I didn’t grow up with a GameCube, and as such I didn’t really understand the popularity of the GameCube controller until right before E3 2014, when Nintendo announced [they would be bringing back the controller alongside a new adapter for the Wii U](https://youtu.be/3kLyYyX9rM4?feature=shared). I wouldn’t get one for myself until earlier this year: a minty fresh brand new Smash Ultimate-branded GameCube controller from Amazon. I knew it was popular and I always had an adapter ready in case friends brought their GCN controllers over, but I never owned one for myself until January 2024.
And… I get it now. I understand why people love this controller so much. The buttons were large and comfortable, the sticks were responsive and snappy, the D-pad… exists, and the form factor was effortless in my hands. But what really put it over the top for me were the analog triggers; I can’t recall another controller using these kinds of triggers until the DualSense in 2020. I tested it out in both Smash Ultimate and Mario 3D All Stars, since both natively support it. And it not only worked like a charm, but it felt like they were always meant to be played like this. I can’t imagine how much of a quantum leap this was coming off of the Lovecraftian contraption that was the N64 controller. No offense, but c’mon.
by Asad_Farooqui