PowerA Wired GameCube Style Controller for Nintendo Switch - Black | Compatible with Super Smash Bros, Mario Kart & More Fighting Games

*EDIT 1 BELOW: Sunday, December 9, 2018**EDIT 2 BELOW: Tuesday, December 11, 2018**FINAL EDIT BELOW: Thursday, December 13, 2018**ADDITIONAL EDIT BELOW: Sunday, December 16, 2018*I pre-ordered two of these for myself and my partner before they were even released as an alternative to the official Nintendo Gamecube controllers. A Gamecube style controller with the same amount of buttons as a JoyCon or Pro Controller sounded like a great choice for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.But then on December 7th (Smash Ultimate's released date) when they were scheduled to come in, not only did they BOTH get delayed after I ordered 1-Day Shipping, one of the controllers had a left Thumbstick that drifts to the right without any input.The controller body around the +/-, Capture, and Home button on both controllers have scratches that cannot be wiped off.The controllers themselves feel more cheap than the official ones, with the plastic around the seams sticking out and feeling noticeably scratchy.The digital triggers got tiring after a while of having to pull them in all the way every time. The original controller has analog inputs, but it would sense the trigger pull just about half way in. These do not.It isn't all bad, though.The buttons, thumbsticks, and triggers all feel "okay." The ZL/ZR buttons (triggers) are made of a glossy plastic (unlike the matte finish of the official controllers), so they can get slick with the oil from your hands after a while.The detachable cable is solid and thick, so there is no worry of it breaking at all.The controller itself is light, mainly because of the lack of rumble and motion control.The extra Switch buttons (Home, Capture, etc.) all work as they are supposed to.The controller connects instantly without any problem, however it will not wake up the system from sleep.They are just as comfortable to hold as the original controllers.The controllers both function without any issue aside from the drifting thumbstick.My review will remain at 3 stars until I can either get a refund for my 1-Day Shipping fee or I can get a replacement for my controller with the drifting thumbstick.I have already sent an email to claim the warranty on the PowerA website, so until I receive a reply and resolution, my review stands.Overall: it would have been a great purchase if it weren't for these flaws. I hope at least some of my issues will get resolved. I will return to edit this review if anything comes up.*EDIT 1: Sunday, Dec. 9*: I was successful in receiving a refund for my One-Day Shipping fee, thanks to a helpful Amazon associate (thank you again, RAM). I have just sent out my defective controller for a free exchange and I will edit my review again once it comes in around December 21st. So far, it has gone up to 4 stars now.*EDIT 2: Tuesday, Dec. 11*: The shipping time for the replacement controller was just updated to Thursday, December 13, which is a huge relief. PowerA has yet to reply to my email at all, but at this point I don't have much hope for it. Again, I will finalize this review once the controller comes in on Thursday and I can have some play time with it.*FINAL EDIT: Thursday, Dec. 13*: I can happily say that the new replacement controller does not have a drifting thumbstick issue. It works and plays without any issue, however, there are visible scratches on the casing as I've said before. Why this is on a new controller, I don't know. On the other hand, PowerA has yet to reply to my email. So if there is anything to take away from this: Amazon customer service is wonderful.*ADDITIONAL EDIT: Sunday, Dec. 16*: As some people may know, the Nintendo Switch does not have analog triggers; it uses digital triggers. Since these controllers were made with that in mind, they do not have any sort of analog input. What this means is that in order to have the triggers actually receive an input, you would need to pull the trigger all the way in until it clicks. Gamecube controllers were known for their long trigger pulls, so this would get tiring fairly fast (especially for using shields in Smash Bros). The only option I had was to open it up (with a Philips head screwdriver) and place some sort of buffer between the trigger piece and the actual rubber dome that made contact with the input switch. While this was not too much of an issue to do (I used a cut up replacement eraser for a mechanical pencil as a buffer), it is still something that I need to let you know.Final Verdict: They are solid controllers that feel just like a classic Gamecube controller with a few differences. When there aren't any issues, they are wonderful to use. However, if I had to give a suggestion for a controller, I would steer you towards buying a Switch Pro Controller if it fits in your budget. Trust me. And if you wanted a Gamecube-style controller, then this will suit you just fine... given that you don't run into any issues with drifting thumbsticks or unresponsive customer support.If you are looking to play SSBU or Mario Kart since its layout is perfect for both games, then this is a great controller. Though