Best Nintendo 64 Controllers | Brawler 64, Tribute 64, Hori Mini Pad, Admiral and more!

We rank the best N64 controllers on the market... from The Brawler 64 by Retro Fighters, Tribute 64 by Retro-bit, Hori N64 Mini Pad, Hyperkin Admiral, Hyperkin Captain, OEM, OEM with Gamecube analog, OEM with third-party replacement, and the RB8-64 by 8bitdo and Retro-bit!

- All of these controllers were purchased with no discounts, and we were not paid to do this review in any way. This video contains 100% our own unbiased opinions!

0:00 - Intro
0:51 - Honorable Mention - Retro-bit x 8bitdo RB8-64
1:51 - OEM w/ 3rd party GameCube analog / Hyperkin Captain
3:00 - Brawler 64 (Version 2.0 only!)
5:23 - OEM w/ Original Analog (In Good Condition)
6:23 - Hyperkin Admiral
7:44 - Retrobit Tribute 64
8:47 - Horipad Mini 64 (by Hori)

*Double check your N64 and make sure the analog is compatible.

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Thanks for watching!

#RetroGaming #Review #Nintendo64

[uncannyx]

0:51 - Honorable Mention - Retro-bit x 8bitdo RB8-64
1:51 - OEM w/ 3rd party GameCube analog / Hyperkin Captain
3:00 - Brawler 64 (Version 2.0 only!)
5:23 - OEM w/ Original Analog (In Good Condition)
6:23 - Hyperkin Admiral
7:44 - Retrobit Tribute 64
8:47 - Horipad Mini 64 (by Hori)

[GoodVibeCollecting]

I look forward to hearing how the 3rd party replacement stick holds up 20 years from now.

[neetrain]

Can we appreciate that we have that many options for 20 year old console?

[BitJayGaming]

Glad I saw this review, I've seen the retro bit controllers and wondered as they seem decently priced so I wouldn't struggle to justify buying one.

[Gamedraco]

This video helps me a ton. I am literally looking now at these N64 Controllers mainly because I know the OEM N64 controllers are super hard to find in good condition at a decent price now.

[Majora_T]

This was a great video. Thanks for showcasing all of these units.
I enjoy using the Retro-bit but it is a bit on the small side.

[devackroyd]

After basically an eternity of trying to decide what controller to buy. I have a plethora of good N64 games I literally can't play because my controllers are awful. It was a hand me down growing up so the controllers to begin with werent great, but got even worse given how much my sister and I played Mario Party lmao, they are beyond flaccid and some are just broken now. I pulled the trigger on the Tribute 64 Grey Model, I think its price to performance is relatively unrivaled here.

[joshmartimez]

I have about six of the original Nintendo 64 controllers and two have good working thumb sticks. The Retrobit Tribute 64 is my favorite controller for the system i have had green one for nearly a year and a few days ago bought a clear blue one. Great video!

[pandurlolgg]

As a big Nintendo 64 fan, who invested huge amounts of money in the system, games and accessories, here's my experience so far with the different brands:

8bitdo:
Upside: It's 8bitdo. Quality is great, price is reasonable.

Downside: Can't be used on original hardware, as far as I know. Also, they do not get produced anymore.

Hyperkin GameCube Stick/Hyperkin Captain/Hyperkin Admiral:
Upside: Availability is good. They do work.

Downside: It's Hyperkin. Low quality plastic. Hardware tends to die early. Price is high for the low quality they offer. Gotta say that I'm not a big fan of Hyperkin. The replacement Stick works, but is not very good for shooters or precise movement. Deadzone feels weird. Doesn't feel calibrated properly.

Hori Pad Mini:
Upside: Very good controller. People say it's the best replacement for the original controller. Some even say it's better than OEM.

Downside: Big Hands are a problem, since the controller is tiny. You can barely get them anymore in good condition. And if you manage to find one, they are very expensive. (Between 100-200 bucks)

3rd Party OEM replacement: Sucks.

Retro Bit:
Upside: Good controller, good availability. Fair price. Good option for the Hori Pad Mini.

Downsides: Also tiny.

Brawler 64:
Upside: Probably the best after market controller you can get atm. Price is reasonable, availability is good. Works with big hands.

