Why is the GameCube controller so popular among gamers?

As the GameCube (GCN) turns 25 this year, there’s no better testament to its legacy than the controller. Although Nintendo has experimented with various input methods in the years since, each of its home consoles has officially supported a GameCube pad. And the company has reissued it several times in new editions.

A combination of factors led to the popularity long after the console left production. It was perfect for games made for the GameCube, became synonymous with one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises, and its library was kept alive on future platforms. To date, this is one of our best Nintendo Switch controllers.

It’s not perfect – it has issues compared to the competition of the time as well as modern pads. Even though the design hasn’t been carried over to future consoles like the PS2 and Xbox controllers were, it’s still a pleasure to use. You should definitely try it if you’ve never done it. Fortunately, it’s easy to do this today.

From your first look at the GameCube controller, you’ll notice that it’s not like other pads. Instead of the four-button diamond layout of most controllers, it features an oversized green A button, a small red B button, and two kidney-shaped X and Y buttons. This has some advantages. For newcomers, they will immediately infer that the A button is the most important, and it’s easier to feel which button your finger is on without looking. Additionally, this layout allowed you to easily press A with any other button.

The L and R buttons are analog, meaning they respond to the force you use instead of being a simple on/off switch. Many titles in the system have benefited from this. For example, in Super Mario Sunpressing the R button halfway allows Mario to shoot water while walking around, while pressing it all the way locks Mario in place while spraying. In the Super Mario 3D All-Stars Switch Port, this is not the same as using separate buttons for these actions on a Joy-Con or Pro Controller.

Unlike the circular control stick door on most controllers (the “guard” that restricts a stick’s movement), the GameCube’s main stick has an octagonal door, just like the N64 controller that preceded it. This makes it much easier to accurately enter specific instructions, which is vital for some of the console’s best games. THE Super monkey ball titles require precision movements to move across tight scenes, while SoulCalibur II takes advantage of this to easily differentiate inputs for directional attacks common in fighting games.

It’s impossible to separate the legacy of the GameCube controller from that Super Smash Bros. series. Super Smash Bros. Melee was the best-selling title on the console, offering an excellent casual board gaming experience that made good use of the console’s four controller ports. However, this has also given rise to a huge competition scene. Melee has all kinds of hidden mechanics (like wavedashing) that give him an extremely high skill ceiling. The pace is fast, making competitive matches fun to watch. And its roster of characters is (for the most part) balanced to allow for a variety of approaches.

Meleethe sequel, Super Smash Bros. Brawlwas released for the Wii in 2008. Since the Wii was backwards compatible with GCN discs and had four GameCube controller ports, gamers (competitive and otherwise) could use the familiar input method with the new game. It was also much better than using the Wii Remote. Ahead of Super Smash Bros. for Wii UDuring Nintendo’s debut in 2014, Nintendo unveiled an adapter that allows you to connect GameCube controllers to this system. This same accessory worked with the Nintendo Switch (and was resold with updated branding) when Super Smash Bros. Ultimateone of our favorite Nintendo Switch games, arrived in 2018.

MeleeThe success of , both in casual and competitive gaming, has allowed tons of people to develop their muscle memory with it. Nintendo has kept this control method available with adapters, as well as re-releases of GCN controllers. A Smash The GameCube Edition controller arrived in 2014, and a nearly identical controller also went on sale in November 2018, shortly before Ultimate. To support the Switch 2’s GCN titles available through Nintendo Classics, Nintendo is now selling a revamped wireless GameCube controller with a few additional modern buttons, like ZL and Home.

Even though the GameCube received far fewer games than its contemporaries, the controller feels incredibly natural for exclusive games designed for it, like Luigi’s Manor And The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. However, the gamepad isn’t perfect, which makes the situation even worse for certain genres. Its tiny D-pad and bump-shaped C-stick are two major flaws. The D-pad is soft, which combined with its size means it’s easy to accidentally push it in more than one direction. The C-stick is fine for quick camera adjustments, but it’s much worse than the now-standard two-stick setup. The irregular button layout also makes this one a poor choice when playing games designed for other systems. For example, in many SNES games you have to hold the Y button to run and press B to jump, which is much more awkward with GCN’s unique layout.

Another milestone was the 2002 release of the WaveBird, one of the first consumer wireless game controllers. Older consoles had already experimented with wireless connections, but relied on IR, which doesn’t work without a clear line of sight. The WaveBird requires you to set a matching channel on the receiver and controller, lacks rumble, and is a bit bulkier on the bottom than the standard model. But it’s a great option with excellent battery life and little wireless dropout; I used a WaveBird for much of my time with the GameCube growing up.

Speaking of which, the GameCube controller has held up remarkably well over the decades. I still use my originals when playing multiplayer games with friends; they show few signs of wear and no annoying issues to resolve. Compare that to the Switch’s Joy-Con, where stick drift is such a widespread problem that Nintendo paid a $40 million fine in France.