GameCube controller quality

[Dart Zaidyer]

I just bought a new Platinum-colored GameCube controller today, and the quality seems pretty poor compared to my older controllers which were made a couple years ago.
The Start button, D-Pad, and R button are mushy right out of the box. (I made sure not to get one that someone had tried to play with, actually.) They have a sickening "crunch" sensation when I press them, too.
Also, the L and R buttons give way a lot easier than usual, and the R button won't even click properly unless you use the outside edge.

This is an official Nintendo controller, so I'm wondering... Is this just a difference in manufacturing or did I get a defective controller?

[mikeron]

I just bought a new Platinum-colored GameCube controller today, and the quality seems pretty poor compared to my older controllers which were made a couple years ago.
The Start button, D-Pad, and R button are mushy right out of the box. (I made sure not to get one that someone had tried to play with, actually.) They have a sickening "crunch" sensation when I press them, too.
Also, the L and R buttons give way a lot easier than usual, and the R button won't even click properly unless you use the outside edge.

This is an official Nintendo controller, so I'm wondering... Is this just a difference in manufacturing or did I get a defective controller?Sounds like my 3rd party SNES controllers. The squishiness could be that they just used a cheaper material that doesn't pop as nicely. Nintendo doesn't need to worry about debut impressions anymore, so they don't need to worry about the perfect experience. All the same, you might want to check out other impressions, maybe ask the guy behind the counter.

[Dart Zaidyer]

It certainly feels like they used cheaper stuff. Thing is, though, the sticks and A, B, X, Y, and Z buttons are all perfectly sturdy. So I wonder if it wasn't just an assembly goof in the factory.

[vegeta1215]

I've never used any of the Platinum controllers - maybe they use a different material for the shell of that type?

I have a Jet Black controller and a Wave Bird (highly recommended!) and they are very sturdy and imo super high quality.

[Dart Zaidyer]

the Platinum shell is no different than any of the regular ones. It's just covered with that Platinum material that feels kind of weird when you hold it and gets on your hands.

[mikeron]

It certainly feels like they used cheaper stuff. Thing is, though, the sticks and A, B, X, Y, and Z buttons are all perfectly sturdy. So I wonder if it wasn't just an assembly goof in the factory.Yeah, tough call. When they switched materials, they may have changed the construction, like one piece for L and R, so it would sit differently in the structure.

[Archibaldo]

I have a platinum controller. The qualtiy seems to be the same as my others. Only, my platinum controller came with the gamecube so...

[Gomar]

I have the platinum one, too, and I've only noticed one difference on it. After a good 24 hours or so of playing on one, I noticed that there were small silver dots around the edge of the control stick and c-stick (underneath the part your thumb rests on). It could be pencil markings or the platinum paint (I'm pretty certain it's the latter of the two). My friend has a platinum Wavebird and he got the same thing on his. Has anybody else seen that?

[vegeta1215]

After a good 24 hours or so of playing on one, I noticed that there were small silver dots around the edge of the control stick and c-stick (underneath the part your thumb rests on). It could be pencil markings or the platinum paint (I'm pretty certain it's the latter of the two). My friend has a platinum Wavebird and he got the same thing on his. Has anybody else seen that?

It's just dirt, or maybe some of the rubber from the sticks being used (and wearing down a little). That happens to mine too, I just clean those areas off.

[{DSG}DarkRaven]

The quality of gamecube controllers is generally pretty good, I've noticed, so if you have any concerns about the quality, I'd definitely take it back or if you can't do that, give Nintendo Customer service a call. If it worries you enough to warrant such action, of course. If the controller works fine, I wouldn't worry about it. Of course, you said there was an issue with one of the shoulder buttons, and that's definitely not normal, so I'd check it out ASAP, so you don't get screwed by customer service saying it was your fault.

[Dart Zaidyer]

Well I went back to the store, returned my Platinum controller and exchanged it for a regular Indigo one. And guess what?

They are making them cheaper. This Indigo controller seems virtually the same, though the R button works better and the D-Pad is sturdier. Yet, the A and B buttons aren't as springy as X and Y.

I'm just going to keep it this time. Since it seems the quality is random, I'd rather have a working R button and a decent D-Pad. The A and B buttons are usually the first ones to lose their tension anyway, so it balances out.
I'll be interested to see how long this will last in comparison to the controllers made in 2001 and 2002.

[Gomar]

I had a similar problem on my GBA, though this is probably my fault. Some time ago, (a year and a half, I believe) I bought Sonic Advance II with my leftover birthday money. I played that game for hours on end, but the only flaw in this game was that it felt like a lot of the "playing" was just holding right on the d-pad and jumping over the occasional obstacle. Well, as time went on, this began to wear on the d-pad and it became looser and looser. Now the left and right on it are so badly damaged that they don't even "click" down anymore. Once I get more time on my hands, I might by an SP or DS, but still... I like the glacier colored GBA. It's the only time that that's ever happened to me.

[{DSG}DarkRaven]

Yet, the A and B buttons aren't as springy as X and Y.




Maybe I'm just speculating, but I think the X and Y buttons are slightly different in their mechanics than the A and B buttons; mostly the A button. This is because of the shape of the button, mostly, because the flatter A button will give less spring because it's shape diffuses the force over a larger area, while the smaller and narrower X&Y will give more because of their shape. Also, since the A is so large, I have a sneaking suspicion that it's got a different depressor beneath it than the other buttons all do.


Of course, as long as the sticks and the shoulder buttons work okay, it doesn't really matter. The rest of the buttons are just buttons, and provided the analog parts function properly, who cares how springy the others are? :tongue: