

- Kickstarter panda controller upgrade#
- Kickstarter panda controller portable#
- Kickstarter panda controller pro#
- Kickstarter panda controller professional#
You have to take hype product launches with a grain of salt, especially when they are on Kickstarter. Melee, in particular, should really enjoy a reasonably priced option for a luxury controller feel. If you are a competitive-minded Smasher, you likely already know the value of a good controller so the Panda Controller is a no-brainer. Panda Global has a history of authentically growing the Smash community and their Smash Circuit partnership with Nintendo of America even makes their new controller feel more official for smash esports than it really is. The strongest appeal of the Panda Controller comes from the people who are behind it. The GameCube controller lives on in the Super Smash Bros. However, the magnetic shell colors options are a huge selling point and I wouldn't knock gamers for purchasing a Panda Controller for the style and feel alone. The controller can start to feel a bit pricey if gamers read through the features and realistically only use a few of them.


I trust that Panda Hardware has made it as simple, but it is still controller modding: you are either into it or you aren't. Panda Hardware, in their own words, describes the controller as a "very precise machine" that was made so "no part is a single millimeter out of place." It's an odd contradiction for a controller that's main selling point is that the user can take it apart themselves. Firmware updates should help mitigate this possibility, but it's just as easy to imagine updates being the source of user-error-generated problems as well. Kickstarter cautions with the Panda ControllerĬonsidering how Nintendo's own Joycons started experiencing unexpected drift after one to two years of play, it is also fair to wonder whether or not the Panda Controller will encounter eventual malfunction. For the same reason that many competitive Tetris players prefer the original NES controller, fandom and stubborn preference will still keep the Gamecube controller relevant. That being said, the Gamecube controller's 20-year rust that makes it unquestionably inferior to the Panda Controller is also responsible for the nostalgic draw and official aesthetic that can't be duplicated. To be clear, the Gamecube controller is vastly outperformed by the Panda Controller.
Kickstarter panda controller upgrade#
It is more accurate to imagine the Panda Controller as a deliberate best choice for a specific type of gamer rather than a defacto upgrade over the past controllers. The exhaustive technical upgrades are impressive, but that appeal feels quite narrow the deeper you explore.
Kickstarter panda controller pro#
However, the Panda Controller won't replace the original Gamecube one.Īs inspired as Panda Controller is, it is still a third-party device more expensive than a Nintendo Switch Pro controller. The Panda Controller: Affordable luxury is still luxury In addition, the $90 price tag is a blessing for gamers who always wanted a pro-level controller but didn't want to shell out hundreds. controller, Panda Hardware consulted with expert modders and pro players - this clearly shows in features like magnetic shell and S-tier stick box. In aspiring to create the perfect Smash Bros. On the contrary, the Panda Controller is less about solving basic problems and more about optimizing just about everything. The appeal of the UGA was obvious to even non-smashers. Panda Hardware designers have a keen understanding of what smashers care about and the UGA solves one of their basic gaming-related gripes in a simple way. Part of why the UGA was successful has to do with the relevancy of the problem it solves. With the help of 2,200 backers, the Ultimate Gamecube adapter became a reality and you can still spot them around large Smash events.
Kickstarter panda controller portable#
The adapter is a simple charging station and portable dock that allows for easy use of a GameCube controller when using a Switch. The first successful Kickstarter by Panda Hardware, a studio by GearHawk Studio and Panda Global, raised $154,968 dollars to create the Ultimate GameCube Adapter. The Panda Controller is an advanced gamer's cup of tea but, before its creation, there there was the humble Ultimate Gamecube Adapter. It's a bold claim that more than 10,000 backers pledging over 1.4M dollars on Kickstarter believe is true. With five different patents associated with its exhaustive customizable design, the Panda Controller aims to fix that problem by being the last controller a gamer ever has to purchase.
Kickstarter panda controller professional#
The Panda Controller was born after its designers realized that gamers (especially professional ones) each have a different idea of the perfect controller.
