Still remaining my favorite controller for any video game console, here’s a look at which colors look the cleanest.
Though my wife and I collect video games ranging from the NES to the Xbox Series X, a largely nostalgic pastime has always centered around my favorite console of all-time in the GameCube.
Alhough its sales paled in comparison to the dominant PlayStation 2 and even lagged behind Microsoft’s Xbox as well, the GameCube featured many of the most recognizable games from the 2000’s, with some of Nintendo’s most celebrated titles being initially released for the console.
With titles such as Super Smash Bros. Melee, Luigi’s Mansion, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Nintendo largely controlled the market for family-friendly games by releasing some of the company’s most acclaimed games of all-time.
A central part of what made and continues to make GameCube games so enjoyable is its controller – featuring an ideal fit for children and adult hands alike with a more intuitive, natural button layout and more responsive L and R triggers.
The controller itself made a significant difference for me as a kid when playing Melee and Double Dash when compared to their N64 predecessors, playing a huge role in my lifelong love for the console.
While Nintendo greatly improved on the controller front with the GameCube, the wide range of colors available on consoles and controllers from the previous generation was left behind.
In North America, just three colors of the console were released with corresponding controllers – the original Indigo, Black and Platinum, while a Spice Orange console and controller were also released in Japan. Additionally, first-party White and Emerald Blue controllers were made available in Japan during the console’s original lifespan.
Since the GameCube was discontinued in 2007, three first-party wired controllers have been released by Nintendo – a Super Smash Bros. for Wii U-themed controller available in both White and Black released in 2014, and a Black Super Smash Bros. Ultimate-themed controller that was released in 2018.
This list will not include the two official wireless “Wavebird” controllers released during the GameCube’s initial lifespan, and it also won’t include the new wireless GameCube-style controller available for the Switch 2.
I will not be considering any physical or mechanical differences between the controllers, which I’m not knowledgeable enough to know about – with the only difference I’m aware of being a longer cord used on the Smash-themed controllers released after the GameCube’s lifespan.
Here’s how I’d rank 10 of the most recognizable official GameCube controllers:
10. Original Black
One of the three mainline models available in North America, the Black GameCube is the second-most common of the three, as well as the system and controller that I grew up playing.
While a clean look that certainly marks an improvement over the bland grey color the default N64 controller used, the appearance is still unremarkable when compared to the other controllers Nintendo released at the time.
Granted, it’s still a stronger-looking controller than the default controllers for both the GameCube’s predecessor and successor, with my bias against the controller likely having to do with it being the one I’m the most familiar with.
9. Original Indigo
The original color of the GameCube system and controller, the Indigo appearance served as a welcome departure from both the greyscale appearance common in other consoles as well as the adventurous Funtastic systems that Nintendo introduced in the previous generation.
The most common of the three North American GameCubes, the Indigo controller is often what first comes to mind for people when thinking of the console, with the button and C-stick colors offering a comforting apperance on top of its darker, cool-shaded backdrop.
Still, a few of the other varieties released in later years eclipsed the Indigo controller in my eyes, although this controller remains a conspicuous absence from our library.
8. Original Platinum
Released along with a Platinum console later in the GameCube’s lifespan, the controller and corresponding system offered the slickest appearance for the console yet.
Departing from the more monotone grey seen on the original PlayStation and earlier Nintendo systems, the Platinum GameCube looks exclusive, with a clean controller and console often giving a shiny appearance that invokes the Y2K futurism of a few years earlier.
While a great looking controller, the options available in Japan, as well as newer controllers released since, have eclipsed the Platinum controller in terms of appearance.
7. Smash Ultimate
The most recently released wired controller, this model was released alongside Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in December 2018, designed to be used with a GameCube controller adapter.
Owing to the longtime dedicated use of the controller in Super Smash Bros. games, this option puts a twist on the classic Black design, replacing the “Nintendo GameCube” logo with a minimalist Smash Ball that takes up most of the center of the controller.
While an excellent redesign and very useful for playing Ultimate, it feels like this controller could have been made a bit more exciting if it were made in a different color.
6. Indigo/Clear
While the era of translucent technology was largely left in the fifth generation, Nintendo brought it out for one last time in the GameCube era, releasing a controller that was Indigo on the front with a clear backside of the shell.
The result is perhaps the most unique looking controller of the 10 on this list, simultaneously appearing to be both ahead of its time and dated.
As someone who yearns for the era of translucent tech products, the Indigo/Clear controller both looks incredibly cool and is a bit of a unicorn when compared to similar products of its era.
5. Spice Orange
Released as a Japanese exclusive along with a corresponding Spice Orange console, this controller brought a degree of vibrancy that was absent from the options available stateside.
Taking some inspiration from the Fire Orange Funtastic N64 console, this iteration brings a bright, solid-colored orange to the table, perfectly complementing the mix of warm and cool colors present on the controller’s buttons.
Though tough to find in North America, this is a fun controller that represents what felt like a missing option in a sea of Indigo, Black and Platinum.
4. White
Though not released with a corresponding console, this Japanese-exclusive controller gained popularity among competitive Super Smash Bros. Melee players late in the GameCube’s original lifespan as the best official model controller to use.
While I can’t speak to any of that, this controller represents minimalism at its finest, appearing as a futuristic, more slick adaptation of the widely available Black controller.
Whether I prefer White or Black on a tech product often has to do with its overall appearance and what other colors are present – and I honestly had no idea how cool this would look until I learned it actually existed.
From the clean mix of the grey control stick and d-pad with the white background to the vibrancy of the colored buttons, this is plainly a clean-looking controller.
3. Smash 4 Black
The highest controller on this list that I own, this has long been one of my favorite designs. Though my wife vehemently disagrees and greatly prefers the Smash Ultimate controller that I ranked 7th, I’ve long preferred this version.
While the difference is of course purely aesthetic, the Smash 4 logo appears to be a perfect balance of minimalism and extravagance on the classic Black background.
Though once again I feel this controller could have been stronger with a different shell cover, this doesn’t reinvent the wheel, adding an adapted version of a classic logo to a proven success.
2. Smash 4 White
Well, I said it could have been done better on a different color, and that was actually done this time around – adding the Smash 4 logo to the original Japanese White shell from the GameCube’s original run.
Given my glowing praise for that controller, this one is great for all the same reasons, adding my favorite logo of the Super Smash Bros. series to a controller shell hardly ever seen stateside.
What keeps this from the top spot is the execution of the Smash 4 logo – which would have popped much more with a black logo utilizing the white controller shell as part of the background.
1. Emerald Blue
Another Japanese exclusive during the GameCube’s original run, this controller is unlike anything else seen at the time or since, with a vibrant teal color that moreso invokes the style and trends of the 1990’s.
Though not released with a corresponding console, this controller has long been sought out by collectors, with it remaining the most rare controller of those that received a widespread release in the 2000’s.
The fact that there haven’t been any consoles or commonly found controllers to go this direction with their main color since them makes this all the more appealing, perfectly embodying the nostalgia that playing the GameCube in 2026 is all about.
Leave a Reply