8bitDo SN30 Pro + USB Wireless Adapter 2 [Tesla Model 3/Y]

The goal of this setup is to get one or more 8bitDo SN30 Pro controllers connected to a Tesla vehicle via the 8bitDo Wireless Adapter 2. This allows for multiplayer setups without Bluetooth pairing, or wires.

Shopping list

Please note that you need 1 wireless adapter per controller. If you want 2 controllers, you need 2 wireless adapters. You can connect up to 4 controllers, if you have a USB hub with enough ports.

Newer Teslas have a single data port that lives inside of the glovebox. By default it’s occupied with the USB drive for your dashcam. We will take the USB drive and plug it into the hub alongside the 8BitDo USB wireless adapter(s).

Firmware upgrades

Both the controllers and USB Wireless Adapters need to be upgraded to the latest beta firmware, or the connection wont work.

  1. Go to https://support.8bitdo.com/firmware-updater.html and download the firmware upgrader for your operating system (Mac or Windows)
  2. Plug in your 8bitDo USB Wireless Adapter to your computer and upgrade its firmware to v1.11 (beta). Only plug in one device at a time!
  3. Plug in your 8bitDo SN30 Pro controller to your computer via a USB-C cable and upgrade its firmware to v2.07 (beta). Only plug in one device at a time!
  4. Make sure the controllers are fully charged
  5. Unplug everything. Time for in-vehicle pairing

In-vehicle pairing

The 8bitDo USB Wireless Adapter V2 seems to only be able to interface with Tesla via the DirectInput API. While you will can make the controller talk to the wireless adapter via XInput, Tesla will not talk to the adapter unless set to DirectInput mode. At least that’s what I found after multiple rounds of testing.

Start by taking the USB drive from your glovebox and connect it to the USB hub + the 8bitDo wireless adapters. Once the hub is connected to the car, proceed as follows:

  1. Turn on the SN30 Pro by pressing: X + start. This will put the controller in XInput mode. Two lights at the bottom of the gamepad will blink repeatedly.
  2. Press the pairing button (recessed button) at the top of the controller for 2 seconds. The lights at the bottom of the controller will cycle.
  3. Press the button on the USB Wireless Adapter 2.
  4. The controller will vibrate once to confirm it is paired. One light at the bottom of the controller will stay on.
  5. IMPORTANT! Press select + left on the controller for 3 seconds. This will put the USB Wireless Adapter in DirectInput mode. The light on the USB Wireless Adapter will blink to confirm.
  6. If you have multiple controllers, repeat these steps for each one.

Steps 1 and 5 are very important. You can also pair the controller to the wireless adapter via DirectInput but then the button mappings for RB, RT, LB and LT wont work.

From here you can proceed to open any of the games in the Arcade that require a controller and it should work. There is no need to pair anything to the car via Bluetooth.

Enjoy the games!