Complementing the ever-increasing number of GameCube games available to play via the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscription, Nintendo has released a GameCube controller for the Switch 2.

One of the big draws for getting the Switch 2 is the collection of GameCube games available as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscription. I had a lot of fun with the N64 and Game Boy games on the OG Switch, but for me, it was with the GameCube that Nintendo consoles came of age – the visuals looking more like modern video games. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Walker was the game that sold me on the GameCube back in the day, and for years I’ve longed to play it properly once more.

Of course, there are shady ways to play old GameCube games on PC via emulation, but as with the N64, the GameCube’s uniquely shaped controller with its unusual layout is part of the console’s charm, and the games are just not the same when played with more orthodox controllers. And this goes for playing GameCube games on the Switch 2, as well. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Walker looks great on Switch 2 but using the Joy-Cons or even the Pro Controller just isn’t the same. The new Nintendo Switch 2 GameCube controller changes everything.

Whilst the Switch 2 GameCube controllers have been out for a while, they have been very difficult to come by. They are available exclusively to Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscribers via the Nintendo Online Store.

The new Switch 2 controller is a wireless 1:1 replica of the original GameCube controller from the early 2000s. The unique button layout with the grey hat stick, yellow ‘C’ stick and chunk ‘A’ button all feel the same. Even the one-piece direction button feels as weird as it did on the original. The purple shoulder ‘Z’ button feels a bit more positive than I remember on the original.

Whilst the Switch 2 Joy-Cons, like those of its predecessor, don’t have analogue inputs, the Switch 2’s GameCube controller has two analogue triggers. They won’t be analogue with native Switch 2 games, but they are analogue with the GameCube games available via Nintendo Switch Online, which is a pretty big deal. At present, I think only F-Zero GX supports the analogue triggers, and that’s only for sliding sideways and not acceleration or braking.

There are some necessary additions that weren’t present in the original controller. There’s a USB Type-C slot for the included charging cable (that can also be used to play tethered, whilst charging). The ‘Z’ shoulder button also functions as the Switch 2’s ‘ZR’ button and is complemented by a subtle ‘ZL’ button for this new version of the controller. There’s also a home button, a capture button and a chat button on the top of the controller, next to a pairing button and the four lights showing the controller number.

These added buttons not only serve to give the controller the functionality of the Switch 2 Joy-Cons but also mean that you can use it to play some Switch 2 games. Be mindful that there isn’t a ‘+’ or ‘-’ button on the GameCube Controller.

The new controller also has the original’s rumble feature. This will only work with GameCube games, rather than Switch 2 games that use haptics. It does, however, have a gyro feature that the original didn’t have, for Switch games like Splatoon.

The Nintendo Switch 2 GameCube controller turns the Switch 2 into a proper GameCube Emulator, allowing players to experience the library of GameCube games that comes with the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscription as they are intended. It’s well-built like the original and, if nothing else, adds a bit of nostalgia to your Switch 2 experience.

The reviewed Nintendo Switch 2 GameCube controller was purchased for review by the author.