If you are a massive fan of the GameCube controller, and always wanted to see a real-life crossover with the Joy-Cons, then Youtuber Shank Mods has you covered. Shank Mods invested an insane amount of time and effort into creating these working GameCube Joy-Cons, and they look stunning.
In one of his videos, Shank goes into all the details of what it took to get this project to work. For the shell, he used the Wavebird, the official wireless GameCube controller. The larger body gave more room to fit all the parts he would need, and the dimensions lined up perfectly with the Switch. Most importantly, the feel of the GameCube controller remains intact, which was a crucial detail for Shank.
After that came a marathon of cutting, scanning, 3D printing parts, gutting Joy-Cons, then putting it all back together in a completely new body. Oh, and soldering, a whole lot of soldering. Because he was aiming for full functionality, he also had to add new buttons to the controller to cover the extra features of the Nintendo Switch, such as the Share function, and secondary Z-buttons. For help with this part, he sought help from Bassline, an expert when it comes to carving new buttons for the GameCube. After a lot of trial and error, printing new parts and overcoming impossible to predict issues, the working GameCube Joy-Cons was complete.
Just like the real Joy-Cons, you can play with them connected to the body of the Nintendo Switch, or you can use them connected while the Switch is docked. On top of the hard work done by Shank, it is a beautiful look at how helpful and supportive the modding community can be.
