You know, another crazy thing about the GameCube is that its wacky-looking controller is still used today. Thanks to Super Smash Bros Melee being a phenomenal breakout hit and timeless classic, the GC controller became the standard for Smash.

When Brawl arrived on the Wii, GC controllers of course continued to be the default Smash controls. The original model Wii had GC ports (controllers & memory cards)—plus the Wiimote & Nunchuck was absolutely unsuitable for fighting games. Then, when Smash 4 came out on Wii U, Nintendo actually made a USB adapter to allow the use of GC controllers for that console as well. So because the Wii U adapter also works with the Switch, that makes every single Nintendo home console since 2001 that supports GC controllers. Beautiful!

But what if you never picked up Wii U adapter, because…well, you know…neither you nor any one of your friends even considered buying a Wii U? How can you play Super Smash Bros Ultimate properly—that is, with a GC controller—without a Wii U adapter?

Well, there are still plenty of options out there for you, especially with third-party peripherals. PowerA, for example, makes GameCube-style controllers for Nintendo Switch, both in Wired and Wireless models. These are basically Switch Pro Controllers, but using the GC shell & button layout. That might be all you need for Smash, however it is essentially buying a brand new Switch controller that you’re only likely to use for one game.

If you don’t have the Wii U adapter, my suggestion would to pick up the GBros. Wireless Adapter for Switch from 8BitDo.

If you’ve tried any 8BitDo products in the past, you’re probably familiar with their quality peripherals. I’m an especially big fan of their SN30 series of SNES-styled controllers. The GBros adapter lives up the company’s stellar reputation with this solidly-built device that works great right out of the box.

The GBros is a bluetooth dongle with three buttons and a toggle switch on its face. Its color scheme emulates an indigo GC controller, with the screenshot Capture button in green (like the GC A button), the Home button in red (GC B button), Switch/PC toggle switch in grey (GC Start button), and a connect/paring button that looks like a tiny C stick. It uses two AA batteries and has a mini-USB port on the back. On each end of the device is a a controller port; GC port on the righthand side and a Wii Classic port on the left.

This device basically acts a Wiimote, allowing you to plug in Wii controller peripherals, or—as the main selling point—a GC controller and pair it to your Switch directly.

The GBros is even handy for more than just using a GameCube controller on Switch; it also works any other Nintendo controllers which utilize the Wiimote-style Classic port. That means not only the Will Classic controller, but NES Classic and SNES Classic controllers as well. If you have the Nintendo Switch Online Service, with it’s NES and SNES apps, you might get a lot of use out of those Classic controllers. And regardless of which one you connect, you’ll still have access to a screenshot Capture and Home button.

When I first tried out the GBros adapter, I thought it was cool, but I was disappointed that the shoulder buttons were not mapped correctly for Smash Bros. You see, the GameCube L&R buttons were mapped directly to the Switch’s L&R, but on a GC controller you actually want them mapped to ZL&ZR. With the default configuration, the GC controller’s Z button performs a block in Smash, instead of a throw, while L&R do throws instead of blocks. I was shocked at the massive oversight 8BitDo had made with something that will definitely get most of its playtime in Smash. Then, after an embarrassingly long period of time, I discovered 8BitDo had actually accounted for this after all.

By pressing L+R+A+B+Start on your controller all at the same time, you can toggle between GameCube and Switch Pro modes. This way you don’t have to change any control options in Smash, and you can still make sure your controller is setup appropriately. (I just wish I had known about this trick sooner.)

These instructions are crucially important if you’re using this thing for Smash. Change the shoulder button mapping in a snap!

As for drawbacks, I’ve found that the GBros can be difficult to initially get paired with my Switch. Once paired, it works flawlessly, but getting it connected has been tougher than expected. If you have any trouble syncing your adapter, I recommend the following steps:

Restart your Switch. (full restart too, not just sleep mode)
Change the GBros batteries to make sure it has enough juice.
If nothing else works, check/update the firmware on your device.

Updating the firmware can be an even bigger pain in the ass, especially if you have a Mac, so I wouldn’t go that route until you’ve exhausted your other options.

All in all, I very much recommend the GBros adapter as a versatile controller solution for Nintendo Switch. This compact little device conveniently allows you to use a variety of controllers you might already have lying around the house. It doesn’t get much more retro than that!