The BEST N64 Controller Upgrade You Can Actually Buy

[@adanalmonte4952]

You should've cleaned up that controller, M8 😣

[@RetroDodo]

I swear not all of my controllers look like this, it's the ones I use most infrequently that have built up dirt somehow haha! At least it wasn't as bad as the WaveBird from a previous video :D In any case, it is now clean! I cleaned it up as I was taking it apart throughout the video and it's now looking as fresh as it can! - Rob

[@abovethecrates]

🤣My thoughts too, especially if he's taken it apart to install the mod.

[@s31ACE1252]

With just the stick mod, I'm hoping 8bitdo did their homework on the resolution output of the stick relative to it's height/movement. I've tried the hori stick replacements before on an N64 controller and it changed the resolution of the stick badly. You could just barely move the stick and a character would start full sprint. Had to go back to the original Nintendo stick.

[@teneesh3376]

They didn't. It is hall effect like the original. But the sensitivity still isn't as good

[@zackt4551]

The original isn't hall effect at all, it is pure optical. It has an optical encoder which means the original has higher precision still

[@tylerdurden783]

How’s the sensitivity? Most N64 replacement sticks or controllers are waaaaaaay overly sensitive compared to the stock stick and are fine for something like Mario Kart or Mario 64 but terrible for Goldeneye.

[@SandyRegion]

I just did this mod on 2 controllers and they're very sensitive when playing on goldeneye on emulators. I think I'm going to downgrade to OEM thumb sticks.

[@lain328]

If I'm not mistaken, those little retro blue dongles for N64 might work with it as well.

[@Trypsonite]

They don't think it be like it is, but 8BitDo

[@MrGonz801]

You know what? I ended up buying this mod and it's surprisingly versatile. For NSO it's amazing because it's not just good for N64, it's also great for NES, GB and GBA, and if Nintendo actually let you remap the C buttons then it'd be perfect for SNES and Megadrive too... but oh well, 4 out of 6 ain't bad

[@Insectoid_]

You need to get a toothpick down those lines on that controller lol Interesting as I just bought the Zelda edition switch and I’ve always found the n64 controller was my favourite

[@protossevolution3361]

Why ALWAYS people review those "gamecube like" stick, and NEVER do a deep analysis: how it performs, how sensitive it is, if it works to GoldenEye aim mode (because it's where you can tell if the stick is precise like the original or not) etc... If you don't do any of this, your review is simply useless and aimed only on casual gamers, which btw, are not the public for those retro mods...!

[@mauriciogaytangarcia5543]

eso es lo que a mi tambien me molesta mucho, la prueba definitiva es con juegos fps, como golden eye, perfect dark, turok ets

[@Lenmaer]

You could also buy a blue retro bluetooth adapter for the N64, and use that controller on that console. That's what I did, and it works great on the original N64.

[@mpowerness92]

You might be the exception then, because each time I connect it via blue retro, the buttons are backwards. There are several Reddit threads and forums confirming this problem.

[@cbk12]

They ever fix the firmware amd rumble on real hardware?

[@lolztony]

@@mpowerness92 Same. Backwards buttons and It needs to be re-paired sometimes twice in order to fix it. Also, when it IS working, it drops signal fairly often. Like, a few frames of latency will happen and I can't move very far from the console before its just a laggy mess. I'm VERY surprised seeing so many people vouching for the blue retro to pair with this, cuz my experience with it has been unusable...

[@victorelessar]

I understand you hate towards the original analog, but take in mind that the n64 games were made with that analog in mind. For instance, goldeneye is unplayable with any new controller, as the analog is just to sensible. Thanks for the review, I'm for sure getting the modkit, but will keep the original analog, with that in mind. cheers!

[@squiggyloveslemons]

Just take the spring out and stretch it a little bit and put it back I’ve done it with every one of mine and they’re working quite nicely

[@simpson6700]

@@squiggyloveslemons that's not the issue. the dark gray plastic ring around the OG stick, also known as gate, restricted the OG stick to a max value of 128, whereas modern sticks go up to 256, so by moving the stick halfway you already have used up all of the stick's range. i would hope 8bitdo lets you adjust these values in the software.

[@LovelyAlanna]

those gamecube style joysticks are horrible for games where you actually need some precision, I can't get very high scores in star fox with them

[@blairboling5482]

Just add a joystick extension

[@LovelyAlanna]

@@blairboling5482 why would I do that when the original N64 stick is so good when it's not busted? I'd rather just fix the original mechanism

[@Jorzzcam]

@@blairboling5482 never heard of that being a thing, so if you add an extension to the GC style joystick the sensitivity will be easier to handle? Where can I buy those?

[@cbk12]

I wish they would do a firmware update to fix the non rumble on actual hardware 😊

[@IceBlueLugia]

Rumble doesn’t work with Blueretro?

[@cbk12]

@@IceBlueLugia no unfortunately not yet I hope eaither 8bitdo or blue retro fix it because it works great on the switch. The rumble is great

[@IceBlueLugia]

There’s this RetroTime adapter in StoneAgeGamer which supposedly has rumble support. Posted it here earlier but I guess youtube deletes comments with links. Should be easy to find though Can’t confirm if it works but I might try it in the future

[@cbk12]

@@IceBlueLugia so I can confirm I have the retrotime adapter which has built in memory card and unfortunately it does not rumble with 8bitdo yet, unless firmware has been updated?

[@IceBlueLugia]

@@cbk12 I’m not totally sure. Guess you could try updating the firmware but it’s a fairly new product, it should have the newest firmware by default; does any other controller work with rumble and it’s just the 8bitdo modded N64 controllers that don’t?

[@squiggyloveslemons]

I took out the spring and stretched it some, put it back and has been working fine for a couple years now

[@jordankibbe]

Will it work on og N64 or is it changed to only work on PC and to daysconsoles

[@tricycloplots21]

These 8bitdo mods work great, but a hard recommend keeping with OEM sticks - the 8bitdo GCN style sticks don't even usually pass the tip-toe test in Mario 64. Rebuild your gearbox with Kitsch-Bent parts vs using one of the 8bitdo sticks....

[@platyhelminthes2877]

So, can the 8bitdo wireless modkit be used with an original joystick module? I really want to get the 8bitdo kit but the joystick is the only thing holding me back.

[@tricycloplots21]

@platyhelminthes2877 yes!!!

[@NerdyWeaponXGames]

No frikin way, I was literally been looking for a new N64 analog stick last week! Thanks for covering this 😊 Edit: I just saw they sell the joystick separately also!

[@kabookos8159]

so the stick does work in just a standard N64 controller?

[@kenkwok83]

Does this mean I can just buy a faulty n64 controller since were basically only using the shell.

[@Bigbigpoopi]

Yep

[@RetroDodo]

Yes

[@Mike-ly1or]

Is it compatible with a blueretro receiver?

[@mpowerness92]

Not currently, it connects but the buttons are not mapped correctly.

[@sapolsaikrasun2270]

Those aren't regular Joystick's. They're optical. Try open one up. It's inside are different

[@SandyRegion]

I find the replacement thumb stick to be too sensitive when playing on emulators.

[@simpson6700]

thankfully emulators have ways to deal with this.

[@jayjayhooksch1]

Will this joystick fit in the NSO n64 controller?

[@simpson6700]

i think i'll buy an N64 controller with a broken analog stick and put this kit in there.

[@polaris911]

Am I the only one who's never had issues with the N64 joysticks? This mod seems pointless if you can't use it wirelessly on a real N64. Just spend $8 on an extension cord.

[@Deen12864]

Really good video, I've been asking around if you could just replace the joystick I've been wanting to play more games on my actual N64 but all my joysticks are loose, so this is perfect

[@RetroDodo]

Thanks for watching!

[@MorchoGames]

I'm sorry, it's just... does the blueretro adapter not mean anything to you?

[@andrewcollins867]

Nice mod .. how did you get the N64 to run on a moder TV??? I cant run it on my 4kto please help

[@Scozzy_23]

They make n64 to usb adapters. This is what I opted to use for the switch.

[@nstarmore]

My kit turned up today, just need a controller to put it in now 🤦‍♂️

[@goofybiscuit83]

MadKatz crawled so 8BitDo could run

[@johnhammond7579]

Yeah, but 8Bitdo has yet to reach the heights of the TE2+.

[@arcaderacer586]

Did the other dodo retire? Haven’t seen him in awhile.

[@PickledPreserves123]

Has anyone tested this on PJ64 and MUPEN on PC for any serious amount of time?

[@frogdude1337]

I get that stick drift is a problem that every controller will eventually face, but when have you ever experienced it outside of modern controllers. never. it is a part of bad quality parts and these corporation's love of money that causes drift. older controllers that I have used have never had drift before

[@dw9932]

I have them in all my n64 controllers

[@newfoundpower5627]

Please next time wash that controller before you even record video, this one is in really bad shape..

[@alainbuschenrieder6024]

What's going on here ? The gamecube type of analog is far less precise. The Goldeneye world champion confirms this. You would not want to play with anything else than the original one for precision.

[@mashuu3]

Cool but I wish it worked on the 64 still. 😓

[@RugGenie]

since it was open, i would have cleaned all the parts.

[@unexpecteditem7919]

I'm not liking the new content. It's so weak and very vague. Just letting you know.

[@phonebox13]

Yo. Serious question. Is the guy real or Ai?

[@TrentR42]

Scare tactics about JoyCon drift, when discussing a controller mod that is entirely unrelated to JoyCons. 🖕