What is the 8BitDo Pro 3 polling rate, and how does it compare with the Pro 2?
250 Hz on the cable and the 2.4G dongle in XInput, which is what 8BitDo states and two and a half times the 100 Hz it states for the Pro 2. The figure to watch is not the 250. It is Bluetooth on Windows, where the Pro 3 runs in DInput or Switch mode, and DInput measured 53.5 ms on buttons.
The 8BitDo Pro 3 polls at 250 Hz on a PC, on the cable and on its 2.4G dongle, as long as it runs in XInput mode. Gamepadla measured 249.88 Hz on the cable under Windows 11, with average button latency of 5.85 ms. That matches 8BitDo's stated 250 Hz. The Pro 2 measured 94.12 Hz on its cable, so the Pro 3 reports about 2.7 times as often. The weak spot is Bluetooth on Windows. There the Pro 3 cannot use XInput, and in DInput mode it measured 70.38 Hz and 53.5 ms on buttons.
What polling rate and input mode mean
Polling rate is how many times a second the controller sends the PC a fresh report of its buttons and sticks. At 250 Hz a report leaves every 4 ms. A press waits, on average, half that gap before it can be sent, so 250 Hz adds about 2 ms of mean polling delay. Our polling rate guide explains the half-interval rule.
The input mode is the kind of controller the Pro 3 pretends to be. XInput is the Xbox-style protocol most PC games expect. DInput is the older DirectInput protocol. 8BitDo calls the third mode S input: the pad presents itself as a Switch controller. The Pro 3's rate depends on the mode as much as on the link.
Every mode, stated against measured
The stated column is copied from the comparison table on 8BitDo's Pro 3 page. The rest is one gamepadla session: Game Tech Talk, firmware 1.06, 13 and 14 August 2025.
| Link and mode | 8BitDo states | Measured (Hz) | Mean polling delay (ms) | Buttons (ms) | Sticks (ms) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cable, XInput | 250 Hz | 249.88 | 2.00 | 5.85 | 11.4 |
| Dongle, XInput | 250 Hz | 224.47 | 2.23 | 9.20 | 14.8 |
| Cable, DInput | 100-200 Hz | 200.53 | 2.49 | 6.56 | 13.7 |
| Cable, Switch | 125 Hz | 121.14 | 4.13 | 17.5 | 29.5 |
| Bluetooth, Switch | 60-200 Hz | 97.86 | 5.11 | 11.9 | 28.1 |
| Bluetooth, DInput | 60-100 Hz | 70.38 | 7.10 | 53.5 | 73.5 |
Four of the six rates land inside or on 8BitDo's figure. The other two sit just under it: cable Switch at 121.14 Hz against 125, and the dongle at 224.47 Hz against 250. A second tester, Pook and Pie, read 250 Hz on the dongle in XInput two weeks later, so the 250 Hz claim holds on both XInput links. 8BitDo states no rate for Bluetooth in XInput, and none of the 17 extra tests on the page uses it.
The trap is Bluetooth in DInput
8BitDo's table lists Bluetooth for "Switch / SteamOS / Apple / Android". Windows appears only under 2.4G and wired, and XInput only under "Wired/2.4G". So a Pro 3 paired to a PC over Bluetooth arrives in DInput or Switch mode.
Walk through what that costs, using the published figures. Take a Pro 3 paired to a Windows PC over Bluetooth in DInput. Its reports arrive at 70.38 Hz, so polling alone adds 7.10 ms on average, 5.10 ms more than the cable in XInput. The measured button average was 53.51 ms against 5.85 ms on the cable, a gap of 47.66 ms. Polling explains about a tenth of it. At 60 fps a frame lasts 16.7 ms, so the gap is close to three frames (derived).
The other testers agree on the ranking, not the rate. Pook and Pie measured 126.89 Hz over Bluetooth in DInput, and a third tester's polling tool read 133.33 Hz, both above 8BitDo's 60 to 100 Hz. Sticks still came in at 45.24 ms, the slowest of that tester's six Pro 3 runs. Bluetooth in Switch mode was the better of the two: 97.86 Hz and 11.9 ms on buttons. Its sticks were still 28.1 ms.
Pro 3 against the Pro 2
8BitDo's own table states the Pro 2 at 100 Hz wired in XInput, against 250 Hz for the Pro 3. The Pro 2 has no 2.4G mode in that table, only Bluetooth and wired. Gamepadla's Pro 2 figures are from John Punch on firmware 3.04, 20 February 2024:
| Link | Polling (Hz) | Buttons (ms) |
|---|---|---|
| Cable | 94.12 | 13.21 |
| Dongle | 95.11 | 17.2 |
| Bluetooth | 93.32 | 19.63 |
On the cable the Pro 3 cuts mean polling delay from 5.31 ms to 2.00 ms, a saving of 3.31 ms (derived). Its measured button average is 7.36 ms lower. Part of that gap may be the method, because the Pro 2 was timed on the electrical GPDL tester and the Pro 3 on the Prometheus 82 rig.
