Wireless NES Controllers Won't Work With Other Games On Nintendo Switch

And yet they’re $60.

Typical Nintendo right there.

This online service seems to be getting worse all the time...

Man, I really wanted to use them to play Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Oh, snap....
Well, i can stick on my Joy Cons.

Yup, ain't gonna buy them just for this reason alone. Not that I'd use them for much to begin with but y'know. If you decide after your first membership that you don't wanna continue it, you'll be stuck with useless controllers at that point. And what do you do with them when the service ends? They're entirely useless pieces of junk from that point on.

Seems fine they wouldn't be very comfy for handheld mode and if you want a controller for indies there's 8bitdo.

But why!? What’s the purpose if they only work with NES games?

Gives me another reason not to buy this. What are they thinking? It doesn't look good for Switch Online service if their exclusive offers are gonna be products like this.

@Yosher Remember the GameCube adapters back in the Wii U days? That’s about the same level of disappointment, yet so predictable by coming from them.

@FragRed you just answered your question.

I would recomend people buy 8bitdo controllers instead. One controller for every taste.

Darn it, and I was this close to buying them.

@Yosher This is an excellent point. I never considered the fact that once this service ends in the future, these controllers will be 100% worthless. Yet another reason why a subscription service for Virtual Console is garbage.

I wouldn’t expect them to. No joystick, missing buttons, etc. they’re essentially Just wireless NES Mini controllers

@rushiosan But at least the GameCube adapter will continue to work as long as you own a Wii U and a copy of Smash 4. These controllers are tied to an online subscription service, which someday will disappear, rendering these $60 controllers functionless pieces of plastic.

What Switch games out there would anyone want to use them with anyway I would like to know?

More to the point; why would one expect these controllers to be compatible with anything other than NES titles?

They feature a D-pad, A, B, Start and Select buttons. The L and R will almost certainly be for menu navigation. That's a far cry from the full roster of buttons on the Joy-Cons/Pro Controller.

If you want all-singing all-dancing then just get an 8Bit-Do controller - problem solved.

Well this article just helped saved me $60.

@thesilverbrick Well spoken

What they need to do is make cheap adapters for those who have nes classic so we can use those controllers. No way am I buying into an accessory for a subscription based service that eventually ends. Otherwise I'm buying an 8bitdo for all games instead of a select few

I cant stress this enough, just get 8bitdo controllers

These things are way too limited, and they'll no doubt release SNES ones and then maybe other system controllers to keep you buying more controllers. I'll just stick with my 8bitdo controllers.

It is really weird that the company with the biggest and greatest catalog of retro games, does not understand retro gaming in modern days(or online for that matter) . Indies get it, Sega gets it, Capcom finally gets it!
They are sitting on a goldmine, but instead of giving people convenience and incentives, they create obstacles.

@Emperor-Palpsy Mega Man Legacy Collection has NES games through emulation, Classic Arcade games such as Mario Bros, SMB and Donkey Kong only use 2 buttons as far as I’m concerned.

There are no excuses to lock them behind a subscription-based catalog.

Not interested in the NES games, so I don't really care either way, but I do want to add that - $60 or not - it's kind of annoying to have all these different, single-purpose controllers leing about. By now I have more than an entire box filled just with controller, all of which have an almost identical layout. Yes, not all share exactly the same features, but these features are rarely really essential to the controlling part and often enough optional as it is (like say HD rumble or Six-Axis for the old PS controllers).

So yeah, not a fan of this approach by Nintendo to produce even more peripherals that don't do that much outside one particular scenario. It's wasteful, more so even for my living space than "just" money and ressources =(

I was hoping to use these with Sonic Mania to give me at least one sustainable reason to keep them in a post-NSO world.

Ah man that;'s dumb, should just have them recognised as pro controllers by the system just like Pokkén/Gamecube pads are

silly Nintendo, but hackers most likely make it work with other games

Even MORE reason not to bother with online lol

@Emperor-Palpsy Pretty much my first thought during the direct. But, ya know, internet and feigned indignation.

Why would you expect them to in the first place?

To be fair, the NES controllers don't have the right amount of buttons so that it can work in most Switch titles. I could see support for the controller on a title-by-title basis (such as in Smash Bros. Ultimate), but I'm not holding my breath.

Not that it matters to me, anyway. It's steep price tag means I'm never looking in the direction of buying these controllers.

The question is.....
Can we play NES games from Online Subcription with our Joy Cons by default ?

but.... how to play switch games with only two buttons?

It’s so anti-consumer. I can’t believe I’m being given the option to purchase something to go along with an optional purchase of an online subscription for my optional purchase of a gaming console.

It’s almost as bad as when the car dealer forced me at knife point to buy a 2019 car and then said I could only listen to Pink while driving 57 mph

Lame. The Joycon and Pro Controller dpads are horrible for platformers and fighting games. Won't buy those NES pads then.

Hard pass

As a great man once said:

‘This deal keeps getting worse all the time’

Lol people complain about this but will happily line up and buy GameCube controllers for the same price and use them with literally one game.

I wouldn't play Switch games with an NES pad anyhoo. 2 buttons is rather limited. Nice for the authenticity of NES online though. As such they are a bit of a luxury item. I can live without them (unlike the gamecube controller lol)

Not that I was going to buy these anyway but uh...yeah this pretty much feels like a cash grab milking these NES games to high heaven after the NES mini.

Wow! And I bet when they make SNES controllers, those won’t work for anything but SNES games. 🙄 I’m fine with sticking with my pro controller tho.

Just buy 8bitdo NES or SNES pads,they're cheaper and can be used with other games.The build quality rivals Nintendo's own pads. The only difference between them and official pads are they can't be charged on the console and don't have the Nintendo logo on them. Everything else though, from the clicky buttons to the dpad is first class.

yeah they can shove them where the sun don't shine

I think I'd rather just buy a nes mini, at least with that I get to keep it and am not tied into a subscription to keep playing

I just want the old VC back...

Just get an 8bitDo controller. They are cheaper, work with more devices, and the one I have is amazing. It's my go to controller for Street Fighter!

Lol I buying just for nes games.lol since that's what they are for lol

Would have liked the option to use these with some other 2d platformers etc but it's a no from me,pretty disappointed actually,ffs why Nintendo?

Meh my 8Bitdo NES30 controllers work just fine.

For the cry babies all the free games psn and xbone give are subscription tied.no xbone live or psn pass u can't play the games.so why is Nintendo bad for soing the same thing other consoles have been doing for years lol

@Liam_Doolan Then it's a NO from me.

I wasn’t planning on buying them anyway because I find the joy cons are good enough for pretty much all the Nintendo switch games.

People complaining you can’t use them for any other games, use a pro controller if you must or get something from a 3rd party

@justin233 Heck no! Since the VC has gone, I've gotten a remake of my favourite Master System game. My favourite Genesis game is getting a remake, my favourite PS1 and PS2 games got announced. Hamster are being the Gods of emulations every week. SNK have an anniversary collection. Waiting on Data East to get their shiz together for EU eshop. But seriously, I wouldn't go back to the weekly threads of 'nothing for me this week. Nintendo hates us' posts.

@GrailUK u do know that's all the nes uses anyway is 2 buttons lol

60 bucks that go to something else. Thanks for the information NL.

Not a shock. Not sure which modern games people were expecting to use them with. Agree with the above, they're overpriced for what they are.

@GrailUK I don’t see how the VC prevents remakes. Obviously the BC wasn’t perfect, but I preferred it to this.

