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A new Nintendo Switch controller is in the works, and it bears a strong resemblance to one of the best gamepads in Nintendo’s legacy.
The NYXI Wizard is a new wireless Nintendo Switch controller that replicates the eccentric layout of the Nintendo Gamecube pad, complete with that big green A button and those slightly different X and Y buttons. But there’s a healthy amount of extras here that put the Wizard firmly in ‘Pro’ controller territory.
The NYXI Wizard is currently available for purchase at the brand website (opens in new tab) for $69 (about £57 / AU$99). Only the US price is listed, but NYXI can ship internationally if you are purchasing outside the US.
So it looks like a Gamecube pad, but that doesn’t seem to be all the NYXI Wizard has to offer. Users can customize the controller to a great extent, including swapping the thumbsticks and using a button mapping feature.
The pad also has two turbo function buttons for quick inputs, two rear buttons for mapping secondary inputs, very short trigger locks similar to the Nintendo Switch Pro controller, and a pleasant glow-up effect on the face buttons.
Smash or pass?
With the Wizard, NYXI mainly markets its controller with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players. In fact, the website quite proudly states that the Wizard is the best controller for Nintendo and Sora Ltd’s legendary crossover brawl.
It’s a bold claim, but there could be some truth to it. The Nintendo Gamecube controller has long been a fixture in the upper echelons of the Super Smash Bros. community, with thousands of players choosing the pad over others. The launch of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate even brought in a special Gamecube controller so players who preferred it weren’t left out in the cold.
But the NYXI Wizard seems to have gone one step further. It doesn’t look like just any old Gamecube pad. Rather, it very clearly mimics the look and feel of the Wavebird, an iconic wireless Gamecube controller that used to be highly sought after. The Wavebird can command ridiculous prices on auction sites these days, as you’d expect, so options like the NYXI Wizard are a breath of fresh air for those of us looking for an adjoining experience.
It’s a pad we’ll be keeping an eye on too, as if good enough, it could end up on our list of the best Nintendo Switch controllers to buy this year.