We could be getting a new official Nintendo GameCube controller for Switch 2. Over the life span of the current-generation Switch, Nintendo released a few vintage-style controllers pulled straight from the vaults, but with upgraded wireless Bluetooth specs. The official Super NES, original Nintendo Entertainment System, Genesis, and N64 gamepad remakes already exist and were in direct support of the corresponding Switch Online libraries, but it looks like a GameCube model could be in the works for Switch 2.
Upcoming official Bluetooth GameCube controller for Switch 2?
You can certainly file this one under rumors, or at least under patents that might never see the light of day. But over on the Famiboards (via Nintendo Life), a patent has surfaced that has fans and gamers alike convinced they are looking at a Nintendo GameCube controller. And not just any old GameCube controller, but one specifically for Nintendo Switch 2.
We might be looking at a patent for what could be the Switch 2 Pro Controller, but it does not include NFC tech – a feature most folks expect would be included on an official Nintendo Pro controller and a feature recent official FCC filings have confirmed will be supported on Switch 2.
There’s also some folks who have overlayed a label from the patent filing that seems to lineup perfectly with the original GameCube controller’s form-factor.
The patent mockup, which is stated to be that of a “wireless Bluetooth controller” also happens to carry a specific serial number pre-fix: BEE. Now this is the interesting part for us.
Because of that same Nintendo FCC report, we know the official model number prefix for Nintendo Switch 2 is BEE – the Joy-Con that come with the console also have model numbers that start with this prefix.
In the FCC report, the Nintendo Switch 2 was designated BEE-001 with the Joy-Con listed as BEE-012 and BEE-014. This would suggest that all official Switch 2 peripherals and gear from Nintendo could very well carry this same prefix.
The potential GameCube Switch 2 controller from the patent mockup carries this same BEE prefix. So are we indeed looking at the official, and likely wireless Bluetooth, GameCube controller? Quite possibly, yes. Or, well…maybe. There’s no way to know for sure, but it wouldn’t be at all surprising for Nintendo to re-release one of its most beloved controllers for it massive upcoming next-generation console at some point.
The original GameCube controllers are a piece of Nintendo history that hold a special place in the hearts and, more specifically, hands of gamers everywhere. This was largely due to a few main factors; the unique form-factor of the now classic gamepads, general nostalgia, and perhaps more specifically, how much folks loved them for Super Smash Bros. The franchise was birthed on the N64 but the GameCube gamepads have become a staple among pros and amateurs of Nintendo’s mascot fighter series – the sequel Super Smash Bros. Melee was the best-selling game on the GameCube.
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