Retro Fighters BattlerGC Review: Great Gamecube controller or missed opportunity?

Wireless #Gamecube controllers tend to be either rare, expensive, or lacking quality. At a low(ish) price with great availability, can #RetroFighters' #BattlerGC follow through with a quality controller?
Recording Notes
Steam gameplay was recorded on-device. Gamecube gameplay was recorded by connecting a gamecube to a capture card via an HDMI upscaler.
Links
- RetroFighters BattlerGC: retrofighters....
- 8bitdo Pro 2 controller: shop.8bitdo.co...

[@VicariouslyRetro]

Finally, an honest review, thank you! Everyone was gagging on this thing when it first came out but I had my doubts due to previous retro fighter products. Good video

[@richyroa]

I have the 64 retro fighters and it's a piece of trash. I had hoped this version would have reach some sort of improvement.

[@VicariouslyRetro]

@@richyroa yup. Whenever I had 4 of them in, they would ALWAYS lose connections. Worthless. I started using the Retro-bit ones and they’re amazing

[@ARICLOUDED]

I just purchased one and I'm pretty satisfied with it, it handles melee pretty well. It would be cool if they made a battler gc pro thats made with better materials and linear triggers

[@timtavares2629]

Retro Fighters is the only company that knows how to make usb game pads Windows exclusive. If it doesn't work properly on Mac or Android it probably won't work on Linux either. The original Brawler64 had this problem and couldn't switch to d-input mode unless you were in Windows. Thus, I don't trust their products. Thanks for the review. All the mentioned issues are stuff that would bother me. Especially the analog triggers and lack of computer support outside of Windows.

[@homeropeniano1050]

BattlerGC pro is coming in October 2024. Hoping it would be better, try to review it, man.

[@keirjarvie6998]

I’ve got a question regarding this controller. Do the A, B, X and Y buttons feel hard to press in comparison to other controllers? If so, do the buttons soften and become easier to press over time?

[@majorgear1021]

Thanks for the heads up. I’m looking for a controller for my recently purchased modded GC, and left a retro fighter controller sitting in the shopping cart as I was hesitating to click the “buy” button. I’ll remove it from my cart and grab a wavebird from eBay instead. Do you have any advice on digital av to component cables? I want it to connect the GC to a retrotink, but every cable I’ve looked at, including the retro bit one, has bad reviews.

[@GameXData]

That's a difficult one. Unless you're willing to pay an exorbitant amount for an OEM cable, I think you might be stuck with that one, tbh. (Or, at least, I haven't seen any other options come up yet.) They're slightly lower quality connections compared to component, but looking into a Carby or Eon GCHD could also work if you're looking to play on a newer display. Both provide HDMI-out through the digital port and can be set to display at the max 480p resolution.

[@majorgear1021]

@@GameXData I went with the wavebird for my controller, and a retro bit prism hdmi adapter since Carby’s were out of stock. retrotink is my north star, but every digital av to component cable I looked at was either out of stock , discontinued, or had bad reviews.

[@NewGabeOrder]

7:19 I wouldn't agree with you. Prior to the announcement of Retro Fighters' Hunter for the original Xbox, the BattlerGC was the closest thing to getting an Xbox 360-style PS2 controller, assuming you buy the Defender and the BattlerGC. You'd also have to mix and match the controllers and receivers, then do the pairing process to make the connections work. I tested the BladeGC on the PS one and PS2 via Defender receiver, and it surprisingly works. I completely cleared the first Ape Escape game with that, but it feels a little weird playing a game like that on a GameCube-style controller. Thankfully it has two bumpers, a Select/Start button pair, and clickable sticks to make PlayStation games fully compatible. If the BattlerGC can work on the PS2, it would be a great controller for playing Quake III Revolution in Dextrous controller settings; another advantage is that weapon-changing feels more normal and natural when using a GameCube-style Retro Fighters wireless controller. Using the Defender or other PS2 pads makes weapon-changing feel backwards and confusing. If you wanted a better D-Pad (+Control Pad as Nintendo calls it) and its placement, just get the BladeGC. I chose that over the BattlerGC initially since I grew up playing PS one games mostly*. * Most PS one games lack analog support, but I was able to get used to that.

