The Nintendo 64 controller has always been a talking point, for good and bad. For its time, it was a radical departure from what was out there, and people made all sorts of fun about how to hold it. And quickly, we released games that needed another stick. Now, all these years later, everyone is used to two sticks, but trying to play Nintendo 64 games on the Switch with a traditional controller just feels wrong. Even the analogue sticks on the Switch 2 are just off, trying to fine-tune a shot without Nintendo’s Switch Online Nintendo 64 controller just isn’t great.

But unless you were there the first time around, like I was, or have had experience with the Nintendo 64 controller, you might just want a normal controller, but one that still works like a Nintendo 64 controller. One where you’re not guessing which are the C-buttons and where that gated analogue is needed in quite a few games.

Enter the 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller. It looks like a regular, modern controller. It has all the modern comforts, but it performs just like a regular old Nintendo 64 controller without the wacky design. Depending on the colour you pick, it can also look just like the Nintendo 64 grey and coloured button setup, or go full stealth with a black or all-white design. The best part is that 8BitDo has taken the layout of the Nintendo 64 action buttons and put them in the exact same arrangement. They’re essentially the same as a Nintendo 64 controller, which for us oldies with muscle memory will be important, or possibly a hindrance for first-timers.

The rest of the controller, though, is all new. The analogue stick is now in a more modern position but keeps the same octagonal gated design. There’ll be no plastic wearing this stick down because, unlike the flimsy stick of the original, this one is a chunky unit like a GameCube controller, and it’s metal, so you won’t be able to wear it down easily. Is it exactly the same tension and speed as the original controller, no but it’s a lot better than regular analogue sticks. 

The D-Pad is now in a usable spot too, which is great for 2D games. It’s right where it should be now, though the Nintendo 64 didn’t use the D-Pad much in many games anyway. Even the Start button is here. It’s great that it’s basically in the same spot and is large and easy to hit. The Z-triggers are now twins, with one on the left and one on the right, depending on what works better for you. All of the buttons feel very much like they did on the original Nintendo 64 controller, with a solid thack, and feel as they should.

There are some more modern improvements as well. The “rumble pack” is built in. Now, kids, back in the day you had to plug in a rumble pack that ran on AAA batteries, if you went the official route, to get rumble on your controllers. These days, it’s all built in, which is much nicer. There’s also support for button remapping, though you can do that in the system now too, and of course, it’s all wireless.

Which brings me to probably the only real problems I’ve had with this controller. Firstly, you can’t just wake the Switch 2 with it, a classic problem with non-Nintendo controllers. Some other 8BitDo controllers have a trick where you can shake the controller to emulate the wake function, but not here at the time of writing. Also, trying to get the controller to connect even when the system is awake has been problematic.

It can take ages to sync once the console is on, if it connects at all. The best bet is to go into the controller menu, change grip order, and do it there. Having to wake another controller to turn the system on, or get up and do it manually, then hope it syncs, change the grip order, and disconnect the other controller is all a bit of a faff. 8BitDo usually handles this well, so it’s unclear why this one is so different.

The 8Bitdo 64 Bluetooth Controller is out now, and available from JB Hi-Fi and Amazon among other retailers.