Thrustmaster a Good wavebird Alternative?

[blackbird3216]

As a wii gamer, i don't like having cords over the system, as the risk of tipping over is high. The wavebird is hard to find, and prices for a used one exceed prices for new 3rd party controllers. The Thrustmaster controller has the same layout as the classic controller, but also functions as a gamecube controller, as it connects throught the GC Port(no more dangling from wiimote). It looks really ugly though, and the connector dangles off the system.


Pros:
1. Classic controller and GC controller in one
2.Nice shape

Cons:
1. Ugly?
2. Connector dangles off the system
3. Oh right, and the battery problem
Is it any good? Would it be a great alternative to the wavebird/Classic controller.

For the cheapest price:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?sku=A1302857&s=bsd

If you are willing to pay 40cents extra for 2 day shipping:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Gaming_Accessories/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&cs=19&sku=A1302857

http://gear.ign.com/articles/838/838868p1.html


Oh, right and one more question, does the 2.4ghz signal affect my wireless internet signal?

Sadly, the deal is dead.

[Mad D]

$20 including shipping for a wireless Game Cube/VC controller with rumble is tempting. That 9/10 score is making it even more tempting, wish I didn't that VC controller for almost the same price.

That D pad doesn't look all the great though (but whose does now a days). I might pick one up.

[blackbird3216]

$20 including shipping for a wireless Game Cube/VC controller with rumble is tempting. That 9/10 score is making it even more tempting, wish I didn't that VC controller for almost the same price.

That D pad doesn't look all the great though (but whose does now a days). I might pick one up. the main problem with the controller is this:
http://gearmedia.ign.com/gear/image/article/819/819888/thrustmaster-announces-wii-wireless-classic-controller-20070913113828773.jpg

The dongle looks kinda ugly, and the blue doesn't match the wii's colors.

Maybe someone could re-enginneer that and give it a paint job?

[Rocko]

That is awesome. I need one of these badly. My only surviving Wavebird that I bought before I sold my GCN maybe 2 or 2.5 years ago veers to the right or left occasionally, and I really don't want the use a wired controller.

Edit: This item currently has free 2-day shipping, it seems, so it's $15.31 shipped! This price is only good until the 13th, though. Then you lose the 15% off and free shipping offers.

[Rocko]

Just ordered one from Dell.

[blackbird3216]

Just ordered one from Dell.
im still thinking about getting one, though i don't know about the dongle and the blue.. Seems everyone changed to the strange dongle design ever since the wii launched.

[Rocko]

im still thinking about getting one, though i don't know about the dongle and the blue.. Seems everyone changed to the strange dongle design ever since the wii launched.

I don't really mind the look, and it's not a concern to me anyway. I need something to play my GCN games on, and this seems like a good product.

[Mad D]

I was going to buy another wavebird sometime but since they are so hard to find, I ordered this.

[Ma12kez]

This looks pretty cool, might consider this as an alternative.

[PenguinMaster]

the main problem with the controller is this:

The dongle looks kinda ugly, and the blue doesn't match the wii's colors.

Maybe someone could re-enginneer that and give it a paint job?

If the main problem is just that it's not aesthetically pleasing, then I think it's a good deal. I'd definitely get one if I had a Wii or played my Gamecube more. The review also said it has customizable controls so it's excellent for any game with a bad control layout (which is most SNES games when played with a Wavebird).

[blackbird3216]

If the main problem is just that it's not aesthetically pleasing, then I think it's a good deal. I'd definitely get one if I had a Wii or played my Gamecube more. The review also said it has customizable controls so it's excellent for any game with a bad control layout (which is most SNES games when played with a Wavebird).
oh, and i forgot battery life. 3aaa batteries and rumble.. I don't know how that's going to work out.

[prisonerac]

Ordered 2. For $30 seems like a great deal. Now I have to find a deal on some more AAA rechargable batteries. Thanks TC.

[drfunk85]

I don't have it, but according to the Dell site the controller also is reprogrammable so that you can map the buttons. That could be a huge bonus, as sometimes I find myself pissed that the same can't be done with the CC.

[Rocko]

I'm not quite sure how GCN games will feel on this only because of the button difference, but with customizeable controls I should be able to get it a way that I like it. For $15 it's worth a shot, since I'm afraid of yanking my Wii off the dresser it's sitting on with the wired GCN controller, especially since I'm used to having no wires with the Wiimote.

