Officially Licensed GameCube Controller Wannabes for Wii U and Nintendo Switch 

It’s strangely hilarious to see Scott’s face in the reflection of the metal Mario controller while he’s fidgeting with it.

Scott has so many Wii U related stuff that it's only a matter of time until he makes a 5 hours long video on the complete history of the console. And I mean literally the COMPLETE history

i like to imagine scott laying on his stomach kicking his feet in the air while talking about video game stuff on this channel

These un-scripted videos have been really fun to watch Scott, thanks for making them

I was at Toys R Us one day and happened to come across a number of the GameCube Adapters. I bought one impulsively for the mere fact that they were hard to come by, and honestly barely used it for Smash Wii U. Fast forward several years now to having a Switch with broken-ass joycons that drift, this adapter has now become my best friend. Amazing how I’m still using the GameCube controller three whole console generations later.

Take a drink every time scott says "It's a Gamecube controller". You'll be wasted before the 10 minute mark.

I remember thinking I would never get a GameCube controller adapter after seeing it was sold out everywhere. A year after it released, I was at a GameStop and just saw four of them hanging on one of the hooks (or whatever you call those things) just nonchalantly.

1:46 You can actually run GameCube ROMs on a soft modded Wii U with pretty much perfect compatibility and GameCube Controller Adapter support (Which is actually my preferred method of playing GameCube games over HDMI), so really the only reason was the disc drive and no memory card or controller ports.

I wonder if Nintendo knew what sort of loyalty they were creating when they made the GameCube controller.

1:40 I can confirm that the Wii U is indeed entirely capable of playing GameCube games hardware wise. Hackers have gotten it to work pretty much flawlessly. Fair enough if they didn't want to support it hardware wise, but it was baffling they never threw some of them on the eShop at least.

Fun fact: Power A secretly released an updated version of the GameCube style controller for the Switch, replacing the fake analog grey triggers with a more straightforward button feel

The Hori one uses digital triggers because they're just a tad more consistent for Smash 4 and Ultimate. Having digital triggers for shield buttons is more intuitive in a game that doesn't have analog light shielding like melee

I used to frequent smash tournaments during the Smash 4 era and honestly I never saw anyone use any of these. It makes me wonder how many people actually bought one.

Scott is like comfort food, I love it

The fact that Gamecube controllers on switch via the GC adapter work across the entire Switch OS and any game that supports a Pro controller really really helps when playing local multiplayer games on Switch. Having controls that people are familiar with, even when they haven't played games in some time is very helpful, especially with games like Mario Party Superstars and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe that don't need every button, so the GC controllers really come in clutch when you need alot of controllers for multiplayer.

20:31 This is a relatable auto-pilot moment. I was really looking forward to you talking about the PSP controller, since it's what I find to be the best alternative to the GC controller (aside from the fact it's wired). The big difference is that ZR and ZL are simple buttons like the Hori controller, but I think it works out since all games on Switch don't need analogue.

I like the thought of Scott lying on his stomach with his feet wiggling in the air as he does these videos

I extensively and almost exclusively used that exact Metal Mario controller for several years when Smash 4 was my number one hobby and pastime. All in all it was a workable solution to the problem of wanting a GameCube controller, but I had two main criticisms of it. First off, the thing is light as hell. It has virtually no weight whatsoever and feels very cheap, hollow, and plasticky as a result. In all honesty, just a bit of deadweight inside of the shell would have helped it a lot. Second, what you said about the triggers being digital-only was accurate. There's no analog support whatsoever within the controller just by nature of it being a classic controller pro in the eyes of the console. The issue is that as a result, PDP had to set a point in the trigger's throw where it would activate, and for some inexplicable reason they decided to put it all the way at the bottom. You can actually tell where it is if you press on the trigger slowly and gently. There's a point at the bottom where you feel a bit of resistance before it eventually gives with a very spongey feel. What this means is that every single time you want to press either of the triggers, you have to throw them all the way down, which is both annoying if you aren't initially aware of it and actually somewhat detrimental in a game like Smash that demands quick reflexes and responsiveness. All in all, I don't regret using the controller for as long as I did (especially given that I didn't have much money to spend when I got it) but if I had to go back and do it all again, I would absolutely invest in a proper GameCube controller setup instead. In my opinion, the compromises that PDP made to save costs were fair but ultimately did more harm then good in the end.

I love how Scott is basically making mini episodes detailing his game collection.

