Should You Buy the Hyperkin Admiral Premium N64 Wireless Bluetooth Controller Unboxing and Review
150In this video, we unbox and test out the Hyperkin Admiral Premium Bluetooth wireless controller for the Nintendo 64.
Since 2018, it really seems like interest in the Nintendo 64 has accelerated. One of the biggest areas of development has to be in terms of third party controllers, and Hyperkin looks to change the game with the Admiral Wireless Bluetooth Controller.
Upon first looks at the Admiral, you can't help but notice the influence from the Horipad for the N64. The button layouts, d-pad location, and analog stick all appear to draw inspiration from what is considered to be, by many, one of the best controllers ever for the platform. That is not to say that this is an exact one for one copy of the horipad, as it definitely, in my opinion, improves on the Horipad design to make it something better for those what's larger hands.
The A/B and C-buttons are all placed very logically and all feel very very good. The L & R triggers are where they should be, but in lieu of a single Z-button there are now double Z-buttons on each shoulder. While you now have the double shoulder space to be able to use dual Z-triggers, I find myself getting a little confused during game play as far as what's the Z-trigger and what's an L & R trigger. I know what you're saying, okay Boomer.
One of the big surprises on the Admiral was the analog stick. I was surprised how small it was, I was surprised how stiff to spring felt, and I was a little surprised at the lack of travel. During gameplay, I felt like the analog stick was too sensitive around center, with neutral being biased towards the down position versus more dead center. This did cause some gameplay issues for me in Goldeneye as it made targeting with the sniper rifle extremely challenging. While not many games use the d-pad as a primary source of input, the WCW games are famous for doing that, so I had to hit the canvas. The D-pad felt great; probably my favorite way to play with the Admiral was with the D-pad.
While it is Bluetooth, I could not get it to pair to my Nintendo Switch, which was a definite low point to me. Being able to do that would have been amazing, but it was not meant to be.
One of the most unique features about the Admiral is the fact the wireless receiver dongle features a Micro SD card slot which will allow you to transfer your save data off of your memory card and back it up onto your computer. I wish there was some kind of GUI, graphic user interface, that can show what exactly you're transferring versus just being a bulk dump. I also wish there was a way that you could connect the Micro USB port from the dongle to your computer to backup your data that way
Why it RoX:
- Amazing ergonomics
- Wireless control
- Ability to backup your save data to microSD card and transfer to a computer
- Two-color options
- Dual Z-triggers
- Good range and battery life
What could be improved?
- No rumble support
- Analog stick is too touchy for my preferences
- Transferring memory card data is a little convoluted
- Does not pair to Switch
Should you buy one?
Hyperkin is the first one to deliver a decent wireless next-generation controller for the Nintendo 64, something they should be commended for. The Admiral 64 is one of the most comfortable controllers I've ever held for any platform, they just nailed it. What detracts from the Admiral, for me, is the over-sensitivity of the analog stick. It made certain games harder to play, and that's not a good thing. Also, for a Premium grade product, I really think the Micro USB charge cable should not have been just rattling around in the package. That does not say Premium to me, and I know Hyperkin is capable of delivering a Premium product. There is a lot of good here, definitely something to build on for the future.
#Hyperkin #Admiral #N64 #Review #Goldeneye
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