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Does the 'Classic Controller' suck?-- Good Review

blog.wired.com — "The minor inconvenience of having to plug the classic controller into the Wii-mote aside, it's a decent pad. It's pretty small, as you can see in the pic, but the D-pad is large and in charge, and so are the y-x-b-a diamond buttons. I can't say for sure that I prefer it over the GameCube controller for playing Super Mario 64..."

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seanthebond 1 year 359 days ago, made popular 1 year 358 days ago

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59 Comments
Who Dugg It?

Trention, on 10/12/2007, -4/+24As far as reviews go, that's pretty weak.

Annoyances with the controller:
--Having the cord come out of the bottom is irritating. It gets in the way.
--I'd rather spend a little more money and have the controller be truly wireless.
--No rumble.

Overall it's anice controller, but I feel like Nintendo could have done a better job. I'd give it a B+.
- WhereAmI, on 10/12/2007, -2/+18Just as long as it is more ergonomic than the NES controller, its good.
- kevin45, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2What is the extra button on the top for? Doesn't clip to the wiimote thats for sure.
- LawLSUVA, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4He should have taken pics next to other controllers for size comparison instead of his hand...
  
  His criticism of the extra z button is unjustified. Most people thought that having only one Z button never made sense anyway.
- adamdon89, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2What happened to the controller shell? Or did I just imagine hearing about that?
- daridave, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3It was suppoed that the remote could "clip" to that controller and it would have kept the rumble AND also have the motion sensing.
  
  Where did that go? Can you still clip it? Can anyone confirm/deny this ? It means a world of difference.
- BobDole1216, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6About the lack of rumble: think of how many games that will ever be on the Virtual Console had rumble. None of the NES, SNES, Genesis or Turbografx games had rumble, and only a few N64 games worked with a SEPARATELY PURCHASED 'Rumble Pak.' To me, it wouldn't seem normal to play Super Mario Brothers and have the controller rumble when I jump on an enemy.
- Wonotch, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@ daridave
  
  The wiimote does NOT clip onto the back of the classic controller, I've tried every possible angle, etc... and still I have no clue what you would latch onto the back of the classic controller besides the wiimote its self.
  
  If anyone has any more info the the clip, I'd love to know.
- xerokitsune, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@Wonotch
  The button in the middle of the top seems to operate a locking mechanism for the holes in the back of the Classic Controller. I would imagine Nintendo(or a 3rd party) will make a clip to attach the Wiimote(most likely wrapping around the Wii Remote) before long.
  Mind you I can see it being someone's modding project before that.
- grumbel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The 'shell' was only a Photoshop job from IGN, it wasn't an official Nintendo thing, just a picture of how stuff might look like based on speculation.
WhereAmI, on 10/12/2007, -50/+6I like the "-- Good Review"
Translation: DIGG THIS NINTENDO FANBOYS!
- seanthebond, on 10/12/2007, -3/+33You sat all by yourself during lunch at school didn't you?
- vandread, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10good review? Where is the review part of it? All he said was that he got it and it might work with wii games in the future.
  
  I'm not seeing a review here...
kevin45, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6I wish I could remap the buttons as I please. Jumping and punching in Mario 64 seems reversed to me, you do a lot more jumping than punching so to me the B button should be jump. Is there a way to remap?
- dante2010, on 10/12/2007, -19/+1nonono u do what nintendo tells u and u like it
- totorototoro, on 10/12/2007, -13/+5wait, no rumble? that's kinda important for some parts of Mario 64 isn't it?
- iluvatar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15Mario 64 never had rumble. It came out before the rumble pak
- maxx77, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13The rumble pak didn't come out until Starfox 64 was released. I don't think Mario64 had any rumble. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, like I need to even say that.
- kevin45, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Yep, Mario 64 had no rumble. Maybe you're thinking Mario Sunshine.
- totorototoro, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4weird..the US version didn't have rumble? my japanese one does.
  
  as far as secrets though, I guess that was Ocarina that used it.
- kevin45, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Yeah but even then there is an icon that flashes on the screen for secrets. I think you are thinking of Windwaker.
- kevspace, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10After the release of the Rumble Pak, Nintendo rereleased Super Mario 64 in Japan with Rumble Pak support (along with Wave Race 64).
- jonnyq, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0totorototoro is right about OOT. In OOT, there was an item you could dig up in the middle of kakariko village that looked just like the rumble pak and it would rumble near secrets.
  