I'm glad someone finally recognises how "uncanny" these controllers are. They look like GameCube controllers, but they definitely don't feel like ones. Unfortunately all reviews you find online (especially on RU-vid) praise these controllers for being "just like the original". I don't know how anyone who's spent at least ten minutes with the GameCube controller could say such a thing.

If the PowerA controller had these type of features: 1. HD Rumble 2. Analog Triggers 3. NFC Reader; It would’ve been Nintendo’s Perfect Controller!

you can see Scott’s reflection in the metal mario controller and now I can’t stop staring at him

Take a shot every time Scott says "Gamecube Controller"

I still have my Hori Battle Pad to this day! I bought it back in 2014 with my brother, thinking it was some regular NGC controller, and I was surprised to find out it was a Wii Classic controller shaped like a GC controller! I loved using the thing to play Smash and Mario Kart 8 back when I had a Wii U. Such a shame that the official Wii U GC controller adapter wasn't supported by any other game besides Smash Wii U. Real missed opportunity there.

It suddenly feels really weird that I've used the same set of 3(!) controllers across four generations of Nintendo consoles (plus PC) over the last 20 years. Granted, they put in a huge majority of their playtime with GCN and Wii, but those things really are sturdy as heck and my favorite controller designs for 3D games.

I had three PDP Wired Fight Pads in the Wii U days and they did the job really well. I had one Mario one and two Link ones that I got for four-player multiplayer with friends, and they were pretty damn useful.

The GameCube controller is fantastic. Didn’t realize how good it was till I got one. I got the Power A wired one and I can definitely recommend it

Childhood is worshipping Scott the Woz Adulthood is realizing Scott’s Stash made more sense

Got lucky enough to find one of those adapters used on a store shelf. I may not have a WiiU, but picking it up was still pretty worth it to use for Switch and PC. The old GC controllers can get a second life even after I'm not using the console anymore.

I always used the third party adapters, and they work pretty well. The one I had since like 2016 only started acting up this year, but you can get them really easily for like 12 bucks

As someone who was in the smash scene (PM mostly, but also a good deal of Melee) when the Wii U controller adapter was released, the new stock of Gamecube controllers was a godsend for us. High quality 1st party controllers for a reasonable price, plus the adapter worked on PC so we could use them on Netplay through dolphin or other emulators. They didn't work natively through dolphin yet though so we had to install a 3rd party app to get the pc to recognize it as a controller, but I was doing that already to get my PS3 controller to work on Steam games back then anyway so it's not like this was a huge deal breaker if you wanted to play something on PC at the time. This isn't even mentioning Nintendont on Wii U, which was a hack for the game that utilized the Wii U's Wii-mode to natively run gamecube games through a flash drive/SD Card and worked with the adapter as well (as well as other bluetooth controllers like the pro controller and others). So it's not even theoretical anymore, the Wii U literally could play gamecube games natively, but it's disc reader wasn't able to read the gamecube discs even with Nintendont so we had to use digital storage (which honestly, around this time was when Melee Discs were really starting to go up in price, so honestly it may have even been for the best that it couldn't read discs. If you had Nintendont on an old Wii model that still had gamecube controller ports than that would be able to read the game disc for you though.) Being in the smash scene had been the most accessible it had ever been in a long time.

I think this also warrants a shout-out to the 8bitdo Gamecube controller adapter, which I do have, and that's great as a wireless option, since you don't have to plug it into the console, and you can just use any old Gamecube controller with it. Plus it's got some of the Pro controller buttons on the adapter itself. It's my go-to controller for MarioKart, and a great way to get an extra Switch controller for low cost (assuming you already have a Gamecube controller lying around)

Drinking game: take a shot every time Scott says “GameCube controller” Absolutely wasted 😂

the powera wireless controller gets my vote -- it being bluetooth allows it to also work on PC. pretty fun playing all sorts of stuff with a gamecube controller

I always had problems with the Power A controllers thumbsticks, the feel is NOT how'd you expect a gamecube controller to be, and I always got drift

7:33 I still have this one. I used to use it for virtual console N64 games but now it’s my dedicated player 4 controller when my friends and I play GameCube stuff on my modded Wii. I think it’s my longest lasting third party controller

I actually have that exact same PowerA controller, and I typically use it for Dolphin. Although, I did notice a bit of drift on the right stick, but I was able to fix that by fiddling with the potenciometers.

ive been loving these kinds of scotts stash videos of just going over shit like this i love it

I actually own a sonic gamecube like control & it isn't that bad honestly, the triggers aren't like the actual ones but they still feel nice & they include an alternative for the c stick that's exactly like the other stick so if you don't like the original, you can swap it out

i wish nintendo reissurd the gamecube controller with the modern buttons included

Would love to see a video on this channel of you going through all your game shelf's and talk about the games that stand out or that you really like

You know I'm honestly shocked we haven't gotten us got the wise episode about console boxes like just a box that your console comes in

I remember being so disappointed losing my opportunity into getting the controller and adapter for so many months after launch, thank God Mayflash came in with their own adapter and even got two White Smash controllers imported from Japan which I of course use heavily to this day

I’m loving the weekly uploads to this channel lately!

