Things you recently bought or got

[lightwo]

Part 1, where I got the controller.

I got a BlueRetro GameCube controller adaptor by Retro Scaler, and finally got to try the NS2 NSO GCN controller on a GameCube!

As for the adaptor, it just works. While this particular one does support firmware updates, it already came with the necessary update to use this controller, so that was a breeze. Also, to re-affirm, the issue with early GameCube emulation on NS2 with stick travel not being linear is not an issue at all with this setup, it works just fine. Besides, I think it was only an issue with that particular emulator or NS2's support for the controller, not the controller itself.

The controller passes the Monkey Ball check, is slightly biased to the left according to F-Zero GX (which was also the case on my Phob, albeit not calibrated for a while), and the notches are aligned decently. No issues there.

As I could already determine and as observed by others, the buttons are indeed not as soft and triggers are spongier (there's foam to dampen them) than on original controllers, and the d-pad no longer feels like putty, it's actually tactile and usable!

Final verdict? If you at least partially stick to OEM controllers, this is the best GameCube controller in almost every way. The only major issue is that it has all new parts inside, so repairing it may be more challenging or impossible down the line.

 

[SylverReZ]

Just when you thought I'd stop collecting flashcarts.

I bought an Acekard 3 for the collection, a rare clone of the Acekard 2(i) with an exact trade dress copy of the box & label design that makes you feel like the official team passed this off. Of course, the Acekard team fully disproved of this.

I'm willing to try and make a dump of it, and see if flashing the AK2i firmware-much like what I did to the R4i Ultra-will allow me to use any AKAIO kernel past v1.8.7. Will do a follow-up shortly as a blog entry.

 

[Silterpy]

Just when you thought I'd stop collecting flashcarts.

I bought an Acekard 3 for the collection, a rare clone of the Acekard 2(i) with an exact trade dress copy of the box & label design that makes you feel like the official team passed this off. Of course, the Acekard team fully disproved of this.

I'm willing to try and make a dump of it, and see if flashing the AK2i firmware-much like what I did to the R4i Ultra-will allow me to use any AKAIO kernel past v1.8.7. Will do a follow-up shortly as a blog entry.

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I've heard of this clone but never seen one. I still have my AK2i. I remember buying it on DealExtreme a long, long time ago for like $20. I got lucky with a real one, my cousin bought an AK2, and it was a clone, but it worked perfectly. It was such a good flashcard, and it's still the main one I use, even though I've had many different carts after.