The sub-$50 gamepad market is becoming increasingly competitive, with each manufacturer trying to offer something unique. The Beitong Kunpeng 20 focuses on high polling rate and minimal latency, which is especially important for esports disciplines. But is this enough for a quality gamepad? Let's look into the details.

Gamepad Punch Tester test bench

Transparency note: The gamepad was provided by Beitong brand free for testing, but this did not affect my opinion and conclusions in any way. All tests were conducted using specialized testing equipment.

Software

The gamepad is supported by the proprietary BEITONG Gamepad Assistant, which impresses with its interface and functionality. The software offers:

• Polling rate settings (500/1000 Hz)
• Stick and trigger dead zone management
• Creating and configuring macros
• Button remapping
• RGB lighting customization
• Automatic center calibration system (anti-drift)
• Easy firmware updates for both gamepad and receiver

beitong gamepad assistant interface

It's worth noting the convenience of the software - all changes are applied in real-time without requiring additional confirmation. Connection to the software is possible via both cable and receiver, adding convenience during setup. The program interface looks modern and professional.

Stick Linearity and Accuracy

Test the linearity and resolution of joysticks

The stick linearity deserves special attention - the software movements perfectly match the physical ones, without any jitter or interpolation, providing maximum precise and predictable control. The gamepad demonstrates a movement resolution point of 0.00013, such an incredible indicator that it requires adding another zero to the specifications on Gamepadla. You can read more about the stick linearity testing methodology here.

Stick Performance Features

The mechanical component of the sticks demonstrates the following parameters:

• Stick Resolution shows different values depending on connection mode: 5000 positions via cable, 7692 via receiver, and 690 via Bluetooth. Even the lowest value provides sufficient precise control
• Inner DeadZone is completely absent, which combined with quality mechanics ensures precise stick centering
• Outer DeadZone is 0.6 mm, which is quite acceptable. It's worth noting that the gamepad has a non-standard design - the stick reaches its extreme position through an internal mechanism rather than contact with the outer ring
• Asymmetry Index is 14.2/10.1%, which is an acceptable result, although it's worth noting that even after several calibrations, the indicator does not improve
• Circle Error at 0.1/0.1% demonstrates excellent movement accuracy in extreme positions
• Central Accuracy 1.7/0.7% indicates quality stick centering

Visual schedule for testing sticks

It's worth noting that all measurements were taken not only after standard calibration but also after a lengthy gaming session in Helldivers 2. This was done to verify calibration stability, as some gamepads (as described in the Crush Defender review) have issues with calibration "drifting" immediately after active gameplay.

Latency and Polling Rate

Via Cable (Xinput):

• Buttons: minimum 1.2 ms, average 1.82 ms, maximum 2.47 ms - these are among the best indicators among tested gamepads, which is especially important for fighting games where every millisecond matters
• Sticks: 14.77 ms (at 99% deviation)
• Polling rate: stable 997.5 Hz

Additional testing at 10% stick deviation showed latency of just 5.92 ms, revealing an interesting feature - stick movement is affected by software processing that significantly slows down response at strong deviation. While physical stick deviation time affects the result, it should add maximum 2-3 ms, not the observed 9 ms difference. This indicates additional signal processing at large stick deviations.

Comparative table of button and stick latencies

Via Receiver:

• Buttons: 6.3 ms
• Sticks: 59.38 ms (at 99% deviation)
• At 10% stick deviation: 14.68 ms
• Polling rate: 995.99 Hz

Stick testing results via receiver proved quite disappointing. The 59.38 ms latency is too high, especially compared to excellent button performance. However, additional testing at 10% deviation showed acceptable 14.68 ms, indicating significant interference from stick movement processing algorithms in the receiver.

Bluetooth:

• Button latency: average 17.81 ms
• Stick latency: average 28.63 ms
• Polling rate: 179 Hz
• Jitter: 11.84 ms for buttons, 11.35 ms for sticks

Bluetooth mode shows unstable performance - although average latency values might seem acceptable, regular spikes above 40 ms are observed. The situation is further worsened by high jitter and reduced polling rate. Additionally, PC connection via Bluetooth proved impossible even in Switch mode. Overall, this connection mode is better used only as a backup option.

Conclusions

Beitong Kunpeng 20 shows mixed results, but the development team's achievement deserves respect - they managed to create a gamepad with very low button latency when connected via cable - averaging 1.82 ms.

Advantages:

• Very low button latency when connected via cable (average 1.82 ms)
• Quality D-pad with clear tactile clicks, similar to the Flydigi Vader series
• Excellent stick centering after calibration, which doesn't require additional automatic correction (although such feature is present in the software)
• Convenient software with extensive customization options
• Quality materials, packaging, and professional design
• TMR stіcks

Disadvantages:

• Strange limitation of maximum stick deviation to ~80% when working through the receiver - during fast circular movements, the stick simply doesn't reach extreme positions, although this problem doesn't exist via cable
• Unstable Bluetooth operation
• Lack of English manual
• High enough latency of sticks on the receiver

How the movement along the outer circle of the stick looks like at high speeds on the receiver

Note: Latency testing was conducted using the Punch method on firmware 1.2.14. All results may change with the release of new software versions.

Beitong Kunpeng 20 Test - Detailed Latency Measurements, Comparative Tables and Extended Specifications