Tag Archives: gamecube

Nintendo Nostalgia: GameCube-Inspired Joy-cons for the Switch are the Ultimate Blast from the Past

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While we await news of the Switch 2, this retro pair of joy-cons reminds us of one of Nintendo’s greatest hits – the GameCube. Designed for the Switch, these new joy-cons feel instantly familiar to the touch, given that they’re shaped like the iconic GameCube controller. My only real criticism is that it isn’t purple in color like the original!

Launched in 2001, the GameCube had a strong lineup of games, including popular titles like Super Smash Bros. Melee, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, and Metroid Prime. It also supported backward compatibility with Game Boy Advance games, and competed directly with Microsoft’s Xbox and the Sony PlayStation 2 on the retail shelves. Pretty much defining Nintendo’s track record at the start of the century, many enthusiasts will agree that the GameCube played a pivotal role in Nintendo’s success – and now Daliang Creation Design’s controllers bring that familiar feeling to the Nintendo Switch.

Designer: Daliang Creation Design

Designed to be either snapped onto each side of the Switch or used independently like a regular handheld controller, these joy-cons evoke the nostalgia of the millennium. Their contours almost perfectly resemble the ones on the GameCube controller, and the buttons and joysticks on the side match the original design too – including the unique XYAB layout.

The controllers, although designed with an undeniably retro appeal, have all the trimmings of a modern joy-con. You’ve got extra buttons on each handheld unit, along with four trigger buttons instead of the two found on the original GameCube controller. The only real caveat to their ergonomic form factor is that they’re great for single-person playing, but when used as two individual halves for PvP games, holding them sideways can be a bit of a hassle.

This isn’t the first time someone’s crafted GameCube controllers for the Switch. Back in 2020, Wii hardware modifier ShankMods cut apart an original GameCube controller and fit a custom set of PCBs inside them to make them work with the Switch. Daliang Creation Design’s controllers build on ShankMods’ design, with a few extra buttons, LED backlights, and other bells and whistles, so to speak!

The post Nintendo Nostalgia: GameCube-Inspired Joy-cons for the Switch are the Ultimate Blast from the Past first appeared on Yanko Design.

The GameCube Controller Sandwich is One Delicious Peripheral

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Because brilliant ideas come in all flavors, video game hardware modder and YouTuber Peter Knetter went and constructed himself a sandwich from a GameCube controller. Yum! It’s not actually edible, though, all the sandwich bits are made out of wax or plastic, but it is a functional controller. Now somebody just needs to port Cooking Mama or Overcooked to the GameCube for a match made in heaven!

The sandwich consists of an actual GameCube controller as the core of the sandwich, surrounded by fake deli meat, lettuce, and tomato, and finished with two pieces of faux bread. Not bad, but it’s very clearly missing mustard and mayonnaise, which I think we can all agree are the condiments that really make a sandwich, a sandwich. Back to culinary school with you!

Even knowing it’s not edible, I’d still have a hard time not trying to eat the controller. I’m a simple person — I see things that look like food, and I try to eat them. I can’t even tell you how many times an ambulance has had to be called because I was choking on a piece of plastic fruit, but it’s definitely in the double digits.

Custom-painted GameCubes Feature Classic Nintendo Characters

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Over the years, Nintendo has made some great consoles. From the original NES to the Super Nintendo, to the Switch, there are lots of classic systems out there. The GameCube is among my favorites. There was just something so great about the games, the design of the console, and its controller, and it really stepped up Nintendo’s graphical game.

If you’re a GameCube fan like me, check out these sweet custom systems I spotted over on Etsy.

Each of these unique game systems was hand-painted by Mago Serenil of Custom GameCubes. There are designs based on Donkey Kong, Thwomp, Kirby, and Dark Samus, with matching color schemes on both the console and its controller. I can’t decide which one I like best, but I do have a soft spot in my heart for the bubble gum pink Kirby.

Thwomp works great as a cube, but he could use some more spikes. I also wouldn’t recommend dropping him on the floor to crush your Mario or Luigi action figures.

The custom GameCubes are currently listed for sale for $200 each, and would make a great display piece for any Nintendo fan’s collection.

The forgotten dream of second-screen gaming

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The original iPad came out on April 3rd, 2010, at a time when most smartphone manufacturers were making the awkward transition from full QWERTY keyboards to touchscreen-only devices. Apple sold 1 million iPads in that first month, and by the end of 2...

This modded GameCube controller for the Nintendo Switch is the best way to play Super Smash Bros.

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It seems almost poetic that the Nintendo Switch’s red and blue joy-cons come together to now turn purple. Wii hardware modifier ShankMods has taken the internet by storm with his Nintendo GameCube-inspired controllers for the Switch – and here’s what’s crazy about them… they WORK!

After waiting for as long as 2 years for Nintendo or another third-party modder to make GameCube joy-cons for the Switch, ShankMods decided to do it himself post the release of Super Smash Bros. for the Switch, and the reissue of the GameCube controller. The design process is detailed, months-long, and a strong combination of catharsis and nostalgia. Shank decided to repurpose an existing GameCube controller rather than 3D printing one. He, along with help from his friends, then tore apart the Switch Joy-Con and added the PCB and components to the GameCube housing, with the help of a few 3D printed components that would give the controllers the best of both worlds. Shank even managed to integrate the Z buttons and the four extra buttons on the original controllers into his mod. The result? A set of controllers that looks exactly like the GameCube’s handheld controller, but behave like the Switch Joy-Cons. You can dock them to the side of the Switch display with confidence, and can even use them independently together as a wireless controller, or split it with a friend for multi-player, although the GameCube’s awkward ergonomic design may turn out to be a bit of a hassle. It looks unreal though, and I can’t wait for Nintendo or 8BitDo to take this old-meets-new idea further! I feel like an NES classic joy-con for the Switch would be absolutely dreamy!

Designers: ShankMods & Bassline

Modder makes the GameCube Joy-Cons you’ve always wanted for your Switch

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If you're a veteran Nintendo gamer, you've likely dreamed of using a GameCube controller with the Switch -- if just to recreate that 2001 vibe of playing Super Smash Bros. Melee in the family den. For mod creator Shank, that's now a practical realit...