Third party controllers have always gotten a bad rap. For many years, this was deserved as they were genuinely shoddy products that used the cheapest possible materials.
Some, like the Ascii Pad for the Super Nintendo were quality products that rivaled first party controllers, but most weren't.
During the N64 era, it went from bad to worse. Companies produced monstrosities that slightly resembled the original controller but lacked simple things like handles. These controllers were the bane of every player that didn't bring their own controller whenever multiplayer was involved.
These days, most third party controllers are genuinely acceptable for normal everyday use. This is due to an advancement of the technology used to produce them and the rising asking price of the controllers.
At the time of this writing, we have knock off third party duplicates of first party controllers that proudly carry the torch of the despicable third party controllers of yesteryear. I will be covering some of those controllers, but not with a serious eye as to whether they're acceptable for competitive play.
This guide is going to go over the pros and the cons of many name brand first and third party controllers for Gamecube, Wii, and Wii U. I chose these systems because they had the broadest Smash Bros compatibility spread, with Smash 64 being playable on the Virtual Console on two of the systems (Wii and Wii U), Smash Bros Melee being playable on two of the systems (GameCube and Wii), and Smash Bros Brawl being playable on two of the systems (Wii and Wii U), one of which can play Smash Bros for Wii U.
Because of this, the Gamecube controller, which is usable on three of the systems (GameCube, Wii, and Wii U) and with all versions of Smash Bros playable across those three systems, will be the standard that the other controllers are compared to. I will also include information about controller adapters for use with these systems.
The controllers in this guide are broken down into three sections:
Note: This is a guide in progress, the basic framework will be here for a controller or adapter before that item is added in detail. I'll try to include images from the beginning. With that, let's take a look at what's available!
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GameCube Controller
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Ah, the GameCube controller. This controller is officially usable on every console version of Super Smash Bros that has ever been released.
Because of this broad compatibility, this controller is the gold standard for Super Smash Bros controllers.
I tested the following two controllers:
Original Jet (Black) GameCube controller from 2001 that has had enough wear that the body of the controller is glossy and the analog stick feels a bit loose to the touch. I disassembled, cleaned thoroughly, and reassembled this controller before testing it.
Brand new white Super Smash Bros GameCube controller that was imported from Japan.
In my tests, the black GameCube controller still played very well. This controller was used heavily, but not for advanced techniques, so the analog stick was still in reasonable condition.
The controller's face buttons were a bit spongy compared to the new controller's face buttons but none of them gave me any troubles. While I was cleaning the controller, I noticed that the rubber membrane for the buttons had been worn very thin and had been rubbed through at some points, especially around the A button.
The shoulder buttons make a bit of noise when pressed down, but the springs didn't appear rusty when the controller was taken apart.
Overall, I wouldn't worry about using this fourteen year old controller at a friendly LAN party, which is a testament to how well these controllers are built.
Next, I tested the white controller, which performed flawlessly. It was like a breath of fresh air.
This controller worked great for all of the Smash Bros games it was tested in. Admittedly (having gotten used to the worn down controller) I was a bit worse at first due to the higher sensitivity of the controller.
The brand new controller's analog stick is still less sensitive than other third party offerings, though, which actually contributes to Smash Bros gameplay in my opinion.
Another huge advantage that this controller has over every other controller in this guide is that it's wired. This lets you quickly add and remove it from various consoles without having to sync. You also don't have to worry about batteries.
The GameCube controller also has incredibly limited use with current gen (Wii U as of this writing) games as it's only compatible with one of them, Super Smash Bros for Wii U.
Overall, as I'm rating the controller hardware and the controller as a whole for Smash Bros specific use, I rate the GameCube Controller as the best of all available controller options for Super Smash Bros. It gets second best, behind the Wii U Pro Controller, for non-Smash Bros games.
WaveBird Controller
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Wii U Pro Controller
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Classic Controller Pro
New 3DS XL
New 3DS
3DS XL
3DS
2DS
Classic Controller
Wii Remote + Nunchuck
Wii Remote
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Hori Battle Pad for Wii U
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PDP Wired Fight Pad for Wii U
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NYKO Pro Commander for Wii U
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PDP Afterglow Pro Controller for Wii U
PowerA Mini Pro Elite Wireless Controller for Wii U
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Pro Controller U for Wii and Wii U
GC-2 Wireless Controller for Nintendo Wii U
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GameCube Adapter
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KELUX GameGube Adapter
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MayFlash Four Port GameCube Adapter
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Brook GC Controller Adapter
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Some, like the Ascii Pad for the Super Nintendo were quality products that rivaled first party controllers, but most weren't.
During the N64 era, it went from bad to worse. Companies produced monstrosities that slightly resembled the original controller but lacked simple things like handles. These controllers were the bane of every player that didn't bring their own controller whenever multiplayer was involved.