I've never owned a Wii U yet listening to Scott talk about the Wii U and Wii U related stuff is always interesting.

Nintendo tends to do staggered backward compatibility, usually supporting 1-2 gens back. I assume they do it to encourage people to adopt their console, especially for handhelds. Btw the best GameCube controller adapter is the Mayflash one. It's the only one that also works on the vWii with Homebrew. I do wish they added Gamecube support to more Wii U games, it's kind of annoying when you want to play both Mario Kart 8 AND smash with 3 friends but need 8 controllers. I love my Power A controller, and with homebrew you can connect it to the Wii U as well where it imitates a Pro controller. I believe they reduced the trigger distance because the triggers are digital, as the Switch doesn't support analog triggers aside from controllers using the Gamecube adapter. It would feel really weird if the entire analog portion did nothing and you had to press it all the way down to do anything.

my favorite Scott the Woz character, Scott’s carpet

I picked up the PDP Fight Pad for the Switch on sale one day for like $10 when I was getting into Smash Ult. I actually really liked it at first BECAUSE of the flat, paddle L, R and Z’s as well as it’s bigger size, while still keeping its GCC form. Over time, it’s cheaper quality started to show as my control stick started getting bad snapback and misinputting. Eventually I just got one of the smash GCCs and chopped down the trigger springs.

I remember using those controllers for both Smash 4 and Brawl since for some reason the adapter was rare af and it only worked with Smash 4 for some stupid reason

6:28 I'm kind of digging the hand expressions when Scott is not holding anything

i’ve had a powera one since as far back as i can think, either with the switch launch or as soon as i saw the first one on shelves. i love that thing to absolute death it feels so so so good to use. if i’m playing switch it’s always in “tabletop” mode propped up near me and i’ll use either the powera gc or the joycon double a battery grips because i prefer my rechargeable aa over rechargeable internals(faster to get back to 100% when dead vs needing to be plugged in). now that i think about it the gc controller being on regular batteries is another reason i absolutely adore it. i wish it did have some rumble but im not that torn up about missing it

I have the Espeon edition of the PowerA Switch controller. It's based on an updated model that changed the triggers to feel like normal buttons rather than faking the analog travel of a real GC controller. I wouldn't recommend it at the usual price of around £40 but I found these Pokémon editions being sold for a mere £25 at Aldi, of all places. At that price, I can't complain. It's good enough for just about everything and for some games I even prefer it over my Pro Controller. If you can find one for cheap, it's worth picking up.

I had the PDP fightpad years ago and I really liked it. My only issue is that for whatever reason, they swapped the L and R button with the ZL and ZR buttons. It makes no sense to me why, seeing as the whole point of the controller was to be like the original gamecube controller

The PowerA Gamecube controllers are nice, but mine developed a weird quirk after a while where brushing my thumb against the left stick reads as flicking the stick forwards. Something similar happened to my friend's PowerA Xbox one controller too, but I don't think I've seen many people mention this before so I don't know if it's a common thing or not.

The PowerA GameCube-style Pro Controller is genuinely my favorite controller to use when playing my docked Switch. It feels amazing when playing Mario Wonder (after changing the settings to B for running and A for jumping)

Ok so no community will appreciate this story more. In the run up to Smash Bros 3DS/WiiU release, my partner worked at Nintendo doing video game testing (which you can call a 'my uncle works at Nintendo' story but for real, we live near Redmond and it's not too hard of a job to get into as long as you're willing to do 70 hour weeks for $10 lmao). And he was on Smash Bros!! So he knew the entire roster, but didn't tell me all of it (outright) because that'd be boring. However, one of my favorite characters EVER is Lucina. Before she was announced, we were pretty drunk and he told me Lucina wasn't in the game, but Robin was and you could 'customize' them and Chrom was their smash and I was like...I have no idea how much of this is real and how much of this is trolling. Then one morning, he'd already gone to work when the Smash Live drops and LUCINA pops up! I screamed and texted him like "How dare you lie to me, I can't believe this!!" lmao. It was really fun, I'm happy she got included and that was a cool time for Smash Bros.