[Rusty Ghia]

Hmm, this is tempting. I'm considering getting a Classic Controller, but this looks to be a better controller. Assignable buttons, turbo, and wireless? Sounds good.

Anyone try one out yet? I want to know about the D-pad.

[blackbird3216]

Hmm, this is tempting. I'm considering getting a Classic Controller, but this looks to be a better controller. Assignable buttons, turbo, and wireless? Sounds good.

Anyone try one out yet? I want to know about the D-pad.
i would be interested in that too, Worst case? Just switch the dual analogs to standard.(like on the GC controller)

[Ace Harding: Private Eye]

3 AAA batteries really annoys me. I'd buy this in a second if it used 2 AAs like everything else.

[62t]

I am going to wait for more impression before buying

[wiiheat]

Ordered 1 from Dell. Wanted a Wavebird, but those are still going for $20 used. Just want quality gaming without wires, not wedded to the Nintendo brand.

[Rocko]

Just checked and it looks like my controller shipped today and will be here on Wednesday. Awesome. I'll be able to post some impressions by the end of the week.

[blackbird3216]

that's the great thing about fast shipping. I'll consider ordering today ,or by wednesday, when you get your impression.

[MisterHand]

Thrustmaster? Is this a game controller or a marital aid?

[blackbird3216]

acording to this guy from IGN:

Bought one after reading the review, have to say its an awesome controller, the battery (1*aaa) last +/- 20 game hours, and the mapping option on it is awesome.

3)Wireless and responding real time no doubt, good stuff.

the bad things,...

1)its really small for my big hands, easy to press 3 buttons at once by mistake (yes i got a flat nintende thumb lol)

2)the rubber/plastick on the stick is allready fading away (after 20 hours of gaming) And the A B X Y are fading away completely :o, bad inkt ?? doh..

3)left stick wont hold it for a year in my hands -.-
theres allready less force on the left stick after 20 hours of gaming.

But! for 20 euros, its a very nice controller, but it really does not deserve the 9, rather an 7.5 - 8


MY(blackbird's) reaction: Seems nice, but 1aaa battery? did i hear right? And already breaking after 1 day?

[WeLoveDaisuke]

2 trick-ass wavebirds for the price of one real one is tempting.

it looks a lot like an xbox controller - which is the controller I most frequently use. so it's tempting.

[ChibiJosh]

I ordered one. You can't beat it for $15. And, since I was hoping to get a classic controller soon this seemed perfect. Although, the estimated shipping date isn't until after Christmas.

[Rocko]

Got the controller in today and played with it in Pokemon Snap for about an hour. There's not much to say other than IGN's review was pretty correct. It worked fine. The only probably I had was getting the R button to work, but I realized that you have to press it in the back rather than the front.

[Zen Davis]

This thing looks like it killed Steve Irwin.

[blackbird3216]

Nice, though i don't know if it'll last. NOOOOO!!! Dell doesn't sell it anymore, so who does? Now i can't get this "perfect" controller anymore.

[tick221]

Got the controller in today and played with it in Pokemon Snap for about an hour. There's not much to say other than IGN's review was pretty correct. It worked fine. The only probably I had was getting the R button to work, but I realized that you have to press it in the back rather than the front.

Did you order from Dell? if so when did you order it? <---------------- Never mind, I need to learn to read before replying:)

Thanks

[B-Man]

Got the controller in today and played with it in Pokemon Snap for about an hour. There's not much to say other than IGN's review was pretty correct. It worked fine. The only probably I had was getting the R button to work, but I realized that you have to press it in the back rather than the front.
I have a question about the controller. This is something that I've always wanted to know about it, since it's really a Gamecube controller and is obviously compatible with Gamecube games. Are the shoulder buttons pressure sensitive like a regular Gamecube controller, or are they just digital? It's a shame if they are not analog/pressure sensitive, because then you would still need to plug in a regular GCN controller for certain games (Mario Sunshine for example).

[Rocko]

I have a question about the controller. This is something that I've always wanted to know about it, since it's really a Gamecube controller and is obviously compatible with Gamecube games. Are the shoulder buttons pressure sensitive like a regular Gamecube controller, or are they just digital? It's a shame if they are not analog/pressure sensitive, because then you would still need to plug in a regular GCN controller for certain games (Mario Sunshine for example).

I just tested this out with Mario Sunshine, and they are pressure sensitive. However, they seem to lose contact after a while. It's strange. I have a full tank, and I'll hold the button all the way down, so Mario sprays without being able to walk, but after a little bit or goes down to a dribble even though I have water. Is this normal? I forget. It can't be the controller, though, because I have to hold a shoulder button in Pokemon Snap and it holds just fine.

