• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Will Gamecube controllers become rare?

citrus lump said:
I really wish I would've snapped up a few wavebirds. I can't even find used ones anymore.

Of course the last gen nintendo controllers were a bit iffy in the quality department. I broke 1 wavebird, 2 standard controllers, and 1 3rd party controller.

I blame it on all the intense Mario Tennis matches.
Click to expand...

Yeah the X on my Wavebird is gone, which really sucks.

Guy Legend said:
I've seen lots of third party clones, like these:

c4e5_12.jpg
Click to expand...

Has anyone had any experience with these? I'm considering picking a couple up (for multiplayer, I've still got one standard official controller and one Wavebird).
 
I bought a Wavebird after I bought my Wii (even though I did own a GameCube, it is now with my brother so I don't have any GameCube controllers).

My friend also recently bought a GameCube controller for his Wii, but it was a 3rd party one.

So yeah I think the demand is there. Just hope Nintendo will not stop making them.
 
Polari said:
Has anyone had any experience with these? I'm considering picking a couple up (for multiplayer, I've still got one standard official controller and one Wavebird).
Click to expand...

Personally, I don't think that the original Gamecube controller was the most durable, so if these aren't that great...perhaps they aren't much of a downgrade.

Regardless, they are extremely cheap and probably worth checking out.
 
Polari said:
Why can't they virtualise the Gamecube hardware?
Click to expand...

Wii isn't powerful enough to do it in software like the Xbox 360, and it doesn't have additional support chips like the PS3. It runs GameCube software by booting in a hardware mode that really is a slimline, slotload GameCube. No emulation occurs, the GameCube software directly utilizes the Wii's CPU and GPU as if they were the original hardware. Some additional memory and hardware that existed on the GameCube motherboard is duplicated in function by units integrated in the Hollywood IC package.

Squeak said:
Where do you have this info from, are you a dev?
Even if you can't use the GC mode for anything other than the raw BC. it has to be possible to make the vast majority of software run on a simple emu in wii mode.

It could be made very transparent to the end user, like just blinking a message that says "needs org. Gamecube controller" or something like that for the games that don't work in the emulator.
Click to expand...

I'm just far more conversant with the details of the GC and Wii hardware than I ought to be. Wii's just not anywhere near powerful or capable enough to run GC software in a multitasked or supervised mode. Its backwards compatibility mode is no more or less capable of using the classic controller than a real GameCube.

There's nothing that the Wii interface guys can do about this because their code can never run during the time that the Wii is being used to play a GameCube game. They would have had to have designed a different product from the beginning.

santouras said:
Stranger things have happened.
Click to expand...

It would BLOW MY MIND. But if one of these days an update changes the operation of the Wii so that there's actually a Bluetooth network active while GC software runs, watch out.
 
I got a wavebird a while back but I've reverted to using a wired controller as I prefer rumble and sit about a metre away from my wii

also, I would kill for CC support in wii, and altho the hardware wasn't designed for it, I wouldn't put it past some tricky programmers to get it working. Stranger things have happened.
 
AgentOtaku said:
thats weird...

wife got me a wavebird from local Walmart awhile back....no problem at all finding them up here in alaska...
Click to expand...

And that's supposed to reassure me...how?

BTW, I sold my original controller, but I still have one of those third party controllers with a retractable cable. Works fine.
 
When I sold my Gamecube, I had to sell one controller too. Now I cant play 2 player GC games. If Nintendo actully lowered the price on a mostly obsolete piece of gaming hardware, then I would go for the second one. Id rather GC controllers go extinct than buy one for $30.
 
TwinIonEngines said:
Wii isn't powerful enough to do it in software like the Xbox 360, and it doesn't have additional support chips like the PS3. It runs GameCube software by booting in a hardware mode that really is a slimline, slotload GameCube. No emulation occurs, the GameCube software directly utilizes the Wii's CPU and GPU as if they were the original hardware. Some additional memory and hardware that existed on the GameCube motherboard is duplicated in function by units integrated in the Hollywood IC package.
Click to expand...

I'm not talking about emulation, I'm talking about virtualisation. The Xbox 360's backwards compatibilty is an entirely different situation as it's a completely different architecture to the original Xbox. Additional support chips? The Wii is an additional support chip. I see no reason why virtualisation or a compatibility layer wouldn't be possible. Would it require some effort? Of course, but often things worth doing do.
 
Gamestop continues to make and sell their own GCN pads.

As for the official Nintendo pads, you'll probably find them anywhere you'll find used GCN games, also being used. Anybody taking advantage of backwards compatibility that didn't own a GCN last gen will probably be buying the bulk of their games used, since you can't find alot of old GCN games new anywhere.
 
Polari said:
I'm not talking about emulation, I'm talking about virtualisation. The Xbox 360's backwards compatibilty is an entirely different situation as it's a completely different architecture to the original Xbox. Additional support chips? The Wii is an additional support chip. I see no reason why virtualisation or a compatibility layer wouldn't be possible. Would it require some effort? Of course, but often things worth doing do.
Click to expand...

Direct hardware virtualisation of the same CPU series at 2/3 the real clock speed while simultaneously running some sort of supervisor code to operate the bluetooth network and patch that input into the virtualized GameCube's i/o hardware is out of reach. The Wii does not have nearly enough additional power to do this.
 
