(Release) N64 GC

[cy]

Over the last month or so I spent quite a bit of time getting several projects together for MGC. One of the projects I worked on in secret was an N64 controller that has a GC+ in it that you can use to play GameCube, Wii, and Wii Virtual Console games. This was pretty obviously inspired by 4 Layer Tech's Super GC+ Modkit since it's essentially the same idea applied to a different controller.

Here's how the project came out!

Here are some pictures I took during assembly of the first iteration:

I don't have pictures of the internals for the final assembly, but they came out similarly to this. This build doesn't really have any more wires than the original N64 controller which is exactly what I was going for!

If you want to build one of these yourself, you'll need the following:
- 1 OEM N64 Controller (one with a busted joystick is a great candidate for this!)
- 4 0603 100 Ohm Resistors
- 4 0603 10k Ohm Resistors
- 1 Replacement GameCube controller cord
- 1 Replacement housing of some sort for the Joystick (The one I've linked here is the one this build was designed around)
- 1 GameCube T3 joystick box and a GameCube or Wii Classic style Joystick (T2 joystick boxes aren't currently supported). These are cheap and easy to come by in Wii Classic controllers.
- 1 LRA Rumble motor (Optional)
- 1 GC+ 2.0 from 4 Layer Tech

(One of these days I should really make a proper BOM spreadsheet for this)


Here's how the PCBs look:
Design view:

3D Viewer Front:

3D Viewer Back:

Joystick Mounting PCB:

Potential Improvements:
Something that YveltalGriffin mentioned was that this project could've been made cleaner by replacing the 0603 resistors with proper resistor arrays. While I do agree with this, I decided against it since I didn't have those on hand, and didn't want to order extra components for this project. This is definitely something that could be easily swapped out, and I may make a 1.1 version that makes this adjustment.

Another thing that could definitely be improved upon is the housing for the joystick replacement. Realistically speaking, it wouldn't be difficult to create a 3d printable model for the housing, I just ran out of time for this project around the time of MGC, so it never ended up happening. Could be something I explore and update this project with in the future though!

Something else that would be cool is if I made a 3d printable mount that would hold an original N64 memory pak in the back of the controller. It wouldn't serve any purpose other than to look cool, but it would at least cover up the otherwise empty memory pak hole.

Last but not least, the fitment for the GameCube T3 joystick box is a bit loose. Due to this I imagine it's possible to solder it in so that it ends up being a bit off center. I didn't have this problem with mine though, so that's just conjecture. While I'm at it, it's also probably a good idea to add support for T2 GC joystick boxes as well.

Credits:
I'd like to credit RDC from acidmods.com for the scans used to make this project. I would also like to thank @Aurelio for answering miscellaneous questions, and making various suggestions to make this project better and easier (and also of course for making the GC+). @YveltalGriffin Also has my thanks for this as he did a layout review and helped me to achieve a much cleaner end result. I'd also like to thank bloodykieren since he's done a lot of N64 controller style projects, and he was a huge inspiration for this!

 

[Oliverper]

Incredible work! Love seeing projects like this that push the boundaries of retro console modding. Thanks for sharing it with the community!

 

[IAMKINGOFKEYBOARDS]

Imagine the dual analog N64 controller, but with this mod. Would be awesome.

 

[cy]

Imagine the dual analog N64 controller, but with this mod. Would be awesome.

With all due respect, that's not really the point of this project. I made this because I thought it'd be cool to play N64 games on the Wii Virtual console with an original N64 controller. An analog joystick hampers the experience of playing most N64 games (since it uses C buttons rather than a C stick), and really wouldn't add much utility for GameCube games since this controller lacks X and Y buttons. If I really wanted to play Wii Virtual console games with dual analog joysticks, I'd just use a GameCube controller.

This mod was also made with an original N64 controller shell and buttons in mind. Adding a C stick to the N64 controller would require a redesign of the controller which would make it incompatible with OEM shells.

 

[IAMKINGOFKEYBOARDS]

I have a feeling that our definitions of dual analog controllers are slightly different. Still, great work.

 

[cy]

I have a feeling that our definitions of dual analog controllers are slightly different. Still, great work.

What in the world?! How does that work!? Did you make a thread for this somewhere?!

And thanks! Your build has an amazing quality to it too!

 

[IAMKINGOFKEYBOARDS]

Thanks for the kind words! If you want to know how the controller works, ssff on YouTube has a video on his version. I'll make a work log thread soon for anyone that wants to make their own.

 

[cy]

Thanks for the kind words! If you want to know how the controller works, ssff on YouTube has a video on his version. I'll make a work log thread soon for anyone that wants to make their own.

I did a search on YouTube and I can't believe how wild this is. I remember seeing this mod like 5 to 7 years ago and laughing my ass off at it because I thought it was just a high effort shitpost that was attempting to make fun of the N64 controller. I didn't realize that this has actual utility to it! Genuinely really cool if not also a bit hilarious!

Thanks so much for sharing this with me and giving me context! I never knew there were one player N64 games that used more than one controller!

 

[IAMKINGOFKEYBOARDS]

No problem