  Edit: I THINK it was kakariko village... and it did help the game quite a bit.
ryanfelix, on 10/12/2007, -4/+5I don't get it, why can't you play Gamecube games with it? It has enough buttons (I believe more though because of the extra Z button) and I think it could work. WHY?
- Feanor, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Because a used Gamecube controller is less than $10 and most people who want to play GC games will already have the system and thus, at least one contoller.
- mecole21, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1or instead of buying a classic controller just get a used gamecube controller and all ur problems are solved...
- dvddesign, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7You can't because the Wii portions of the console shut down when you play gamecube games. Don't know why, but all the Wiimotes go dead and the only thing that works is the console and whatever GC controllers/Memory card you've got plugged in.
xelloss, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2I bought it haven't used it yet, waiting to try it though.
Fire4Effect, on 10/12/2007, -11/+0Not really seeing any kind of review in that article. But Im sure all the Wii fanboys will jump all over it because they guy didnt say that it's "The best controller EVER created!!"
reddevil3, on 10/12/2007, -15/+2One annoyance I have about the DS is that they switched the positions of the X/Y and A/B buttons (in comparison to the SNES). Why do that after we have gotten used to the SNES and Xbox controllers? I see they did the same with the classic controller. Very minor annoyance no doubt, but when a game says press X I always press Y instead.
- megashaun, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12They didn't switch the positions of the XY or AB buttons on the DS. They're the same as they are on the SNES.
- mecole21, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9nintendo controllers are always B on the Left A on the right... sega controllers were the opposite...
- ElectricGrandpa, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Mmmmm.
- Wonotch, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Wrong. MICROSOFT is the one that switched the lettering layout (i presume to try and be "different", or something), not Nintendo.
  
  Nintendo has always been (in 4 button diamond config):
  
  (Y) (X)
  (B) (A)
  
  MS went and swapped it to:
  
  (X) (Y)
  (A) (B)
  
  They're the ones confusing everyone, and you doubly so as it seems they managed to confuse you so much that you are actually blaming Nintendo for the mix-up.
lebe0024, on 10/12/2007, -9/+2That controller is dumb. I'll be using my GC controllers / wavebirds.
ike368, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1i would love to see them use this controller for a REAL tony hawk game on the wii. is anyone else kind of disappointed that they're doing the downhill game instead of project 8?
- duerra, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I actually liked the idea of Downhill Jam to get away from the typical Tony Hawk theme. It's not the same thing to be sure, but the reviews for it seem to make it appear to be worthwhile, and the change definitely has potential. I hope they come out with another version that's even more fine-tuned.
- negativefx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4'they're doing the downhill game...'
  
  Pretty sure they already did it....
jlunski, on 10/12/2007, -11/+4Buried as LAME! How exactly is this a review?
finbec, on 10/12/2007, -7/+5Marked as inaccurate....that was a horrible review.
- Fire4Effect, on 10/12/2007, -9/+0Hehe since when does ACCURACY have anything do with it. As long as it's about the Wii it deserves to be front page news! The National Inquirer could post a story online about Mario materializing out of raw sewage and the fanboys would Digg it.
zephc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10more classic than the 'Classic Controller': http://retrousb.com/
stewacide, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2If it supported GC games - can't think of any reason it shouldn't - I've have one in a second. Perhaps this is something Nintendo can address with a firmware update? How hard could it be?
- grumbel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It could actually be quite hard, if not impossible. The Gamecube is 'emulated' by the Wii in hardware and once the Wii boots into Gamecube mode, there is a good chance that there is no way back into Wiimote without reboot (thats at least the case for GBA mode on the NintendoDS) and neither a way to access the Bluetooth stuff. This is most likly also the reason why you still have to use Gamecube Memory Cards for Gamecube games.
theamazingboo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Well I've had the classic controller for a few days now, and it does the job pretty well.