What's the odds of the next system update rendering our 8bitdo controllers incompatible?

Allright i think people are slowly getting a little hyperbolic regarding this service. I could understand the problems everyone had at the beginning with the service but now it seems that people just want to complain for the sake of complaining. This was really obvious. If you don't like it don't buy it but don't act entitled.

@Captain_Gonru Ahh, very good point! these should really work with some of the Arcade games such as Donkey Kong, Vs. Super Mario Bros and Sky Skipper to name a few

Not a loss for me, as Joy-Con are more than enough for me, anyways.

I don’t like spending money on accessories, but I instantly wanted these. I’m glad I have a reason to not buy them now, even though it was kind of obvious they would only be usable for NES games.

@thesilverbrick Well, useless until the hobbyists figure out a way to access them.

Well these are clearly meant to be some sort of premium eccentricity, considering you can only order them directly from Nintendo IF you’re registered to Nintendo Switch Online.

You can only buy these from the Switch Online service? WtF?

So, if I understand good :

_I have to pay to play online when it was free on WiiU but
_Nintendo LEND me some NES roms as a gesture of thanks but
_I have to be connected every 7 days otherwise they don't lend me the NES ROMS but
_Not only the NES roms, my saves on the cloud too but
_I have to buy the NES Controllers for 60$ like that I'd be connected but
_if I stop my subscription, even my NES controllers are not usable... o_O

_At least my smartphone will still work to "VOICE-CHAT" then... LOL

Nintendoooooo come onnnn, it's 2018... :/

Well, I might have considered getting these in order to actually have a decent d-pad controller for platformers... but now it's just a lot of money to only be able to play a couple games. Really not worth it at all.

Wow, no thanks.

I don't care since I won't be getting them.

I was actually gonna buy these but if this is what Nintendo wants to do, no thanks.

@PokeMario I was upset about that too at first but wouldn’t the D Pad just do a taunt instead of moving the characters?

A set of Nes themed joy cons would have been a nice idea.

No portable use, NES only... what a waste of money...

To be fair, there aren't many other games you can play with only two action buttons, anyway. Sure, the option should be there. But if you're the kind of person willing to drop $60 for the pure novelty of playing with NES-style controllers, you probably don't care.

If you don't want them, don't buy them. Simple.

@justin233 I'm just saying...VC might jinx all the games coming out lol

I came here to laugh at Nintendo.

@CatMaryo That's a moot point, people DID want them but if they're gonna do stupid stuff like this, they now do not.

Well, first thing: the price had already scared me, so I'd wait for a reasonable sale, which I doubt will ever happen. Second, in the event of getting hold of a pair of these, I'd like to play Mega Man Legacy Collection games, for example, using the controllers they were made to be played with originally. So, there's no point at all for me buying them

Yet another reason not to subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online. I was actually going to purchase a Year Subscription just to purchase these Nes Controllers to play games like Shovel Knight, and some more 2D Platformers with, and they would be great for some Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and just think about using them for New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe.

I was wondering if they could allow the NES controllers from the NES classic, but then I remembered they aren't USB, but the stupid proprietary Wii remote ports, so they won't work without an adapter anyway.

LOL, while do the controllers even have SL and SR buttons if they only work with two-button NES games? (Maybe for menu navigation? Or maybe they'll work like the Home and Capture buttons?)

Well that's dumb. If they're not gonna work with ACA titles and the increasing retro collections, then no deal. Incredibly stupid...

Well, thats a remarkably arbitrary and stupid restriction. The first thing i thought of whenu saw these was how that makes switch even cooler for retro Indies. And then they randomly restrict functionality. 8bitdo is still better then. What a wasted opportunity....

@Moshugan GBA emulation,

$30 is average for a Bluetooth NES controller. These are a nice novelty especially if you get an adapter to use them on the NES Classic or you use them on the PC.

@FragRed their purpose is to play Nes games...

Buy 8bitdo usb adapter 4 Switch and use wiimote + nes mini controller - compatibility problem solved + 40$ in your pocket.

What was the point of adding shoulder buttons then

https://media1.tenor.com/images/133dbf2e39bfaf475a104c713570b001/tenor.gif?itemid=7362625

@HobbitGamer I think he was being sarcastic...

One step forward. Two steps back.

@MushHill_Act1-1 They don't have shoulder buttons.

Does Nintendo think "Hey we don't do micro transactions, so buy our overpriced useless crap?" This Online service is a joke, the 3DS and Wii U had great Eshops and UI for free; really a step back. Compare it to PS Vita and PSP online services it's so outdated. Sad what companies do when they start making money hand over fist.

@GeminiSaint 4 steps back...

I'm surprised people are surprised by this. These controllers have less buttons, so of course they are only meant for NES games.

I don't really understand why they exist, as few people would pay 60$ for something like that (not even saying they are overpriced, just not useful enough). But well, I don't need to buy them, so I don't care.

Though I do think Nintendo might be overestimate the worth of NES games. That would explain these controllers and also the fact that the Switch Online Service will give you just nes games (for now at least) as if that was something grand.
They might have gotten to this idea by the fact that the NES Mini sold so incredibly well.

I’m fine with the restriction seeing as I never had any intentions to ever purchase these. The price for one and I also don’t see how practical they are to play any other games anyways. But I am in no way gonna judge anyone if they do and see these as a worthwhile investment

@redd214 My Gamecube Controller is primarily used for Mega Man Legacy Collection 1.

@mowerdude ...So you were going to spend $80 rather than way less for an alternative, but instead you’ve decided the online service (for 1/4 of that total) is terrible? I’m lost.

AVGN: What were they THINKING?!?

How is that a surprise ? Half the buttons are missing !

As some others have said, you'd be better off with 8bitdo. They have a wide variety including NES themed controllers, but they also work across multiple devices.

Oh Nintendo. This is a classic move. Why not just make everything accessable??? Yes it's a bit harder but come on!

@mowerdude Yeah and imagine if one day Nintendo close the online service then these controllers would be useless cause you won't be able to use them for anything else.

@thesilverbrick Or rather $30 per controller with bluetooth wireless and a rechargeable battery. So yeah their not cheap, but I would argue not overpriced either. Still it would have been nice if they had been confirmed to work for a select few basic games like Shovel Knight though it's unlikely Nintendo would have gone in to that level of compatibility. These just sound like the Pokken Tournament controllers for Wii U that were absolutely not compatible with ANY other software, when it would have seemed that they could have been.

I'll still likely try and pick these up as I'm a sucker for Nintendo nostalgia, even though I already have a NES Classic. It will be nice to have the option of a having a portable cloud saved NES with online play.

Can you even charge them without sliding them to the switch? I wouldn’t want to be constantly putting them on and taking them off if they only work detached.
They were kind of novelty to begin with but this info made them pointless.

@thesilverbrick some people have deep pockets and will mot care. Nintendo know this and are laughing all the way to the bank.
The rest of us will not buy them.

Just look at the £65 pro controller. some peoples weekly food shop is less than this. but alas i am guilty fuelling the corporate machine. Ill admit i do enjoy it.. £65 pounds worth is debatable, but there is still life in it yet...

SNES controllers will be next with the same caveat id wager.

Hey people; let's just wait and see before getting upset. I'm pretty sure they say the same thing about GC adapter on switch and pokken controller for switch. In other words; sure games will still pick up the inputs! But not supported due to not having enough buttons to play or the buttons needed are not the buttons mapped. Also not supported because they don't plan on updating any software to get it to work either.