[B-Man]

I just tested this out with Mario Sunshine, and they are pressure sensitive. However, they seem to lose contact after a while. It's strange. I have a full tank, and I'll hold the button all the way down, so Mario sprays without being able to walk, but after a little bit or goes down to a dribble even though I have water. Is this normal? I forget. It can't be the controller, though, because I have to hold a shoulder button in Pokemon Snap and it holds just fine.
Yeah, that's a normal part of the game. It's not the controller's fault.

Anyway, thanks for replying. Now I'm more sure that I want to get one of these. It's great that it has a button remapping feature, so it can be used comfortably for pretty much any game that is compatible with a GCN controller (including any VC game). Hopefully I will be able to find one somewhere, now that it's no longer on the Dell site.

[Minger]

Hm...my order with Dell was acknowledged when I ordered, but never confirmed, and this was a week ago. Should I be concerned?

[Squashua]

That is awesome. I need one of these badly. My only surviving Wavebird that I bought before I sold my GCN maybe 2 or 2.5 years ago veers to the right or left occasionally

I've had this happen before.

Don't hold down anything on the controller when you turn on the system or power-on a game.

[Gourd]

Wow. Just the sort of controller I want, and it disappears from every store online.

[A Happy Panda]

Anymore impressions? C'mon.

I know a shit ton of CAGs jumped on that Dell deal from the other thread

[VAD3R or Fro]

The D-pad looks like junk.

[UncleBob]

Got mine today - haven't had a chance to mess with it yet. I was at work most of the day, then went to family's for Christmas dinner, then had to play with my Game Boy Light that I also got in the mail today. :)

[karmapolice]

Where can one get this since dell no longer sells it?

[saro]

Does anyone know a site that sells this with a reasonable price and has it in stock? Alot of sites also overcharge for shipping.

[joshofstl]

acording to this guy from IGN:

Bought one after reading the review, have to say its an awesome controller, the battery (1*aaa) last +/- 20 game hours, and the mapping option on it is awesome.

3)Wireless and responding real time no doubt, good stuff.

the bad things,...

1)its really small for my big hands, easy to press 3 buttons at once by mistake (yes i got a flat nintende thumb lol)

2)the rubber/plastick on the stick is allready fading away (after 20 hours of gaming) And the A B X Y are fading away completely :o, bad inkt ?? doh..

3)left stick wont hold it for a year in my hands -.-
theres allready less force on the left stick after 20 hours of gaming.

But! for 20 euros, its a very nice controller, but it really does not deserve the 9, rather an 7.5 - 8


MY(blackbird's) reaction: Seems nice, but 1aaa battery? did i hear right? And already breaking after 1 day?

I'm concerned about this business of ink fading away after just 20 hours. The wear and tear of the left stick is no small issue, either.

I'm also surprised that this thing is nowhere to be found. At the time of this post, the Dell links were dead and only a couple of obscure specialty stores were carrying it.

A friend of mine reminded me the other day that 3rd party controllers never seem to live up to the wear and tear of the 1st party stuff. As much as I wanted to believe otherwise in this case...

[blackbird3216]

I'm concerned about this business of ink fading away after just 20 hours. The wear and tear of the left stick is no small issue, either.

I'm also surprised that this thing is nowhere to be found. At the time of this post, the Dell links were dead and only a couple of obscure specialty stores were carrying it.

A friend of mine reminded me the other day that 3rd party controllers never seem to live up to the wear and tear of the 1st party stuff. As much as I wanted to believe otherwise in this case...
yeah, the links were working before ,but they're dead now. It seems like they underproduced, because every stores seems to have them out of stock. Maybe they just had it as a concept model? There is no reason why it's not in stock anywhere at all.

[airwavexiii]

Damn it, still oos. So is the overall opinion that this controller is better than the actual Nintendo classic controller? Wondering if I should wait this out or just go for the regular classic.

[tankexmortis]

Still OOS as far as I can tell. Dammit. I'd really like to give this a shot.

Update: It's in stock on Amazon.co.uk (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000RK1PSY/pricerunner-21/ref=nosim). However, they won't ship it to the US, and it's 13 pounds (around 25 bucks). If you have a friend in the UK though, and are desperate, it seems to be the only option at the moment.

