Finding a low latency game controller
Finding a low latency game controller #
I’ve been playing some Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and it’s an amazing game.
However, one of the major issues I run into is with timing the dodges: during battles on the hardest difficulty, if you don’t dodge, your party dies very quickly:
Dodging comes down to timing pressing a button right when the enemy attacks. It isn’t easy, but I noticed that I was having a really hard time with it. That’s when I realized that it was due to my controller (the 8bitdo Lite 2).
What affects controller latency? #
There are two main factors to consider:
- The polling rate of the controller: how frequently it checks to see if a
button or stick is pressed. This can introduce a maximum delay of
1000ms / freq_hz
. - The connection latency of the controller: the amount of time it takes for a signal to reach the device. For bluetooth this can be highly variable, while wired and 2.4Ghz connections can be much more stable.
In my case, there is a third factor, since I’m streaming my setup via moonlight: the latency between my device and the device running the game. On a 5Ghz wireless connection in my house, that’s 3-4 milliseconds.
8bitdo2 Lite 2 latency #
So what was the worst-case latency of the 8bitdo Lite 2? We can reference this youtube review, which has an excellent test.
The bottom line looks like:
- Average polling rate 44hz, so 22 milliseconds!
The review didn’t mention bluetooth, so I’m looking for a way to test that. But assuming at least an additional 4-5 milliseconds of latency, that’s 25 milliseconds it’s adding to those button presses!
What is the best low latency controller? #
In short, look at gamepedla, which has timings for many controllers.
But I chose the 8bitdo Ultimate 2. At a 1000hz polling rate and measured sub 5ms latency for both wired and via 2.4Ghz, It’ll ensure a lag-free experience if needed. In addition, the 10ms bluetooth latency isn’t too bad!
While I’m waiting for that, I had an Xbox Core Controller lying around, and the latency there isn’t bad at all. Even on bluetooth it’s 11-12ms, comparable to bluetooth on the 8bitdo Ultimate 2.