I swore this gen I would not buy any extra unnecessary controllers for my Switch. I have my Pro Controller and custom d-pad Joycons and can play 1-2 players easily, that's it that's all I need for this entire gen,

For Wii U I ended up with 50 million controllers; a whole box full of them. It was cool to be able to play games in so many days different ways, but it was just way too much stuff for one console. When I sold my Wii U I was thankful to get rid of all that crap.

I'm not doing that again. The Pro Controller is good enough for everything, even Smash.

Not really surprising considering that these controllers have significantly fewer input options than the Joy-Cons.

@SuperWeird
Ha ha; I still my box of controllers... And use them on my switch with the mayflash adapters. But I did cut back on buying new controllers. Only got 1 switch pro controller; most of the time use the Wii u pro controllers that I had before.

@electrolite77 Even Gamecube controllers still work on the Switch with the Smash Wii U adapter. It's just treated as a very basic USB controller (no rumble, no motion obviously, etc.).

If I recall, last year Nintendo reluctantly acknowledged that the Wii U adapters work on Switch. Contrast that with these NES controllers, where right off the bat they make the limitations clear.

Well ... I suppose they could work on PC
But it's kinda ironic that the only purpose of these controllers when your subscription is ended, is that you can use them on PC

The success of the NES Mini went light-speed to Nintendo's collective head. They really overvalue the NES and its games/accessories. Classic Nintendo arrogance after a highly successful console (e.g. Wii->Wii U transition, DS->3DS transition)

FWIW, I love the NES itself. My first console and I still play it to this day via the NES mini. But I completely understand that NES games are so played out and overdone at this point. People want SNES, N64, and especially GCN games, myself included.

Guess I’ll buy another game instead. I love Nintendo and defend them where its deserved but this makes absolutely no sense whatsover. What advantage does Nintendo get by making these controllers incompatible with simple Indie games that require only 4 buttons (counting the L & R button).

I rarely wish for failures but honestly, I do hope people will hold back ordering these controllers and even the online service so Nintendo realises they have to stop adding so many T&Cs, restrictions, etc. I don’t even mind the VC being Netflix style rather than full purchase; but the restrictions are reaching crazy levels.

The meaning of the word, "value" seems lost on this thread.

I don't think those things were ever worth anything even if they came with NES Classic's Library on the fly.

Seriously, who is really going to buy these to play Mario Odyssey? Smash? Outside the gimmick that they're playing "all wild and crazy" with the oddball controller, it'd be ridiculous to assume someone would default onto these for anything outside NES controllers.

Which is also humorous that these controllers are getting flack, but the Pokeball controller, USED FOR ONE GAME, got an entirely different response.

Mind blowing what hills people choose to die on.

I’m sure hackers will find a way

Alright then. One less thing I have to buy in the next few months. For that price I’ll stick with 8bitdo. At least those I can use on other games, and even other systems. Including pc.

It simply doesn't have enough buttons to play anything but NES Games. The controller its a DPAD and 2 buttons, a single joy-con has more buttons than the NES pad so thats why you can't use it on other games.

As if the initial offer of overpriced retro controllers wasn't bad enough, but who am I kidding, it will sell like hot cakes thanks to die hards.

I'm really not getting this. If you wish to subscribe to Nintendo Online, you'll get access to collection of NES games. If you would like a more authentic experience you can buy these bespoke controllers.

Personally, I love being able to use the NES controller for these games (and likewise the NES Mini controllers when playing Wii U VC). I really hope we see SNES and N64 controllers if other legacy platforms come to the system.

More widely I don't think sites should run these kind of stories based on smallprint found on Nintendo's website. As we've seen with the "cloud saves will deleted seconds after your subscription ends" story, the accuracy and vagueness of the smallprint leaves a lot to be desired.

Not to be that guy, but was anyone expecting to use these with any other game? There's a grand total of six buttons, which is much less what other games use.

How many other games only use 4 buttons including start and select?! Hardly a big deal and pretty predictable.

this isn't news, it was in the direct that the nes controllers only worked with the switch online nes games.

Not a great week for Nintendo's PR department, I'd wager.

@Iacobus I have no issue with the controls only working with the NES classic games but if that’s the case, how are the worth $60 when they can only play 1% of the games on Switch? I mean, you can get joy-cons they work with every game for the same price off Amazon.

So much disapointment.
1st the price £60 ? Why?
2nd they only work with Nes classics
3rd they form part of the appalling online service

Oh well. I'll just use my pro controller to play new games

Wait, I’m confused... Why are people complaining about an optional product? Also, a nes controller meant for nes games... sounds like it makes A LOT of sense. I don’t think the negative talk is helpful or warranted. I probably won’t get them, but I also don’t think it’s Nintendo’s downfall.

Was really hoping for something more clever with the JoyCons. Make it retro style, give them d-pads instead of analog sticks but keep the shoulder buttons and extra buttons... or maybe get something clever going to so you can switch between d-pad and analog somehow.

I mean, these are fine, even with the limitations, but only if the price was about half and other games could support them if they wanted to add the feature. Would love for Shovel Knight to support NES controllers, for instance.

Huh, probably both of those situations can be rectified over time.

LOL!! This is a train wreck 🙄

Could care less about retro NES controllers myself... But as I have learned here - some do.

Yeah, there's not really much reason to buy these when 8bitdo's controllers are way better. They can act as Pro Controllers and typically have superior D pad. Great for fighters, platformers, and Tetris.

This comment section is hilarious.

“Bring back the old VC!!!1!”
-Why? So you can pay $5 to $10 per game you’ve already bought twice before? Why not pay $20 per year and get 20 or so games and counting? I don’t see your logic.

“Nintendo Switch Online just gets worse and worse lol rofl”
-You do realize these controllers are 100% optional, as is the online service? Were you actually looking forward to playing Xenonlade 2 with two freaking buttons?

“Typical Nintendo, limiting our options for the amount of controllers we can use.”
-Really? Really?! Last I checked PS and Xbox had one standard controller per console since the dawn of time. Did you have a Wii U? You could play many games with a Wii U game pad, pro controller, wiimote, wiimote and nunchuck, wiimote and classic controller, and even a 3DS and gamecube controller for Smash. Heck, the Switch can be played with a pro controller, on a TV, handheld mode, tabletop mode, 1 joy con, or 2 joy cons. Typical Nintendo? Smh.

So it feels a bit like a slap in the face with the price of these controllers, I guess, but Nintendo is fully aware there are retro controllers out there for the Switch. If you are really into the original NES games, this is the cheapest they have ever been available (and you are getting a better deal than people who aren't). There's not really much to complain about, is there?

I feel like Nintendo should offer a good official left d-pad equipped JoyCon, though.

As for this, it's "Too bad. Not really for me." I already paid $60 for the NES Classic.

@Captain_Gonru I don’t own one either. They should if they fit on the switch itself 🤔

@NEStalgia Do you think the limitation will be temporary? I think it might be more a marketing thing when they launch. You don't want people buying these, thinking it will work with all their retro games, and it would take time for games to add support even if that was the plan. Instead, they are drawing a line at online payers who get NES games, and these controllers are only for those games to reduce confusion (at the expense of incensing Nintendo critics further).

The price really feels like a profit grab attempt, though. Not seeing an technical justification except probably they won't sell many, no matter the price. Also, do you think the SNES controllers will be $80?

Dear lord. That's just terrible. I get logistically that all games cant be played with them, but let devs support them if they want.