These days, most third party controllers are genuinely acceptable for normal everyday use. This is due to an advancement of the technology used to produce them and the rising asking price of the controllers.
At the time of this writing, we have knock off third party duplicates of first party controllers that proudly carry the torch of the despicable third party controllers of yesteryear. I will be covering some of those controllers, but not with a serious eye as to whether they're acceptable for competitive play.
This guide is going to go over the pros and the cons of many name brand first and third party controllers for Gamecube, Wii, and Wii U. I chose these systems because they had the broadest Smash Bros compatibility spread, with Smash 64 being playable on the Virtual Console on two of the systems (Wii and Wii U), Smash Bros Melee being playable on two of the systems (GameCube and Wii), and Smash Bros Brawl being playable on two of the systems (Wii and Wii U), one of which can play Smash Bros for Wii U.
Because of this, the Gamecube controller, which is usable on three of the systems (GameCube, Wii, and Wii U) and with all versions of Smash Bros playable across those three systems, will be the standard that the other controllers are compared to. I will also include information about controller adapters for use with these systems.
The controllers in this guide are broken down into three sections:
- First Party
- Officially Licensed
- Third Party
Note: This is a guide in progress, the basic framework will be here for a controller or adapter before that item is added in detail. I'll try to include images from the beginning. With that, let's take a look at what's available!
______________________________
GameCube Controller
Ah, the GameCube controller. This controller is officially usable on every console version of Super Smash Bros that has ever been released.
- Super Smash Bros (N64) - Supports this controller when used in the Wii Virtual Console.
- Super Smash Bros Melee (GCN) - This is the only controller supported by this game.
- Super Smash Bros Brawl (Wii) - Supports this controller when used on a Wii.
- Super Smash Bros for Wii U (Wii U)- Supports this controller with a GameCube Controller Adapter (USB)
Because of this broad compatibility, this controller is the gold standard for Super Smash Bros controllers.
I tested the following two controllers:
Original Jet (Black) GameCube controller from 2001 that has had enough wear that the body of the controller is glossy and the analog stick feels a bit loose to the touch. I disassembled, cleaned thoroughly, and reassembled this controller before testing it.
Brand new white Super Smash Bros GameCube controller that was imported from Japan.
In my tests, the black GameCube controller still played very well. This controller was used heavily, but not for advanced techniques, so the analog stick was still in reasonable condition.
The controller's face buttons were a bit spongy compared to the new controller's face buttons but none of them gave me any troubles. While I was cleaning the controller, I noticed that the rubber membrane for the buttons had been worn very thin and had been rubbed through at some points, especially around the A button.
The shoulder buttons make a bit of noise when pressed down, but the springs didn't appear rusty when the controller was taken apart.
Overall, I wouldn't worry about using this fourteen year old controller at a friendly LAN party, which is a testament to how well these controllers are built.
Next, I tested the white controller, which performed flawlessly. It was like a breath of fresh air.
This controller worked great for all of the Smash Bros games it was tested in. Admittedly (having gotten used to the worn down controller) I was a bit worse at first due to the higher sensitivity of the controller.
The brand new controller's analog stick is still less sensitive than other third party offerings, though, which actually contributes to Smash Bros gameplay in my opinion.
Another huge advantage that this controller has over every other controller in this guide is that it's wired. This lets you quickly add and remove it from various consoles without having to sync. You also don't have to worry about batteries.
The GameCube controller also has incredibly limited use with current gen (Wii U as of this writing) games as it's only compatible with one of them, Super Smash Bros for Wii U.
Overall, as I'm rating the controller hardware and the controller as a whole for Smash Bros specific use, I rate the GameCube Controller as the best of all available controller options for Super Smash Bros. It gets second best, behind the Wii U Pro Controller, for non-Smash Bros games.
WaveBird Controller
Wii U Pro Controller
Classic Controller Pro
New 3DS XL
New 3DS
3DS XL
3DS
2DS
Classic Controller
Wii Remote + Nunchuck
Wii Remote
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Hori Battle Pad for Wii U
PDP Wired Fight Pad for Wii U
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NYKO Pro Commander for Wii U
PDP Afterglow Pro Controller for Wii U
PowerA Mini Pro Elite Wireless Controller for Wii U
Pro Controller U for Wii and Wii U
GC-2 Wireless Controller for Nintendo Wii U
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GameCube Adapter
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KELUX GameGube Adapter
MayFlash Four Port GameCube Adapter
Brook GC Controller Adapter
- Applicable Games
- Smash 64, Melee, Brawl, Project M, Smash Wii U
GameCube controller
Wii U Pro Controller
Wii Classic Controller Pro
Wii Remote and Nunchuck
Hori Battle Pad (This and PDP Wired Fight Pad are actually tied)
PDP Wired Fight Pad
PowerA Pro Mini Elite
NYKO Pro Commander
Wii Remote