Super Smash Bros. Creator Reveals Nintendo GameCube Controller Secret After 22 Years

The creator and current director of the Super Smash Bros. series, Masahiro Sakurai, has revealed a Nintendo GameCube controller secret 22 years after the console's release in 2001. As you may know, the GameCube controller was contentious among Nintendo fans when it released, and it remains contentious to this day. Some call it one of the best video game controllers ever created, while others slam it as one of the worst video game controllers of all time. Wherever you come down on this debate, there's no denying it's unique, and it was almost even more unique. 

Speaking about the controller in a recent video on his personal YouTube channel, Sakurai relayed word that Nintendo consulted him during the controller's design process for his input as a prominent member of the company. To this end, Sakurai suggested a scroll wheel. What Nintendo thought about this suggestion, Sakurai doesn't say, but it obviously never ended up making the final design. 

"If game consoles had scroll wheels, menu selections would be really easy," said Sakurai. "Games utilize all sorts of inputs, but out of everything, menu selections are something I'd like to do quickly. A scroll wheel would let me zip right to my choice and be done in a flash. It would really make selections fast."

Sakurai continued: "Of course, its use wouldn't be limited to menus alone. There are plenty of situations in games where you're trying to pick one thing from a group, and I thought a scroll wheel would make that more convenient. I also thought it would be nice if the wheel had a 'clicky' feel to it. Games are about play, so that tactile feedback would make gameplay feel more immersive."

This is the first time we've ever heard Sakurai pushed to have a scroll wheel added to the GameCube controller. What is unclear is whether he's ever advocated for it since then. If he has, Nintendo has clearly continued not to listen. All of that said, as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think. Do you think this was a good idea by Sakurai?

H/T, Nintendo Everything.