This really goes back to one of my previous theories that would make Nintendo consoles way better, being when they care about the smaller things.

Remember how the Wii U has Wii Mode, but the simplest things like having the Gamepad and Wii U Pro function as controllers, or the Wii firmware getting one final update to support the GameCube Adapter so that the Wii games that have it as an option still do, were not present?

This is the same exact thing. Nobody is really enraged by this, but they're admittedly upset that the NES controllers, that you pay sixty bucks for, only work with NES games. Yes, the majority of games on Switch are nearly unplayable with only four buttons to work with (I believe the buttons on the top of the NES controller, from left to right, are Screenshot, Sync and Home, respectively) and all that, but think about the people who own VS. Super Mario Bros. These people probably wanted to use the NES controllers with that game, but it will never be possible.

These controllers, which have their own unique controller icon on the Switch (I assume the GameCube Adapter will follow suit after Ultimate comes out) and only cost ten bucks cheaper than a single Joy-Con is absurd.

For those confused, I'm using the theory that, since two Joy-Cons are eighty bucks and one is fifty, the NES controllers are sixty and one must be forty. Just like the Joy-Cons, you're saving twenty bucks by buying them in bulk, assuming they ever decide to sell them separately. But, for a controller that will most likely not have HD Rumble and a Gyroscope, I can only hope its high price tag is due to its beefy battery since it has no additional features preventing it from being drained and I imagine it will last an easy 100+ hours, but knowing Nintendo, I bet one of them will still be the same battery as the Joy-Cons, despite them probably not having any functionality beyond inputs.

These NES controllers are a waste of your time. Do not buy them. Wait until Nintendo releases an update that allows them to work with other games, because as I said before, why scoff the small things? If it's so small, then just do it! Another small thing would be the GameCube controllers rumbling. I have another adapter I use that actually lets you use a PS4 controller on the Switch and that rumbles just fine with its SD Rumble, so I see no reason why the GameCube controllers can't do the same.

Nintendo, you're selling people NES controllers for sixty bucks. If these controllers don't have a very hefty battery in them, there is no excuse for them to not be forty bucks for both of them. I have another adapter that lets me use the Wiimote with my Switch, and thus my NES Classic controller. This works with all of my Switch games and this will be my default option with the NES games on the Switch as well since you failed miserably with these controllers. The only upside would be they have the aforesaid Screenshot, Sync and Home buttons, but I don't care about that. I won't have a reason to ever screenshot my NES games very often and even if I did, I can just turn on a left Joy-Con and use that instead.

You really messed up badly, Nintendo.

Oh, and I would like to point out that, since these controllers will be Bluetooth, they're not entirely worthless. Just sync them up with your PC and you have some nice controllers for it that are wireless and first-party Nintendo.

@Medic_alert Of course it goes both ways and i am in no way defending all the other stuff nintendo pulled with this online service. But come on, this controller has half the buttons of the normal one and is in almost any regard inferior to the joy-cons and the pro controller. I can't imagine someone playing a newer game like splatoon or smash with such a controller for a longer period of time.

I just don't get how the fantastic switch system with its amazing library made so much new fans but one stupid mistake from nintendo and everyone's back to them being the worst company ever. But hey i think that's just the internet where everyone has to be hyperbolic.

@Ensemen Unless you think about the people who do own games that could easily make use of the controllers, such as VS. Super Mario Bros. And they simply don't want to buy the subscription and stick to their offline alternative to a Nintendo classic.

Well that sucks

@Lizuka Yeah, price is same and it seems unjustified. I get you. But there are many reasons, right?
They have wireless connections
You can use them with a Switch anywhere
The library you play with these will grow
There are two controllers instead of one
You can play at a decent distance from the console
It has extra buttons on top to make system interactions possible without the console nearby
No wires for power either, and they are conveniently rechargeable.

That said, I doubt I'll buy them either, and I like the NES Classic experience. Probably most people with an NES classic shouldn't buy these. Now... give me a way to bluetooth my Wii remotes to the Switch and I can connect up my NES Classic controller and we are all set.

@Notshane Which adapter let's you sync up your Wii Remotes? I was just dreaming about that and it's awesome that it exists... I mean I have one that I use my Wii U Pro Controller with... I wonder...

@aaronsullivan The company infamous for having the same production value as Nintendo, 8BitDo!

https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Bluetooth-Adapter-Nintendo-Switch-Raspberry/dp/B0786JC6VW

Not only Wiimote, but the Wii U Pro , PS4 and Xbox One controllers work as well! The Wii U Pro doesn't rumble for some reason though, but the other controllers do. And yes, any Classic Controller you have also works perfectly when attached to the Wiimote.

What is it with game developers and consoles, that limits what controller you can use for which game?

If that's going to be part of the "Special Rewards," then count me the heck out.

Wow. This is a baffling, terrible choice. I was absolutely looking forward to using these controllers with games like Shovel Knight, or any number of other eShop titles that don't require the full button set of a Joycon but would benefit from a solid D-Pad.

$60 for controllers that only work with a so-far small selection of titles that we lose if we ever stop paying a recurring subscription fee? Hell no.

@C-Threep “Why? So you can pay $5 to $10 per game you’ve already bought twice before? Why not pay $20 per year and get 20 or so games and counting? I don’t see your logic."

The logic is that Nintendo is finally making what they advertised as their account system going forward, meaning if they were smart enough to reuse the Virtual Console, you could re-download the ones you got already. It doesn't work this way from Wii U to Switch since that's Nintendo Network ID to Nintendo Account.

Why they didn't stick with the Nintendo Network ID is beyond me.

“You do realize these controllers are 100% optional, as is the online service? Were you actually looking forward to playing Xenonlade 2 with two freaking buttons?"

No, people were looking forward to playing Shovel Knight and NSMBUD. Way to not bring up any other example than a game that makes full use of the controller! What a smart lad.

“Really? Really?! Last I checked PS and Xbox had one standard controller per console since the dawn of time. Did you have a Wii U? You could play many games with a Wii U game pad, pro controller, wiimote, wiimote and nunchuck, wiimote and classic controller, and even a 3DS and gamecube controller for Smash. Heck, the Switch can be played with a pro controller, on a TV, handheld mode, tabletop mode, 1 joy con, or 2 joy cons. Typical Nintendo? Smh."

But, the NES controllers not being usable for other games, something that may not be sold separately from the sixty dollar bundle, and even has its own controller icon, is pretty dumb.

These people aren't spewing nonsense, they're stating good arguments to Nintendo's dumb practices. You seemed to not list any good examples in an effort to make your counterargument toward them seem more fruitful, but in not listing the good sides of your points, you only make yourself come off as desperate to defend Nintendo.

I'm not a hater of them! I'm just saying that I have learned to notice visibly flaws in a company. And you should notice those flaws too instead of attempting to White Knight their bizarre stance on these controllers.

£60
2x Nes controllers
or
2x Nes controllers and a HD mini with 20 games

@Lord
Close, anyway. 1 short-wired controller on the NES Classic.

well to be fair they don't have right amount of controls to play Switch games so it wasn't unexpected but still as they can't they should be a bit cheaper than what they are going for

@Ensemen I said the same thing about the design being inferior and was given 100 reasons on why people wanted it during the NES Mod video (I personally do not get it)... so I do think there is a real want/disappointment

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/08/video_modding_old_retro_controllers_to_work_on_switch_with_8bitdo_diy

Maybe they saw this as a 1st party pair that also snap to the Switch and no need to mod their NES stuff for home use (and also worked with the onlne service). Like @TheDanslator I find the boxy design super uncomfortable

@aaronsullivan I mean, unless you have that 8Bitdo Wireless Adapter, which lets you sync a Wiimote to it and thus, your NES Classic controller is no longer all that short.

