8BitDo’s new Xbox controller fits gamers with small hands

8BitDo has announced another version of its Ultimate C wired Xbox controller that’s 20 percent thinner and 10 percent lighter while featuring full-size competitors, joysticks, and buttons.

The Ultimate Mini has the same layout as the larger Xbox controllers but with the action buttons, directional pad, and Hall’s shock-resistant joysticks all placed closer together. There are also Hall effect triggers on the back, and slightly smaller shoulder buttons.

It comes with a white, pink, or green light shell, which makes the ring of LEDs around each joystick glow brightly. Called the Ring of Fire, there are different lighting modes that respond to different button presses by flashing, rotating in different colors, or following the direction in which each joystick is pushed.

8BitDo Ultimate Mini is compatible with Xbox One, Xbox Series S and X, and PCs running Windows 10 or 11. There is no wireless connection to help keep the controller lightweight without batteries inside. But parents with kids who are used to playing games to stop their tantrums and throw their controllers around might want to think twice about a gamepad that’s literally strapped to a console that doesn’t have a detachable connector.