Over Bluetooth the Pro 3 is not a clear step up. One tester ran both pads on the same rig in Switch mode: Pro 2 sticks 22.04 ms at 93.83 Hz, Pro 3 sticks 31.37 ms at 97.03 Hz. The Pro 2 also ran XInput over Bluetooth for that tester, where its sticks measured 26.76 ms. 8BitDo lists no Bluetooth XInput for the Pro 3. In Switch mode on a cable the Pro 2 fell to 47.69 Hz, as our Switch Pro Controller polling rate page shows. The Pro 3 held 121.14 Hz there.
Is 250 Hz the weakness?
Less than it looks on buttons. The 8BitDo Ultimate 2C Wireless polls at about 950 Hz and measured 5.12 ms on buttons on its cable. The Pro 3 measured 5.85 ms, 0.73 ms slower, which is inside gamepadla's plus or minus 1 ms margin. Sticks are another matter: 11.44 ms on the Pro 3 against 1.92 ms on the 2C. The polling gap explains about 1.5 ms of that 9.5 ms (derived). The rest is the controller's own processing. If stick speed matters to you, the 2C is the faster pad. If buttons matter more, the two are about level on a cable.
Firmware has not moved the rate. All Pro 3 latency tests ran firmware 1.06. Two later readings on firmware 2.0 gave 252.8 Hz on a cable in XInput and 200 Hz in DInput, one of them on Linux.
What this does not cover
Every figure is a single unit, mostly on Windows 11, and one tester per row. Gaps under 1 ms are inside gamepadla's margin. One tester's results show 250 Hz in all three modes they ran, including Bluetooth in Switch mode, where the other testers read about 97 Hz. We left those rates out. No latency test on firmware 2.0 existed when we read the page, so a later firmware could change the latency even if the rate stays the same. Nothing here applies to a Switch console, which polls through Nintendo's own system. Polling also says nothing about stick precision, which depends on the sensor and your deadzone.
Key takeaways
- Pro 3 on PC: 250 Hz in XInput on cable or dongle, as 8BitDo states. Cable measured 5.85 ms on buttons.
- The dongle costs about 3.3 ms on buttons and sticks against the cable, at a similar rate.
- Avoid Bluetooth on Windows. DInput measured 70 to 133 Hz and 53.5 ms on buttons; Switch mode 11.9 ms.
- Against the Pro 2 on a cable: 250 Hz against 94 Hz, and 2.00 ms against 5.31 ms of mean polling delay.
- Against a 1000 Hz Ultimate 2C: level on buttons, 9.5 ms slower on sticks.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 8BitDo Pro 3 1000 Hz?
No. 8BitDo states 250 Hz in XInput over wired and 2.4G, and gamepadla measured 249.88 Hz on the cable and 224.47 Hz on the dongle under Windows 11. For about 1000 Hz from 8BitDo, the Ultimate 2C Wireless and Ultimate 2 Wireless measured 940 to 960 Hz on cable and dongle.
Is the Pro 3 faster than the Pro 2?
On a cable in XInput, yes. The Pro 3 measured 249.88 Hz and 5.85 ms on buttons; the Pro 2 measured 94.12 Hz and 13.21 ms. The two button figures come from different gamepadla rigs, so treat the 7.36 ms gap as a guide. Over Bluetooth the Pro 3 is not a clear upgrade: one tester measured its sticks slower than the Pro 2's in Switch mode.
Should I use Bluetooth with the Pro 3 on PC?
No. 8BitDo lists Bluetooth for Switch, SteamOS, Apple and Android, not Windows, and XInput only for wired and 2.4G. Paired to Windows the pad runs in DInput or Switch mode. DInput measured 70.38 Hz and 53.5 ms on buttons, Switch mode 97.86 Hz and 11.9 ms. Use the cable or the dongle.
Did firmware 2.0 change the Pro 3 polling rate?
Not in the readings published so far. Every gamepadla latency test ran firmware 1.06. Two later readings on firmware 2.0 gave 252.8 Hz on a cable in XInput and 200 Hz on a cable in DInput, the same as on 1.06. No latency test on firmware 2.0 had been published when we read the page.
Is the Pro 3 dongle slower than the cable?
Yes, by about 3.3 ms. In the same session, buttons measured 9.20 ms on the dongle against 5.85 ms on the cable, and sticks 14.77 ms against 11.44 ms. Both links polled at about 225 to 250 Hz, so polling explains only about 0.2 ms of the gap.