I don't think there's a way to stop developers from supporting these controllers if they want to. The issue is, there aren't enough buttons to match the standard Joycon layout. So you're asking developers to potentially limit the gameplay so a subset of users can feel young again. Maybe they can split the difference and have you use a Joycon in tandem with the NES controller, but then it starts to sound unwieldy. Honestly, I'll just stick with my Pro controller and sit this whole thing out regardless. It's LEAGUES more comfortable than the boxy old NES controller.

@TheDanslator People are asking them to allow the NES controllers to with with Shovel Knight, VS. Super Mario Bros. or say NSMBUD. Is it really...no, I'm dead serious, is it really that difficult to think about the games that do support limited buttons? Shovel Knight would be incredible with this controller.

$60 for two controllers that work with nes online games only.......errrrrrr no.

I’ve been really pleased with my 8bitdo SNES controller. I bought it for the SF 30th Anniversary collection and I use it for a lot of other games too: DK, Rayman, Flat Heroes, Fatal Fury, Hollow Knight, Dandara... list goes on. Eschew this proprietary money-grab and go for the 8bitdo!

I understand why they would NOT want to tell you they work with other games.

If they did, they'd have to start explaining why they DON'T work with games that required 4 buttons, analog control, motion input, rumble functionality, or shoulder buttons.

These are NES controllers. For playing NES games.

I'm sure some indie punsters will make sure to point out that their games actually work with them. Seeing how BandaiNamco is reviving the DK Bongos as well.

In that case keep your new Nes controller Nintendo! I was willing to buy before knowing this fact.

If you were obligated to buy these controllers to use the NESflix then you'd have a problem. But this is not the case: just ignore them and grab an 8bitdo controller if you itch for the classic vibe.

You sound like entitled first world kids. If you are going to complain then complain about something that actually matters for once.

As I said before, I have no interest in this. However, I don’t get the outrage over an optional peripheral. This isn’t in any way anti consumer or ripping anyone off. You aren’t forced to buy it. You don’t necessarily need it to play the games it’s intended for. This is the case of a company putting out a product at a price they think it’s worth. It comes with their terms on how to use it. You either will decide it’s worth the investment or you don’t think it is and find cheaper, more worth alternatives. It’s like the argument about Apple and iPhones

@60frames-please What makes you think the mod community won't have some fun with these controllers once the Switch is free to hack as anyone pleases?

Calling it now, you'll be seeing articles like "Man beats Breath of the Wild with an NES Controller" eventually. XD

And there was me thinking Sakurai would make them useable in Smash. XD

Would've been cool using these on 2D platformers like Sonic Mania, NSMBU Deluxe, or even some indies. I was debating whether to get these or not, but I'm not buying them only for 1 thing when I can just use my Joycon which support all games.

You buy NES style controllers and you can play NES games to match the experience. Simple as that and no whining needed.

This is absurdly stupid, these controllers should simply work like Joycons with less buttons so they could work with any Switch game that needs no analogue and few buttons.

These would be perfect for Mega Man Legacy Collection and Puyo Puyo Tetris and would work well for plenty of other 2d games like Gunbird, Gunbarich, Strikers 1945, Samurai Aces, Tengai, Psyvariar Delta...

I would have definitely bought these if they were compatible with all Switch games that don't need more buttons, but i certainly won't buy them if they are 100% limited to the subscription games.

Nintendo is usually able to get away with this kind of stuff more easily because they a have brand name drenched in nostalgia and quality, like Disney and its properties, that people are willing to buy.

@Cosats You can't play NES titles, and you can't use these controllers on NES titles. That is a fact, once Nintendo cuts off online support(or if you cancel your internet service) or some corporate manager decides to delete the NES games you had been playing on your Switch. Do you understand consumer impulses and consumer desires? Nintendo obviously doesn't!

@Notshane

Right, but what I'm saying is that this is probably up to individual developers as to whether they're going to patch their games to support this given the button limitation. The fact that the NES controller has just four buttons and a D-pad could make some support impossible without also using a Joycon for tertiary commands. Some games may not work well that way, and others may not work at all. Nintendo saying that they are meant only for NES use just means they can't guarantee any other developers will bite, and they can't force support of an optional peripheral. The fact that they'll get minimal payout for their effort probably means most developers won't want to try.

@Cosats All games on Mega Man Legacy Collection Vol. 1 are NES games, yet it looks like they won't work with these controllers, of course people complain.

While they would be cool to have, I don't see why I should buy these. Authenticity is cool and all but I was really hoping to use these to play some indie games too. Can you imagine Shovel Knight with an NES controller!?

@Medic_alert Yeah i understand that but i think people are getting frustrated a little to fast. I mean for every mistake they make ther is a few awesome things they do, especially awesome games. I mean i was a fan of nintendo my whole life and for me personally nintendo is at its all time best with the switch.
I don't know i just think it's weird how you can get so angry at a company if they don't do what you want. No one forces you to buy these things. But of course you should criticize them if you think they're doing something wrong that's in their own interest. I just don't get that anger and hate.

@TheDanslator The NES controllers appear to have a Screenshot, Sync and Home button on the top, based on its design, so I don't see what additional functionality the Joy-Cons have that warrants the controller being obsolete for anything but NES games.

Oh, and as that other guy said, the Mega Man Legacy Collections. Those would have been amazing to play with these controllers! There are so many examples that it's just sad they didn't think to let you use them with more games.

The saddest thing about this is that there are people in this comments section defending this garbage.

The detached requirement isn’t too surprising. I can’t imagine they would be too comfortable to use while attached to the switch.

Hopefully the option to use them in other games open up later.

@TheDragonDAFan Exactly.

@LegendOfPokemon This has nothing to do with the online system

@TheDragonDAFan true, find the brand dedication to Nintendo similar to that of apple and it's iSlaves... I like certain brands too, but come on people, don't be such tools! Put your hard earned money down for things that have a certain "value" for you.
If you want some nice retro controllers go check out 8bitdo which can be used on several devices.

Allow me to get extremely angry about something I'm not going to buy!

I'll stick to my 8bitdo controller that can play every game on the Switch

This doesn't surprise me at all. The thing that surprises me is the amount of people willing to attack their fellow fans for the sake of gigantic company that doesn't care that they're alive.

People were excited about these when they were announced. I wasn't because I only really need one and didn't want to spend more money to buy two that I don't really need.

It's really stupid not to make them supported for ANY other games. It's really stupid to make you buy two.

@Notshane

The switch has four face buttons, four shoulder buttons, plus and minus, in addition to the home and capture. The NES has two game buttons and start/select. That means six fewer buttons, which could cause a logistical impossibility in a lot of games without bringing another Joycon in tandem.

Unless Nintendo implemented gatekeeping to literally block developers from using them outside of the NES emulator (unlikely), I think it's going to be a matter of whether devs want to patch their existing games or build in special support for future games. I think Nintendo doesn't expect many will do so, and frankly neither do I.

@BensonUii

It's all good!

@Kirgo Now that the virtual console doesn't exist, I'm pretty sure there are actual NES games in the eShop that these wouldn't work for.

