Nintendo’s original GameCube controller is a bit of an oddball compared to its previous and following gamepads. Despite its strange button layout and toy-like color scheme, it became a beloved way to play games long after the GameCube’s lifespan and is still lauded by many as the best way to play Super Smash Brothers – even inspiring an adapter for the Wii U that let players use their now-retro controllers today. With the Nintendo Switch Online collection finally receiving its own batch of GameCube games, we have an official reproduction of the classic gamepad; although this time Nintendo has delivered something more ambitious than its typical faithful throwbacks, adding features you see on proper Switch 2 controllers. While this modern iteration of the GameCube controller is hands-down the best way to play that console’s games, Nintendo has built a controller that strives to also work in the greater Switch 2 ecosystem, even if it doesn’t quite go far enough.
Anytime I pick up the Switch 2’s GameCube controller, it immediately brings me back to the early 2000s; the shape and feel haven’t changed. The main gray analog stick, with its rough concentric circle thumb grip, returns along with its now-dated octagonal gate. The d-pad, located below the stick, remains a little too small to use comfortably, yet it works fine in a pinch. The right side stars the candy-colored duo of the comically large A button and the bright red B button, which is inexplicably a third of the size of the former. Of course, the face isn’t complete without the goofy bean-shaped X and Y buttons orbiting above. Nintendo’s line of classic controllers hasn’t aimed to change any problem the old button layouts or uncomfortable ergonomics had, and that’s no different here. Lucky for me, I like the way the GameCube controller looks and feels. Even with its toy-like aesthetics, the GameCube controller remains one of the most interesting gaming peripherals of its time.
The most surprising feature left intact (and missing in Nintendo controllers since) is the inclusion of analog L and R triggers. Not only do they function like any other trigger when fully pressed in, but they also read pressure sensitivity in games that support it. Currently, the best way to experience these triggers is in F-Zero GX, where gripping at various pressures will result in shifting your high-speed racing machine in the given direction at velocities appropriate to the pressure you’re applying to the trigger. It works well here, feeling just how I remember it on the original hardware, if not a tad stiffer due to it not being a 20-year-worn controller. Thankfully, this addition of analog triggers answered the question of whether the Switch 2’s GameCube games would function the same as they always did. Truly, this new version of the controller has everything I could ask for when it comes to playing GameCube games.
The only visible change to the original is the wireless design. In place of an actual cord is a USB-C port, and included in the package is a five-foot USB-C cable to charge or connect to the Switch 2 dock. Like Nintendo’s other premium peripherals, battery life is a high point like the Switch 2 Pro controller. I’ve only had to charge the GameCube controller a few times over the weeks I’ve owned it, and I can’t think of a single time I’ve had to scramble to find a charger over a long gameplay session. This obviously isn’t the first time GameCube has been playable wirelessly, but we’ve certainly come a long way from the slightly bulkier, but always fought-over WaveBird controller. That may have been my preferred way to play before, but this new gamepad is easily the best way to play GameCube untethered.
This new rendition of the GameCube controller isn’t just for the current limited slate of NSO games. To help it be a viable option with the greater Switch library, Nintendo has added a handful of tiny buttons, including Home, Capture, ZL, and the new bespoke C button for Switch 2’s GameChat feature. Most of these buttons are discrete, hiding on top of the controller, sandwiched between and around the existing triggers. Technically, they work, but they’re not necessarily comfortable or easy to use as they are on the Joy-Con.
Bachelorette Party Bankrupts 4 Of Bride’s Fave Girlies