriatingly short. 8bitdo offers an ideal solution with the SN30 2.4G. This SNES-style gamepad looks and feels almost identical to the controller included with the SNES Classic, but it's completely wireless. At $24.99, it fixes the biggest sticking point of an otherwise fantastic retro gaming experience, and earns our Editors' Choice.

Design

The SN30 looks and feels just like a Super NES controller without a cord. Instead, a micro USB port sits on the top edge for charging. Everything else is spot-on SNES: a gray gamepad with four face buttons (A, B, X, and Y), two shoulder buttons (L and R), a four-way direction pad, and Start and Select buttons. The A and B buttons are purple and convex, while the X and Y buttons are periwinkle and concave, a dedicated detail from the original controller design. An alternate model, the SF30 2.4G, is based on the Super Famicom controller design. That gray gamepad is a slightly different shade from the SN30 2.4G, and the face buttons are four different colors and all convex.

The receiver is an 0.4-by-0.9-by-2.1-inch (HWD) gray dongle with a NES/SNES Classic controller connector on the end (the same connector used by Wii accessories). A vertical strip of horizontal bars running along the top of the receiver evokes the design of the original NES. A blue LED on the front flashes when looking for the controller and glows steadily when connected.

According to 8bitdo, the SN30 can last up to 25 hours of gameplay with its 180mAh battery, and can charge in 60 minutes. The gamepad didn't falter through several hours of testing.

Gaming

The SNES Classic usually requires you to physically press the reset button on the system to return to the main menu from a game. The SN30 offers a shortcut so you don't have to get up to change games. Pressing Select and Down at the same time will jump back to the main menu on the SNES Classic or NES Classic.

While the SN30 is designed for use with the wireless receiver connected to a SNES or NES Classic Edition, it can serve as a wired gamepad for a PC, Mac, or Android device. When connected over USB, you can hold the Star button and A, B, or X for three seconds to put the SN30 into X-Input mode for a Windows PC, D-Input mode for an Android device, or a MacOS-friendly mode. It's a nice extra, even if the lack of wireless support and the fact that the gamepad has no analog sticks limits its usefulness on other systems.

I played through a chunk of Donkey Kong Country on the SNES Classic using the SN30, and it worked perfectly. The gamepad connected to the receiver immediately when I turned it on, and all controls functioned as they should. Besides the freedom of using it without an annoyingly short tether to the SNES Classic, I couldn't feel any difference between the SN30 and the stock wired gamepad.

I also connected the SN30 to a NES Classic Edition. Once again the gamepad worked flawlessly, and I had no problem using it to bust through Heat Man and Wood Man's levels in Mega Man 2. The X and Y buttons double as A and B buttons alongside the actual A and B buttons, offering some choice in the otherwise minimalistic NES control layout. More importantly, the direction pad and buttons are responsive enough to jump on the disappearing blocks to get over lava.

SNES Classic Companion

8bitdo's SN30 2.4G is a spot-on wireless version of the original SNES gamepad. It feels just as good as the controllers included with the SNES Classic, but without the painfully short cable tethering you to the system. If some of your favorite games can be found on the SNES Classic or NES Classic and your couch is more than three feet away from your TV, this is a must-buy accessory, and an Editors' Choice.

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