Committed Smash Bros. players have long said the game is best played on GameCube controllers, and now one hardware modder has created a custom set of Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons based on the iconic controller. For anyone who can’t tear apart a controller and put it back together, the Switch also supports normal GameCube controllers through the use of a USB adapter.
Their ability to be used in pairs or as two separate controllers make the Joy-Cons the most versatile controllers on the market, something GameCube controllers can’t match. They haven’t been without problems, though. Last summer, “Joy-Con drift” became a huge problem for Nintendo, as scores of players reported that their controllers’ joysticks were sensing false input even when they weren’t being touched, making games requiring precision impossible and others simply annoying. Nintendo did eventually start offering free repairs, but it was still a major headache for the company and players alike. Worryingly, some players have already reported drift on the Nintendo Switch Lite, which just launched in September.
None of that should be a problem for hardware modder Shank, who recently uploaded a video to YouTube showing the GameCube Joy-Cons in action. In the fascinating video, Shank walks through the long, arduous journey to get the Frankenstein creations working, which included 3D printing custom parts, redesigning the controller’s internal components, and even visiting fellow modder Madmorda for some expert painting tips. Shank finishes the video by showing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate gameplay using the incredible looking GameCube Joy-Cons. Unfortunately, Shank says that there are no plans to make and sell more given how difficult the initial controller was to build, even setting aside possible legal issues from Nintendo.
The Smash Bros. community is the most invested in keeping the quirky GameCube controller alive. Smash Bros. Ultimate is currently the only games in the series available on the Switch, but there may be hope that classics like Super Smash Bros. Melee could eventually come to Switch. At Nintendo’s annual shareholder meeting last year, company president Shuntaro Furukawa was asked whether Nintendo 64 or GameCube titles might come to Nintendo Switch Online, and said that the company was looking to expand past the NES titles offered then. While he may have been referring to the SNES games that were eventually added to the Switch, the possibility of GameCube titles wasn’t entirely ruled out.
Although the GameCube Joy-Cons would be impossible for most people to replicate, it’s still exciting to see just how much a skilled modder can change hardware. Much like game modders, the vibrant community around hardware modification shows how much unexplored potential there still is in games and consoles.
Source: Shank/YouTube