Where to buy good gamecube controllers?

[fansmashtic]

Sorry if im posting in the wrong spot..

My friends and I have been waiting for the new Smash Bros Ultimate to come out, and while we wait, we have been playing Melee on Dolphin and have been using PS4 controllers.

I've heard that nothing really compares to a classic gamecube controller and I have considered buying one and the maylfash gamecube controller adapter to play melee with and hopefully use it as well with Smash Ultimate. But the gamecube controller listed on this site is a bit costly and a lot of controllers I had seen were too cheap to be believable, and the reviews were also negative towards the quality of the controller. So I am wondering where can I buy a decent quality controller that isnt over 100$?

 

[Pauer]

You are right about the cheap controllers you find on Amazon. Those are 3rd party controller meaning they're not made by Nintendo and they're all quite bad compared to the official ones made by Nintendo. You can distinguish them by the Nintendo GameCube logo on the top of them.

You can't really get brand new official GameCube controllers for a reasonable price right now until the new ones come out. I'd recommend looking on ebay or your local Craigslist for a used official controller in decent condition. You can get them for 20-30$ shipped if you find a good deal. If you're not sure how to determine the condition (signs of wear, dirt, analog stick with the rubber worn off), buying a smash 4 edition controller guarantees that the controller isn't much older than a couple years so the condition usually can't be too bad.

Edit: I can personally recommend Japanese sellers on eBay in that regard. Many of them provide some good pictures of the controller, free international shipping and competitive prices.

Btw, you said you're using dolphin to play - what version are you using? There's a dedicated dolphin build for melee called Faster Melee that reduces input lag significantly.

 

[fansmashtic]

You are right about the cheap controllers you find on Amazon. Those are 3rd party controller meaning they're not made by Nintendo and they're all quite bad compared to the official ones made by Nintendo. You can distinguish them by the Nintendo GameCube logo on the top of them.

You can't really get brand new official GameCube controllers for a reasonable price right now until the new ones come out. I'd recommend looking on ebay or your local Craigslist for a used official controller in decent condition. You can get them for 20-30$ shipped if you find a good deal. If you're not sure how to determine the condition (signs of wear, dirt, analog stick with the rubber worn off), buying a smash 4 edition controller guarantees that the controller isn't much older than a couple years so the condition usually can't be too bad.

Edit: I can personally recommend Japanese sellers on eBay in that regard. Many of them provide some good pictures of the controller, free international shipping and competitive prices.

Btw, you said you're using dolphin to play - what version are you using? There's a dedicated dolphin build for melee called Faster Melee that reduces input lag significantly.

Thanks for the reply.

I think I am using the Faster Melee Dolphin version, and have been having fun on it playing with friends. It's just that playing it with a PS4 controller seems kind of out of place in a way.

I guess I'll just have to do some more searching for used ones. Or maybe I will just wait for the new Ultimate controllers release. I just wanted to be sure that there wasn't a place where decent quality controllers were sold that maybe I missed during my search.

 

[TurkeyHead03]

I have the same problem as u the new ssbu gcc came out and apparently they have issues...

 

[MalanoMan]

I have the same problem as u the new ssbu gcc came out and apparently they have issues...

Yeah i've seen some reviews on Amazon of controllers with off-center analogue sticks and overly-sensitive buttons. Not really sure that they're worth $30 for competitive melee. So im in the same predicament. Looking for a new gc controller. I may start trying the used controllers my local gaming store has.

 

[MarioLutherKing]

You can buy them now at walmart/target/gamestop. They just released them with the upcoming release of ultimate. I picked up a few before they sell out.

 

[TurkeyHead03]

Yeah i've seen some reviews on Amazon of controllers with off-center analogue sticks and overly-sensitive buttons. Not really sure that they're worth $30 for competitive melee. So im in the same predicament. Looking for a new gc controller. I may start trying the used controllers my local gaming store has.

I'm going to be using it mainly for smash ultimate not really melee

 

[gogurtpeachy]

I guess i'll just drop some referral links for you

As far as getting your first controller goes, it shouldn't matter too much as long as it's not destroyed and is a first party controller.
https://ebay.to/2DW9VTA
I've bought controllers from this listing in the past and i've never had a problem, you can find cheaper but these are generally in good condition and the listing is convenient, though if you can find a good condition controller for cheaper than the ~$30 ones here you should go for that.
https://amzn.to/2QlTtlm
these are brand new, i've heard some people have had issues with the smash ultimate controllers, specifically weird deadzones and drift issues, for that reason i would try and buy these from a store that way returning in case these issue were there wouldn't be too difficult.
https://amzn.to/2Kxo4Hg
FM Dolphin has official gamecube controller adapter support but from my experience that can still be a little wonky, i would go with this adapter, it's cheaper, and is directly functional with PC, no special drivers needed, that way you can use it to play other games (like rivals of aether or something idk)

Assuming you play for a while, after like a year you might need to replace some parts, depending on how much you play. Best place for replacement parts in my experience is battle beaver customs, but i've heard good things about smashproof as well.

 

[MalanoMan]

I guess i'll just drop some referral links for you

As far as getting your first controller goes, it shouldn't matter too much as long as it's not destroyed and is a first party controller.
https://ebay.to/2DW9VTA
I've bought controllers from this listing in the past and i've never had a problem, you can find cheaper but these are generally in good condition and the listing is convenient, though if you can find a good condition controller for cheaper than the ~$30 ones here you should go for that.

This listing appears to be for a wireless wavebird controller though. I thought those were banned in tournament play?

 

[GhostYB]

Sorry if im posting in the wrong spot..

My friends and I have been waiting for the new Smash Bros Ultimate to come out, and while we wait, we have been playing Melee on Dolphin and have been using PS4 controllers.

I've heard that nothing really compares to a classic gamecube controller and I have considered buying one and the maylfash gamecube controller adapter to play melee with and hopefully use it as well with Smash Ultimate. But the gamecube controller listed on this site is a bit costly and a lot of controllers I had seen were too cheap to be believable, and the reviews were also negative towards the quality of the controller. So I am wondering where can I buy a decent quality controller that isnt over 100$?

try your local gaming retailer. id recommend best buy

 

[iCrash]

The new ultimate GCC's are almost exactly the same as original gamecube controllers, and are a whole lot cheaper. I'd grab one of those if you are still searching