recently after a ton of use on both games, my A button has been sometimes getting stuck within the controller making me have to smack my controller when it get stuck. The triggers (ZR and ZL) aren't as authentic as a gamecube controller and requires a slight bit of force for it to be used properly. Overall its a great controller! The quality may vary for person, but still great.Genuine gamecube controllers demand a premium currently and while I do not think this stands up to such a thing it is in its' own right decent. It also has a few edges over a genuine gamecube controller. It is compatible with the PC and other Switch games and the 30 dollar controller I bought is wireless (but if you don't care or actively detest wireless there is a cabled version that is cheaper). You also don't need the adapter so this will work out of the box.I don't think it is without fault though and there are some things I noticed that I think you should be aware of:1: While it is wireless it uses double A batteries, mine included some and I also have good rechargables so this isn't a problem for me but I am sure it would be very annoying and a deal breaker for some. Also for some reason the battery cover was actually extremely difficult to get off the first time.2: The gates on the sticks are not perfectly accurate and just like a genuine gamecube controller they are ever so slightly off. I don't think it is enough to matter unless you are a supreme gamer but if you were that supreme you wouldn't be buying a controller off amazon anyway.3: Power A seems to have a notorious reputation for controllers that go faulty sometimes rather quickly. I can't say right now if that is true or how common that is but it works great as of now.4: The C-stick sucks just like on the original gamecube. They were willing to make the d-pad bigger but not the C-stick. Additionally while complaining about the input, the bumpers what was Z on gamecube are oddly shaped and a bit hard to get used to and arguably uncomfortable.5: No rumble which I would consider a plus because on cheap controllers it is often just pretty bad and is generally just kind of annoying but some people really like it. Also the triggers are not analog which doesn't really matter on switch because the triggers on that are digital as well but this may bother some people as well. And finally no wired play at all. So when the batteries are done it is done and you need more (also no easy syncs).The biggest thing that worries me is the reliability but I seemed to have gotten a good one (so far) but others have gotten ones broken out of the box. If that happens to you send it back if you can. QA is not as good as Nintendo but there does seem to be decent controllers being made.There are no ports on the controller. It is purely wireless so if you plan to use it wired, I would suggest looking for a different one. I can also confirm that the triggers are not analog (as mentioned in the product description).While I cannot compare it to an actual Gamecube controller as I do not own one, I can definitely confirm playing Smash a lot nicer with it.Even though the product description and most of the reviews say that this controller is recommended for Super Smash Bros, I actually use it for Minecraft. The ZL/ZR buttons, which are used for placing and destroying blocks in the game, are oversized on this controller as opposed to the buttons on my Switch Lite. The big, green A button is a plus too when you need to jump. Thanks to this controller, I have had the most comfortable experience playing Minecraft. Also, if you're a 2000s kid who grew up on the Gamecube and want to play modern games with nostalgic flair, then this controller is an excellent choice! Since this is the wired version, it comes with a Micro USB charger. If you have a USB to Type C adapter plug (it comes with most Samsung phones), you'll need it if you want to use this controller with the Switch Lite!I was hesitant wether to order this or the official pro controller due to the patchy reviews on it being very good and some saying it’s complete rubbish. I received mine today opened the box, it felt amazing and not cheap in at al!! However the sync button was mechanically faulty so can’t sync it with the switch. I should have gone with my gut feeling and just ordered the office pro controller, which I’ll being doing straight after writing this review. My advice is don’t get drawn in by the price/design just go buy the 100% real thing!! Sorry if you do like this controller it I’m not impressed from the start!!The Power A is a surprisingly solid third party controller. Feels solid and comfortable in the hand, doesn't creak when held tightly. While it looks identical to a GC controller from the front, the handles on the back are ever so slightly thinner. You can feel the difference when you first hold it, but after a short while you stop noticing. If a GC controller feels comfortable to use, this will too. The back is less bulbous than a regular GC as there is no rumble motor. Instead, the back is slightly flattened out and houses two AA batteries, this is not a rechargable controller.The control stick feels pretty similar in weight to that of my Smash 4 GC controller, and slightly tighter