There's not really much that puts the classic controller over the GC one, except feeling more like a SNES pad.. And I noticed on the Mario 64 download page it said some games are "optimized" for it. So maybe it will show it's use in a while.

Good controller, just not too much over the GC one currently.
smiley2billion, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6"Golden Axe was pretty bad."

All credibility out the window right there.
dohidied, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I think the Classic Controller is a cool idea, but I wish it worked for Gamecube games. As long as I can do everything with my Wavebird that I can with the CC, then I have no need to buy it.
Push2Flush, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I hear rumors that there will be a promotion soon that if you buy 5000 vc points you will get the classic controller for free. I already have one, I want a second, but ill wait to see if that deal pans out..
ghostcat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I don't understand why they even bothered putting this out when the Wavebird is so much better. It does everything the CC can do, but it's totally wireless, and works with Gamecube games. And who wants to end up with 4 Wii remotes, 4 Gamecube controllers and 4 Classic controllers? No sale.
Noloco, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Why did they bother to make this wired ? I mean honestly ? I can play my GC games on the Wii with the Wave...So why not a wireless controller for VC ? We all know it's possible.
dcarpenter85, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1My question is this:

Will NES games use the B and A buttons or can you remap to perhaps use Y and B instead. With the way that the B and A buttons are placed, its very unpractical to use them, as they are tilted up in the opposite direction of your thumbs normal position. Anyone able to answer this?
erwanl, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0by the way, I have 2 sega usb controllers for PC/Mac (with the 8 buttons: A, B, C, X, Y, Z and L,R). Would that work on a Wii to play Genesis games on VC?
RobotKing, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1My nes controller didn't have a rumble and as far as I can recall neither did golden axe. No game needed a rumble. In those days kids would hop to the side with mario and sway the controller in every direction. Rumble hah who needed that.
DavisTheDigger, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1yes thank u golden axe
Fragility, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It was hell finding my classic controller but I really love it. Nintendo is famous for crafting great controllers and it doesn't fall short. By the way dcarpenter85, I don't believe you can change the layout of the buttons. The A and B buttons are actually placed exactly where you would need them so I see no problem using it. I've played Zelda and Wario's Woods with no problems whatsoever.
crusher914, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0It just doesn't seem like certain N64 games would be comfortable to play. And the shoulder buttons having as much give as the gamecube controller is disappointing.
- grumbel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Yep, I am really wondering why Nintendo didn't simply go with the N64 controller design, it would have been perfect for Virtual Console games thanks to each three-grip design, which allowed both a large and confortable dpad as well as an analog stick in an ergonomic position, it also has all the right buttons in the right place.
  
  The classic controller as is on the other side looks ok for NES and SNES games (analog triggers could however get a bit annoying), but awful for some N64, since it simply lacks the 6 face buttons (A, B and 4x C) of the N64 controller and instead only has 4. Not a big deal for games using C for camera, but some did use them for other means.
nickpowers101, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I think the reviewer might have it wrong: I might be mistaken, but I think games like Super Smash Bros are going to be designed for use with the Classic Controller or for developers that prefer to utilize it over the Wiimote.
Gizzmo0411, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I like it! The retro SNES look with the added funtions of the trigger buttons and sticks make for a tight, functional unit with the ability to expand in the future. One of the more exciting speculations for me was the idea that the Wiimote could be clipped onto the controller for two added functions: rumble, and motion sensing. I'm imagining all kinds of crazy things you could do with a game like "Super Smash Bros." with the motion sensing. Or...Imagine a "Mario Kart" where you bump the other players by moving the controller...needless to say I'm excited.

Also if you read the comments on this blog down at the bottom you see one of the commenters talked about a secret desire for the return of the "Power Glove". I'll take it a step further and suggest a MOTION SENSING Power Glove. Imagine a sleeker design for it, a thin white glove rather than the "robotic arm" look of the original "Power Glove", and add in the motion sensing capability. Plug the glove into the Wiimote and use both...Or have two gloves a la "Johnny Mnemonic" or "Minority Report". The possibilities are endless! Endless I say!!!!!
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Does the 'Classic Controller' suck?-- Good Review

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