If you’re still on the hunt for Nintendo’s official N64 controller, you just might be able to pick up the legendary controller for the Nintendo Switch at the Nintendo eShop. This $49.99 controller allows you to experience N64 games the way they were meant to be played — with a big gray controller that has an awkwardly placed central analog stick.
The N64 controller for Switch is back in stock at the Nintendo store
The N64 controller for Switch is back in stock at the Nintendo store
This offer is exclusive to the Nintendo store and is only available to purchase if you’re a current Nintendo Switch Online subscriber. To see if it’s in stock and possibly complete your purchase, you may need to be logged in with your Nintendo account. (Note: you can only access the N64 games with the purchase of the Switch Online Expansion Pack.)
The restock for the N64 doesn’t follow the same rules for console restocks like the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. Just sign in to your Nintendo account, click “add to cart,” and cross your fingers. Stocks of this controller go remarkably fast, so don’t be surprised if you see them become unavailable in short order.
For the uninitiated, Nintendo Switch Online is necessary for accessing the online components of a number of titles, including Splatoon 3, Minecraft, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, just to name a few. As an added bonus, a membership includes access to classic NES and SNES titles, too. An annual subscription to this service only costs $19.99; however, to access Nintendo’s online library of N64 titles, you’ll have to subscribe to the Expansion Pack as well, which costs $49.99.
This rerelease of the N64 controller is mostly what you’ll remember from the original console, with some quality-of-life improvements. Wireless connectivity that’s rechargeable via USB-C and built-in rumble support help modernize this classic controller, but it retains the “classic” shape. While the overall form factor of the N64 controller remains divisive in a modern context, the popularity of this controller is proof that nostalgia will win every time.