The BEST Wavebird Replacement | Retro Fighters BattlerGC

In this episode, we unbox and test out what could be the best wireless controller for the Nintendo GameCube, I'm talking about the BattlerGC from Retro Fighters.Show more

The global pandemic, am I right? This thing affected so much for so long in terms of the supply chain, even in the retro video game industry. In 2021, Retro Fighters announced a new wireless controller for the Nintendo GameCube, designed to bring enhanced ergonomics and performance to the community. Since that announcement, unfortunately, they have seen a series of delays due to supply shortages. Thankfully, those shortages are over and we now have three different colors of the BattlerGC in our hands!

Intended to be a next-generation Wavebird-inspired controller, the BattlerGC is compatible with the GameCube, Nintendo Wii, Wii U, Switch, and PC. Each controller is available in three colors: spice orange, jet black, and indigo, each controller includes a pair of matching dongles that will plug right into the GameCube itself or USB port. Both of these dongles are color matched to the controller that they come with. Unfortunately, you cannot use the USB dongle to connect the BattlerGC to your Nintendo Wii U, you actually need the USB to GameCube adapter which I do not own. Womp, womp.

Included in the box is a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging. Retro Fighters does recommend that you charge the controller for at least 2 hours before initial use, and the battery should last about 10 hours on a full charge. To communicate with the system, the BattlerGC utilizes 2.4GHz wireless technology. It appears that 2 separate dongles will be included, one for the Gamecube port, and one to plug into a USB port. Each BladeGC features a 4-LED player indicator on them, making it easy to identify the player and controller at just a glance. Other features include a Turbo Button, Home Button for use with the Switch or Emulators, a 10-hour battery, and a 30-foot range.

In addition to the Gamecube's awesome library, that also means you can play the full library of Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games via the Game Boy Player.

The controller did not come paired to a dongle out of the box, but that was no big deal. Pressing the home button and the pairing button on the top of the controller entered pairing mode and pairing was seamless. From here I got to playing on my GameCube, and man, this thing is light! It doesn't feel cheap but it's definitely lighter than a stock Nintendo Wavebird. The finish is also a little bit on the slippery side, I wish they would have put a little bit of texturing on the molded body of the controllers.

Can I just say that the performance of this thing is amazing! The analog sticks are super, super smooth, the button presses, and the button layout matches the Wavebird controller, they are precise, the shoulder buttons are terrific, and overall I loved everything is controller did. Also, unlike an actual Wavebird, the BattlerGC features rumble! Wireless and rumble? You betcha! Every game that I played on the GameCube felt exactly as it should.

I have to admit, I don't know that I've ever used a GameCube controller on my Wii. Over 16 years after the initial launch, this was a new one for me. The perfect game to test out was Mario Kart Wii, a game that you can use the Wii remote and nunchuck for but tends to play much better with a Classic Controller. The button mappings were spot on, and the performance was nothing short of exceptional, and this was a great experience!

Finally, I decided to break out my Switch OLED and connect the USB dongle to the dock. Switching being paired from the GameCube dongle to the USB dongle was a snap, it was the same process as the initial pairing. It worked great with Super Mario Sunshine from the Mario 3D All-Stars collection but also worked great just as a regular Pro Controller. The Turbo button was perfect, and again the analog sticks perform flawlessly, this is a terrific controller.

Why it RoX:
- Wavebird for the 21st century
- Three different colors with matching dongles
- Exceptional performance
- Built-in rumble
- Turbo

What could be improved:
- USB dongle not compatible with Wii U
- Almost too lightweight
- More colors in the future please

Should you buy one?
Wavebird controllers have gotten silly expensive, and I will say the BattlerGC is as good, if not better than the original Wavebird. Above and beyond the exceptional performance you also get things such as a built-in rechargeable battery pack, updated ergonomics, brand-new components, and rumble. I honestly don't know if I will use my Wavebird again now that I have this, the performance is simply that good. I know people were frustrated with the wait and multiple delays, but the wait is finally over. I dare say the wait was worth it!

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#RetroFighters #BattlerGC #WaveBird #GameCube #Nintendo #Switch #BladeGC