There are a lot of good reasons to think fondly of the Nintendo GameCube. Metroid Prime and Rogue Leader knocked it out of the park. The Game Boy Player was cool. There’s even something to be said for having a convenient carrying handle on a system designed for couch multiplayer. But if you ask anyone who played Nintendo’s sixth generation console what part they missed the least, it would probably be the controller. With all the visual flair of a Little Tikes playset and ergonomics designed for an octopus, it’s a controller that works well for first-party Nintendo titles and little else.
So it’s probably for the best that these Switch Joy-Cons created by [Madmorda] focus on recreating the aesthetics of the GameCube controller for Nintendo’s latest money-printing machine rather than its feel. With a surprising amount of work required to create them, these definitely count as a labor of love by someone who yearns for the days when gaming was more…cubic.
To start with, nobody makes Joy-Con cases in that signature GameCube purple so [Madmorda] had to paint them herself. The longevity of a painted controller is somewhat debatable, but the finish certainly looks fantastic right now.
For the left analog stick [Madmorda] was able to use the cap from a real GameCube controller, which fit perfectly. Apparently, Nintendo has been pretty happy with their analog stick sizing decisions for the last two decades or so. The right analog stick was another story, however, and she had to cut the shaft down to size with a Dremel to get the cap to fit.
Finally, molds were made of the original face buttons, which were then used to cast new buttons with colored resin to match the GameCube color scheme. Since the original Switch buttons don’t have indented lettering to get picked up by the mold, she had to laser etch them. This little detail goes a long way to selling the overall look.
The final result looks great, and compared to previous attempts we’ve seen to bring some of that early 2000’s Nintendo style to the Switch, this one is certainly less destructive. Check them out in action after the break!
Dye the Buttons even
“But if you ask anyone who played Nintendo’s sixth generation console what part they missed the least, it would probably be the controller.”
Except for hardcore smashers who worship the damn thing.
“…it’s a controller that works well for first-party Nintendo titles and little else.”
Oh, well there you go.
I loved the fun, quirky gameplay modes of melee the most. But not the hardcore tourney players, they gotta break it down frame by frame and stuff.
I found the GC controller to be the BEST of the 6th gen consoles. Dreamcast had shallow handles and your knuckles hit the backside. PS2 had short handles that quit midway into your palm, and it had awkward placement of analog sticks because it tried to appease the PS1 players. Xbox was simply too big to handle. The S controller takes second place for me.
I thought the Cube’s button placement was genius since the face ergonomics matched what most games tried to do with controls – a large obvious “A”ction button, a smaller less-frequent Cancel, and two supplemental buttons. Don’t know why more people don’t feel the same way… I think they’re biased because they still view the GC through the “cutesy” lens of the early 00s lol.
—
I still don’t quite accept Smash as a competitive game, since hardcore Smashers do silly things like turn off items or play only certain stages. The spirit of the game was clearly more like a party game than a competitive brawler!
Yeah GC controller was overall well liked.
What was hated is the smaller discs limited to about 1.3GB and despite being fully capable (as shown by mplayer ports) crippling the DVD plating capability.
The Panasonic full DVD version was superior but overpriced due to its limited status.
You may even complain about difficulty obtaining digital video from it (cables were seldom found ) and the removal of the port in later editions.
Never heard anyone seriously complain about the controller though. And it sounds like a complaint against the developer of the game since it worked so well in so many genres of games.
This is a joke right? Overall well liked? There’s a reason nobody, Nintendo included, ever made a controller like that again.
It’s still popular with competitive SSB people, but otherwise it’s an awkward footnote in the road to modern video game controllers.
Literally had the same idea, but soooo many people have already done it that I didn’t see the point
I loved the Gamecube still do! The Controller’s in my opinion were great…. There’s nothing I would’ve change I liked the size of the disc the fact it had a handle and you could take it anywhere was a bonus… I even got a portable screen and took it in hospital with me… And yes even the doctors came and had a go… The last time I took it was 2014
So for me it was a win win! ☺ ☺
The GameCube had one of the worst controllers ever. It’s a big dumb baby rattle for children that couldn’t comprehend using more than one button. The fact that people cling to it still is pathetic.
Yep, like I said above – biased people still viewing the ‘cube through the “hurr durr it’s for babies lol” lens of the early 00s.