[MisterHand]

Finally got mine in the mail today, and it won't connect! The light on both sides just blinks and won't respond to my attempts to link them. And the "technical service" site doesn't even list this as a product they sell! Anybody run into this issue and/or have ideas?

[tankexmortis]

MisterHand: they said in another thread that this only works with the Wii, are you using it on a GC?

I just got an email from buy.com saying that they have it in stock. 14.99 using the Google Checkout deal.

[MisterHand]

Doesn't work on my Wii OR my Gamecube. Their customer service hours are really batty so I haven't had time to call. Was hoping somebody else on the forum had a fix.

[Vinny]

Doesn't work on my Wii OR my Gamecube. Their customer service hours are really batty so I haven't had time to call. Was hoping somebody else on the forum had a fix.

Supposedly, it doesn't work on the GC... which is really odd.

I was going to buy this after all the positive reviews but it seems like all I'm seeing how are negative reviews about the build quality.:-(

[koruwa]

my order got cancelled even though i responded to the annoying calls and stuff....

[dmunkee]

My Circuit City had one in stock this evening for $19.99. Was considering picking this up for the buttom mapping feature but decided to wait for some CAG opinions first.

Still, for anyone looking around for one B&M I'd try circuit city.

[Rocko]

Mine works with VC and GCN games.

[tankexmortis]

I'd heartily recommend it if you need the button mapping feature or don't have a CC.

[blackbird3216]

I'd heartily recommend it if you need the button mapping feature or don't have a CC.
in fact, im going to go buy it on saturday. Seems like a nice investment(especially since BRAWL is coming out).

[tankexmortis]

I had a lot of trouble playing Melee with it since I was so used to the GC controller, but it worked just fine, so if you can do a bit of re-learning then it's not a bad idea. IMO the analog sticks on the GC controller are in the perfect place for Smash though.

Glad I got it though, if only to finally have a fourth GC controller.

[drfunk85]

My Circuit City had one in stock this evening for $19.99. Was considering picking this up for the buttom mapping feature but decided to wait for some CAG opinions first.

Still, for anyone looking around for one B&M I'd try circuit city.

Mine had 2 today as well.

[dmunkee]

I decided to bite and picked it up since I was at Circuit City for 20% off Advance Wars anyway. Haven't got to mess around with it too much but I have to say I'm pleased so far.

I tested it with Metal Slug Anthology and mapped the analog controls to the d-pad, and it worked flawlessly :)

[blackbird3216]

I decided to bite and picked it up since I was at Circuit City for 20% off Advance Wars anyway. Haven't got to mess around with it too much but I have to say I'm pleased so far.

I tested it with Metal Slug Anthology and mapped the analog controls to the d-pad, and it worked flawlessly :)
how does the mapping work. Like, how do you switch buttons? Do you just click the map button, click the button you wanna switch, and then click the button you wanna switch it to?

[dmunkee]

how does the mapping work. Like, how do you switch buttons? Do you just click the map button, click the button you wanna switch, and then click the button you wanna switch it to?

That's excatly how you do it actually. Just keep doing it for whatever buttons that you want to map. Any mapping resets to its defaults when you switch off the controller or unplug it from the console.

[kneijst1]

I bought two of these from Dell recently, thinking they could provide me with not having to buy two Nintendo controllers. Boy, was I wrong... I downloaded and starting playing Mario World (SNES) last night. In order to controller the character, you have to use the controller pad plus the left D pad. Basicallly holding the left hand side of this small controller with two hands!!! Also, the button mapping is nice and easy, but you have to do it EVERYTIME you turn off the controller (which is after every session since the thing needs to be manually turned off). It becomes very annoying very quickly. I'm going to give this one more shot on Mario Kart 64, and I may have to shell out additional money for the nintendo controller as well... argh!!!! :(. Overall, I can't recommend this thing. I'll post more tomorrow if I get a chance to play tonight again with 2nd impressions.

[ChibiJosh]

I bought two of these from Dell recently, thinking they could provide me with not having to buy two Nintendo controllers. Boy, was I wrong... I downloaded and starting playing Mario World (SNES) last night. In order to controller the character, you have to use the controller pad plus the left D pad. Basicallly holding the left hand side of this small controller with two hands!!!

I love this controller. I haven't played Mario World, but Mario 3 is nothing like that. And, I've played Breath of Fire II, another SNES game, and the controls aren't anything like that either.

[kneijst1]

I take back what I said yesterday. Somehow the buttons must have been remapped, causing everything to play ackwardly. I played Super Mario World and Mario Kart 64 and both were a blast with this controller!