Nintendo Switch Online subscribers have yet another chance to buy one of a controller’s greatest nostalgia trips. The reissued Nintendo 64 controller for the Switch is on sale again on the Nintendo site for $49.99. These drops aren’t very common and on recent occasions they’ve still sold out within hours of being available, so it’s best to act fast if you want to get one for yourself. But if you want the purchase to qualify for free shipping, you’ll also want to add a cheap item to reach Nintendo’s $50 threshold.
The main caveat here is that Nintendo restricts sales of the controller to paying Switch Online members, meaning you’ll need to subscribe one of his plans (starting at $3.99 per month or $19.99 per year) to just buy one. Subscribing to Nintendo’s service gives you access to online play, cloud save support, and a selection of classic NES and SNES games to play on your Switch. To take full advantage of the N64 controller with the games it was designed for, you’ll need a Switch Online + Expansion Pass membership ($49.99 per year). In addition to N64 games, that level also gives you access to DLC for some major Nintendo games, as well as GameBoy Advance and Sega Genesis titles to play.
The trident-shaped N64 controller might not be everyone’s favorite design (although I personally know some sick people who really love it), but it’s definitely a hallmark of the 90s 64-bit gaming era. The new one looks just like this like the original, complete with its palm-shredding analog stick (thanks, Mario party), and adds wireless and USB-C charging. It works with all Nintendo Switch models, and it even has rumble (which used to require an extra rumble pack).