@BensonUii and the defense club:

Let's blame everything on the people who we don't care about. It's never Nintendo, it's always on someone else. Nintendo has first party games and could at least support it on more of them. But no it should fall on indie devs to patch their games to support something that the console maker themselves don't want to support?

Its a trend I find disturbing in online life as well. Like when a Korean boy band gives a bad performance and their fans rush to blame the camera man instead of just admitting the truth. It's all about pushing the narrative that it's always someone else's fault.

Nintendo made the controllers. Nintendo controls their online. We pay Nintendo. We complain about Nintendo.

@BensonUii I did indeed and I agree. I wonder how these people cope with real problems.

@BensonUii Nintendo is a first party developer. They can announce support right now.

They won't. I don't expect other people to do that for them.

Edit: I didn't edit my comment. I'm not sure what you think I changed.

I rekon since they have l and r buttons that they will support GBA games before too long, hope hope, prey prey

I have a solution for it : don't buy it!
Simple

Wow, I just noticed that these controllers have L and R buttons. So there are really more games that COULD be supported than if they only had two action buttons.

But is it really worth this level of outrage? Of course not. Especially when these controllers don't do anything that the Joy-Cons you already own can do.

@thesilverbrick theye got several less buttons

This reinforces my fear that once Smash comes out, the gamecube controller will begin to work only with Smash. Right now, the GC controller works with most games because the system registers it as a pro controller. But if they update the sytem to recognize the GC controller separately for what it actually is, then it would likely make it so the controller and adapter became completely useless for anything other than Smash (just as it was on the Wii U).

I struggle to see the purpose. Look good but definitely it spending $60 on these even if they did work elsewhere. A couple wireless SNES controllers may be tempting but I’d prob still pass.

Not surprised. Obviously a more novelty item for people who plan to use the NES service a lot.

@saintayu This is a completely absurd argument. Yes Nintendo is the creator. But again, it’s a completely optional peripheral that no one is required to purchase. As far as I know, there isn’t any game tied to the controller. Therefore, it’s not necessary. Nintendo, like any company, is putting a product (again, optional) out there in hopes that everyone of its fans choose to purchase it. Nothing shady or anti consumerist about it. Now you as the consumer need to make the decision as to whether or not it’s worth the money and potential headache later on.

^ 100% right

If this was mandatory id understand the hate and negativity...

Personally i won't buy them either... Why anyone needs to get worked up for this is beyond me.

Hey, has anyone ever used TurboTax? You have to buy a new one each year.
Not all vehicle batteries work for all vehicles.
If you have an HE washing machine, you need to use HE detergent.
SNES VC games on the DS eShop only run on New Nintendo 2/3DS systems.
Food for thought.

@UmbreonsPapa that's a great response friend but I didn't say it was anti consumer. I didn't say anything like that at all. I said Nintendo could support the controller better if they want people to buy it.

The only thing even close to saying that that I even said is that they are selling two controllers at a higher price then just selling us the one we actually need.

So I'm not even sure what you're talking about.

@HobbitGamer SNES games require the faster processor so its a necessity. You can use low efficiency detergent in an He washer it just won't turn out well because one is made to consume less resources.

TurboTax has faced bad feedback for that for years now as they never change anything and have shady practices underneath most of it. The only comparison that holds water is that one because the rest are necessity.

Like TurboTax, which in a lot of places charges you for what you can now do free anyway, it's fair that Nintendo will face backlash for decisions it chooses to make. Most of what you listed aren't out of choice but necessity

You can bet that if Nintendo had never announced these, people would be clamoring for them "even if they only work with the NES games".

I dont know if it's an age thing or the area I live in .... but why the heck do people complain about this topic so much? If you dont like the online service Nintendo is providing you can just not pay for it or play other video games on a different console.

That practically makes the controllers useless once the online service shuts down (unless they gain some retro collecting value in the future: you can't use them, but they sure look awfully nice on the shelf!).

But no one's forcing you to buy a pair.

Why is this so difficult for people to comprehend? These controllers are specialized collectors items for a small niche section of customers. If you dont want them, dont buy them. Strange this needs to be explained to a community where collectors items (special editions of games, systems, amibos, etc) are commonplace.

Every article here descends into a crying fest about evil Nintendo. What is the harm in offering a product to a small market of players that want them? Because they dont conform to your every desire does not render them useless to all.

@Mallow spot on.

@sanderev nah they're on the rails.
you can see em during the demonstration.

You don’t need to buy these. It’s optional extra. The nes games will work fine without it. It’s more of a collectors item not for everyone. Most of us won’t even buy this yet we’re all complaining here. Imagine this wasn’t coming and the complaints won’t be here.
I’m curious what will come after this. Is this gonna be like club Nintendo. Exclusive physical collectors items exclusively from Nintendo

@Mallow People are literally acting like these are mandatory.

Collectors will buy these and NEVER unbox them... It has see through plastic packaging... It's gonna be displayed. Not used.

@Mallow

Because it defies all logic.

I swear everyday I check this site there is some business move by Nintendo where I'm just sharing my head.

If I was Nintendo, I'd be looking to put Sony & Microsoft out of business... Not keep sitting on the sidelines in "niche" products.

What if you own the NEE game? Like Donkey Kong? Or is it only NES online games?

I had no intentions of buying these controllers, but even if someone gave them to me for free, I would probably never use them for any game - NES title or not.

Doesn't seem like a great deal for anyone unless you really, really, really want to relive the 1980s nostalgia

Then why do they have L and R buttons?

@Nater

I’m glad youre not Nintendo then, because their business model is not about “putting sony and microsoft” out of business. Its about focusing on a specific market, offering them something different from their competitors, utilizing in part, their own iconic Ips.

Also Lol if you think anyone can consciously decide to put two of the largest electronics companies (where gaming is a fraction of their overall output) out of business because they want to.

Nintendo is simply appealing to collectors and users with a nostalgic bent. Why people cant grasp that this is not new, not unique to Nintendo, and unworthy of hysteria, is what is “defying logic.”

My wallet just sighed in relief. To see a proper D-Pad on an official Nintendo controller makes me want even more one that I can use on ALL games, though.

Are we expected to buy SNES, N64 and GCN controllers to also not use them?

They need to release adapters to hook up the NES and SNES Classic controllers.

@saintayu None of what I listed was actually a necessity, though. That’s what I was getting at. No one has to buy those products Their mere existence isn’t making the manufacturers evil overlords.
I understand that people would be disappointed they can’t use these nifty things on similar-input games, since they are $30each. But I don’t get how people decide that because they can’t do that, Nintendo and all its (unrelated) online service is the worst thing since Mussolini.

I’m not even upset about any of this, I just can’t understand the mindset. I’m ready for 20 more games than I have now

@tameshiyaku It's a shame that Nintendo-centric websites or communites tend to devolve into pro-Nintendo echo chambers (not saying that Nintendo doesn't deserve praise for some of the things they do). I'm happy that people are pushing back against the horrible practices Nintendo's employing with this online service though.

@Mallow “their business model is not about “putting sony and microsoft” out of business. Its about focusing on a specific market, offering them something different from their competitors, utilizing in part, their own iconic Ips.”

Ironically, the folks that can’t accept the above fact are in the boat with folks that under-estimated the Wii and Switch popularity.

Just gonna use my pro controller.

@HobbitGamer I don't see anyone saying they have to buy this. I see people saying they won't and then explaining why.

Glad I already own several 8bitdo controllers.

I recommend everyone else the same over these pieces of console and game-locked junk.

