After putting some confusing language in its advertisements for GameCube classics on Switch 2, Nintendo has clarified that its upcoming wireless GameCube controller will, in fact, work with other games on the console.
A few weeks back, when Nintendo held its Switch 2 Direct, the company announced that GameCube games would be coming to Nintendo Switch Online for subscribers of the “Expansion Pack” tier. Along with those retro games will be a reproduction of the classic GameCube controller in wireless form to use when revisiting such games as F-Zero GX or The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. What most people didn’t notice, however, was a disclaimer during the segment that stated:
“This controller is only compatible with Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics.”
Now, most people assumed this was likely a misprint or some way for Nintendo to cover its bases when people attempted to play native Switch 2 games with a controller not designed for them. In the past, on the first Switch, the reproductions of classic gamepads functioned in Switch games, but were obviously missing buttons and features that more modern game design accounts for. As such, you couldn’t really make much progress in Super Mario Odyssey while playing with an NES gamepad. Without official word from The Big N, it was up to fans to speculate.
As it turns out, though, the new GameCube controllers will function exactly as the other retro reproduction gamepads, just with one caveat. Nintendo Life asked Nintendo flat out if the GameCube controller would be usable in games outside of the GameCube app, and the company stated:
“The Nintendo GameCube controller is designed for use with the Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics collection of games and is an optional way to play those games. Since it doesn’t have all the buttons and features found in other controllers that can be used with the Nintendo Switch 2 system, there may be some issues when playing other games. The Nintendo GameCube controller can only be used on Nintendo Switch 2 and is not compatible with Nintendo Switch.”
While that’s nice to hear, it does come with the condition that you cannot use it on Switch 1. That means anyone hoping to grab these for a convenient way to play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate without lugging around the GameCube controller adapter will be out of luck, though they could work on Switch 2 in backwards compatibility mode. At least the controller won’t be limited to a single app.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
