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Your GameCube Controllers Work On Switch And No One Is Sure Why
As Switch fans continue to search through last week's 4.00 update for the system, the first major firmware update since its release in March, new discoveries keep being made in the absence of official notes from Nintendo. One feature discovered by GameXplain was the Switch's ability to recognize the GameCube controller (via the previously Smash Bros.-exclusive GameCube Adapter on Wii U) as a functioning Switch controller.
To do this, simply plug the adapter into the Switch's dock with the USB cables, plug in your Gamecube controller, and then activate it on the Switch the same way you would any other controller. Voila, the Switch recognizes it as a Pro controller, which means you can then start playing games that support the Pro controller with it.
We tested it this morning with Fire Emblem Warriors, which works about as well as you would expect. The problem arises when the game in question needs any of the buttons the GameCube controller does not have — namely, the ZL button, the minus button, or Home and Capture buttons, though they vary in usefulness depending on the game. It also has to be a game that uses the Pro controller, so something like Snipperclips would not be usable.
It is unknown why this came to the Switch, though its inclusion is certainly not a bad thing. Nintendo did not advertise the feature, which means it could be laying dormant in the system for a Smash Bros. port down the line, or it could simply be a happy accident related to the experimenting they have been doing with opening the USB ports on the system. Only thing we know for sure is that it works for people who want to use it.
[Source: GameXplain]
Our Take
The lack of buttons makes this an inessential feature, but a neat one, nonetheless. It definitely makes me think Smash Bros. is coming sooner than we think, though.
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