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Hall effect sticks, high compatibility, and programmable buttons might make this $60 controller the ultimate way to play Smash Bros.
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BattleGC Pro in limited-edition crystal.
Image: Retro Fighters
This new BattlerGC Pro controller looks like it could be the ultimate GameCube gamepad — one with drift-resistant Hall effect joysticks, hybrid analog / digital triggers, programmable back buttons, a rechargeable battery with a USB-C port, and the ability to use it across different consoles and systems thanks to Bluetooth support. And of course, it’s the latest controller to host the best face button layout ever, and I will fight to the Final Destination defending it!
I do, however, acknowledge the GameCube controller layout is not everyone’s favorite, so it’s no surprise there aren’t a lot of great modern GameCube controller options besides the PowerA-made licensed one that runs on AA batteries, which is my current go-to for docked Switch gaming. Most fans have official GameCube controllers and either use adapters or Bluetooth converters to play Smash Bros. games on Nintendo consoles.
The standard purple / indigo color.
Image: Retro Fighters
The Pro version has programmable back buttons and has digital / analog triggers to work like the original.
Image: Retro Fighters
The BattlerGC Pro, however, is an entirely modernized GameCube controller that comes with a 2.4GHz GameCube controller dongle for the mother console, Wii, and Wii U (with a USB-to-GameCube adapter), but it also has a switch on the back to morph into a Bluetooth controller that works on PC or a Nintendo Switch without a USB adapter.
Retro Fighters, the maker of the controller, also has a $44.99 non-Pro BattlerGC controller that lacks the back buttons and does not have Bluetooth built in. (It comes with two dongles to work on different consoles.) It also lacks the Hall effect sticks that the Pro version has.
The BattlerGC Pro is going up for preorder on May 1st at 9AM PT (12PM ET) and will cost $59.99. For those who prefer transparent shells over the classic indigo color, Retro Fighters has a special limited-edition crystal version of the controller — of which only 2,000 will be made available.