Wii Controller - Classic Controller
Wednesday, October 1, 2008 16:57
Classic Controller (Left)
The Classic Controller connected to the Wii Remote
During E3 2006 Nintendo introduced a Classic Controller (model number RVL-005), which plugs into the Wii Remote via a cord in a similar fashion as the Nunchuk.[14] It contains two analog sticks and two extra shoulder buttons: the ZL and ZR buttons, used to replicate the Z button found on the Nintendo GameCube controller. The overall configuration is similar to that of other major seventh generation console controllers.
The Classic Controller cord comes from the bottom instead of the top of the controller (a configuration shared by the Dreamcast controller). The Classic Controller contains slots on its backside, opened via a rectangular button at the top of the controller, presumably for attaching the controller to something else.[56] The purpose for these slots remains undisclosed,[57] but it is commonly believed to be used with a special clip that attaches the Wii Remote to the Classic Controller, enabling it to take advantage of the Wii Remote’s motion-sensing and rumble capabilities (the Classic Controller does not have its own accelerometer or vibration motor); Nyko has released such a clip, in addition to a grip shell and a place to store the cable.[58] The body of the Classic Controller measures 65.7 mm tall, 135.7 mm wide, and 26 mm thick.[14]
The Classic Controller cannot be used to play Nintendo GameCube games. According to the Nintendo Online Shop, the Classic Controller can only be used with Virtual Console titles. Specific Wii games have been designed to function with it, however. The Nintendo GameCube controller can be used instead of the Classic Controller for playing most Virtual Console games. When in the Wii Menu, the left analog stick takes control of the cursor when the Wii Remote is not pointed at the screen. The Classic Controller can navigate through the Message Board, settings menus and Wii Shop Channel. It becomes inactive on all other channels, excluding Virtual Console games.
Nintendo had previously announced a controller “shell” which resembled a traditional game controller, often referred to as a “classic-style expansion controller.”[59] As described at the time, the Wii Remote would fit inside the shell, allowing gamers to play games using a traditional-style gamepad, while allowing use of the remote’s motion sensing capability. According to Satoru Iwata, it would be meant for playing “the existing games, Virtual Console games, and multi-platform games.”[60]
The Classic Controller features two analog sticks, a D-pad, face buttons labeled a, b, x, and y, analog shoulder buttons labeled L and R and two Z buttons (labeled ZL and ZR) next to the L and R buttons, respectively. It also has a set of -, Home, and + buttons like those on the Wii Remote, with the - and + buttons labeled ‘Select’ and ‘Start’, respectively. A button on the very top operates a latch mechanism on the back of the unit, but no peripherals currently use this.
In November 2007, Nintendo listed a special Super Famicom Classic Controller as one of the choices for the free gift for 2007 Club Nintendo platinum members.[61]
Anascape Ltd filed a lawsuit against Nintendo claiming that the Classic Controller and other Nintendo devices violated Anascape’s “six degrees of freedom” interface device patent. In July 2008 the verdict ruled in favor of Anascape; Nintendo was ordered to stop selling the Classic Controller in the United States until further notice. Nintendo has exercised the right to continue selling the Classic Controller pending a verdict at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.[62]