Gaming controller and peripheral company 8BitDo is suspending shipments from its Chinese warehouse to United States-based customers, per a notice on its website. The temporary pause on shipments to the U.S. is due to the Trump administration’s new 145% tariffs on imports from China, as well as its decision to end de minimis exemptions for shipments from China under $800. The tariffs are already forcing the video game and tabletop industry into panic, with several other companies, like gaming handheld maker Anbernic, ceasing shipments to the U.S., too.
U.S. customers can still order controllers, mice, and other peripherals that are already at the company’s U.S. warehouse. There doesn’t appear to be any way to tell what’s available at the U.S. warehouse on the website itself, but the checkout page — after inputting an address — will display what products in the cart can’t be shipped to the U.S.
8BitDo is known for its impressive third-party controllers; it’s got controllers compatible with a bunch of different consoles, including the Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X. It’s also got a huge fanbase for its tiny controllers that fit in the palm of your hand; they’re very useful for a studying application called Anki. While 8BitDo’s newest release, a retro Nintendo-styled mouse, is seemingly available at the U.S. warehouse, some of its most popular items are not, like the Ultimate 2 Bluetooth Controller, Nintendo 64 controller mod kit, retro mechanical keyboard, and its mini Xbox controller. The Micro controller — used for Anki — is seemingly still available.
Polygon has reached out to 8BitDo for more information.
Though some consumer electronics are exempt from the 145% tariffs for now, video game consoles aren’t. That’s because video game consoles and accessories are classified by the U.S. International Trade Commission as toys, not technology. With the video game industry, tabletop and board game makers are also facing great difficulty as several companies cease operations and lay off staff due directly to the increased cost to production made real by the tariffs.
Not even major companies like Nintendo are exempt from the chaos; Nintendo was forced to delay its pre-order for the Nintendo Switch 2 console and up the price of several accessories.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated which consoles are compatible with 8BitDo controllers.
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