News Article

Hori Announces New Classic Controller For Japan

Posted Wed, 19 Nov 2008 by Corbie Dillard

When normal firepower just isn't getting it done...

When normal firepower just isn't getting it done...

We've already seen a wealth of third-party classic controller offerings, but for those who love auto-fire capabilities on their controllers, Hori has just what you're looking for in their creatively titled new classic controller called the Classic Controller. There's really no telling how much marketing money was thrown at coming up with just the right name for this unique controller, but those funds were obviously well spent.

Not only does the controller mimic the original Gamecube controller in form and function, but it also offers up three different autofire settings for each of the controller's six action buttons. So no matter what Virtual Console game you're playing, you'll never be at a loss for firepower.

The controllers will be available in Japan on November 27th and will come in three different color choices: Blue, White, or Black. For those outside of Japan, you can surf on over to Play-Asia where you can preorder one of these bad boys for $29.90 plus shipping.

We'll have more information on this new controller as it becomes available. Until then you can take a look at the pictures of Hori's new Classic Controller below.

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Tags: Virtual Console, Imports, Peripherals.

User Comments

nate

1. nate United States 19 Nov 2008, 20:40 GMT

terrible name
but still sweet. Will it work with games like Ocarina of Time the same way the Gamecube port's of them did?

KeeperBvK

2. KeeperBvK Germany 19 Nov 2008, 20:49 GMT

@ 1st post: What's terrible about the name "classic controller"?

LinktotheFuture

3. LinktotheFuture United States 19 Nov 2008, 20:55 GMT

If this is wireless, then it is a must have. I like the black one personally.

Ricardo91

4. Ricardo91 United States 19 Nov 2008, 21:00 GMT

The black one looks nice, and the option for rapid fire is pretty cool, but I've had a bad history with 3rd-party controllers, so I'll be passing on this.
I don't see how there needs to be six action buttons.

LinktotheFuture

5. LinktotheFuture United States 19 Nov 2008, 21:07 GMT

@Mr. Cheez--3rd party controllers do seem to wear out a lot faster than controllers made by Nintendo.

Ski Deuce

6. Ski Deuce United States 19 Nov 2008, 21:07 GMT

I think Nintendo's Classic Controller is one of the worst controller's the Big N has ever designed. This controller doesn't look like it has the type of layout that I'd like for a classic controller either. If it is compatible with Gamecube games then MAYBE I can see a few people picking it up.

Iggy

7. Iggy United States 19 Nov 2008, 21:08 GMT

Sweet i want to get one of these to go with my hori fighting stick

Corbie

8. Corbie United States 19 Nov 2008, 21:11 GMT

We've got one of these controllers coming to review for VC-Reviews, but it would be hard to beat my Super Famicom classic controller. I love that little guy. :)

ouenben

9. ouenben United Kingdom 19 Nov 2008, 21:15 GMT

Same name as one of Nintendo's controllers.
Same shape as one of Nintendo's controllers.

If Hori and Nintendo weren't good buddies I'd expect a lawsuit!

Ptolemy

10. Ptolemy United States 19 Nov 2008, 21:18 GMT

Things I noticed:

  • it has two z-buttons (nice)
  • neither (z-button) appears to have turbo (wut)
  • the analog shoulder buttons DO have turbo (huh?)
  • Is it wireless directly to the Wii's bluetooth or is there a dongle for hooking up to the Wii controller?
  • This things looks like it would be ideal for Brawl.
  • I can't see how it would work with 'cube games :-(

LinktotheFuture

11. LinktotheFuture United States 19 Nov 2008, 21:18 GMT

@Ski Deuce--I love Nintendo's classic controller, but I was a big fan of the Super Nintendo controllers. I would love to have a turbo joystick made by Nintendo. I love the NES Advantage.

