8BitDo Pro 2 thumbstick replacement

After about a year of use, the rubber material of my 8BitDo Pro 2‘s thumbstick started to disintegrate. Learning from my experience changing the thumbstick of my Steelseries Nimbus Controller, I figured I DIY the 8BitDo Pro 2 thumbstick replacement as well. I only need to figure out how to open up the controller and which thumbstick to purchase.

Getting the correct 8BitDo Pro 2 thumbstick replacement

As it turns out, 8BitDo actually sells replacement parts for the Pro 2 controller. If you’re looking for the exact same component, you can find it here. However, the shipping cost for a $2.99 part is more expensive than the part itself.

I happened to also have OEM thumbstick replacement parts for the PS5 and Xbox One controllers which I bought for my Steelseries Nimbus replacements. So instead, I decided to open up the controller first and see these would fit. As it turns out, the PS5 one fits perfectly!

This makes it really easy to purchase a replacement part since you can easily find PS5 parts in most online or local game stores. The only I bought was from Aliexpress but you can easily find similar PS5 thumbsticks from Amazon.

The only slight issue is that the “head” of the thumbstick of the one I had was slightly larger than the original one for the 8BitDo Pro 2. So I had to force it through slightly when putting back the controller.

Opening up the 8BitDo Pro 2

It’s wasn’t too hard to open up the 8BitDo Pro 2 controller, as long as you know how to do it.

1. Remove the screws

Firstly, there are four screws holding the controller together. Two of them are hidden behind the label where the battery is. The photo below shows you where it is. To open up the controller, you will need to use a T6 Torx screwdriver.

You can use a pen knife to carefully peel off the top corners of the table slightly to remove the two hidden screws. You do not need to completely remove the label.

2. Unclip the L2 and R2 button covers

Next, unclip the L2 and R2 button covers. They simply clip on to the internal trigger button switches. You have to remove it as it blocks you from removing the controller casing.

3. Separating the controller casing

I actually went and did this twice to make sure I can repeat how I took off the case. This seems to be the best way I found.

Using an opening pry tool, slide it towards the front of the case from the side of the controller.

This will unclip one of the clips at the side of the controller as you can see from the photo below.

Do the same for the left side of the controller.

Once you’ve unclipped the two sides, the case should easily remove itself from the bottom clip as well.

With the case unclipped from each other, you can now separate the controller’s cover. Do not force it open! You have to be careful as there are ribbon cables attaching the buttons at the top case to the circuit board at the bottom case.

Also, the trigger buttons that is attached to the top case can sometimes be caught in its opening that’s on the bottom case.

To separate the case, open it from the back with the front as the pivot point.

4. Replace the thumbsticks

This is the easy part once the casing is separated. You don’t have to remove any cables to get this done. To replace it, simple pull off and slide the new thumbsticks back onto the joystick stubs.

5. Refitting the covers back

This is pretty much the reverse of the steps to separate the casing. But there’s a few tips I can share on this.

Firstly, I found it easier to put it back in place by angling the thumbstick as you angle the top case down. The photo below would explain what I mean.

After than, gently snap back the two side clips back in place.

After snapping the left and right side clips, the bottom one should also easily be snapped back in place. Once done, secure the casing together with the 4 Torx screws and finally snapping back the L2 and R2 trigger button covers.

Done with the 8BitDo Pro 2 thumbstick replacement!

And that’s it! You now have a newly refreshed 8BitDo Pro 2 with a new thumbstick.

Since I had extra thumbsticks from the time I bought them for the Steelseries Nimbus replacements, this whole DIY replacement cost me $0. You just can’t beat zero cost. 😀

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