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BattlerGC Pro: one-minute review
I’ve spent this past week being seriously impressed with the BattlerGC Pro.
To me, it’s everything a modern take on the iconic GameCube controller should be, making it one of the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories up to now. Appropriate with Change and Change 2 in addition to PC, its actual ace within the gap is the included wi-fi GameCube adapter, which works brilliantly with Nintendo’s sixth-generation purple marvel in addition to its successor, the Wii.
While the Nintendo Switch 2 GameCube controller is a good recreation, it’s very a lot a case of ‘what you see is what you get.’ The BattlerGC Professional takes that template and absolutely modernizes it, bringing Corridor impact sticks, remappable rear buttons, and multiplatform compatibility to the desk. Its d-pad and clicky triggers, particularly, are a monumental enchancment over Nintendo’s official controller.
The BattlerGC Professional might be not going to be your go-to for lots of the best Nintendo Switch 2 games, given its adoption of the GameCube controller’s unorthodox face button structure. However it’s a dream to make use of with Nintendo Change On-line’s rising GameCube library. And naturally, compatibility with authentic {hardware} and PC means it’s glorious if you happen to nonetheless have a GameCube or Wii sport assortment, otherwise you get pleasure from your video games enhanced by way of emulation.
There are some slight points to make be aware of right here. Battery life isn’t significantly spectacular, and the Residence button is smack within the heart of the pad, which means you actually have to achieve your thumbs over to press it. However these are very tiny blemishes on what’s in any other case a really completed retro-facing controller.
In brief, don’t really feel like you need to shell out for a second-hand WaveBird to get pleasure from wi-fi play on GameCube or Wii. The BattlerGC Professional is far more cost-effective and, in the end, a significantly better controller total.
BattlerGC Pro review: price and availability
- List price: $69.95 / £59.99 / AU$99.95
- Available to buy now from Retro Fighters or regional retailers
- Slightly pricier than the official Switch 2 GameCube controller ($64.99 / £58.99 / AU$89.95)
You can pick up the BattlerGC Pro controller today for the retail price of $69.95 / £59.99 / AU$99.95. It’s available in various colors from manufacturer Retro Fighters’ website (Black, Purple, and a translucent ‘Glacier’ color, too), or regional big box retailers.
The BattlerGC Pro actually comes in slightly more expensive than the official Nintendo Switch 2 GameCube controller, which retails at $64.99 / £58.99 / AU$89.95. That said, I think the features offered by the BattlerGC Pro – not to mention its multiplatform compatibility – certainly make it well worth the extra asking price.
BattlerGC Pro review: Specs
|
Price |
$69.95 / £59.99 / AU$99.95 |
|
Weight |
7oz / 198g |
|
Dimensions |
6 x 3 x 2.8in / 152 x 76 x 71mm |
|
Compatibility |
Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, GameCube, Wii, Wii U (requires Wii U GameCube adapter) |
|
Connection type |
Wireless (2.4GHz, Bluetooth, GameCube adapter), Wired (USB-C) |
|
Battery life |
Around 10 hours |
BattlerGC Pro review: design and features
Like the OG Xbox’s ‘Duchess’ to the ‘Duke’ controller, the BattlerGC Pro looks and feels like an intelligent revision of the Nintendo GameCube controller. Or more accurately – given the feature set – the wireless WaveBird variant.
Years and years of third-party controller features and refinements have clearly informed the design of the BattlerGC Pro.
First of all, the BattlerGC Pro does address some of the original GameCube controller’s shortcomings. There are two shoulder buttons here as opposed to just the one, and the triggers have been completely redesigned. As has the d-pad, which is slightly bigger and offers a more satisfying press. The thumbsticks can also click inwards now, offering L3 and R3 button inputs. But for the most part, that GameCube layout remains unchanged.
The rear of the BattlerGC Pro houses two remappable buttons, as well as a switch for swapping between 2.4GHz and Bluetooth wireless connectivity options. You’ll also find a small ‘program’ button back here, which can be held in conjunction with other buttons to assign those remappables to your liking.
