You know what’s often better than playing your retro game on an old retro console and tiny CRT TV? Playing it on a high-powered, big screen PC through a really good emulator! Playing a Nintendo 64 game on a big screen is an excellent way of fully immersing yourself in the game – providing that if you can still control it in the same way. When it comes to nostalgic controllers, you really don’t have to search far past the Nintendo 64 controller. But, can you really use your old Nintendo 64 controller with your new beast of a PC?
A standard Nintendo 64 cannot be directly connected to the PC. Luckily for you, there are “controller adapters”, which will help you connect your Nintendo 64 controller to your PC by using a special controller port on one side, and a standard USB port on the other, thus providing for a connection between the controller and the PC.
In today’s article, you are going to find out everything you need about the Nintendo 64 controller. I am going to tell you about the device’s configuration and how you can connect it to your PC for a fuller emulation experience. Enjoy!
Can you use a Nintendo 64 controller on your PC?
From a purely technological standpoint, the Nintendo 64 controller is not incompatible with the PC. Namely, there is no technological hindrance that would make the controller completely useless. Although the PC is not pre-programmed for video game controllers, there are numerous controllers on the market that one can use normally, as modern gamers want a more authentic experience than adjusting the keys on their keyboards.
Still, this fact doesn’t sadly, mean that you can freely use your Nintendo 64 controller on your PC. Namely, the connection port of a Nintendo 64 is a completely incompatible PC and there is absolutely no way that you’ll find a PC with a controller-compatible entry port. Is there anything you can do to fix this? Let’s see what the next section says about it.
Introducing the Nintendo 64 controller
“The first time [Nintendo’s lead game designer Shigeru Miyamoto] played with the controller, because he’s working most of the time on Mario 64, he would have seen Mario 64 with it. It wasn’t so much that controller dictated Mario 64, it was just that was the game he was working on. Mario was the way of testing it out. Probably more the other way around. The actual movement of Mario came from the N64 controller, the way you move the central stick.”
— Giles Goddard, Super Mario 64 programmer (Source)
As the above-quoted interview states, the original Nintendo 64 controller’s design was mainly modelled for the Mario 64 game mechanics. It wasn’t, of course, made for just one game, but while designing it, the developers had Mario 64 in mind.
According to Nintendo’s studies, as most games use two main buttons, the A and B buttons are highlighted on the controller, making it easier to access. The controller was designed to be used in three different positions: by holding hands externally, the controller would remain in a format better suited for 2D gaming, similar to the SNES controller; on the other hand, central holding and right holding was best suited for 3D gaming; holding the left and center side was best suited for FPS games like Goldeneye 007, a major Nintendo 64 hit.
The controller also included four C buttons, which were designed for camera control in 3D games. The controller was one of the first to use the analog stick as the main feature, whose goal was a better interaction in 3D environments, however, some previous consoles already had a similar feature, such as the Atari 5200 (which was a hybrid combined with a joystick) and the Neo Geo CD (another hybrid combined with a directional cross).
This design was quite controversial, as some games ended up using too many buttons, forcing the player to keep moving their hands around the controller, or using buttons for a function that hadn’t been designed. Despite that, the original Nintendo 64 controller became one of the most popular and best-known gaming controllers in modern history.
In 1997, Sony released the Dual Analog and DualShock controller for the PlayStation that allowed the use of the directional cross and the analog sticks with one hand; this marked the end of the N64 controller’s monopoly in the gaming market. Soon, new controllers started to appear, made by other companies, that modified the original Nintendo 64 controller in accordance with Sony’s joystick, such as MakoPad and Hori Mini. Nintendo only came to adopt this format in its successor console, the GameCube.
How to use a Nintendo 64 controller on your PC?
Now, we have established that a Nintendo 64 controller cannot be connected to a PC directly, although it’s not incompatible with the device itself. The entry port needed for the controller just cannot be found on the PC and there is nothing you can do in this aspect. Still, there is something you can do about the controller!
In order to connect your Nintendo 64 controller to your PC you’ll need a small intermediary, a device that will allow you to connect your controller to a PC. Such devices are known as controller adapters, and they can be easily ordered from Amazon or eBay.
The controller adapter is a small device that has a standard USB port on one end, and a controller-compatible port on the other end. Thus, it acts as an intermediary between the controller and the PC, allowing the latter to connect to the PC. These devices are usually compatible with multiple different consoles, not just one.
So do they actually work? On the whole, yes, they do. The one above I have used myself, and it worked just fine, but I think it could make a difference if you do not use an original Nintendo 64 controller.