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Wii

Custom Controllers and Retro Awesomeness

by Andrew Brown - December 8, 2011, 7:50 am EST
Total comments: 2

Take a look at this 8-bit baby.

NES games are hard. Everyone knows this. From Castlevania to Mega Man to Contra, the 80s were a time when gamers had to knuckle down, grit their teeth and hone their skills in order to survive, or go crying home to their mothers, and that's just the way we liked them. A large part of the hardcore experience of such epic gaming was in the controller – it was simple yet functional and precise, doing everything it needed to.

There's something to be said for those pointy edges, the hard buttons that made the distinctive clacky sound, the compact rectangle, the NES controller was uncomfortable, yet perfect. Perfuncomoforect. Or something.

We've already had the smooth contoured loveliness of the SNES controller surface as a Club Nintendo option for the Wii Virtual Console aficionado – but what option is there for those who want to play their original Nintendo Entertainment System games with the true retro experience? Officially, nothing. Sure, you can just turn your Wii Remote sideways, but it just doesn't *feel* right.

Fortunately, that's where Paul Molloy of InfiniteNESLives comes in.

Here is a man who's dedicated to creating custom controllers for Wii, PC and other platforms. Want to hook up a NES, SNES or N64 controller into your Wii's GameCube port? Sure. Want to plug it into your Wii Remote like the Classic Controller instead? No problem. Longer cable? Different color connector plug? He'll take suggestions and ideas and make them happen. He'll even replace your old, worn out N64 analogue stick (those were known for going limp after a few months of use) with a newer model that works considerably better.

“Big deal”, I hear you say. “There are plenty of these guys who do custom game hardware around if you look hard enough.”

However, Paul cares deeply about quality and authenticity. An excerpt from his website:

The controller cases have been steam cleaned, internal button contacts cleaned, and any worn out or damaged parts replaced with new ones. There hasn't been any significant discoloration or fading either. After all, these were designed to stand the test of time, and have! Yes they may still have some scratches and normal wear from their previous life, but originals are no longer in production so a donor is the only option for this authenticity. I do not resell any controllers that have been abused.

That's right, he only deals with official stuff, no knockoffs or bootlegs that are seen all over eBay and shonky discount hardware sites. You'll get the real deal, with the classic Nintendo logo and everything.

His stance is that he wouldn't sell anything that he wouldn't be proud to show off to his friends.

This was the sale pitch that won me over after months of searching for something just like this, and I promptly ordered a NES pad with the GameCube cable port to plug into the top of the Wii. A few days later I realized that he also made them with the Nunchuck/Classic Controller cable port, which of course has the added benefit of being wireless. I emailed to negotiate changing my order to match my treasured SNES one from Club Nintendo, and asked for a custom black cable to match the original design. I was not disappointed.
Not only did he provide continual feedback and liaison throughout the entire order process, but he was entirely understanding, polite, helpful and friendly and totally didn't mind the last minute change even after he'd rigged up my order for me already. What a nice guy!

The controller looks, works and feels absolutely perfect. This actually goes a long way towards helping me forget the guilt and pain of selling my NES console a few years ago.

Aww, they're like a family!

If you're interested, you can check out his website or look up his eBay store of the same name if you're in more of an auction bargaining mood. You may even be able to get a last minute Christmas gift sorted out!

Images

Talkback

CericDecember 08, 2011

I didn't see a NES Max on his site :(.  I'm sure he could do one with a donor.

Kytim89December 08, 2011

I am actually on the verge of mailing my TG16 controller in to him so that he can convert it over to an NES cable to work on my Gamecube controller port adapter for my Wii. I plan to do the sdame thing onece I get a Neo Geo controller.

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