Gamecube Controller

» Platform: Gamecube » released: 2001 » Cost: £24.99 (launch), £15+ (today)

Following the weird and experimental N64 controller, Nintendo’s Gamecube offered a more traditional pad that still had some idiosyncratic features as compared to the competition. The layout was similar to existing pads – like the Playstation 2’s Dualshock 2, it offered two analogue sticks, a D-pad and four main face buttons, though like the Xbox controller it positioned the left analogue stick as the primary input. Like the Xbox controller, it offered two analogue shoulder triggers, which offered a satisfying click at maximum pressure. However, each feature had its own quirks – for example, the D-pad was tiny and the right analogue stick was a nub instead of a proper thumbstick. The face buttons are irregularly proportioned, with a giant A button, a small B button and kidney-shaped X and Y buttons. And then there’s the choice to have an extra shoulder button, but only on the right side of the pad.

All of this oddness meant that the Gamecube controller was best suited to Gamecube exclusives, with multiplatform third-party games often feeling odd – particularly fighting games. Yet the controller remains popular due to its compatibility with subsequent Nintendo systems, as the Wii supported it natively and the Wii U via an adaptor.