PowerA

Advantage Wireless Controller

The wireless version of PowerA’s Advantage pad is as comfortable as the wired version, weighing a mere 222 grams despite the addition of the rechargeable battery, and with a subtle micro-texture on the underside that improves grip without feeling rough. You can expect 25 to 30 hours of play time between charges, and it comes with a 3-meter USB-C charging cable to keep you going when the battery runs dry. It also retains the rear programmable buttons, which can be assigned to duplicate any other input on the pad—a particularly useful touch, especially for shooter or racing game fans. It’s not exactly the same pad, sans cable, though. The wireless model adds motion controls for games that support the feature. The biggest update is the ability to enjoy the accuracy of those Hall effect thumbsticks without being tethered to your Switch 2’s dock.

Sadly, the Advantage Wireless lacks the built-in audio controls of the corded version, and while it can turn your Switch 2 off, it can’t wirelessly wake it from sleep. It will pair automatically once you’ve manually turned the console on, though. It continues to lack any HD rumble or Amiibo features, and still has the curiously rearranged layout, positioning the Switch 2’s system buttons (Home, Capture, Plus (+), Minus (-), and GameChat “C” button) in a single row at the bottom of the pad. That allows for more bold and colorful full-character designs (available in Pokémon, Kirby, Mario, or plain black versions), at the cost of throwing off your muscle memory of where those buttons should be. Still, if you want to cut the cord while keeping the performance boost of Hall effect modules, this is a solid choice.

WIRED

• Hall effect thumbsticks
• Wireless
• More fun designs
• Added motion controls

TIRED

• Odd layout of system buttons
• No rumble, motion, or amiibo features
• Can’t wake Switch 2 from sleep

The launch of Switch 2 brings with it a selection of retro GameCube games for subscribers to the Nintendo Switch Online service. As it did for the NES, SNES, N64, and even Sega Genesis/Mega Drive when games from those platforms joined the library, Nintendo has released a perfect recreation of the original controller, allowing you to play those classic games as authentically as possible.

For anyone who was gaming when the GameCube was first around, it’s slightly surreal to now have a perfect recreation of the original controller that’s wireless but not the bulkier WaveBird model. It’s no bad thing, though, and decades-old muscle memory will soon kick in. Younger players might find the unusually-shaped controller odd at first, with its tiny nub of a C-Stick and its chunky, rounded shoulder triggers, but after a few laps of F-Zero GX, you soon realize how perfectly tailored the controller was for its games.

For the modern update, Nintendo has tweaked the design slightly, incorporating controls specific to the Switch 2–namely the Home, screen capture, and C buttons—at the top of the pad, and added a tiny new ZL button on the left-hand shoulder. That helps make this GameCube pad broadly compatible with some modern Switch and Switch 2 games, though not a perfect match—the Start button here mimics the Switch 2’s plus (+) button, there’s nothing to replicate the minus (-) button, and it lacks newer features such as clickable thumbsticks.

However, availability is a problem for this controller. It’s only available directly from Nintendo’s online store, can only be purchased if you have an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription, and is limited to one unit per account in the US, but two per account in the UK.

WIRED

• Ultimate authenticity for GameCube games
• Partial compatibility with modern games

TIRED

• Restricted availability