8BitDo’s Zero 2 is a gamepad so small you could almost lose it down the back of an atom

When you return to games systems you enjoyed as a kid, you might mull how the controllers seem so much smaller now. 8BitDo’s Zero 2 (about $20) takes this to the extreme, given that it looks like someone left a SNES controller in the wash. But despite being small in stature, this gamepad’s not short of features. You get all the usual controls (D-pad; four action buttons; shoulder triggers; two function buttons), motion controls, wireless Bluetooth, and support for Android, macOS, Windows and Nintendo Switch. And although Stuff is getting cramp just thinking about a marathon gaming session with this diminutive device, that you can feasibly whack it on a keyring means it’s ideal fodder for a gaming emergency, like when you rock up at a friend’s and they’ve only one working controller and a game of retro classic Bubble Bobble eagerly waiting for you to hammer Start.

Craig Grannell Contributor

About

I’m a regular contributor to Stuff magazine and Stuff.tv, covering apps, games, Apple kit, Android, Lego, retro gaming and other interesting oddities. I also pen opinion pieces when the editor lets me, getting all serious about accessibility and predicting when sentient AI smart cookware will take over the world, in a terrifying mix of Bake Off and Terminator.

Areas of expertise

Mobile apps and games, Macs, iOS and tvOS devices, Android, retro games, crowdfunding, design, how to fight off an enraged smart saucepan with a massive stick.