I’m not one of those people who goes on all the gaming websites and looks at all the new games and accessories. About once a month I go on Epinions, see what’s new and hot, then go out to Best Buy. Therefore I was not up-to-date on the new technologies and such. At the time the Wavebird was pretty new I didn’t see anything about it on Epinions, however when I went to Best Buy, there it was. It was $35, and that seemed like a lot but I always get fed up with four cords ranging out from the GameCube just waiting to be tripped over. I bought four of them.

Feels the Same, Maybe A Little Better
Basically the Wavebird is just like your traditional GameCube controller. It has the same buttons and all that jazz. It is a little bigger, I assume because of the extra gears on the inside, but it’s not too much to handle. Actually, I think I like the feel of the Wavebird better than the traditional controllers. I’m not quite sure why, I guess it just feels more natural.

Where’s the Rumble Pack?
One thing is missing. As you might or might not know, most of the traditional GameCube controllers have rumble packs built in. The Wavebird, however, does not. There isn’t even an attachment I’ve found to put on a rumble pack. This was definitely a disappointment. I don’t know if it’s just me but I love having the controller rumbling in your hand as your crash into the sidewall of a raceway. I’m sure Nintendo will come out with a wireless controller that has rumble pack capabilities in the future, too bad they don’t have that yet (to my knowledge, correct me if I’m wrong).

Advantages
Obviously a wireless controller can go more places than your standard wire connected controller. The Wavebird actually worked better than I expected. I can be halfway across the room (20-30 feet or so) and the Wavebird will still react flawlessly with the GameCube. Also, I haven’t had problems with things obstructing the frequency. I’ve had blankets on top of me and on top of the controller while playing the GameCube with no effect. Also just to see how well it really works; I’ve gone behind my couch and tried it and again, no hindrance.

Each Wavebird comes with a hookup to the GameCube. On the controller and the hookup you can set which frequency you want each controller on. This allows you to have multiple Wavebirds working at the same time. The only thing that changes the frequency is the little turn of a dial. When I first got the Wavebird I thought I would have tons of problems with mistakenly turning the dial and then I would have to change it back before resuming play. This has not been a problem, in fact, its never happened. My Wavebirds have always been on the right frequency.

I would definitely recommend this controller, especially if you like to play the video games in a place that isn’t really easy to maneuver a wire through. Like I said the only problem is that it doesn’t have a rumble pack and it’s a little larger in size. I don’t think its big enough to cause any problems so I wouldn’t worry about that. I remember how big of a thing it was when rumble packs came out for Nintendo 64, so I just thought I would point that out.


Recommended: Yes