Video game fans are an impatient lot. Barely has Nintendo announced one retro launch, and fans are already demanding the next. Nintendo's GameCube wasn't the most successful console on launch back in 2001, but it's developed something of a cult following in recent years. So with Nintendo announcing the arrival of N64 and Sega Mega Drive for Switch Online service, fans are now eager for another comeback.
In fact, some have already tried to get the ball rolling, putting forward ideas for what games we could expect and what the concept could look like. One artist has even suggested Nintendo resurrect its legendary WaveBird wireless controller, which was one of the first of its kind (see our roundup of the best Nintendo Switch Black Friday deals if you still need the console). You can stay up to date with the latest Switch deals via our Nintendo Switch Black Friday live blog.
Hey, Nintendo... if you ever decide to put GameCube games on Nintendo Switch Online, I'd love see you release a WaveBird alongside it. 🥺👉👈 pic.twitter.com/6tLqjz3Z5TSeptember 27, 2021
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Nintendo's bringing old N64 and Sega Mega Drive titles to Switch Online in a new premium expansion pack due for release in October. For an authentically retro experience, it's also launching Switch-compatible Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis controllers.
Fans now want the 20-year-old GameCube to be next in line, and they're already dreaming up how it could look. The artist Baronduki has envisioned a Switch-packaged re-release of the chunky but surprisingly ergonomic WaveBird controller, which was probably the best thing about the GameCube (see the tweet above).
Meanwhile, Reecee_yt has shared a concept idea of what the bootup screen and the GameCube library of games might look like, copying the style of the N64 announcement. He imagines games such as Metroid Prime, Zelda and F-Zero GX on launch and Doshin the Giant and Animal Crossing (the original) as follow-ups for future release.
Nintendo Switch Online GameCube Concept pic.twitter.com/QcKGSZ4QycSeptember 27, 2021
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It's an exciting concept, and fans are already saying they'd buy it without hesitation. We have to admit we'd love the nostalgia of playing GameCube games on the Switch. In reality, there might be a bit of a hitch though, since the size of GameCube games could render them fairly impractical for storage on the console (see our full Nintendo Switch review for more on the console).
One response on Twitter poured cold water on the idea: "This [will] never happen. Each single game is 1.36GiB, 10 games will fill almost half of the internal memory of the base unit, each new game added will require extensive tweaks to the emulator."
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The retro Switch controllers that started everything (Image credit: Nintendo)
We can but dream! In the meantime, we'll look forward to the upcoming launch of Nintendo's N64 and Sega Mega Drive titles and the corresponding retro controllers (the latter pictured above). If you'll be needing a Switch to play the new releases on, check out the best current prices below. And make sure you also see our guide to the best Nintendo Switch games for more titles to play.
Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.