@aaronsullivan is thought about it being temporary but that itself creates confusion when the controllers don't work for most games at all but then they randomly patch in support? They're just joycons. . 3rd parties should need to do nothing. A, b, start, select, and dpad should just be generic inputs that match the joycon equivalents. Unless they stupidly mapped start and select to the single joycon r and l buttons rather than plus minus inputs. Which wouldn't hellp my opinion if these.... . I can't imagine they're avoiding confusion. Who is buying sixty dollars 1980s controllers direct from the manufacturer other then the super hardcore?

The price isn't so bad. Insane restrictions aside, it's a set of joycons for a little less than a set of joycons since they're are no gyros, rumble, etc. Lack of rumble is maybe why they're not letting Indies use it, but that's just nonsensical. Indies would be all over this, and Nintendo wants more Indies per week. There's way more 8bit Indies than nes vc games.. . They're missing such an opportunity for a popular product. Heck, requiringa sub to buy nes controllers to use with shovel Knight and megaman would have had people throwing money at the moment at the service faster than you can say "micro transactions!"

Since the arrival of Amiibos Nintendo games seem to have taken second place for a lot of gamers.

Toys, cardboard, a game with added bits of collectable junk costing an additional £20 and called the 'deluxe version'. And so controllers that have a limited ability to controll makes perfect sense.

Well perfect sense to Nintendo. They know there is a type of person who will have to have these controllers and will waste their money on them. Nintendo will even knock 5% off the controllers for a limited time to lure these folk in.

My guess is these gamers will be single, live with parents, have little responsibility, male and need to get a life and not take paying video games do seriously. 😁

@ChameleonBros I have an SNES classic, a broken SNES, 2 working N64s, and a working GC. I just want a classic N64 for the CRT filter. I want everuthing on one box so I can add a Goldeneye rom and play 2 player split screen on a modern tv without graphical issues. I don't want to buy games individually.

Other than VC on 3ds for Game Boy games, I don't get it. I could see Wii and Wii U games, but Nintendo would rather port them for $60 instead of $10.

Last port I'm paying $60 for is Xenoblade X.

How weird. A game like Kamiko could’ve used these as well as some arcade classics like Double Dragon. Just go with 8 bit do controllers instead. I have the SNES, NES & Pro versions of these via 8 bit do and they work great. And they’re cheaper.

At least on the Wii and Wii U, if you played using the SNES controller they made for Club Nintendo that plugs into a Wiimote (which as it happens was essentially the exact same as the SNES Mini controller, but several years prior) you could use that to play more than VC SNES games, I even used the SNES controller to play Mario Kart 8, all the time.

I mean... of course not, how should they? They are missing at least 5 buttons. And since the single JoyCon mode looks for analogue input rather than hat-switches, most games couldn't even detect the D-Pad anyways.

It's a gimmick controller for retro enthusiasts. Nothing more, nothing less.

I can almost guarantee that these will sell out in minutes and there will be just as much complaining about not being able to get them.

@TheDanslator I see you ignored those other points I made, so I'm wasting my time here. Have a good day.

You'd think after the NES classic's success they'd think. Well a lot of people have nes libraries now as well as snes, we can add those later. Lets give them N64 games and Gamecube games because there's not a good modern way to play these. BUT NOPE. But in all honesty this online service is bad. not god awful but bad. They just need voice chat built in, to tell us where these other vc games fit in, and to stop pissing about!

@Notshane

Your other points were all, "Yeah, but Mega Man," which I did address.

Look, you seem to think I'm against this. I'm not. I actually don't care. But if you cannot consider the logistical mountain looming between every game and support, I can't really help you. Yes, it would be great if Capcom would implement support so y'all could play Mega Man 2 with a boxy, uncomfortable controller like we had no choice about in 1988. My whole point was that it's on Capcom to patch it in, and isn't on Nintendo to enforce. That's why Nintendo isn't advertising universal support: it's not a practical solution outside of the NES environment.

This should be obvious to people, like really.

They are not joycons. They have no analog stick, no shoulder buttons, etc. The only reason they snap-on is to charge.

They could be supported by other games - but this support would have to be coded in explicitly. This could happen in the future, but Nintendo isn't going to promise something that doesn't exist now.

They are nes controllers to play... Nes games. Shocking concept I know

@Lizuka Seriously agree. The mini is a way better option.

@saintayu Fair enough. You didn’t mention anything about Nintendo being anti consumer. But this seem to crux of the complaints here. Which is baffling because again, there is a more affordable option with guaranteed support for titles outside of NES games. And yet, you would have thought Nintendo kicked a bunch of puppies. It’s also been mentioned that some are defending Nintendo. It has nothing to do with needing to defend Nintendo about the anything. It’s keeping this in perspective. That it’s an optional product that, at the end of the day, does not prevent you from playing said games.

I don't understand why we can't use them with other classic games, but it makes total sense why we can't use them with the majority of games. After all, they only have A and B, Start and Select, and a D pad...

@UmbreonsPapa I think people who refer to that are mostly doing it because of current trends more so than anyone particular problem. It's not my place to pretend to know however.

As for the defense comment, there is absolutely a sector of our fan base that defends everything Nintendo does and moves to attack anyone who disagrees with any little thing. It's not hard to see if you read the comments, even if this site is mostly better than most of the other ones.

They will suck for most games, but could be fun to have the option to use them to play some retrol/casual little games. Wtf Nintendo...thats really lazy. Why don't u release a firmware update and make sure they can work with more games.

well let the hacking and tweaking begin when i receive mine, theres gotta be a way i dont even care if i gotta destroy a joycon to make it work....i think the NES controller would be great for games like one more jump, mario arcade, burger time arcade, or hell any old arcade game....and i would love to play some games like shovel knight with a snes version of theese...

@stevenw45

This person pretty much nailed it, it's a collector's piece and nothing more. Even when the service ends, it will retain collector value. Yeah, it's a bad deal, but it's a nice collector's item. Heck, I'm willing to bet these will be scalped like crazy too.

8bitdo mod kit for the nes classic controller is way better then if you already have the controller.

Good thing not a single person cared about these in the first place, then.

Sucks considering they seem cool. Sounds like a missed opportunity on Nintendo's part. A lot of Indie games would have made great use of them.

@bluemage1989 Yup you got that right!

Wow! Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. Nintendo clearly didn’t look at their opposition when it comes to value for money.

How can a console company so successful make these idiotic business decisions these days?

After such a solid launch with Switch, this entire Ninty Online debacle is just that!

Thank goodness for 8bitdo.

Would’ve been really cool to play, say, Shovel Knight or The Messenger with these controllers. but by all means it’s not a deal-breaker of a negative thing.

100% those NES controllers will work ok PC at least.

I'm still pissed off that there's no way to use my 3 Wii U Pro controllers with my Switch! As it stands I've got my two joy cons, an 8Bitdo SN30, and a gamecube adapter with 4 GC computers coming from eBay. (I suspect they're cheaply made, but they're not terribly expensive and probably being made with the same parts as the PGP ones are.) I think I heard that the GC controllers can be use with Mario Kart. Let's hope that they at least allow us to use those with party games, because I'm a little burned on buying Nintendo controllers. (Love the 8Bitdo though it's great for playing platformers!)

someone will come along with some 3rd party regular controllers shaped like that for $40 and they will work with ALL Switch & Nin-service games, so ignore them

They’re NES Controllers. What, are you gonna play Super Mario Odyssey with those controllers? Be realistic!

