To GameCube or not to GameCube

That is the question...

I'm thinking about doing an irresponsible thing and picking up a Wii U for Mario Kart 8. Inebriated angry Mario Kart is a long standing tradition within my group of friends, and as much as I've enjoyed the Wii iteration, I thought it might be time to move on. (Plus all the Smash Bros announcements...)

Now, the actual question is, what the hell do I use to play it?

The Wii was a brilliant console for letting me use my last gen controllers with it, my original 4 GameCube controllers are still going strong(ish). Unfortunately the Wii U has (probably sensibly) dropped this support. Leaving me with 2 options:

Option A:

• Buy 4 Wii U Pro controllers for £40 each. Total cost: £160. ($270 loose rounding)

Option B:

• Buy 2 new Wii Remotes for £35 each and 4 GameCube controller adapters for £15 each. Total cost: £130. ($220 loose rounding)

And people wonder why games don't bother with local multiplayer anymore...

Anyway, I'm looking for some feedback on the Wii U Pro controller, since I've never used one (web search reports it's like the 360 controller, which I loved). And some feedback on the GameCube adapters if anyone has tried them (again, I love the GameCube controller, which makes the decision more difficult).

Or if anyone else in the same position, how do you intend to tackle this problem?

I suppose I could just dump all my friends and buy a PS4. Maybe I should add that as an option.

Buying four WiiU Gamepads is crazy.

You should do that, it sounds like a great time.

Option C:

• Buy 3 more Wii Us for the extra gamepads for £240 each. Then wait for Nintendo to patch in support for more than 1. Total cost: £720. ($1210 loose rounding)

Have you considered using the nunchucks? I bet that would be cheaper.

I am thinking of buying a WiiU for this also. CONVINCE ME NO TOO

Gamepads. The Wiimote and nunchuck are in the discussion for worst controllers ever.

The WiiU pro controller is fantastic and probably my new favorite controller. I haven't used the Xbox one or ps4 controller though.

Either way, if you can afford that, do it. I do have 2 pro Controllers and 2 of the classic controllers which are considerably cheaper and don't feel THAT crappy.

I ordered a Wii U and a Pro Controller the other day and noticed the price has since gone up for the controllers. I reckon it's because they've suddenly become popular after Tesco started selling the Wii U Mario Kart 8 bundle for around £200 (after voucher code). I remember seeing the Pro Controller on Amazon for £20... I dunno if that lasted long, probably not.

I have the GameCube controller adapter (this one specifically in-case there are others) and for the most part it's fantastic. No more latency than any other wireless controller as far as I can tell and feels super responsive. The only nitpick I have is the way it emulates the Select and Start buttons. Since the GameCube only had a Start button they had to map both to the same button, so a normal press emulates Select while double tapping emulates Start. A bit annoying but a reasonable compromise. (Additionally, holding the button for more than a second emulates the Home button.)

I'd say go with the GameCube controller adapters, especially since Mario Kart 8 apparently maps accelerate to A and you can't change it. I find having to hold the right-most button uncomfortable, and the GameCube controller's A button position makes this a non-issue. Will also be a worthwhile investment if you've been playing Smash with a GameCube controller for over ten years like I have, can't imagine switching at this point.

Yeah, I did think that we have entered pre-Mario Kart price mode, so I could probably save a significant amount of money by waiting a few weeks after release/shopping around. Is the Tesco bundle still going? Thanks for bringing that one up!

Also, I think regional dialects are confusing the hell out of me. Every time someone says gamepad I think they're referring to the tablet thingy.

It was originally £200 but I missed that deal. The one I got was this (£209): http://savygamer.co.uk/2014/05/18/nintendo-wii-u-premium-mario-kart-8-another-game-209/

Buy three pro controllers and you can use the gamepad because you paid for all this plastic garbage. Fuck fairness.

I'd get 3 pro controllers, I use the pro controllers for every game I can on the wiiU, I feel as if they should scrap the gamepad all together, drop the price of the console bundled with a pro controller. Seeing as how all the major games now support it

@taku128 said:

Yeah, these are the only points stopping me from just going with the pro controllers. I can't unlearn the best part of a decades worth of GC controller usage dammit!

I did also think this, maybe I should charge them for playing or something to recoup the costs too!

@cale Thanks again for the link!

And thanks everyone for the input so far! Sway seems to be towards the pro controllers.

When faced with the option to Gamecube or not, you always Gamecube. Always.

But really, just buy three pro controllers. It'll be cheaper, and if your Gamecube controllers aren't worn out already, they probably will be soon.

Also when you say Gamecube a bunch of times, you start to realize just how stupid a name it is. Good lord.

The Gamecube controllers are truly some of the best ever made. All of my GC controllers work flawlessly today.

Okay. Don't buy one. Convinced?

@mwng: The Wii U Pro Controller is the natural successor to the GCN Controller in terms of awesomeness. Ergonomics are wonderful and it just feels great. Rumble is also very very good. And not to forget that insane battery life! (Got mine in February and still didn't need to charge it)

That said, why 4 pro controllers? You only need 3. Just have one player use the GamePad. Or be smart and buy them slowly over time, using Wiimotes in the meantime. Also, Pro Controllers are on sale pretty often or they were last year from what I've heard - at least in the US. Since you're listing them in GBP, I assume your from the UK. Check imports. I bought my White Pro Controller from yes-asia.com for a good price (and their package didn't get stuck in customs like with play-asia deliveries).

ALL BETS ARE OFF

Nintendo tweets image of GameCube adapter.

Glad I hadn't pulled the trigger on this one yet.

Why not go wiimote + nunchuk? The Mario Kart button mappings are the same as on the GC controller (unlike for Smash Bros), so you can slide right into using that combo seamlessly. That's what I did for MK Wii, even though it had GC controller support, and I have to say it worked great. Arguably better than if I had used GC controllers, as my wavebirds are kinda finicky.