Official Nintendo Switch Online Controllers

As of the time of this post, Nintendo has released five sets of controllers based on their original legacy consoles.

• NES
• SNES
• N64
• Gamecube
• Sega Mega Drive / Genesis

Advantages

• Wireless
• Good battery life
• Easier maintenance
• USB-C for charging and connectivity (post-NES)

NES

Charge on console just like joy-cons

SNES

The perfect mini controller w/ D-Pad and 6 buttons

N64

Perfect for entire N64 library

Gamecube

Flexible outside library, very good for 3rd person platformers

Downsides

• Higher costs
• Low availability
• No other modern features
  • gyro
• Unable to configure controllers (remapping)
• Some unsustainable materials

NES

• No other ways to charge these controllers (third party joy-con chargers are not reliable)
• Very small number of buttons
• No dogbone variant

SNES

• Famicom variant only available to Japan

N64

• Only one color option
• Thumbstick is less reliable

Genesis / Mega Drive

As many buttons as the NES

Gamecube

Only one color option

The big problems

• Less flexibility outside intended online library
• No color variants

Alternatives?

8bitdo DIY

DIY Showcase

8bitdo sells a wide range of replaceable circuit boards for the original intended controllers. They replace the wired method to the original console with a wireless protocol that the Nintendo Switch can find and treat as if it's one of the official wireless Switch Online products.

Because you only purchase the circuit board (the interior), this means that this product can be used with any color, edition, or other custom variant of the legacy controller that you can source. Personally, I have used the DIY N64 edition in order to have some colorful N64 controllers that still work on the Nintendo Switch as well as the intended Switch Online official products.

I personally recommend this for tinkers, especially for those who either own the original controllers, or have ease of access to pre-owned controllers and some electronics tools to open and clean them up.

Handheld Legend

Handheld Legend Website GitHub Repo

HandHeldLegend specializes in building optimal Nintendo Switch Pro Controllers, but they have an ongoing project to source an optimal Nintendo Gamecube controller, compatible with both the legacy console and the Nintendo Switch in preparation for the Gamecube Switch Online library, but of course specially for Smash Bros fanatics with consideration of other flexibility using added modern features, including a sidekick app that can tweak, calibrate and remap bindings without a computer or console.

DaemonBite

Daemonbite Website GitHub Repo

This is a project of build-it-yourself USB adapters to convert existing wired controllers to USB controllers that the Nintendo Switch can recognize as Pro Controllers.

Retro Pi Switch

GitHub Repo

This is a promising open-source project that simply takes the wired protocol of a controller and uses a Raspberry Pi as a converter and transmitter to the Nintendo Switch. Only tinkering done around the connection, no need to touch the controller internals or the Switch software.

Getting the Controller

For Prime Day, Amazon was marking down the sale of their controller from $70 to $40. I know I'm not going to use it often, but figured for the price, worth checking out how they make the thing.

The Luna Game-Streaming Service

Luna is unplayable on PC w/ keyboard or phone w/ touch controls unless you're playing a strategy turn-based game. Awkward placement, nothing's configurable, and very noticeable input lag.

But when I got the controller, the whole experience changed. Inputs were more reliably received, and the controller itself feels well-built, practically fused together. I'll know why later. 😉

Still, there are consistent video frame drops and a very annoying audio clang that happens every now and then, as if the audio quality dropped into a chasm. Imagine a Sega Genesis sound chip on its dying breath. No desyncs or broken connections, so there's that stability there, but I can't count on the cloud streaming service...

That being said, it's cool that controllers can be their own Wi-Fi devices instead of always relying on Bluetooth. As long as the ad-hoc network is stable, it's a good alternative, worry less about disconnecting from being too far away or too much spectrum noise near the console/TV.

...but because I'd rather not have my inputs sent to Amazon or any other large corp... I started taking it apart, especially because I can't find a guide anywhere on how.

Controller Teardown

So for the purposes of fun:

Amazon Luna Teardown on ifixit Website

The top matte plate can be popped off with a flat screwdriver, some spudgers and patience. Once that's off, six Torque screws from the top, spread evenly and all the same size. K, but the thing doesn't budge open.

Until undoing after 10 big clips and God knows how many tiny ones all around the handle...

The guide's up on iFixit for others to follow, but for disclosure, I'm kinda scared because this controller's been around for a year yet no one has contributed. Only clue I had of the internals were a photo of the plate and bottom removed and a link to a teardown on a YouTube video that's been removed for months.