Guy Legend said:
I've seen lots of third party clones, like these:

c4e5_12.jpg


58110401_o.jpg


I hope Nintendo has their own solution for this - ie keep Gamecube controllers available or update the console to allow classic controller use for Gamecube games.
Click to expand...

Those look quite close to the real thing...
 
They look a lot like the packaging for a rip off DS Phat casing I was sold. They're not re-designs, just blatant knock offs. So long as the sticks aren't shit I imagine they'd be fine.
 
This is something I was concerned about myself, so I bought two brand new Wave Birds and some extension cables for my three wired controllers from Play-Asia. Especially Wave Birds seem to be really rare nowadays.
 
Polari said:
Which is bad interface design in the context of that platform. Apple have interface guidelines, it's their platform and if you don't follow them you've got a bad UI. Nintendo is the vendor responsible for both the system GUI and all the channels, therefore I expect some consistency between them. That's not to mention that any illusion of a ZUI is constantly broken.
Click to expand...
Bad interface design is following guidelines and standards just for the sake of it and out of habit, even though it makes little sense or it makes you jump through hoops to achieve something simple.
Guidelines are exactly that, not something that should be followed slavishly.
And again the WC and NC are to be considered separate leisure apps, not integrated parts of the system software.
Look at media players, browsers, paint programs etc. They all sport wildly different interfaces.
The look of the interface actually aids the context change between apps.
 
Well i just saw a whole bunch of GCN controllers in Toys R Us today, $29.99 CAD.

I won't need to pick up one though becuase my cousin lent me his GCN controller.
 
Target was having a sale on Wavebird and GCN games. I remember picking up a sealed copy of Prime 2 for $4 and the Wavebird for $20.
 
Hmmm... I somehow have six Wavebirds (one with a broken receiver) and 4 or so standard controllers.

Perhaps I should unleash some of these on eBay? I had no idea they were hard to find...
 
You can grab over a dozen controllers from my local GAME for $9.95AU each, so I would say no. They've had the same ones there for the past months. Even got a couple of XBox gigantors for $8.95 each. I guess they're more valuable than Mk 1 XBox controllers, for whatever that's worth.
 
I'm glad I caught on to this phenomenon a few months ago while there was still hope. I went to a handful of stores empty-handed, but TRU had some Wavebirds in. I wish I hadn't been thrifty and only bought one, but ah well.
citrus lump said:
I think Nintendo should re-release the wavebird. Make it wii white, give it a blue power light and overcharge us for it. :lol
Click to expand...
Yep, that would be ideal (except for the overcharging part). They could slim the reciever down so it doesn't jut out so much from the Wii's GC ports, too.
 
Got a WaveBird for $5 in a bargain bin. Guess the clerk didn't realise what it was and just put it through as a standard controller.
They're usually more.

I would imagine that the prices won't spike much. 20 million Cubes out there. Nintendo can hand production to third parties for those who missed out on Cube, other people simply held onto them.
 
I think I've just solved the problem of using the CC with Wii in GC mode (if we take it that it's impossible to do it in software).

Nintendo should just release a small Bluetooth dongle that looks exactly like a wavebird to the hardware but communicates with the wiimote, to be plugged into one of the GC ports.

Pressing the power button on the wiimote would send the GC reset key combination.
The Wii would be firmware updated so it doesn't default to GC mode when reset.

They should build the receiver hardware into new Wiis so that the it would be equipped from the start to port one, and switchable between hardwired controller and Bluetooth by software.
 
cvxfreak said:
Nintendo should reintroduce GameCube controllers and memory cards that match the white on Wii. With appropriate Wii branding (i.e. VC, SSBB) of course.
Click to expand...

Actually, I saw a GC memory card in a Wal Mart the other day that was stark white. The packaging was the same as always, but it made me wonder if they weren't planning to do exactly that.
 
Squeak said:
Nintendo should just release a small Bluetooth dongle that looks exactly like a wavebird to the hardware but communicates with the wiimote, to be plugged into one of the GC ports.
Click to expand...

there. problem solved. please build this into the new expanded storage, dvd-playing wii.

i'd probably get a cc if i ever have a wii, but i'm not having *three* "player one" controllers for one console - things are cluttered enough as it is. there are certainly some gc games i'd be inclined to try if a wii entered my place at some point.
 
What's I'm surprised is that no one has at least thought of a Classic Controller-to-Gamecube conversion cable or something like that.

Sure its a wired connection, but it would allow the CCs to be used for Gamecube games.
 
Duane Cunningham said:
Actually, I saw a GC memory card in a Wal Mart the other day that was stark white. The packaging was the same as always, but it made me wonder if they weren't planning to do exactly that.
Click to expand...

Probably the memory card 1019, which has always been white.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A super rare Gamecube brought back to 'as new' condition.
16
563
Sethbacca replied
RARE launch a Portable console.... Súper pocket RARE
6
362
Germuso replied
Marathon will become f2p in a few months
Opinion  2
60
1K
Sybrix replied
Leaked Xbox Cloud Controllers
2
78
1K
Dorfdad replied
Gaming will become more expensive (again)
2 3
141
3K
SenkiDala replied
Top Bottom