You can use your old Nintendo GameCube controllers on the Wii U, but they will only work with Super Smash Bros., and only then if you have an adapter. But third-party peripheral maker Hyperkin wants to fix that.
The company revealed on Reddit today that it’s working on a wireless GameCube-style controller for the Wii U called the ProCube. They look almost exactly like the classic Nintendo joypad, but it comes with a few extra buttons so that it’ll work with every game on Wii U. And you also won’t need an adapter. While it’s still in the prototype stage, Hyperkin is looking to take these pads into the production to sell somewhere between $30 to $40.
“Our controllers sync directly to the console — no adapters or Wiimotes needed,” Hyperkin product manager Chris Gallizzi told GamesBeat over email. “And they behave like a GameCube controller.”
Gallizzi went on to confirm that the ProCube will work with any Wii U game that the official Wii U Pro Controller works with.
As cool as this sounds, Hyperkin isn’t entirely sure about investing in something like this. That’s why it plans to show up at the major EVO fighting-game tournament starting July 17 in Las Vegas. Alongside Ultra Street Fighter IV and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will have marquee placement at the world cup of fighters. Hyperkin plans to show up with its ProCube controllers in tow. And those top Smash players will likely determine the fate of the joypad.
“We are going to EVO for feedback,” said Gallizzi. “If the overall feedback is awesome and accepting we will move into production.”
That feedback will likely determine things like button placement and the sensitivity of the analog sticks. And while Gallizzi is looking for the thoughts of pros, he definitely wants to make this for everybody. That’s obvious because pro Smash players would likely never use a wireless pad over something wired due to sensitivity. But Hyperkin just wants to know if it’s on the right track, and if it is, it also plans to make a wired version.