I’m a huge fan of the GameCube’s aesthetic, and it’s been successfully replicated and modernized with the BattlerGC Pro. The color scheme is on point, from the purple casing to the green, red, and yellow of the A and B buttons and C-stick, respectively. New additions are made tastefully, and are discreet enough (like those remappable buttons) that they don’t intrude on that classic GameCube look.
BattlerGC Pro review: Performance
One look at that GameCube-style button layout should be enough to tell you that the BattlerGC Pro is not designed with modern games in mind. I confirmed as much by jumping into Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment and Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, and needed to actively have a look at the controller to reorient myself.
However realistically, you’re not shopping for the BattlerGC to benefit from the newest releases on Switch 2 or PC with. It’s particularly designed to be used with GameCube titles, or different video games that aren’t hampered by a reliance on that unorthodox button structure. On this entrance, the BattlerGC Professional actually delivers.
I sampled video games throughout techniques that the BattlerGC Professional is appropriate with. Beginning with Luigi’s Mansion and F-Zero GX on Nintendo Change On-line, then transferring onto authentic GameCube {hardware} with killer7, Tales of Symphonia, and Phantasy Star On-line Episode 1 & 2, utilizing that wi-fi GameCube adapter, which slots into the console’s controller ports. The pairing course of was blissfully easy, too; I simply needed to maintain within the Residence button, and the adapter acknowledged the controller in seconds.
The expertise felt unbelievable throughout each platforms and positively helps to breathe new life into the GameCube library. Even over a wi-fi connection, enter latency was impressively untraceable. There’s simply one thing so good about revisiting an older platform with a wi-fi connectivity answer.
The largest disappointment, although, is certainly with the BattlerGC Professional’s battery life. 10 hours is way from terrible, however do count on to be topping it up much more usually than Nintendo’s personal Change 2 GameCube controller, in addition to the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller.
Should I buy the BattlerGC Pro?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
BattlerGC Pro review: Also consider
If the BattlerGC Pro isn’t impressing you, here are a couple of strong Switch 2-facing alternatives for you to consider as well.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
BattlerGC Pro |
Nintendo Switch 2 GameCube controller |
Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller |
|
Price |
$69.95 / £59.99 / AU$99.95 |
$64.99 / £58.99 / AU$89.95 |
$84.99 / £74.99 / AU$119.95 |
|
Weight |
7oz / 198g |
7.4oz / 210g |
8.3oz / 235g |
|
Dimensions |
6 x 3 x 2.8in / 152 x 76 x 71mm |
5.5 x 3.9 x 2.6in / 140 x 100 x 65mm |
5.8 x 4.1 x 2.4in / 148 x 105 x 60mm |
|
Compatibility |
Switch, Switch 2, PC, GameCube, Wii, Wii U (requires Wii U GameCube adapter) |
Nintendo Switch 2 |
Nintendo Switch 2 |
|
Connection type |
Wireless (2.4GHz, Bluetooth, GameCube adapter), Wired (USB-C) |
Wireless (Switch 2 native) |
Wireless (Bluetooth), Wired (USB Type-C) |
|
Battery life |
Around 10 hours |
Around 25-30 hours |
Around 40 hours |
How I tested the BattlerGC Pro
- Tested for one week
- Used across Switch 2, PC, and original GameCube hardware
- Compared to the official Switch 2 GameCube controller and Switch 2 Pro Controller
I tested the BattlerGC Pro for this review over the course of a week. While I primarily used it to play games on Nintendo Switch 2 – including Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer, and Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S – I additionally had the possibility to attempt it out with authentic GameCube {hardware}.
That is an edge the BattlerGC Professional has over the likes of the Change 2 GameCube Controller and Change 2 Professional Controller – its multiplatform capabilities. I can extremely advocate it to those that personal an authentic GameCube or Wii console, due to its wi-fi connectivity answer.
First reviewed November 2025
