A single controller line that works on the NES and the Switch

And they’re a lot cheaper than Nintendo’s official Switch controllers, too

For all the known issues with Bluetooth wireless devices, it's pretty incredible to have a single standard that lets devices connect wirelessly to all sorts of different hardware. Case in point: the 8bitdo line of classic controllers which, thanks to a new firmware update today, is now compatible with the Switch in addition to classic consoles like the NES and SNES, plus PCs and mobile phones to boot.

Of course, the classic consoles don't support wireless controllers natively—for that you'll need to invest in a Retro Receiver that plugs in to the appropriate controller port. With those attached, though, it's now possible to take a single controller from a Nintendo system released in 1985 to one released in 2017 without even dealing with any wires.

We tested the basic NES30 edition of the controller with the Switch this afternoon, and we found the controller more than up to the task of playing games like Mario Kart 8 and Puyo Puyo Tetris. The controller's design, which mimics the old NES controller pretty accurately, makes it infinitely more enjoyable to use than the tiny Switch Joy-Cons, which we've found hand-crampingly awful when held horizontally as individual game pads.

More complicated games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will need one of 8bitdo's more expensive Pro controllers to handle analog inputs. Even then, you're missing out on HD Rumble and motion-control features found on the Joy-Cons. Still, the well-constructed peripherals, which run for $35 to $43 on Amazon, make a decent alternative to Nintendo's official controllers, which run $50 for a single Joy-Con or $70 for a Pro Controller.

Surprisingly, the 8bitdo line seems to be the first set of third-party controllers to advertise compatibility with the Switch. Nintendo hasn't officially licensed any third-party controllers for the system yet, and we couldn't find discussion of any other generalized Bluetooth controllers that are configured to work with the system. While Nintendo could probably take steps to disable the 8bitdo compatibility if it wanted to (the company wasn't available to immediately respond to a request for comment from Ars), for now, these seem to be a good choice for expanding your Switch's local multiplayer capabilities.