than my original run and Panasonic Q controllers, and feels good to use in Smash. The physical deadzone is pretty tight as well, comparable again to my Smash 4. The stick box seems to use a more modern design; a regular GC controller's sticks tend to list toward the cardinal directions. You can feel slight clunks if you spin the sticks around at 50% tilt. Like modern controllers, the sticks of the Power A is much more smooth until you reach the octagonal gate. Overall, the sticks feel very solid, and work well in Smash.The d pad is noticably larger than that of a regular GC, which I believe used the same d pad as the GBA. it's still somewhat awkwardly placed and I wouldn't recommend it for 2D games, but testing it out in Tetris it's a definite improvement on the original. Though to be honest, while it's a little awkward, NSMBUDx plays decently well with the d pad, definitely better than an official Switch Pro, which has a weirdly-balanced d pad.The face buttons are placed right where your muscle memory will expect them, though the X and Y buttons are slightly higher the further away from the A button. The buttons are also less spongey and require a little more force to push down, parthaps a tad more than an Xbox One's face buttons. This will be preference, but I feel like the slightly tougher X and Y buttons make it a tad easier to hit shorthops in Smash Ultimate. I did start missing X > A and Y > A rising aerials to begin with, but I think I was just adjusting, being used to the lighter face buttons of the originals.The shoulder buttons have different names to an original GC controller, where the blue bumpers are L and R and the grey triggers are ZL and ZR, but for uniformity I'll call the bumpers and triggers. The bumpers are larger than the one on a GC, and is much easier to use. They're also no longer hinged, so you press anywhere on it and it'll click in, all-round improvement.The triggers of an original GC was split into two parts, the analogue press and the digital click at the end. The Switch doesn't register analogue shoulders, so this has been changed. The triggers are slightly smaller overall, but similarly shaped, and work very well once you get used to them. There is a small amount of give before they bottom out and click. This give is just to replicate the feel of the original, and it doesn't register until the click, but the give is actually very small, turning the triggers into reasonably digital shoulder buttons. I would have preferred it if there were no give at all like a Switch Pro, but in practice it's still an improvement on the original GC for the purposes of Smash Ultimate. I've been able to use ZR and Y for shorthopping, which I can't reliably do with a GC's R and Y due to the extra travel. Better than GC (which is Smash registers the analogue press a short way down), but still could have been better. Not cracked this bad boy open yet but you might be able to remove the springs, which should make this a non-issue.The extra buttons do what they're supposed to, and it's nice have the Home buttom and - button, but I keep accidentally hitting the screenshot button because I often use my left thumb for Star/Pause on a GC.Overall, a very good controller for Smash, and has everything you need to play any other Switch Pro-compatible games. Have motion as well, but I haven't fully tested that.Pros;- Wireless for home use- Far superior d pad- All Switch Pro buttons and features- Sticks all feel solid- Great build quality for a third party- Better shoulder buttons than GC (in terms of Switch games)- Battery powered, so you never need to tether it with a cable- Ergonomically feels very close to a GC controller, more so than any third party I've used.Cons;- Wireless, so can't plug it in to PC, and may have issues in tournament legality and with large groups- No rumble- Battery powered, so you have to faff around with batteries- The ZL and ZR triggers have a short travel distance before they click.- Face buttons are a bit stiff. I don't mind, but it may throw you.Overall I'm extremely pleased with this controller.I wanted to wait a while before writing this review. I wanted to give the controller a shot. The first month or so was quite good; I was able to play Smash and a number of other games I have using it and it was very responsive. I was so impressed that I bought another one for my girlfriend.Then the C-stick began tilting upwards. I thought this was some fluke and tried restarting the system, unplugging and replugging the controller itself, went to the Switch's settings to recalibrate the controller (as of this writing you cannot recalibrate these controllers through the Switch). Then within another month of buying the second controller the same thing happened to that one! The controllers are literally unusable as it will put in inputs you do not want. It's the first time I ever bought anything from this company and I was initially pleased to see a full-on recreation of a controller I loved using when I was a teenager. But this recreation is a pile of junk. Please save your money and buy a full-fledged Nintendo first-party product instead - at least you'll get a manufacturer's guarantee of return within a year if a Nintendo controller goes buggy.