The 8 Best Wireless Retro Controllers (2023 reviews)

It is awesome to play the old games again without buying a refurbished NES. These are simply usb controller devices. It comes with a built-in 5.6ft.long cord (not wireless), which is long enough for playing games with a comfortable distance. The buttons feel great and the overall quality of the controller is excellent.

These controllers are well made and work great. The remotes plug in to Rasperry Pi and work perfectly on NES games, well enough to turtle bounce in 3-in 3-inch distance. These have basic controller boards with no drivers and should work fine for all versions of android compatible with otg. The D-pad and other buttons are fully functional. If you're looking for a good value controller that does the job and brings bck memories this will do just that.

Why We Like This:

Lots of fun playing old nintendo games on the desktop
Fun to play those old classic games on your pc
Controllers are user-friendly to setup with your games
Nice controllers, perfect for playing classic nintendo games on your pc

Best For Laptop: SAFFUN Good Controller

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The saffun good controller is satisfactory and appropriate and fits well with your daily usage. This set is specifically for an emulator. It is great with retropie on an rpi. These have little wireless USB dongles and use old school RF and just work no issue, no lag, and excellent range. It is light and feels good.

This is a total replica of the original SNES, except they are wireless. It gives you a range of up to. The LED light keeps blinking red. If you need to first plug the receiver to the pi before power on the pi, then power on the pi. They are easy to sync and work great.

Why We Like This:

Controlers work well and operate even with raspberry pi
Great controllers for the raspberry pi
Delivers what they promise

Best With Fire TV: SAFFUN Wireless Retro Controller

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Saffun makes beautiful and great controller with classic and smartly choosen materials. It is perfect emulator for windows pc. It can be accomplished with 3rd party software that maps joystick buttons to keyboard controls such as xpadder, autohotkey, or eventghost. The switch recognizes as a wired controller, but the bluetooth works great. These are automatically paired with that dongle.

It works well without issue and also it is great for retropie build. It can be easily upgraded for longer working time.

Why We Like This:

Fantastic, works great with raspberry pi
Wireless controllers work great, easy to connect
Input delay is close to none, and pairing is instant
Good quality and affordable wireless / rechargeable controllers

Best With Trigger: Retrobit Great Controller

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The retrobit great controller should be able to handle its purpose and duties with ease. If you own one of those see-thru color edition n64 units, particularly the purple one, this controller would be the perfect companion. This controller is a wireless rendition of the singular N64 controller. The analog stick is perfect, basically a GameCube analog stick. The wireless function is super nice to have and it works with a memory card as well.

This is a 2.4 Ghz so for PC/Emulator, you need to have the dongle connected. The joystick is a little sensitive ( not perfect, but good) but better than all the other aftermarket controllers out there. The d-pad on the wired has been moved a little bit more to the left than the wired which is great and less combersome to find.

Why We Like This:

Built in rumble pak and memory card port
Great working product that is comfortable in the hands
Works like a charm on switch

Best For firestick: Retrobit Wireless Retro Controller

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This is not their first wireless n64 controller, it’s definitely a solid choice. It’s very comfortable and makes playing N64 games and even SNES games, or basic ones that don’t require a second joystick pretty great. This is a very usable wireless controller that feels comfortable in the hands and works great with both original hardware and as a wireless controller on more modern devices.

The controller comes with the wireless receiver for the n64 plus a usb receiver to connect to computers and the switch. It has a USB-c charging port, good fit and finish and a 15+ hour battery life. The controls are reconfigured so that they are more ergonomic than the original controller. This controller allows for programming macros plus it is perfectly, very good joystick. It has a usb-c charging port, good fit and finish and a 15+ hour battery life.

Why We Like This:

Solid battery life and minimal latency compared to the alternatives
Play all your 64 games with the comfort of a gc controller
Having a dedicated wireless dongle also gives you superior connectivity
Very comfortable, very slight input lag on pc

Best For Emmulator Games: Kiwitata Wireless Retro Controller

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate controller. The kiwitata wireless retro controller is exactly that - it's a simple controller that hits all the right notes. It's just as fast as a USB wired controller. It is a good controller for emmulator games. The Ergonomic shape is designed to fit the contour of your hands, easy and comfortable to hold. The corners of the controller have a very slight but noticeable radius to them that makes them quite a bit more comfortable than the original models from the 1980s.

The controller is essentially the same size and the buttons and everything are in the same " position " or " spot " which helps " keep it real. It has slightly rounded edges vs the original nintendo right angles.

Why We Like This:

Packaged nicely, came with clear instruction manual
Easy to use just follow the package instructions
Great controllers for a retropie setup
Nicely made controllers, good plastics and very low profile usb dongles

Best With Windows XP: MODESLAB Wireless Retro Controller

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate controller. The modeslab wireless retro controller is exactly that - it's a simple controller that hits all the right notes. This controller is a generic usb controller, it uses a standard usb port, if your program or application accepts usb controller input, it can be used natively without drivers or patches, just plug and play. It works with any emulator you wish to download and use. The L and R buttons on top feel good too. The range is also very good. The buttons work good and do not feel flimsy. It's great with windows 10 pc and emulators.

Why We Like This:

Best feeling buttons, d-pad and abxy all soft to push
Plug and play and even works with linux
Good investment for long term

Best With Joystick: innext Wireless Retro Controller

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It includes two controllers to add to that it is good as a nintendo snes controller. The B and A buttons are rounded (concave) and the X and Y buttons are indented (convex) just like the SNES controller. The controller itself is solid and pretty good. It can be configured to specific keys.

The X and Y buttons have a nice springy feel to them and are similar to the authentic snes controller. These are a little thicker than original ones and it makes them easier to hold. It is perfect emulator for windows pc games. It is super easy to pair with the USB dongle and the controllers remain paired even after two weeks of inactivity.

Why We Like This: