PowerA Controllers – Gamecube (Wired/Wireless) and Enhanced Wireless

PowerA accessories have always been a thing of beauty for me, as well as a thing of economic sensibility. My first run-in with them was with the Nintendo Wii way back in the day with PowerA Wii controllers. They cost slightly cheaper than the official Nintendo Wii remotes, and they glowed. They were just as durable as they were pretty, which was a big deal for me. Fast forward about twelve or so years, PowerA is supplying another Nintendo product, the Switch, and this time it’s a perfect marriage of inexpensiveness and practicality.

Things you should know about this review:

1. We have three different types of controllers we’re reviewing here — Enhanced Wireless, Gamecube Wired, Gamecube Wireless.

2. We are testing this on one single game for the Switch, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Let’s get this going.

Enhanced Wireless PowerA Nintendo Switch controller
The first review in the PowerA controller trio is the Enhanced Wireless controller. This controller is a Bluetooth wireless controller that features all the right button placements that you would find on a Nintendo Pro controller, as well as additional buttons underneath the grip, right where the middle fingers lie. Those additional buttons are mappable. All of this for, $49.99 controller, which isn’t too shabby.

The first thing we discovered is that the controller feels incredibly light, if not a bit plastic-y. Typically, that is a tip-off that the controller is cheaply made and will more than likely be delayed in button response. I ran into this a few times with previous off-brand controllers because I was trying to save a buck, and never quite got a comfortable feel from them. They’re in the controller basket of shame, where they will reside.

Thankfully, while the EWC does feel light and plastic-y, the controller’s response time has been pretty damn accurate, and the controller itself is durable. I have run into ZERO issues with it during Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which tells you a lot about how well this controller is going to work, as well as how well it is built. The button to movement response rate is as perfect as it is with the Nintendo Switch official controllers. If you know anything about SSB, especially if you play it religiously, then you understand why reading this means the world to the controller’s viability. It feels good during battle and that plastic-y feel goes away quickly because the response rate is so good.

As for the design of this controller, it’s quite superb. Again, outside of the plastic feel, the actual design is comparable to the Nintendo Switch’s Pro controller. The button layout is beautifully and methodically planned. For a long-fingered fella like myself, with my piano fingers, it feels comfortable. Having played Smash since this morning (on/off) my hands don’t feel fatigued one bit. That’s saying a lot considering how my hands hate the Switch’s Joy-Cons, which I believe we’re made for Smurf hands. Beyond the Switch’s wretched Joy-Cons, understand that I’m a picky person when it comes to controllers. Hated the first Xbox controllers (it was like playing with a giant hamburger). Hated the Atari Jaguar controllers (Atari hated its games, and the controllers showed it). Don’t get me started on the NES’s controllers (made for ant hands). Anyway, all this said, the EWC controllers feel good on the hands. For big people, as well as small people (my kids have been playing the heck out of this game too), the controllers seem to work just fine without much complaint. As I’m tying this review, the kids in the next room are playing the hell out of SSBU, and no one has complained once about those controls.

The only knock I can see against this controller is the lack of rechargeable batteries. You still have to use AA batteries to get around, which is fine, as the Xbox One X controller still requires this, but I would have preferred a lithium battery in it. I think this day and age there should be nothing but rechargeable batteries for controllers. I do understand it will drive up the cost, but I would pay $5-7 extra dollars to see this through. It sure would save on batteries.

Other than batteries, there’s not much to hate about the EWC from PowerA. It’s easy to connect, easy to use. Once you’re connected, you’re good to go for the rest of the time you use it, or until you change out the batteries. The Enhanced Wireless Controller with its Bluetooth, durability, and good button responses comes in at $49.99, which is more than reasonable when compared to the wireless official Nintendo controller ($69.99). For that extra $20 saved, you could purchase a used game or something else to go have fun with, which is a big deal for those on a budget.

Gamecube Wired/Wireless
In addition to the EWC from PowerA, they also sent us two Gamecube controllers. They come in both wired and wireless.

Wired
The wired Gamecube controller is essentially old school GC game design. You have a comfortable grip (let’s be honest, the BEST grip in controller history), a nice wide design to prevent fatigue of the hands, and a perfect compliment for Super Smash Bros. players out there that are trying to bring back the controller that helped them dominate from yesteryears.

The controller feels exactly like what your hands would expect from a Gamecube controller. Your index fingers meet the top of the controller perfectly, your middle fingers lie seamlessly in the trigger buttons, and your entire hand is just in controller heaven. When the original was designed, it was the best part of the Gamecube console experience, next to Resident Evil 4. PowerA did a bang-up job replicating the look, feel, and comfort that came with the original Gamecube controller, which is bold, if you think about it for a second, because if they screwed that up people would know it instantly. The GC controller is a sacred piece of hardware that can’t have its reputation sullied. PowerA did nice craftwork to make sure it maintained everything that made the GC controller great.

The only difference between the original and the PowerA is that you have a wired MicroUSB connection going into the back of it. That usually poses a problem because the dock of the Switch is probably not within arms length of the gamer, and much like I was during 6th-grade gym, the dock is incredibly fragile. To fight the hardware limitation and the shitty dock, PowerA provided a 10ft cable with the controller, which makes playing it on the couch very comfortable. Unlike the wireless controllers from PowerA, the cable powers the controller here, which makes it battery-free, but at the same time, if the cable is pulled during gameplay, it’s going to be a ‘bad time’, as the kids say it today. It’s like if you were playing a Panasonic 3DO system and you unplugged the second controller from the first (yep, that’s how Trip Hawkins’ design went).

If you can live with a wire, system proximity, then this $24.99 controller will probably be up your alley.

Wireless
The wireless version of the Gamecube PowerA controller is heaven. It has integrated motion controls in it (have nothing to try that out with), and it allows for pretty much any physical movement you want with it. Want to stand 25 feet away and play? Cool, done. Want to play from the kitchen? You shouldn’t, but you can. There’s quite a bit to love about the Bluetooth version of the GC controller. It’s not quite the Wavebird, but it has got the concept down pretty well.

Now, the button response time, just like with the EWC, is nearly flawless. It hits all the right notes when it needs to, plus it adds that Gamecube controller comfort that you would expect from the design. Staying the same course as the EWC, the only downer here is the batteries. If PowerA could just go lithium I think that most would jump the official Nintendo controller ship and flock to them. There is nothing quite like having a wireless Gamecube controller at your disposal for one of the most anticipated games of the year (and, surprise, the game is totally worth it) and having the ability to charge it like a PS4 controller. That would be the ideal design and situation.

Again, much like EWC, the price tag hits at $49.99, which isn’t bad for the design you’re getting, plus it’s wireless to boot. It feels like a good marriage, and you can’t go wrong with that design.

Overall, the three controllers above from PowerA come out swinging on a Nintendo Switch system that seems to enjoy torturing its owners with bad controllers, mostly those shitty Joy-Cons. The price tag for controllers that feel and act well, such is the case with the above PowerA controllers, makes these three controllers an easy sell. Check these out, folks. They’re definitely worth a look.