3.5.2019

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.

9.11.2019

Power A, Pikachu Gamecube Style Controller 2019First off, I wasn't expecting much from this having seen the mixed reviews here. Secondly, I hated the Pro Controller, I found it both too heavy and too uncomfortable and stiff for my liking.So I got this today and was quite surprised about the build quality! It feels exactly like a gamecube controller, but its plastic and texture reminds me more of the Wavebird controller which is the best controller nintendo has ever made. But where the wavebird was bulky, this is far from it (due to the technology to allow wireless controllers to work has now been made smaller and cheaper.)The wireless is made possible by Bluetooth connection,it was very easy to set up with the switch (please note the switch has to be updated to 6.1 to work with this.) Went into the switch controllers and change grip option, pressed the bluetooth button on top and it instantly recognises it. But it recognises it as a pro controller oddly? Not arguing as this means it works with most games (the ones with the pro controller icon on the back of the case/box).Now for some pros and cons...Pros:Nostalgic! Any kid turned adult that grew up with the gamecube controller will instantly get along with this. That style is the best for Super Smash Bros Ultimate and it shows here. The buttons are exactly how you'll remember it and the weight and feel is exactly how I remember the GCN controller being.No lag! Now granted, nothing will replace a wired GCN controller as there is zero lag with that and when in contests, those extra milliseconds count. But for a casual user, there is no lag, no input lag, nothing. Very responsive.The buttons! Some people have complained about how clicky the buttons are, but personally, the old GCN controllers were exactly the same. And it is a satisfying click, especially the triggers. The feedback from the sticks is great, the triggers too are great to use. Love how they put the +, -, home and snap button on the front too.Beautiful designs. The controller I bought was the Pikachu one and it goes brilliantly with the Pokémon Lets Go console. Love how buttons are exactly how the old GCN controller was (except for the purple Z button. Which is now the R button, its coloured yellow to match.)Full motion controls. I wasn't expecting this and was surprised to see it and see it working so well. Great for games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Luigi's Mansion 3.Cons:Lack of a few features. Now I will mention this in passing, but I will say I do not see this as too much of a con. There is no HD rumble, IR and no NFC/Amiibo support. But if you, like me, wasn't too bothered by this then it doesn't matter. If it does, bare that in mind.Batteries. When I said blast to the past, that doesn't mean we need to go back to the days of battery eating controllers. But at £29.99 then I can see why, putting a usb rechargable battery in it might have put the price up higher. So again, bare this in mind, however it does come with two batteries so that's good.Overall this is a great wireless controller for the price! For those wanting a wireless GCN controller for the Switch this is perfect! For those wanting a better option for controllers and didn't get along with the pro controller or didn't like all its extra features, then this is perfect for the price point. Great for kids and adults alike. Would recommend!

18.2.2021

I have been waiting for a Gamecube style controller for the modern age, and this fits the bill almost perfectly. It's got all the extra buttons you need; an extra L shoulder button, stick buttons, and +/- buttons compared to the original. The D-pad is also a bit bigger than it used to be which is nice. This means you can use it for any modern game that needs a controller - it'll connect to your switch of course but also to a PC via bluetooth without issue. No cables is a big plus for me as I'm always snagging them.There's only a few down sides:* Bring your own AA batteries - I'm in two minds as it does mean you'll never end up with old failing batteries built in, but it's a bit of a pain point if they run out mid session.

20.9.2020

This controller has been nothing but utterly superb in my experience - where other GameCube reproductions fall short of the original in their build quality and control feel the Power A has excelled.I’ve played tens of hours of Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Smash Bros Ultimate and Animal Crossing with no issues to speak of, with my inputs feeling crisp and responsive, which coupled with the perfect ergonomics of the GC controller and new bumpers for Switch compatibility, has made play sessions a joy.More recently, I’ve jumped into Super Mario 3D All-Stars and this controller has astounded me again, namely through its perfect compatibility with Super Mario Galaxy. As many will know,

12.2.2021

This is a solid third-party GameCube style controller and highly recommend for playing Smash Bros. The button layout is almost identical to the original GameCube controller. The overall look and design are aesthetically pleasing. The buttons are ‘clicky’ and responsive, so they feel premium. Some of the buttons felt quite stiff at first, especially the control stick. 1 week and 100 1v1’s later, the buttons were worn in and loosened up nicely. The major benefit of this over the original is that it’s wireless, which makes it much more convenient to carry and you don’t need to faff around with an adapter. The downside to this is that it's battery-powered. It has around 30hrs of playtime which is ok,

21.9.2020

I prefer playing certain games (mainly Mario kart and smash) with my original GC controller, so I really love this as it's wireless and has all the extra switch buttons so I don't have to swap back to joy cons to do certain things, meaning I can use it for more games now! All the buttons are nice and and feel pretty much identical to the original, the dpad being miles better! AA batteries are a bit annoying but not the end of the world imo. Also annoyed at Amazon for hiking the price of the purple one just because it's popular. I don't mind the grey through, it's like wavebird colour lol and now that sunshine is on the switch, it's just feels right playing with this, even if it doesn't support analog triggers,