I remember my problem with the PDP controller I owned is that classic controller triggers were digital inputs. Therefore the triggers were just for show and did nothing until they were full pressed. It messed me up a bit.

An interesting tidbit about the Wii U PDP Wired Fight Pads: the GameCube and Wii Classic Controller both had analog triggers, but like the Wii Classic Controller Pro, the PDP controller doesn't have analog, despite being designed after a GameCube controller. They FEEL like actual triggers, but when testing them with homebrew programs, you can see it only registers as a button press. Regardless, I don't think any games actually utilized the original Classic Controller's analog triggers, which is probably why PDP chose to not include it, since it was only really made for SSB4.

Thanks so much Scott for videos like this!

I know you probably won’t see this super random comment made on your second channel, a comment on a super specific video that only certain people are going to click on and enjoy….but if you do, I just want to say a few things. Your channel has been a safe place for me lately. My life has been hell. Watching a video about controllers I have known about for years doesn’t change what’s going on in my life, but it does give me a way to escape for a moment. It feels like I’m talking to an old friend about something that interests them (however,you do most of the talking. I can’t seem to get a word in). I love that. While I’m watching your videos, the world temporarily disappears for me. So thank you for that. Cheesy ness aside, you make incredibly well researched and interesting content! Keep it up man! Living my dream!

I'VE WANTED SCOTT TO DO A VIDEO ON THIS FOR YEARS

2:23 The Wii U now is almost as old as the GameCube was when the Wii U released

I have that hori one but made for switch and it is pink & transluscent coloured with a peach theme. It has a turbo button actually and i actually use that from time to time its a really interesting addition.

I have a Switch version of the PDP Pad with a Sonic theme. I mostly use it on PC though for Sonic Adventure

I've had the wired powerA gamecube controller for a few months now and it's been really nice! I feel like for the price, its really hard to complain. I use it mostly with my PC, but I definitely use it with my switch a lot too.

These videos are getting oddly specific

21:00 I bought one from HORI, and you can also use them on PC games over Steam, because it functions (as you said) as a Switch Pro Controller which I use all the time.

5:46 I've always found fascinating when companies restart production on things from the past. Like, imagine if they just randomly decided one day to start printing NES cartridges again. I guess theoretically it's possible.

I have one of the Power A Wireless GC controllers, and I almost never use it for my Switch. It's main use is over Bluetooth on my desktop for emulation, and now for Multiversus. While it is great as a Switch controller, it being just a standard Bluetooth controller based off of the GC controller means it has so much potential use outside of its intended system.

The GameCube controller truly was the best controller ever made. With every other controller, my hands have adapt to them to feel comfortable if that makes any sense. But with the GameCube controller? *chef's kiss* It feels so natural in my hands. Not only is the button layout perfect, but the design of the plastic makes it so comfortable to hold.

This feels like a Dankpods video and I love it.

I had a terrible experience with the Power A controllers. I bought one for Ultimate and used it for about 3 months until it really started to just not function. The buttons become extremely mushy after lots of use, the sticks become trash after a while because they start inputting things randomly

That last little quip was HILARIOUS! lol. So good! This was hilarious and super interesting! Love it! Awesome job, as always!

I like these Scott videos. It's like he's on 5 ambien and trying to stay awake.

Just bought this bluetooth nintendo switch game cube controller to use with my laserbear blue retro bluetooth game cube mod, it works great except for the trigger click buttons, i had to assign those to the stick buttons

If you use the Wii Homebrew Channel in Wii Mode on a Wii U and install Nintendont you can load GameCube games from external memory and it plays them fine. The Wii Mode still has GameCube compatibility. Nintendont even has Wii U specific features like letting you use the GameCube Adapter and better HD upscaling and color. I consider it one of the best ways to play GameCube games today in a better visual quality with the GameCube controller.

Hey all, Scott here...

I specifically remember having a Wii U version of that PowerA wireless pro controller.... The left stick was completely destroyed in just a couple months.

Had the power a gamecube controller. Dropped it 3ft onto carpet and it just stopped working completely.

Something that I noticed about my PDP controller is that it very closely resembles the GameStop chameleon GameCube controllers. Like, REMARKABLY similar. Those things felt similarly cheap.

the main reason I use the powerA gamecube controller is because its the closest gamecube controller with motion controls and all the buttons

Please try out the Fight Pad Pro, it's honestly amazing. It was cheap and quality. But unfortunately I can't find any in stock anymore, but it's insane how good it is for price to performance.

