Each year I get a little older, I start to feel an unease that can only be rectified by playing one of my favorite childhood games, like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Usually, I prefer to lug out my actual console, even over the Switch or one of the best retro consoles, which I still have in my collection. But my 30-something-year-old body was too exhausted to get it organized, and so grabbing my Nintendo Switch 2 and buying the official Nintendo Switch Online N64 controller was the next-best thing.
The $54.99 / £39.99 (Nintendo) controller is available straight from the official Nintendo online store, and is designed for this exact reason - to give players a nostalgia-fueled way to play N64 games on the Switch and Switch 2. I'd been ignoring it since it first dropped, as I heard musings that it was a piece of plastic trash. But for the first time, I was glad a bout of "oh no I'm getting old" depression convinced me to fork out some cash I didn't have, as it turned out to be the cheer up I was looking for.
Before grabbing the NSO controller, I tried to play a new file of Ocarina on the Nintendo Switch 2, but it didn't feel right. The sensitivity of the Switch 2 Joy-Con sticks always felt too high. Plus, I could never get over the awkward feeling of using the right stick in lieu of the yellow c-pad buttons to play Saria's Song whenever I wanted to chat to my favorite Kikori girl.
My aging woes were alerted instead to the official NSO pad as it's essentially the same as the real deal, only wireless. Everything I needed to bring back memories of playing the old Ninty machine is found on the pad, from the shiny red start button to those four yellow C-buttons that allowed me to perfect each and every Ocarina song just as I did in the late 90s.
There are, of course, some little changes on the pad. For one, the section at the back where '90s kids like me would feel inclined to add a Rumble Pak for some Lylat Wars (that's Starfox 64 to you Americans) is closed off entirely. Don't worry, as the controller has rumble built in, so you don't even need the iconic Rumble Pak. Above that, you won't find the black cable sticking out and instead will be met with a USB-C port for charging, a ZR button to bring up the NSO menu, the Home and Capture button as found on the Switch 2, and the sync button and LED light indicators.
If you grew up with the real deal, it definitely takes a bit to get used to these changes, especially as the closed-off back introduces a more weighty feel. But after running through the first three dungeons in Ocarina of Time, I quickly got used to how this new iteration of the classic pad felt to play.
Instead of having to spend time racking my brain as to what the Switch 2 had defaulted each button to, I could instead actually press Z to Z-target my enemies. The best part of all undoubtedly came down to whenever I had to learn a brand new Ocarina song. On the Joy-Cons I would constantly mess these up to the point where I could hear my younger self screaming that I wasn't a "true Zelda fan" deep within my soul. The moment I had the N64 controller in my grasp, I not only didn't make one mistake as I learned everything from Epona's Song to the Bolero of Fire, but I could remember every single song found in Ocarina of Time, and its Majora's Mask sequel.
This isn't the only option out there for me when it came to re-living the glory days of the N64.
Our hardware team's expert in all things retro, Phil Hayton, has alerted me to the new 8Bitdo N64 controller, which utilizes the buttons and aesthetic of the N64 pad but has a more modern form factor. It was designed with the Analogue 3D in mind, a nostalgia-fueled console that allows you to use your legit game carts, Ocarina of Time included.
The 8BitDo N64 gamepad has the benefits of hall effect sticks, meaning it's less likely to get stuck with any nasty stick drift. The OG controller was pretty notorious for this, which is one of the reasons I avoided picking up the real thing and a wireless adapter. Nearly all of my original controllers (which are long lost to time) were plagued with some wonky stick antics. Yet, if I did have one at my disposal, I could add a N64 joystick replacement into the mix.
Personally, I just wanted a quick and easy way to play Ocarina and other N64 games without any fiddly modding to deal with. With that, the NSO N64 pad ended up as the best retro controller option to suit my lazy needs. Even if now means having to live with the fact that its stick isn't on par with 8Bit Do's hall effect tech, nor does it have the modding benefits of the original gimbal joystick.
Hey listen, could I have just waited and grabbed the 8Bit Do pad, especially as my time with the 8Bitdo Ultimate 2 has cemented my love of the brand's peripherals? Absolutely. It's compatible with the Switch 2, and it would have saved me an extra £5 to put towards some new Zelda merch and collectibles. Yet, the NSO 64 controller's price still felt reasonable when I bought it, and it has provided me with the exact nostalgic experience I was looking for.
- View all Nintendo Switch Online controllers at Nintendo
- View all retro Nintendo 64 controllers at Amazon
If the NSO N64 controller doesn't sound like the right fit for your nostalgic needs, check out our guides to the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers, the best PC controllers for gaming, and the best Xbox Series X controller.
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