Nintendo Okie

Monster Hunter Tri hit stores earlier this week, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about.  Alongside that release came Nintendo’s redesigned controller, the Classic Controller Pro.  It came bundled with Capcom’s new adventure game, but you could also walk into stores and purchase the controller separately.  You have the choice of getting the controller in either black or white.  I picked up a black one and I’m going to tell you what I think of Nintendo’s new controller.

The first thing you’ll immediately notice is the handles.  They’ve become an automatic feature on controllers since the time of the Nintendo 64.  You’ll also notice that this controller now looks very much like a Playstation’s dual shock controller.  The front of this new controller keeps the glossy finish that all of Nintendo’s products have now so you’ll very quickly have fingerprints covering every inch of the face of the Classic Controller Pro.  This may be negated somewhat by using the white controller.  The other thing you’ll notice is that the wire that connects to the Wii Remote has been moved from the bottom of the device to the top.  It’s a small thing and mainly an aesthetic one, but I really like having the wire of a controller come out of the top.  It only seems natural. 

It’s also not immediately apparent, but the analog sticks on the controller have been moved slightly.  On the original Classic Controller they were very close together and many times it could cause issues with your thumbs bumping into each other when playing things like Geometry Wars.  They’ve been moved now about half an inch further apart and that removes any issues of finger collision almost entirely.  It’s just one of those small things that you don’t really think about, but can impact your game play experience greatly.  The other big change is that of the Z buttons.  On the original device they were small circles set inside the L & R buttons.  This made them hard to reach and very awkward to use.  They’ve been moved to below the L & R buttons and made bigger.  This gives you easy access to whichever Z button you would like.  Essentially they perform the exact same functions, but now you have a choice as to which finger you’d like to use. 

The one change that they’ve made I’m not too fond of is the L & R buttons themselves.  They are no longer analog buttons and so you don’t have any control over the amount of pressure that you use for them.  I don’t know how many games have actually taken advantage of that feature and so it may end up being a moot point, but there have been some games to use them as almost two buttons depending on how much pressure was used.  I also would have liked to have the shoulder buttons and the Z buttons positions switched.  The way I hold the controller my fingers naturally rest on the bigger Z buttons that are below the L & R buttons and having those directly under my fingers would have been nice.  Holding the original Classic Controller my fingers rested on the shoulder buttons, but the addition of the handles changes my hand position enough that now I have to shift my hands to use the shoulder buttons. 

There are two other very small changes that don’t really affect anything during play, but I thought I’d mention them.  The face buttons have been raised just slightly when compared to the original.  Some people might like this change, some might not.  It’s a matter of personal preference.  The mysterious middle button on the Classic Controller has also been removed ending any chance of their being something that could have been added to it. 

The original Classic Controller was designed after the Super Nintendo controller which has always been one of my favorite controllers.  The rounded edges made it very comfortable to hold on to.  It was a nearly perfect controller.  This redesign improves on an already great controller.  The d-pad has been firmed up just a little bit and it feels less flimsy than it originally did.  The bigger size makes it nicer to use and easier on my thumbs than the Wii Remote’s d-pad.  Having used this new design I would not go back to using the older one unless I had to.  I like the way it feels in my hands.  The back of the controller is matted and has some texture giving you a little bit more grip.  It comes at a $19.99 price point which is exactly what the original cost and it’s an all around better controller.  I found myself during this week seeking out older games just to get a chance to really test out the controller and I have to say that I would not have been disappointed if this had been announced as the actual controller for the Wii.   There’s really no reason you shouldn’t own at least one of these for playing older games and even some newer ones. 

Final Score: 5/5 Excellent

Purchased a Classic Controller Pro at Gamestop.
Played Super Mario World, Cave Story, Mario Kart Wii, Mega Man 2, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (None to completion)
Total Test Time: 7 hours