GameCube Controller 1
Image: Ollie Reynolds / Nintendo Life

The N64 controller has its fair share of fans, but I am not one of them.

I should clarify that I don’t dislike it, as such, but as someone who owned a PS1 back in the ‘90s and only had limited access to the N64 through my friends, the three-pronged design definitely felt, well… weird by comparison. I’ve come to appreciate it much more since owning a wireless N64 pad for the Switch, but I still wouldn’t rank it as one of my favourites.

So it still blows my mind, then, to look back at what Nintendo accomplished with the GameCube controller just five years later in 2001. It went back to a more traditional form factor (or as traditional as you can get in the 2000s), reverting to a two-pronged approach with offset analogue sticks, two analogue triggers, and face buttons that varied in size depending on their importance.

It proved a massive hit with Nintendo fans, and the GameCube controller subsequently became one of the most beloved pads of all time; a feat bolstered nicely by the fan-favourite wireless ‘WaveBird’ variant.

Since Nintendo has re-released all of its major console controllers in accordance with their respective introductions to Nintendo Switch Online, it makes perfect sense for the GameCube controller to make its grand return for the Switch 2. GameCube games are now available as part of the ‘Expansion Pack’ subscription tier, and in my opinion, as good as the new Joy-Con 2 and Pro Controllers are, there’s no better way to play these gems than as originally intended with a GameCube pad.

Like its NSO predecessors, the controller is completely wireless while retaining the form factor of the original wired design. Think of it like a WaveBird, but with rumble intact and without the extra space required for the AA batteries; the best of both worlds, then.

The only colour available is the original purple, which will no doubt suffice for most fans, but those who invested in the delightful orange, grey, or black variants will no doubt feel a small sense of loss. Purple is the obvious choice though, and it still looks great nearly a quarter of a century later.

In terms of how the controller feels and functions, Nintendo has once again gone to painstaking lengths to make sure it emulates the original GameCube pad as closely as possible. The texture, the weight, how the buttons feel to press; it’s all pretty much how you remember, even if the new controller might be slightly heavier to accommodate the wireless functionality (206g for the original, 210g for the new wireless pad).

Of course, in order to seamlessly work with the Switch 2, there are a few new buttons to consider, but thankfully, they’ve all been tucked away neatly on top of the device to avoid encroaching on the original design. You’ve got the home button, capture button, GameChat button, and Bluetooth sync button all up-top. Smack bang in the middle is, of course, the USB-C slot for charging. Over to the left, Nintendo has also added a rather dinky ‘ZL’ button, which allows for quick access to menus when playing the GameCube NSO app.

Speaking of which, at the time of writing, Nintendo has provided access to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and SoulCalibur II at launch, with more titles on the way in the future. The GameCube controller is absolutely the best way to play these, but like the standard Joy-Con controls, you can always head into the NSO menu and remap whichever inputs you see fit. So for example, with The Wind Waker, you can change the camera controls so they’re no longer inverted by default on the X-axis, but you just need to consider how this might also affect other key gameplay mechanics.

Curiously, however, even though Nintendo explicitly stated prior to launch that the GameCube controller would only work with the NSO app, this actually isn’t true in the slightest. You can use it with pretty much anything on the Switch 2, keeping in mind that functionality might be limited depending on the software. Just don’t try it on the original Switch; the GameCube controller only connects to the Switch 2.

Crucially, if you’re lucky enough to own the now-delisted Super Mario 3D All-Stars, the GameCube pad works as intended with Super Mario Sunshine, with the analogue triggers functioning perfectly to allow for either shooting water while moving or while stationary. Sunshine is being added to the NSO app at a later date, but considering how well the pad works with the existing release, the added benefit of widescreen and upscaled visuals might be the way to go. Just keep in mind that the GameCube pad doesn’t include a ‘-’ button, so you won’t be able to access All-Stars’ menu while playing.

The controller also works wonderfully well with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and requires no remapping of any kind to ensure full functionality. For some fans, this might arguably be the best way to experience Sakurai’s masterpiece in the absence of Super Smash Bros. Melee on NSO. So if you missed out on the official GameCube controller adapter for the Switch, this is definitely a worthwhile alternative.

Back in the day, I would have said that the GameCube pad is the absolute peak of controller design, but I have to admit that there are a couple of drawbacks upon revisiting it for the Switch 2. I was about 11 when the GameCube launched in the UK, so naturally, more than 20 years later, my hands are quite a bit bigger. As such, my index fingers don’t rest quite as comfortably on the analogue triggers, instead reaching more toward the middle of the device housing the home and capture buttons. It’s not a massive issue, but I find I have to curve my fingers around a bit more to ‘hug’ the curved triggers.

Like the N64 pad before it, I’m also no longer a huge fan of the octagonal cutouts housing the two analogue sticks. They don’t feel bad, necessarily, but when playing an adventure game like The Wind Waker, you certainly feel those little bumps around the edge when moving the character or the camera; a big difference from the super-smooth analogue sticks found on the Switch 2’s Joy-Con and Pro Controller, that’s for sure.

Otherwise, the GameCube pad is still an absolutely stellar controller, and with the combined benefits of the WaveBird’s wireless capabilities and the original’s rumble motor, this really feels like the most feature-complete version of one of Nintendo’s very best. If you’re looking to recapture the magic of the original GameCube, or simply want the most authentic experience possible, you really can’t go wrong.

Now remake the chainsaw controller.

GameCube Controller 10
Image: Ollie Reynolds / Nintendo Life

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