Use Almost Any Bluetooth Controller on Nintendo Gamecube?!?
63What if you could use any Bluetooth controller with the Nintendo GameCube? The Wavebird is awesome but they're expensive, & some third party controllers don't work properly. Well the team at Blue Retro has a new controller for that you can install in your system that allows you to utilize many different Bluetooth controllers. Let's take a closer look.
I first learned about the Laser Bear Industries Blue Retro Bluetooth adapter for the GameCube in late 2022. Pre-orders went up on the Castlemania games website & I pre-ordered one immediately. And around $100 it's not a cheap investment, but it's not something that's overly expensive either. It will allow you to connect up to four different Bluetooth controllers to your system, plus give you the ability to use standard wired controllers or wavert dongles if you so desire. Best of all, there's no soldering involved with this mod.
To get inside of your system, you're going to need a few basic tools. A 4.5 mm game bit is required to get into the system, & if you have a Game Boy player installed on the bottom you'll need either a flat blade screwdriver or a coin. Beyond that, no other tools are required. You don't even need a Phillips screwdriver!
There is some prep work needed on the new board before you install it. There is a little 3D printed lever You will need to attach to the top right rear portion of the board. This lever pushes a button when you push down on the reset button. Once this is installed, unlike what I did, I recommend attaching the receiver wire to the faceplate, This will make orientation a lot easier than what I did. Once these two components are installed, attach the new board to your original face plate using the original two screws. Take note of the proper orientation on which the board gets attached to the faceplate, there is an up & a down. Once the faceplate is installed, route your antenna wire around the outside perimeter of the board, & attach the connector to the board.
When I originally plugged my system back in, I did not get anything out of it. Concerned, I did some quick research & found this is a known issue out of the box. Simply tap the reset button & your system should power right on, mine did. From here I tested it out just as a standard GameCube controller port, & it functioned perfectly.
Next up was testing it with a GameCube inspired controller from Retro Fighters, the duelist. To pair new controllers, hold down the reset button for about 6 seconds. The LEDs in the controller ports will flash rapidly indicating it is impairing mode. Once it is hold down the pairing button on the back of your controller & the process should be fairly quick. Once paired the first thing I did was going to the menu to reset the clock as removing the old board removed the battery backup. Using Metroid prime, I was able to perform a lot of different maneuvers, but there was some missing functionality. The button mapping did not seem to be 100%, & that made this incompatible for me.
NOTE:
There's a configurable button mapping using the web interface on a computer or phone. We'll be following up on this in a future video!
Next up I tried an Xbox Series S controller with some Mario Kart. First things first it rumbled perfectly when I fired the game up which was awesome. The pairing process was identical to the duelist, but just like the duelist all of the button mapping was not there. I could not power slide with the Xbox controller no matter what button I pushed. I have to remap the controller buttons, which is something I will show in a future video. I know the team are working on constant firmware updates, & a new one actually just dropped this morning.
Why it RoX:
- No soldering required
- Works with four Bluetooth controllers simultaneously
- Compatible with many controllers such as the Xbox controller, PlayStation controllers, & more
- Continuing improvements via firmware updates
- Replaces soldered in memory battery with an easily changeable unit
What could be improved:
- Button mapping does not appear to be 100% at this time
- A bit expensive
- No installation instructions included
Should you buy one?
This is a really neat product, especially for those who may have standard GameCube controller ports that are starting to fail them. The fact that you don't have to solder anything into place makes this something that just about anyone with any mechanical skill should be able to install. I hope they continue to refine the firmware to improve compatibility with more controllers & more button layouts. with the configurable button mapping using the web interface on a computer or phone this should be a lot better in the future. As soon as that's fixed, however, this will be amazing.
#Gamecube #Bluetooth #Wavebird #LaserBearIndustries #castlemaniagames