[@GameXData]

It's neat that works, but I'm not sure I'd recommend buying another $45 controller just to use the BattlerGC with a couple other retro consoles. (It seems more like a happy synergy if someone's already interested in the Defender anyway.) I'm also not sure adding another niche use case would change my recommendation to buy a different controller for Windows, MacOS, Android, or Switch. The build quality compounded with the d-pad and trigger issues make the controller a worse value than some of the other controllers you can get for around the same price. In the scope of this review, I also don't think buying a BladeGC is a solution for the BattlerGC's terrible d-pad. The BladeGC diverges from the standard Gamecube layout, which isn't ideal if I'm looking for something that feels and performs like a Gamecube controller. Plus, in the one context I'd recommend buying the BattlerGC (to use with a Gamecube or Wii), the d-pad's not as much a factor since the original controller's d-pad is even worse. In those cases, it's mostly the short travel of the triggers that hold the controller back for games needing analog input.

[@LaConan2027]

i only have 1 original GC wired controller and its the way i played when i was young. I use it sometimes with my Wii U plus the adapter. I had high hopes for this product but after watching this video its a no buy. I think i will just buy the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Edition , as it is still available. I feel bad that they release something without even testing it with mario sunshine

[@AveryFroese]

Hey there, great video! I just have a question: I've just ordered a Retrofighters battlerGC, and I was told by someone (who already has one) that moving the joystick so that it is up against the controller will grind the plastic off over time because it's a cheap shell. Can you confirm or deny that this is the case?

[@GameXData]

I haven't experienced the shell eroding personally. In my experience, the stick would tend to scuff before the shell (like on most controllers), but I couldn't tell you for sure. Though, the controller is incredibly light and an accusation of it being a "cheap shell" doesn't seem farfetched.

[@AveryFroese]

@@GameXData Thanks for the reply! I'm a casual gamer, but if it was a problem that everybody noticed, I would be more concerned. I've done pretty extensive research on the reviews for this controller, and I haven't seen anything on the shell eroding except for this one person, so I'll see what happens. Thanks again!

[@GameXData]

No problem! If you do notice any eroding, definitely let me know. That'd be good info to pin for others discovering this video in the future.

[@debeb5148]

See I really don't get the gamecube dpad hate. I really always liked how tight it was. I get preferring other dpads, but at least imo I wouldn't say, "beyond terrible" it doesn't come loose ever it seems.

[@fireboltthunder2360]

The retro fighters is a great controller although it doesn't seem to work for Nascar Dirt To Daytona which is kind of odd but it works perfectly with Nascar 2011 on Wii

[@joelbolt88]

For the switch I had to restart my switch manually and then it synced up right away

[@GameXData]

Oh, interesting; thanks for the tip! It drove me crazy for a solid half hour trying to connect it like a typical pro controller. I'll definitely have to give the restart a try.

[@joelbolt88]

@@GameXData yeah same for me. Super frustrating until I figured that out by watching another KZbin video on the issue.

[@BioIngDavid]

I really like your channel!

[@CrustyHead2465]

Does it have rumble like they advertise

[@based_will]

Yes, surprising this reviewer glanced over it. May not be perfect but this is as good as it gets for a wireless gamecube controller with rumble.

[@CrustyHead2465]

@@based_will thanks!

[@chrissheppard342]

How do turn off this controller. The instructions say press + - and L3. Where is L3 please. Thanks.

[@GameXData]

To press L3, you just need to press the left thumbstick.

[@Martin.chapman]

If they had better looking c button and z button add definitely buy one but way it stands is a no from me am happy with old school GameCube controller the one for Gameboy player

[@LASTAirsoftTV]

Does this work on a backwards compatible Wii?

[@GameXData]

Yep! The wireless Gamecube adapter that comes in the box is treated like a standard Gamecube controller. I've used it with my Wii on multiple occasions.

[@cerromeceo]

Don't buy this!!!! This controller don’t sync to your switch. People are lying about this controller 😒

[@Hyde119]

You have to put the Switch to "wired pro controller" mode

[@cerromeceo]

@@Hyde119 it didn't work. I tried everything. I just bought a gamecube pro controller

[@resfan000]

Yes it does work lol why were you so impatient. This is a great product