Official "GameCube" Controllers Coming for Smash Bros. Wii U

Nintendo has partnered with peripheral maker PDP to create a line of "GameCube inspired" Wii pro controllers, just in time for Smash Bros. Wii U.

If you ask any Smash Bros. player what their controller of choice is, the answer will always be the same. The GameCube controller. Nothing in the Nintendo arsenal of Wiimotes and nun-chucks and pro-controllers has come close to matching the feel of the original purple monstrosity, so you can imagine our sadness when we learned that it wouldn't be compatible with the Wii U, and thus, the upcoming Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

Luckily, Nintendo has just announced it is partnering with peripheral maker PDP to create a line of "GameCube inspired" controllers, that will plug into the bottom of your Wiimote like a standard Wii classic controller. The "Wired Fight Pad" should be in our hands just in time for the release of the new Smash Bros. GameCube fans rejoice!

The Wired Fight Pad, which will be an officially licensed Nintendo product, will feature fan-favorite Nintendo characters such as Mario, Yoshi, and Princess Peach with a shape inspired by the original Nintendo GameCube Controller. It's been given a RRP of $24.99 - not bad considering official GameCube controllers for the Wii go for around $50 these days.

Looks like Nintendo will bring back the only way to play Smash Bros.

Kind of lame we still have to plug them into Wiimotes.

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I'd rather use the Classic Controller Pro. But nice.

I'd probably get this for other reasons, but Classic Controls play just fine for Smash (and if anything, I think it's superior).

Eh, I'll just pick up the pro controller by the time this hits.

Like hell I'm gonna play Bayonetta with that gamepad.

How many controllers does the Wii U have

Cant you just use the Wiimote?

Indeed you can, but most of the Smash bros community find the Wiimote bad to use.

Has to be plugged? What a joke.

They better let us use the pro controller.

Can I ask why? We used the Wiimote fine for last game.

It's just no where near as functional, in my opinion. Pressing B + Direction to dodge roll wasn't comfortable. Plus, I'd begin to get calluses on my thumb from using that directional pad after an hour of play. :3

Wii U pro, Wii Tablet, Wii-mote, Nunchuck, and now Wii U gamecube.

"We"? I used my wave bird on the Wii.

Its always nice to have that option. The gamecube controller is probably my favorite for SSB, just because of my the hundreds of hours on melee.

I would love to try out the WiiU Pro controller. Heard good things, and the battery life is amazing i'm told.

Oh cool, gamecube inspired wii u pro controllers

I love gamecube controllers and I love Wii U pro controllers. What could go wrong ?

Aaaaaaaaand my interest is gone.

Seriously ? There's no reason for them to do that. The Wii U pro controllers can connect to the Wii U via wireless tech just fine, why on earth would this controller need a wiimote to connect ?

Why do we need many different controllers to play on a Nintendo platform, why cant they make just 1 controller to play it all...

One of the reasons that made me hate Wii was is multiple chin controllers and controlling schemes bah.

@aroxx_ab: Why not? You can't say giving customers more options is a bad thing.

My family and I.

Yeah, I don't see the problem either. Especially since a lot of games allow you to pick any controller you want.

More choice for you, you can pick the controller you like the most. Not a bad thing.

I'm interested. The price tag seems good. I haven't picked up the Pro-Controller because of the high price tag.

@aroxx_ab: You only need the Wii U gamepad. That will play ANY Wii U game. The Wii U pro controller is an alternate option for a more traditional experience. The battery on that is a beast. 70+ hours on a single charge. The others, (wiimote, nunchuck, classic controllers) are merely options. And I think it's good having options especially since my controllers from Wii are still usable on Wii U. I wouldn't mind being able to use DS3 on PS4 or the 360 pad on the XB1.

I just bought 4 WiiU Pro controllers. I will not be buying any more controllers for this console unless they are additional gamepads and since that is disabled at the moment, I will be fine with my WiiU Pro controllers.

Hallelujah!

Finally!

I asked for Gamecube controllers for Wii U long ago to fix the Wii U and Nintendo's listening!!!

@Desmonic: I can't see whats wrong with variety to be honest. Not like all five are compulsory to the system just nice extras to whoever want them.

When you have more controllers for the platform than games it is a problem to me...

ill just use the gamepad.

They can use those controllers, then. It's no different than being able to use whatever controller you would like to use on the PC. Wouldn't it be nice if you could use the sixaxis on the PS4 for multiplayer?

Well, they're not wired controllers unfortunately, since they basically work like Wii Classic controllers and plug into the Wii Remote's accessory port. But it's better than nothing, and I''ll definitely use it for SSB4.

Great move on Nintendo. The next best thing would have been to make a wired USB GC controller for Wii U.

Wireless GameCube controllers would have been the best move, in my opinion. But that's what the pro controller is for.

They only need to be programmed into the game if you want your game to support them. There are no rules that say any developer needs to support any controller but the tablet.

Why the **** is it a Wii controller not a WiiU pro pad? Literally makes no sense. The Wii is a dead console and the new Smash Bros isn't coming out for it, this kind of backwards ass stuff is why so many people don't take Nintendo seriously.

Anyway, I'll wait and see what they look like but they'd have to be perfect replicas of the Gamecube pad to make me want to jump through this stupid hoop.

That offering multiple control schemes is a good thing. That way you get to play Smash Bros any way you like. I already have 4 Wii Motes from last gen. Now if I want to pick up a gamecube controller to play on the Wii U, I can do that, and if I have friends over, they can play the game using the Wii Motes so I don't have to go buy additional controllers for those occasions. It would be nice if I could buy a PS4 and use the two sixaxis controllers that I already have for multiplayer. That would save me $60 on the new controller that I would need to buy. I just fail to see how offering control schemes that date back to last gen can possibly be seen as a bad thing. Sure, maybe it puts some pressure on developers, but I see it more as giving them multiple tools to make a game play the way they feel is best. Nintendo is even showing a willingness here to put a separate controller on the market simply because a developer of a game thought it would give the best experience.

Much cheaper. The controller is $25 instead of $50 - $60

Well if they could also be used as wired controllers (detachable mini-USB port on the top of the controller) I'd be fine. And having to connect this thing to a Wii Remote is just another unnecessary burden.

These will be great for when you're playing at home or with a few friends, but can you imagine how bad this'll be at tournaments? People who want to use this will have to sync up their Wii Remote with every console there, each time they play at a different console. Quite a lot of wasted time, compared to just plugging your GC controller into the port.

I see where you're coming from now. Yeah, the average Joe a wireless controller would be nice for having a few friends over, but a tournament would be best with wires.

wiii u pro controllers are ugly and uncomfortable

If it's as ergonomic, slightly bigger and has better build quality (i.e. nicer buttons), completely wireless (and PC enabled) it could possibly the best controller ever made.

If it looks/feels just like a wavebird I would buy 20 of them.

Sticking to Wii U Pro.

Hell yes! Ninty's listening to the hardcore SSB community! :D

What's wrong with the controller that comes packed in with the system?

Did you know you can play Counter Strike using a Racing Wheel?

More Control Options just means more Control Options.

@OhSnapitz Smash Pros or Fighting Game Pros in general are very finicky on their Controllers. There's nothing wrong with the Wiimote, Wiimote + Nunchuck, Pro Controller, Classic Controller or Gamepad. But Melee Pros have had it in their head that the Gamecube Controller is THE definitive way of playing Smash Bros and there was a HUGE concern over the difference of the WiiU Pro Controller vs the Gamecube Controller when Smash 4 was announced.

Wiiu you gotta tether five or six controllers together. Nintendo has to cut a nickel from production costs so you need a 30 dollar controller to make this 25 dollar thing work. I mean wtf that is just stupid. Believe it or not but even the wiiu fightstick needs you to have a wiimote.