Downside: If you live outside of the US, they are not easy to get. There are european shops that sell them, but they are way more expensive and more often than not out of stock. Shipping is expensive, and depending on where you live, import tax can be up to 20%.

Conclusion: The most reasonable options are the Brawler64 or the Tribute64. Personally, I'd go for the Brawler64. Or the Retro Bit Tribute 64, if you can't get your hands on the Brawler64. If you don't care about money, buy the Hori Pad Mini.
Avoid Hyperkin, the 3rd party OEM replacement sticks and the 10 bucks 3rd Party controllers you can find on eBay or Amazon.

[Junedude]

I have some constructive criticism for you. Disclaimer: I haven't seen any of your other videos, so I don't know if you have improved, but I'm assuming your quality is roughly the same since this video is about one month old.

You should include timestamps. This is a pretty long video, and your giving short reviews about each controller. That's great, but what if I just want to know about a few specific controllers and don't care about the rest? It would be very convenient to be able to skip to that part of the video directly.

There's no reason to include raw gameplay footage of you're reviewing a controller. We can't see how the controller is working via a capture card recorded gameplay clip. The only time I could think of where showing gameplay could be useful is if you are showing if there's input lag.

Overall, it's a good video.

[forestmanzpedia]

I think you need to make an updated version of this video. Roughly 7-9 months ago (I don't remember) the Retrobit and 8Bitdo analog sticks were released for the original N64 controller. You can skip the Retrobit version because the 8bitdo analog is the most closest to the original OEM stick according to benchmarks. The previous Gamecube analog sticks like mentioned in the video are too sensitive and have between movements of the analog sticks input lags and it doesn't register every input. The 8bitdo analog is really great in that matter.

[shaun]

The Brawler 64 has the worst D-pad, and here's why:
The best games to test this are ones that require multiple directions to be pressed a the same time, such as up+Left, up+Right in instances like doing tricks in the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series. Anyone who's slightly proficient in doing a trick combination in these games will immediately notice the D-pad fails to register two directions half the time. I have owned four Brawler 64 controllers of the latest model type. The hyperkin D-pad has the same issue. The best D-pads are on the original N64 controller and on the Hori Pad mini. However, the Hori pad's D-pad is slightly less comfortable to reach.

Now, concerning the control or analogue sticks:
The original and the Hori pad mini have the most precise input. The Brawler comes in 3rd on the analog stick input, but still pretty good. All other analogue or control sticks from controllers are either too sensitive, have dead zones, or simply have limited and rigid directional transitions or adjustments for minute movements which become important when playing platformers, racing, aiming, and pretty much most styles of games.

[nicolasmellalopez]

I got one more question. Which one of these controllers is compatible with the pokemon stadium transfer pack? Have you been able to try them out for this purpose?

[el_cores]

Good and informative video man but I have to strongly disagree with your statement regarding the Brawler's D-pad. I can't play that good Killer Instinct Gold or Pokemon Puzzle League. Maybe I'm not that used to it (?)

[brigar]

The hori mini pad it's the very best one one problem tho it's so rare to find and expensive but it's worth it

[Itsfayd]

I have the tribute 64 and the admiral wireless controller. I use admiral most since it’s wireless but the best one is the tribute 64. I’m Considering to get the brawler 64 wireless controller that just came out tho

[BigJoker]

My hyperkin procube for the Wii U had the same issue your Admiral does. The joystick didn't sit right in the hole and it couldn't reach one side as easily as it could the other. They made a revision and issued a free replacement.

I stay away from hyperkin now. Just terrible.

[shaun]

I STRONGLY DISAGREE with the D-pad being the best on the brawler64. I play tony hawk pro skater with the original controller D-pad as well as 007 Goldeneye, as I use it for strafing. The tony hawk proskater allowes me to compare the D pad to playstations D pad as I am competitive in that game. The brawler 64 D-pad is not nimble enough and does not register fast enough (by far, and noticeable by two other friends of mine).

[zipple]

If you care about input lag, the Hyperkin seems like a bad idea. This definitely should've been addressed. Bluetooth connections have notorious lag.

[sandman]

I have the brawler 64 and I really struggle to aim in fps games but it’s fantastic for everything else.