Also, it seems that you guys forgot how terribly Nintendo was doing financially a few years ago. They still have not recovered, and they have bills to pay. You may not like the fact that you now have to pay, but Nintendo is adding more content you can get from the service, and it’s dirt cheap compared to what Sony and Microsoft have to offer. You can criticize them in a rational way (Nintendo Switch Online is nowhere near perfect) but you can’t call them money hungry and greedy because at the end of the day they’re a company and they need money to stay afloat.

Nintendo are dumb and greedy for this.

Straight up. Switch is great but a greedish console experience.

Expensive peripherals, bad Online sub, terrible OS features, etc.

Still can't wait for Animal Crossing!

It's not "greed" $30 each is fair for a wireless bt controller. It's just the poor decision to intentionally limit functionality of what would have beena very useful and desirable product for playing popular software . It doesn't help Nintendo financially in any way to restrict the features and costs potential sales by making the peripheral less functional than third party products. Everyone loses. Gamers, Nintendo, indies.

I could buy a working NES with controllers for that price.

No.

I have bought an NES with working controllers for that price.

Novelty item

These controllers do have fairly limited use since it's use case is so specific

I am holding out hope that they create wireless SNES controllers similar to 8bitdo, but that they can be used in more games defaultly. I get some features like gyro or control stick requiring games won't work for controllers like these, but there's no point to not enable them to work for every game that doesn't have need of those features. Just make them all work / be recognized as Pro Controllers, and if they need the x/y/shoulder buttons or gyro, then they just won't be able to input it.

@SuperWeird I have to disagree with the pro for any platforming or fighting games as the d-pad simply does not work...

@super-nintendo Probably to save on production costs (they use the same rails on the joycons). I wouldn't be surprised if they don't work at all.

Why anybody would have thought they would work with other games is beyond me, considering the lack of buttons.

Yeah, I think I'll stick with my F30 for all my Shovel Knight, Mega Man Legacy Collection or NES needs.

Ah once again, Nintendo shooting themselves in the face.
This could be used in the simpler games, but ha well.
Fine Nintendo, once again you will not get my money.

I might consider them if the bluetooth drivers that lets you use the pro controller with your pc works on these.

But honestly I agree with others that have said: Buy the 8bitdo controllers. Cheaper, and works with a lot of devices, both wireless and over USB.

SNES controllers are great and pretty damn close to the original SNes controllers.

@thesilverbrick but they look okay as doorstops bit expensive,. but when nintendo get rid of NES games when they get bored of online in 18 months you will have lovely doorstops

Huge missed opportunity. The Switch is crying out for an official dpad solution. Nintendo limiting this has cost them two purchases, the Nes and Famicom versions. How difficult would it if been to throw in some shoulder buttons and an X and y? Or programmed the pads to work on any games that just used a and b.

@thesilverbrick plus you can use GameCube controllers on other switch games using that adapter. hopefully with this backlash, Nintendo can change their minds and release a patch for these. would really wanna try tate mode games with these

Man I wish I would drop $60 on those controllers just to play NES games the original controller way for a subscription I already have to drop $20 for. I will use my joycons happily, thank you very much. Here's your kite, Nintendo. What a waste, it's not that serious. Those could have also been compatible with the NES Mini. SMDH

@DavidMac There is, you can get an 8bitdo receiver and it works with the following controllers, Wii U Pro, Wii Mote, XBOX One Bluetooth, PS3, PS4, and any of the 8bitdo line of controllers (Which can connect directly to the system without a dongle) but the only catch is you need one receiver per controller because they are super low latency. It is also amazingly simple to pair everything except for the PS3 controllers.

http://www.8bitdo.com/wireless-usb-adapter/

@Zelda_Geek

Then make a product with value that will SELL.

The vast majority of us will ignore their controllers and buy from 8bitdo. How does that help the bottom line?

@thedanslator
@mallow

How DARE the two of you just wade into this hysteria with reasoned debate and sensible arguments. Who do you both think you are?!

@Trajan I have original retro working retro systems as well, but I have the NES and SNES mini. I loaded up more games on each, but the HD convenience/minimalistic storage space is big for me. Except for Spiderman and occasional online game, I played the minis more than my PS4 in the past year. I thought the majority of VC games were overpriced even back then. NSO's reception would be WAY better if they had some SNES/N64/GCN games with online play at launch. People in general are tired of the NES.

If Nintendo does release an N64 mini in the future, it'd be smart to make it a hybrid. Preloaded digital N64 games with the ability to play original N64 cartridges, kinda like the SEGA Genesis HD system. An N64 mini without Goldeneye, other Rareware and great licensed games feels empty, and the hybrid nature would be a good workaround for that. Knowing Nintendo, that'd never happen though.

@ChameleonBros Yeah. I already have all of my ROMs waiting for it to come out. A hybrid would be nice though. Ive thought about buying the hardware to rip ROMs. I'd like to have my 100% Goldeneye file on a mini.

As a person who prefers local multiplayer over online, and a long time fan of emulation, there's no way I'm paying Nintendo for this crappy service.

Better buy controllers from 8Bitdo. A bit more expensive (or same price depending on where you live) but they work with nearly every game, all modern consoles, Android devices and PC.

Actually I don’t even really care for these. Even if they would work on their own, have more buttons and all the bells & whistles joy cons have. It’s 2018 and that nes controller ain’t even that comfortable. Yeah it’s cool looking and has tons of nostalgia. But I’d rather play with a pro controller.
So Nintendo can make what ever gimmicky novelty overpriced stuff they want cos they are not necessary for anyone.
Another thing I personally don’t need is a virtual console where I need to pay for the same marios and zeldas I’ve already paid for like three times before. I’m fine getting some retro stuff for a fixed price. I struggle to have time for new releases as I speak (write) so why would I want tens of old games to play again on a different system?

@JohnQuixote

I feel like many who post here get off on their anger. Like, I can think of plenty of reasons to criticize Nintendo, but the abject rage on display here is legitimately disturbing. I cannot fathom working up this much negativity over a videogame, but people are posting as if Nintendo were putting children in jail.

I try to wade in with logic and an appeal to reason when I can, but most seem less interested in actual discussion than their spitting, poorly-spelled histrionics.

I don’t understand why Nintendo is seen as the bad guy for this. Their online is dirt cheap compared to the others. You’re acting like Nintendo stepped on puppies. Also do you expect NES controllers to work with Switch games?? It’s 2018, who’s gonna use that kind of controller to play Skyrim? What, do you wanna play Smash Bros with an Atari 2600 controller?

Why not just use the joycon or pro controller anyhow?

@Devlind You might be right. Who knows if they are planning on a future patch to allow the buttons to work. I think they are afraid if they say "the controllers will eventually work with other games" they won't be able to keep up with production. lol

@Jokerwolf Yeah I've heard about those adapters. I'm still sort of holding out hope that Nintendo will do the right thing and allow the pro controllers, at least for Smash. But as I'll have 7 controllers as it is, I'm not super hung up on the absolute need to have them. Also I'm not going to pay for adapters for them.

@DavidMac Honestly, the best part about the adapter is that PC recognizes them as X-input (unless you switch it to D-input) which means they are plug and play and have the PC mappings for games instantly, so for me it is a dream come true to be able to use a plethora of controllers on both PC and Switch. Side note, I would never buy a Switch Pro controller even though I do like them, they are just far too expensive.

No, TheDanslator. No. That wasn't it at all.