17.1.2019

A lot of potential buyers looking at this controller, will almost certainly be looking to use it for Super Smash Bros. This is what I bought it for and I have to say, I haven't been let down.Build quality is solid. There's no bending or movement when using the controller. It can take a battering and carry on working perfectly. All the buttons are identical to the wired controllers (pressure wise). The shoulder buttons feel a little stiff at first, but it loosens up.Connection is easy, connectivity is strong and battery life I'm not 100% sure, but I've been using it for a few weeks now with no issues. Since it takes two AAs, I'd recommend either getting a supply of them,

7.3.2020

The contralla is decent but there is the dpad isn't as good a the origenal gamecube one they have added length to each direction if you don't press a direction square on enough you can end up pressing a different direction some time and the z triggers are not the the top one like the pirple z button on the original gamecube controller and what are the z triggers are on the power A version don't have the 2 press feature they only activate when fully pressed in but it doesn't effect the performance but it can be off putting at first if you have used the original controller for long enough and I had to have my first controller replaced because the left trigger started to be funny about working

5.1.2020

Absolutely must buy for the Switch in terms of perfect controller to play games with, it will be difficult getting use to two different layouts however if you do use the joycons while traveling.My only issue with the controller is that the L/R buttons are not pressure sensitive. For racing games based on Simulation it can be a nuisance not javing fine control over your vehicles speed, though with Grid Autosport, Codemaster do allow you to use an original GameCube Controller which is amazing to see in 2019. So not only is the controller a staple for Smash, but hopefully other game designers take the time to implement the GC controller for their games as well.I've been using this controller while playing Luigi's Mansion 3,

7.2.2019

I bought this to play Smash Bothers on my Switch, though it would be an OK solution as I normally use game cube controllers. This item exceeded my expectations. I'd also note that the pro controller is not an option for me as I vastly prefer the button configuration of Game Cube Controllers for Smash.Pros:Very Low latencyButtons feel greatController syncs very easilySticks much more responsive then game cube or limited edition controllersCons:Sticks are made of hard plastic and feel a little cheap (thought this would be an issue but I didn't seem to notice in game)Comes with generic AA batteries, I suggest getting a set of recyclables for itOverall Great Product,

28.12.2018

Bit of context, the gamecube is one of my favourite consoles ever and I spent hundreds of hours using the control pad.Now this wireless switch version is amazing, a great product, but a few hiccups stop it from being perfect. If you can afford it, get the switch pro controller.1st and 2nd issues are related to the battery. This isn't rechargeable. It takes 2 AA batteries. A step back from the very impressive battery life on the pro controller.Secondly the battery pack on the back gets in the way of the iconic triggers, its a large lump of plastic on the back that wasn't there before.Like I said, it's a great controller and I love mine, just don't understand the battery situation.

12.6.2020

The controller lacks rumble (as did the offical 'Wavebird' from Nintendo) however the inclusion of motion controls is a nice bonus. The other notable change is that the D-Pad has been enlarged and improved upon from what was, arguably, the official controller's main flaw.The shoulder buttons are not analogue unlike the original pad.The controller fits nicely in the hands and more or less feels exactly like the official thing - the lack of rumble means the familiar weight is not there.The lack of a rechargeable battery means the battery can be replaced very easily - it comes supplied with 2 x AA which was nice.Get this if you want long lasting wireless gamecube joy

21.4.2019

I love this controller partly because of nostalgia and also because it's not the joycons mashed together. Of course the joycons are great for certain games but this kind of controller feels better in my hands. If you need precision then this is it.I bought this for playing smash and I think it's worth every penny.The only downside for this pad is that it needs batteries to run and doesn't have an internal one. It also doesn't have an NFC receiver and so that makes it a pain for using amiibos; though not a huge loss.Overall this is a great pad and I think it's worth your time and money.

14.1.2019

I adore this product. It uses the old GameCube style but adds the extra necessary buttons so that it can function as a pro-controller which is great as unlike the traditional GameCube controller you can use it for other games other than smash bros. The plastic quality is great and the feeling when you hold it in your hand is very firm and mould into your palm nicely. The button are nice, big and clicks and I enjoy the larger d-pad modification that they made. I would even recommend this product above getting a pro-controller. As it works the same, is high quality and it half the price.

11.3.2019

Having owned a few gamecubes over the years this was a no brainer and worth the extra few pounds vs a pro controller. This doesn’t disappoint in the least keeping the same lines and size as the old controller but with a bigger D pad and of course wireless.This is perfect for all games the only downside being the button layout differs from the normal joy con controllers so some games take some practice like Mario Aces where you need to hit specific buttons.Ignoring the above this is my go to controller and always gives me the edge with Mario Kart.Well worth the purchase.

PowerA Wireless Gamecube Controller for Nintendo Switch - Reviews

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