Wired Fight Pad for Wii U Wave 2

Say what you will about the Wii U, it certainly isn’t lacking in controller options. In fact, that might be one of its initial drawbacks—confusion. From the GamePad to the Pro Controller, from classic pads to Wii remotes, most Wii U games give you at least two control options to play with. Last year’s new entry in the Smash Bros series is no exception; I’m pretty sure the only thing it doesn’t let you play with is the Wii Balance Board. In fact one of its headlining features was the ability to play with the good old fashioned GameCube controller, through a USB adapter of course.

While Nintendo reissued a snazzy, Smash-branded GameCube controller in plentiful supply, they drastically underestimated the demand for the USB adapter and it quickly became scarce, and ludicrously expensive on Amazon. Naturally third party alternatives arose a few months later, but there was an even more expedient option as well. Performance Design Products (PDP for short) announced their Wired Fight Pad, a GameCube-style classic controller officially licensed by Nintendo and themed after various Smash Bros fighters. Wave 1 of this pad launched alongside Smash Bros and included controllers styled after Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Yoshi.

Sadly I missed wave 1 of the Wired Fight Pad; I was caught in a Smash-induced haze last November and I’ve compulsively collected GameCube controllers over the years, so I wasn’t lacking in control pads for 8-player Smash. But when PDP announced wave 2 of the Wired Fight Pad, I had to take a closer look. Historically, off-brand controllers have a reputation for low quality and unreliability. But a third party controller, officially endorsed by Nintendo and decorated like their most famous mascots? This could be interesting. The controllers are clearly fully licensed by Nintendo, even coming in packages that look just like the first party Wii U accessory boxes. The boxes even have the same messy, annoying tear-open tops that I’ve come to love/hate from previous Wii U peripherals I’ve bought!

Wave 2 of the Wired Fight Pad is themed after Link, Samus, Wario and Donkey Kong, and these controllers are truly something to behold, especially for an old Nintendo nerd like myself. Link’s controller is naturally two-tone forest green and tan, with earth-tone buttons and the Hylian crest proudly emblazoned in gold chrome across the top. Wario’s controller follows his signature purple and yellow getup, with black buttons. Donkey Kong’s controller is brown and tan, mimicking the ape’s fuzzy fur and grinning face, but the Samus controller is my favorite.

I’m a diehard Metroid fan so I absolutely love this controller. The top face is metallic orange, while the bottom shell is a shimmery gold, matching Samus’s armor perfectly. The Plus, Minus and Home buttons are neon green to reflect the illuminated highlights on Samus’s power suit, but the D-pad is the finishing touch. It’s painted in a deep green chrome to resemble the color of Samus’s arm cannon. The face of the controller has Samus’s stylized “S” logo stamped across the top. The only complaint I have about the Samus controller is that the metallic paint left a faint plasticy smell on my hands—something the other controllers didn’t seem to do. The smell faded from the controller after a week or two.

So, these controllers are gorgeous fanservice. But how do they play? Well, to be clear they are basically a Wii Classic Controller shaped like a GameCube pad. This means that they don’t have the full functionality or rumble feedback of the Wii U Pro Controller. As their name implies, the Wired Fight Pad also isn’t completely wireless like the Pro Controller, but then again they aren’t totally wired either. They don’t plug right into the GameCube USB adapter—their whole purpose is to bypass that previously scarce dongle—but rather they plug into the back of a Wii remote, just like the old Wii Classic Controller.

This gives the Wired Fight Pad a vast compatibility with hundreds of games, but also leads to a few confusing drawbacks. First, like the Wii Classic Controller, its “bumper” buttons serve as its primary shoulder triggers, while the lower “ZL” and “ZR” buttons take up the traditional spots for analog triggers but serve the “bumper” function of the old purple Z button on the GameCube controller. The ZL and ZR triggers are also fully analog, just like the old GameCube shoulder triggers. The problem is the default control setup in Smash Bros has grappling/dodging mapped to the bumpers, while shielding is mapped to the triggers.

This led to some initial confusion, with the upper and lower shoulder buttons doing the reverse of what I’m used to. Thankfully, this is easily remedied. Smash Bros on Wii U allows you to completely customize your control scheme for any controller and assign it directly to your player profile. Using this feature, I was able to swap the trigger-bumper mappings in a few seconds and get back to Smashing.