Iggy

12. Iggy United States 19 Nov 2008, 21:18 GMT

Good to hear u guys are going to review it ill propally wait tell u guys do and ask for it for x-mas

manson77

13. manson77 Germany 19 Nov 2008, 21:30 GMT

i want a snes pad with auto fire :/

Ski Deuce

14. Ski Deuce United States 19 Nov 2008, 21:33 GMT

@LinktotheFuture
That's fine that you like it. I'm down with that. I just think Nintendo could have made something so much better that fulfilled the needs of all styles of games on the VC without feeling thrown together and cramped. I actually have a design idea I'm kinda hoping to pitch to someone at a games convention I'm attending in January to see what he thinks. I wish I had some CGI knowledge though. That would make the concept that much more real.

timp29

15. timp29 Australia 19 Nov 2008, 22:00 GMT

I still love my wavebirds. But for some of those games with an optimised button layout for classic controller over cube controller, I would say these are a must have.

LinktotheFuture

16. LinktotheFuture United States 19 Nov 2008, 22:08 GMT

@Ski Deuce--I agree with you, it doesn't work for all games, but for NES and SNES it works great, which are the games I mainly play. I forget the name, but there is a company that has made N64 controllers that plug into the Wiimote. That might help you if you like N64 games.

JJ

17. JJ United States 19 Nov 2008, 22:32 GMT

@ Corbie
If possible I would also like to see a review of the hori fighting stick.

Iggy

18. Iggy United States 19 Nov 2008, 22:36 GMT

@JJ
Yea i wish they made a hori stick review to but i got it anyway its awesome if u have alot of vc games.

Corbie

19. Corbie United States 19 Nov 2008, 22:42 GMT

The only downside to the Hori Fighting Stick Wii is that it doesn't use the Sanwa JLF joystick. Now THAT would be sweet. I finally installed a pair of them in my Neo Geo Candy arcade cabinet and there is no other way to play the Neo fighting games than with these sticks. I popped on the Octagonal Restrictor Plate, replaced the JLF PCB with the softer Happ Cherry Microswitches, and put a small strip of electrical tape around the joystick actuator and they're as smooth as butter. You can even mod the Hori Fighting Stick with the Samwa sticks and buttons if you know your way around a soldering iron. :)

That being said, the Hori Wii Fighting Stick is still a very sturdy and useable joystick. It doesn't quite have the smooth action of a Sanwa stick, but it's still a good investment if you prefer using a Joystick with your games, namely fighters and shooters. It's got a good weighty feel to it and the button layout is spot-on. I'd score it a 7.5/10. About the only real gripe I had with the stick was the action buttons that can feel a bit cheap at times.

JJ

20. JJ United States 19 Nov 2008, 23:14 GMT

@ Iggy & Corbie
Thanks for the info.

Kawaiipikachu

21. Kawaiipikachu Australia 19 Nov 2008, 23:19 GMT

Looks cheap & most probably is .
Just every aftermarket controller always never get the analog stick right .

classicmike

22. classicmike United States 19 Nov 2008, 23:21 GMT

Wow, nice controller, i would probably get it in black or white.

zss_shadow

23. zss_shadow Canada 19 Nov 2008, 23:39 GMT

Looks nice, but I don't really need another controller right now. I'll settle for my regular Classic Controller, but this is probably a good alternative.

Andyman64

24. Andyman64 Australia 20 Nov 2008, 00:50 GMT

This looks more N then most other 3rd party pads.. thought it was official when I first saw the pic.Good work on the button layout, I never liked the cubes tiny buttons much but the big A was pretty sweet!...hope there's no dongle too.

Tides of Chaos

25. Tides of Chaos United States 20 Nov 2008, 01:15 GMT

What can be better than a Gamecube knock-off with turbo switches for almost any button? (well, an officially licensed one but otherwise) NOTHING! I seriously need to consider getting this thing. Maybe I should put it on my Christmas wishlist. So many wants, so little time. (and money)

Luigison

26. Luigison United States 20 Nov 2008, 01:41 GMT

If the digital pad was like the Wii/DS and was interchangeable with the left analog this would likely be the perfect "Classic" controller.

