Switch 2’s GameCube controller has been the subject of some confusion since its announcement, regarding whether it would be usable with non-GameCube games on Switch 2 or not.
Officially, it has been designed for use with the Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics collection that will be available to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers when the console launches.
But could you use a Switch 2 GameCube controller to play Mario Kart World, for example? Well, Nintendo has now provided some additional detail here – and the answer to that question is… maybe?
“The Nintendo GameCube controller is designed for use with the Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics collection of games and is an optional way to play those games,” a Nintendo spokesperson stated to Nintendo Life.
“Since it doesn’t have all the buttons and features found in other controllers that can be used with the Nintendo Switch 2 system, there may be some issues when playing other games,” Nintendo continued. “The Nintendo GameCube controller can only be used on Nintendo Switch 2 and is not compatible with Nintendo Switch.”
So, by the nature of confirming the Switch 2 GameCube controller may have issues with non-GameCube Switch 2 games, Nintendo is suggesting you can use it for other titles – at your peril.
Hopefully, with a bit of button remapping, Mario Kart World play will be possible.
And helpfully, just as Nintendo answers this question, it has placed the Nintendo GameCube controller up for sale in the UK on the official My Nintendo Store. Fancy one? It costs £59.
At launch, Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics will include The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (the original version, so no speedy sailing!), F-Zero GX and SoulCalibur 2.
Down the line, other upcoming games will include Super Mario Sunshine, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, Mario Smash Football, Luigi’s Mansion and Chibi-Robo!
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“Some of these have become quite rare to find in physical form, so it’s great to see them become more widely accessible,” Digital Foundry’s Tom Morgan wrote in his recent look behind the scenes at how Nintendo is emulating the games, “even if we still wonder if perhaps all of this could have been achievable years ago on the original Switch”.