The feel of the controller in the hand is a little different than the traditional GameCube pad, but not bad by any means. The Wired Fight Pad has a solid weight and construction, avoiding the “cheap” feeling I’ve encountered with many other third party controllers. The control sticks are very reminiscent of the ones on the Wii Nunchuk or Classic Controller, and both the main analog stick and the C-stick are identical; no yellow rubber nipple here. The sticks protrude just a bit farther than I’m used to but it wasn’t a problem.

The best part about these pads is that they retrain the sublimely brilliant, unique button cluster of the GameCube controller. Known and loved by Smash Bros players around the world, the individual shape and layout of the A, B, X and Y buttons tell you by touch alone exactly where your thumb is at all times. I can’t express how natural and intuitive this setup feels. I wish it had become Nintendo’s standard going forward, especially considering their current arrangement is reminiscent of the SNES and differs from Microsoft and Sony’s button layout. This can throw me for a few seconds when I switch from playing Wii U to PS3, for example.

Whenever I transition from a GameCube style button cluster back to the traditional “diamond” layout of identical round buttons, say on the Wii U Pro Controller, Xbox 360 pad or Dualshock 3, I actually need time to readjust. But on a GameCube style pad, A is always the big button, B is always the small one, and X and Y are always the jelly beans. Elegant. Instantly recognizable. Dare I say, perfect.

Of course the Wired Fight Pad isn’t just for Smash Bros, and that’s the beauty of it—it’s functionally identical to a Wii Classic Controller Pro. This means it works with any compatible Wii, Wii U or Virtual Console games. It also means it’s completely backwards compatible with the original Wii. Conversely, the GameCube USB adapter works with the new Smash Bros and only the new Smash Bros, a limitation I found rather short-sighted on Nintendo’s part. The Wired Fight Pad however lets you play Mario Kart 8, Bayonetta 2, Super Mario 3D World, Rayman Legends or any compatible game with a GameCube style controller.

As a retro-gaming enthusiast I particularly like the Wired Fight Pad’s Virtual Console compatibility. There’s something magical, at least for a Nintendo fan, about playing Super Metroid on a Samus controller, or grabbing all those golden Bananas in Donkey Kong 64 while using a DK-themed pad. I’m planning on test-driving the Link controller in The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap later this week. Nostalgia aside though, the Wired Fight Pad isn’t perfect.

This has less to do with PDP’s build quality—which is surprisingly robust—and more with the fact that the Wired Fight Pad is essentially a GameCube-style Classic Controller Pro. This means that it must be tethered to a Wii remote to have power and talk to the console. It also precludes any kind of rumble feedback, which the Classic Controller Pro lacked completely. This is a little sad, considering Nintendo finally re-implemented rumble support into N64 Virtual Console games, and feeling the visceral jolt of your attack connecting in Smash Bros is one of the game’s simple cathartic pleasures.

These minor issues aside, the Wired Fight Pad is a refreshingly well-made, functional and versatile controller. The heavy dash of fanservice and nostalgia thrown in just sweetens the deal for Nintendo fans. It’s also important to note that Nintendo has ceased production of the original Wii Classic Controller. You can hunt down a used one or buy an unlicensed knockoff, but the Wired Fight Pad is the only way to get a brand new, fresh out of the box Nintendo-endorsed Wii Classic Controller. Another thing to consider is that the Wired Fight Pad retails for around $25, comparable to the Wii Classic Controller Pro when it was still available, and only half as much as the $50 Wii U Pro Controller.

I’ve wanted a GameCube-style classic controller ever since I got the original Wii back in 2006, and PDP finally made it happen. The GameCube controller is, in my humble opinion, near-perfect in its function and design. I was always disappointed that Nintendo decided to abandon it to backwards-compatibility history in favor of more esoteric options like the Wii remote, or more mainstream alternatives like the Classic Controller, even mimicking Sony’s awkward “sticks on the bottom” design for the Classic Controller Pro. PDP, however, has insured that the GameCube controller will live on as the game pad of choice for Smash Bros players, and beyond.