Twilight Crow

27. Twilight Crow Mexico 20 Nov 2008, 03:08 GMT

As I see it, is just a GC controller with turbo buttons, which I don't care about, and it surely can't be used with GC games; most important for me: its shoulder buttons are triggers. I'm not interested in this at all.

Kenji510

28. Kenji510 United States 20 Nov 2008, 04:02 GMT

Looks pretty cool i want to get the black color one!! :D

slangman

29. slangman United Kingdom 20 Nov 2008, 12:44 GMT

Looks and sounds great, although i would rather get the official version made by nintendo for obvious reasons.

MarkyVigoroth

30. MarkyVigoroth Puerto Rico 20 Nov 2008, 12:51 GMT

Too bad there are no Z-turbos...
At least this controller makes Super Mario World more playable...

Mayhem

31. Mayhem United Kingdom 20 Nov 2008, 13:03 GMT

Will have to consider getting this... but only if there are more Wii games that need it that can't be used via Wavebird...

As for Hori and Nintendo being close, yes they have for a long time. Take a look at this for example:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y70/alxbly/N64%20pads/HoriPadMinisSmall.jpg

This was released in 2000 for the N64. Remind you of another pad that, at the time, was yet to appear? Strange huh... I think Hori must have seen early Cube designs.

Sharecrow

32. Sharecrow United States 20 Nov 2008, 14:04 GMT

I really liked the GC controller. May actually get this to have a second vc controller option...

Outrunner

33. Outrunner United Kingdom 20 Nov 2008, 18:38 GMT

I wish Nintendo would make a wireless GCN controller for Wii. Does this thing have rumble I wonder...

nate

34. nate United States 20 Nov 2008, 21:05 GMT

@ outrunner
they make wireless gamecube controllers with rumble

Mickeymac

35. Mickeymac United States 20 Nov 2008, 21:45 GMT

This has to be the ugliest Classic controller design yet, and I'm not all that impressed with new features. Also, I'm not happy that they made it just like the Gamecube controller, since I wasn't really a fan of that controller in the first place. Guess I'll be passing on this controller as well.

Big A2

36. Big A2 Australia 21 Nov 2008, 01:27 GMT

I think I'll stick to the one with the D-Pad in the right place, thanks.

Nobarai

37. Nobarai United States 21 Nov 2008, 01:28 GMT

I'm not a fan of the GCN controller, mainly because of the TERRIBLE D-PAD. If this thing has a decent d-pad, I'll get it. But until then, 30 bucks is just way too much to lure me over from my favorite Classic Controller.

Devastator

38. Devastator United States 21 Nov 2008, 02:07 GMT

Looks like a good controller. Everybody likes that extra edge turbo gives you

SmaMan

39. SmaMan United States 21 Nov 2008, 15:01 GMT

Actually, I think the name "classic controller" is just perfect for throwing off grandma into getting it for you for Christmas.

I don't think I'll be getting it though. I want to save up for the hardware necessary to use the original controllers.

Quimby

40. Quimby Australia 22 Nov 2008, 03:46 GMT

Ohhh. All those buttons and switches... It's just too bad that the GC controller was an abomination. (Ugly, uncomfortable, AND counter-intuitive... It had it all)
I want a controller with 6 face buttons! (MD... duh)

Viral

41. Viral United Kingdom 22 Nov 2008, 11:34 GMT

....Super Nintendo had the best controller feel in my opinion... The N64 only felt right on two games, Conker's Bad Fur Day and 007 Goldeneye.

WiiFreedom

42. WiiFreedom United States 24 Nov 2008, 22:02 GMT

Displacement on the D-pad, Well its okay. =/

But Turbo on Buttons, Extremely Awesome!
( Pretty Useful Tool ) =D

gameking23

43. gameking23 United States 25 Nov 2008, 00:42 GMT

Too bad Nintendo did not just use the gamecube design for the VC controller. The Gamecube controller in my opinion is the secound most easy to use controller next to the Wiimote.

