I have never been a fan of the Nintendo 64 controller. I often affectionately refer to the controller as “crap”; especially compared to the superb Super Nintendo and PlayStation controller. The N64 controller design was a logical choice for Nintendo. Three-dimensional games were in their infancy and gamers needed a way to play both the old and the new and the N64 controller did just that. Most people adapted to the N64 controller and used its most common configuration of center and right handles. Analog was new at the time and the D-Pad served little to no purpose in most games.
Fast-forward to 2020 and there are multiple options available. This year, Retro-Bit is set to release a wireless version of its Tribute 64 controller. Hyperkin has already released their Admiral and RaphNet has been producing GameCube to N64 adapters for some time.
Of course, a gamer can use a 20+ year old N64 controller or one of its modern clone interpretations, but those are not “REAL” options. Retro Fighters, Retro-Bit, and Hyperkin have decent options with their Tribute 64 and Admiral respectively, but the best modern controller is not that modern at all; the Nintendo GameCube controller. The modern element is the RaphNet adapter, which allows for it to be used on N64. The RaphNet adapter allows for remappable controls; something the third-party controller manufacturers should adopt. The adapter even works with the Nintendo Wave Bird for wireless controls.
The Retro Fighters Brawler is ergonomic, but it does use Z as triggers. The logical questions is; so? What is Z to an N64 game? Well, in most cases, it is the equivalent of an L button. This controller is not remappable, but it is otherwise great. Moving on to the Hyperkin Admiral, the shoulder buttons, Z, L, and R are standard buttons and are fairly close together but, why aren’t these buttons remappable?
Playing games like Star Fox 64 showcase this point well: rotating the ship is mapped to Z for left and R for right. On the N64 controller, one-button does one thing. On the modern controllers, the Z or lower shoulder buttons are the L and the top-right shoulder button is the R. The best solution is the RaphNet adapter, which handles ergonomics as well as being remappable. Win-Win! There are so many options in this millennium for retro-consoles. The N64 is just one of many. Now it just needs the perfect controller.
