Get your pinches of salt ready, folks, because it’s time for more Nintendo rumor discussions.
In a break from the usual procedures, this isn’t about ‘Switch 2’ (at least, not entirely). Instead, the latest speculation centers on the GameCube controller and how it could, power, return.
This comes from a recent Resets the thread (via hidden on Famiboards), where the user Random Random67 goes into deliveries of components they believe are for the production of the ‘Switch 2’ and other Nintendo products. And yes, one of those “other Nintendo products” is, of course, the GameCube controller.
Rumors of a “new” GameCube pad (for Nintendo Switch Online, most likely) have been circulating for a while now — specifically flagged by a dataminer LuigiBlood earlier this year — but a recent post by RandomlyRandom67 suggests that the controller is now in active production. This is thanks to the delivery of a rumbling TRW1230 engine (get ready for a lot of codes like this) and its connection to the mysterious HGU0480 project, which is believed to be some kind of upcoming controller.
According to Reseter’s post, the TRW1230 is the same rumble motor currently used in GameCube controllers and the same one that appears in the NSO N64 pad (although, the post claims, it’s unlikely that this part of the order is for a pre-existing N64 model).
There are a bunch of other components listed in the shipment that RandomlyRandom67 speculates could be part of the GC pad revival, including special LED light covers, trigger covers, and more. On top of all that, the post claims the parts were used for current The GameCube controller (CFS8280, for those wondering) “will likely be reused as-is for the new controller.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be a rumor without talk of a ‘Switch 2’, and Resetera’s discussion also looks at other parts deliveries believed to be for Nintendo’s next console. While parts volumes appear to be on the rise, the numbers suggest they are not yet at mass production levels, potentially suggesting that the launch of the ‘Switch 2’ may not be as imminent as many of us would like.
Component shipping records are a reasonable way of looking at what Nintendo might be working on, and are far more reliable than, “I uncle visited Japan and said a new controller is coming.” However, for now, we would take all of the above with an appropriate amount of salt.
Not that we’d turn down the chance to get our hands on a brand new GameCube controller, of course. Last year, the iconic pad (along with the WaveBird model) took joint first place in our roundup of our favorite Nintendo controllers, joining the Switch Pro Controller in the top spot. Whether these rumors point to an upcoming NSO expansion or just a neat new way to play Smash Ultimate, we’re here.