Cally

44. Cally United States 25 Nov 2008, 11:16 GMT

The first thing that comes to mind is, is there not already a GC controller out there with auto-fire buttons? Somehow, I seem to remember some . . .

And with that you'd be able to use it for GC games, also. I just love the Wii. :P

It makes me wonder if there actually is anyone out there who got SMRPG's 100-jump reward legitimately. XD

Viral

45. Viral United Kingdom 26 Nov 2008, 22:47 GMT

@Cally (44)

  • No, but I've gotten to 78 legitimately. I couldn't be bothered after that and was ultimately pissed off at the attempts it took me to get to 78! :(

Cally

46. Cally United States 27 Nov 2008, 11:41 GMT

^ Wow, I'm impressed! Don't you just love all those RPG-style games that have some challenge like that that takes more time to do/perfect than the entire rest of the game? As much as I loved Castlevania: Aria/Dawn of Sorrow, that's what collecting souls was like (harder and more time consuming than finishing the game by far) and some of SotN's secrets.

moosa

47. moosa United States 28 Nov 2008, 00:01 GMT

Hori is a third-party company, but their products (including this), ARE officially licensed by Nintendo! I'm surprised nobody here knew that (especially considering the Nintendo logos all over everything :P). Hori apparently impressed Nintendo enough with the quality of their 3rd party products that Nintendo granted them licensing, which has has remained the case for a while now. That being said, I wouldn't say that Hori has the same (extremely high) standards as Nintendo. They do have a strong reputation though. I have only ever purchased 1 of their products, which was an imported GCN controller with no joysticks on a SNES shaped paddle, and although it was the kind of product you couldn't find anywhere else, the buttons and D-pad seemed overly stiff to me. I wouldn't say that that's reason to judge Hori as a brand, or this particular product, though. This could be very nice.
I'm just wondering if I will have that much use for it where the D-pad may not be as good... I really hate trying to use the joysticks on the original classic controller, and the paddle itself is not very comfortable in my hands (unlike the GCN controller), but if I wanted to have a comfy controller with a good joystick setup, couldn't I just use a GCN controller instead of the VC? Of course there are some exceptions... and the classic button layout is best for some VC games. Auto-fire is cool but not that much of a selling-point to me. It does look cool... But seriously, somebody please tell me some games that I would prefer this controller for over the original VC controller OR a GCN controller, if it's supported. I want there to be some...

bubba1196

48. bubba1196 United States 12 Dec 2008, 17:01 GMT

OK I need help here (I'm not an expert) ..I got this for my son - who has both the Wii and the GameCube systems. First of all, it's not wireless - it directly plugs into the wireless Wii remote (similar to Numchuck). It seems like that it will only work with games that were downloaded from Nintendo that were meant to be used with the Classic controller. So far it doesn't work with GameCube games or regular Wii games. Is that correct? I at least thought it would work with the Game Cube games on the Wii system -- that also doesn't seem to be the case. Am I missing something, or is this remote extremely limited to just what you can download from Nintendo to the Wii system? If so, it's not worth it.

moosa

49. moosa United States 08 Jan 2009, 09:25 GMT

Bubba, the answer to your question is "no," but that's pretty much what it's intended for. It really is a Classic Controller, just one made differently from Nintendo's Classic Controller. It will work in any situation where Nintendo's Classic Controller will work. That excludes Gamecube games entirely, but certain Wii games that support the Classic Controller will support this Classic Controller as well. And, of course, all downloaded Virtual Console games will support this controller as well.
I would not necessarily say it isn't worth it based on these "limitations;" Nintendo's Classic Controller is $20, and this one is both more suped-up and an import item at about $30. Of course the argument remains that you could just buy a GCN controller instead, BUT the GCN controller doesn't feature the auto-fire capabilities this controller does, and certain Wii games and a few VC titles don't support the GCN controller while they do support the Classic Controller.
I hope that answers your question(s) well enough. :)

JJ

50. JJ United States 24 Jan 2009, 22:33 GMT

When is the review for this coming?

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