This Controller? Classic.
There’s been a little bit of buzz (more like a dull hum, actually) on the internet lately about Nintendo’s update to the Classic Controller, the Classic Controller Pro. You may be wondering “Wow, what did the Classic Controller Pro do to lose its amateur status?” Well, I’m here to give you the details.
We’ve been jumping back into Virtual Console games a bit lately, and once I finally found out that the white one was out in America I decided that it was a good time to check it out, especially after all the great things I’d been hearing about it from people who had purchased it in the bundle with Monster Hunter 3 Tri.
I really liked the Classic Controller…uh… Classic, but there were some things wrong with it. The shape was great, and I feel like it did an excellent job emulating a SNES controller. When using it for much of anything else, though, the design flaws became pretty apparent. The two analog sticks are far too close together, the two “Z” buttons next to the shoulder buttons are all but useless, and while the SNES controller was great back when we were all younger, my hands are larger now than they were when I was 11 so not having any kind of “handles” on the controller got uncomfortable after a while
Luckily, the Classic Controller Pro rectifies all of these issues.
The first thing you notice when you pick it up is how comfortable it is. It’s light, about the same as the PlayStation 3’s SIXAXIS controller, but it doesn’t feel as hollow and fragile. The weight feels very evenly distributed in your hands, and with the “handles” added to either side, keeping your ring and pinky fingers from just curling into your palm, it won’t cause any discomfort after extended use. The design takes many influences from the Dualshock/SIXAXIS, Xbox 360 and GameCube controllers, so you immediately feel at ease holding it.
The two small “Z” buttons that were on the top of the Classic Controller Classic were very awkwardly placed and difficult to use. Luckily, on the Pro they’ve graduated to a full-on set of shoulder buttons, borrowing the layout of the Dualshock. They’re not full-on triggers like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 controllers, but more like the R2/L2 buttons on the Dualshock.
The two analog sticks have been moved a hair further apart as well. It’s not really noticeable when you look at it, and even holding both controllers up to each other the difference seems minimal. However, when you’re actually using both analogs at the same time, the difference becomes night and day. I haven’t really tested any dual-stick games (I’m waiting for Monster Hunter to get here), but just fiddling around with them I can tell that it’s a very welcome change.
The cord now comes from the top of the controller rather than the bottom, which doesn’t seem like a big deal, but since A) I’m weird and refuse to undo the twisty-tie on the cord and B) I put my Wiimote next to me and not in my lap when I use the Classic Controller, the cord gets in my way much less than it used to.
I put the Classic Controller Pro through its paces this weekend after the Virtual Console binge we went on (which I’ve been talking about on the forums), and I’m very happy with it. With only a $20 price tag, there’s really no reason NOT to own one if you enjoy Virtual Console games. I hear it’s really the ONLY way to play Monster Hunter 3 Tri, and I plan on giving it a try with Super Smash Bros Brawl pretty soon. If for some reason you don’t want to buy the awesome Nintendo 64 adapter cable I talked about before, the Classic Controller Pro is your best bet for playing Nintendo 64 games on the Wii.
And for all you tough guys, it comes in black too.