Anyone who lived through that era remembers the shape: four colored buttons, two shoulder triggers and that D-pad that endured hours of Super Mario Kart at the rental store. In September 2019, Nintendo put a wireless version of this controller, made for the Nintendo Switch, on sale in the United States, and the first batch sold out quickly.
The controller cost US$29.99 on Nintendo’s US store, and there were two conditions: only Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, the console’s paid online service, could buy it, and each person could take at most four units. Deliveries would begin on September 18. The store page soon showed a “temporarily out of stock” notice, and Nintendo did not say when it would be restocked. In Europe, the model followed the colors of the European Super Nintendo, with colored buttons, and was not yet on sale on the British store at that time.
Why it was a hit
The reason for the rush was simple. On September 5, 2019, Nintendo had added a separate app with Super Nintendo games to Nintendo Switch Online, with 20 classics at launch, such as Super Metroid and Yoshi’s Island. Playing those titles with the Joy-Con works, but it doesn’t feel the same as holding the original controller. The new model connects to the Switch wirelessly and charges via the included USB-C cable or the console’s own charger.
It wasn’t the first time: when Nintendo Switch Online debuted, Nintendo had already sold wireless controllers in the NES shape, also exclusive to subscribers, designed for the NES games app.
What came next
The strategy continued with other generations. Before the October 2021 expansion pack, which brought Nintendo 64 and Mega Drive games, Nintendo announced controllers in those shapes, also for subscribers. Later, with the arrival of GameCube games on the service, came a controller inspired by the GameCube’s.
Source: CNET.
Zé Cartucho
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