How about the Hori Battle pad you showed in the video (which has a Classic Controller connector and a different ‘center buttons’ layout) vs the newer ‘for Switch’ USB version by Hori? The newer one seems the better option, I think? I haven’t tried connecting it to my WiiU using USB to check for backwards compatibility though. And how about using a 8bitdo GBros wireless adapter which can be used for controllers that either use a Gamecube port or a Classic controller port? This 8Bitdo adapter in itself allows the use of many controllers and accessoiries that use the Classic Controller port like the Wii Classic controller or any controller that is meant for the ‘Mini/Classic’ console rereleases.

Love this video! More controller content please scott!

IIRC the Wii U can natively play GameCube games if you get nintendont via homebrew. Same application you can use to run backup isos on the original wii

Hyperkin also made a wireless wiiu controller that was recognized as a pro controller so it worked in wind waker. Was excited at the time.

What happened to me when the Wii U game was released..... I had ordered the set online that Scott has there with the game + controller + adapter. But the shipping got a bit delayed and I was impatient, wanting to play it on day one. And I managed to find the same pack in a store (after going to a few different stores and striking out). Originally I was going to return the set that I had shipped. But I also wanted to get at least one more controller and adapter (I still had two regular original Gamecube controllers and a few Wavebird Controllers, as I still had my original system, meaning in total I would have enough controllers for up to 8 players.) to have the option for local 8 player if ever I were to have enough people together to do that. And the individual controllers and adapters became really hard to find really fast. At that same time, Gamestop had one of their rare, occasional deals were there were bonuses on certain trade-ins that actually made trading something in kind of worth while and not make you feel like you are getting ripped off by them. So I ended up trading in the extra copy of the game itself for about $40 in credit (there was something else that I wanted to get at the time anyway that I could use the credit on), and kept the controller and adapter. When all was said and done, in a round-about way I didn't pay that much more than it would have cost just to buy the separate controller and adapter. When the Ultimate came out for Switch, for the heck of it I also ordered 2 controllers and 2 adapters. While I didn't "need" them, since the adapters were basically the same thing with a different logo on them, and the controllers were the same as most any Gamecube controller, but with a slightly different Smash logo than the ones released for the Wii U, I just decided to go for it.

I ended up getting a PoweredA wired gamecube controller one day when I got an urge to play Paper Mario TTYD again and only could use an emulator. It works quite well. D-Pad was enlarged, buttons all feel nice and snappy, had 2 shoulder buttons and triggers, only downside I'd say was that it didn't have rumble.

I swear the only thing that separates Scott the laws videos from Scott's stash videos is in between jokes with Scott's face

Its funny how Nintendo really felt like a company with heart back in 2014 and now in 2022 it feels very heartless.

I am very much looking forward to whatever Scott might have planned for the Wii U’s anniversary

Funnily enough, I've heard of HORI but never heard of PDP.

I still have those controllers for my Wii/WiiU (I had like 3 or 4 of the 1st one he showed, and 3 of the 2nd), I also have the 2nd controller he showed on it's Switch variant wired, and 3 PowerA... one of them with drifting issues.

Before I bought the switch gamecube controller (like a month ago), the gamecube adapter along with my own gamecube controller was the way I played the dolphin emulator for years since using any other controller just didn't feel right for gamecube games.

Can you use the gamecube adapter on the wii u for wii games that support it ?

I got a power A controller and it worked really well until the stick started drifting so I went to have it repaired but they couldn't so I bought another one and it broke too The last thing I got is called the gbros by 8bitdo that takes a GameCube controller port and changes the signal to Bluetooth it works exceptionally well and it's not nearly as expensive as powerA's wireless controller

I like using the wired fight pad pro... but goodness does it start breaking easily after a month of usage, ether with the rubber on the A button tearing, or the cord its connected to tearing up in general. im on my 3rd one and I may need to get a 4th one soon.

Is the Power A triggers analog or digital? The reason I ask is cuz I want to use it on Dolphin for PC and I believe I need analog triggers to control the water pump on Super Mario Sunshine and other games like that.

I loved the powera contollers.. when they work the two I had developed stick drift easily and I just gave up on them. I can’t hardly find them in stores anymore… sadly

I actually loved getting the Red and Blue Smash Bros soundtrack CDs. Catch me goin 90 on the interstate blasting Stickerbrush Symphony remix at max volume.