Replacing Worn-Out Nintendo 64 Controller Thumbsticks
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 มิ.ย. 2022
- A very common problem with the N64 controller is that its thumbstick wears out and becomes loose. But while some game console repairs or mods can be daunting, this one is something practically anyone can do.
Hand Held Legend replacement thumbstick: handheldlegend.com/collection...
Disclosure: Hand Held Legend provided the part shown in the video at no cost, but no money changed hands and the opinions expressed here are solely my own. As a policy I do not produce sponsored content.
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There have been many comments with concerns about the quality of not just this part, but replacement N64 thumbsticks in general. As with all third-party parts, there are of course going to be varying levels of quality. I was only sent one part, and I can say that in my experience, it's performed fine. The caveat is that I haven't been able to test it with every N64 game, or for dozens or hundreds of hours -- with the testing I performed, it worked well for me, but if you have specific preferences or requirements, it may not be the best option for you. There are replacement parts available for the original thumbstick assembly if you prefer to rebuild it, or entire third-party controllers. As with all things gaming (and tech), while some people take things very seriously, others approach it more casually. I think this part is probably better suited for the latter.
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Something you should mention when putting self tapping screws back into plastic is to put the screw in, then rest the screw driver in the screw and gently turn it backwards until you see, hear, feel it drop. That puts the threads back into their original cut and the screw will drive back in easily. Just putting the screw in the hole and driving it in is likely to cut new threads between the originals and after a few removals and reinstalls will strip the hole.
Something else that can happen just driving screws in without getting them back in their original threads is plastic shavings can be pushed ahead of the screw and raise a bump on the outer face of the item. I had a flatscreen TV that had that because the tech who had to work on it twice (because the warranty replacement circuit board was also defective) didn't do the backwards then forwards screw driver 'trick'.
I've tried these replacements, as you said varying degrees of quality/function. There are however replacement pieces that let you keep the original design and the steps in speed say with Mario having more incremental speeds than some replacements which will reduce it down to sometimes even 2-4 increments.
Some game tournaments insist that all controllers must be 100% OEM original, no aftermarket ones like Mad Catz or Rock Candy, no 3rd party replacement parts. That's getting difficult when 1. the original controllers are all getting old. 2. some of the OEM parts are just crap that wears out pretty fast.
I've found with these joysticks is that they work great with everything - except first person shooters.
Goldeneye 007, Perfect Dark, Turok, any game that requires precise inputs don't work well. The replacement thumbsticks are not precise enough.
Kitsch-Bent sells replacement parts for the original N64 control stick. For the same cost of a 3rd party stick, you could repair 5 or more original sticks. While they may wear out again, I don't expect it to happen as quickly since I'm not playing everday. I bought 10 sets of spare parts so I should be good for a lifetime
I'm the same. Those parts are so invaluable, especially with Steel Sticks still being impossible to obtain. I've got five sets, though I should buy more in case I run into other controllers I buy that need repair.
With some lubrication, it shouldn't go bad nearly as quickly as the stick won't be grinding against the bowl anywhere near as harshly. I'm not sure exactly what lubricant is best though...I heard lithium grease?
Keep those spare parts well protected from sunlight, but even then, don't expect plastic to last "a lifetime", ABS will become more brittle and get easier to crack over time, even if it is properly stored.
Really helped me when I replaced my n64 controller’s stick. I had a few troubles putting the controller back together but managed to in the end after some fidgeting with the controller port’s wire to help fit the controller. 10/10. Would replace again
what a coincidence that youd make this video right when i was looking into repairing my n64 stick as well. perfect timing!
I was given an N64 yesterday with this exact problem and just happened to be browsing your other videos. Very useful to know!
Insane that you posted this video a couple of days after me purchasing a Nintendo 64 and I noticed the controller had a worn analog stick.
The days of 007 & Perfect Dark were not nice to my joysticks back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. I use to fix these regularly back in the day. A little lube on the moving parts went a long way to preserve the original sticks when multiplayer matches were daily and lasted well into the early morning hours.
The only downside to these sticks is they tend to be too "soft" when you are used to the original sticks. I like them, but you basically have to recaliber yourself when playing games requiring precision.
Mine have been like this for years and don’t seem to bug anything so I left them alone.
one problem with how the joystick gets loose over time is the fact that it might not register the full range of the joystick as it wears down and becomes loose(in theory, I don’t know how joystick sensitivity was implemented in n64 games and I still don’t know just how much a loose joystick would affect the range of motion in the joystick). it seems to me though that these new joysticks would fix this problem. though as you said it would likely take some time to get used to.
Look into the replacement parts from Kitsch-Bent. The replacement gears and bowls aren’t as smooth as oem but the sticks are as accurate as oem since it’s still using the original sensors just new gears.
A drop of lithium grease and a break in period see the kitsch-bent parts perform extremely well.
I used these parts and feel that they are the best solution.
How's Mario movement with this new stick compared to the old one? I've seen reviews of other replacements that do not work the same as the original in accuracy. Nice condition of the M64 cartridge btw!
That is my question aswell. I know sticks like that since 9 years now and they were not great if you wanted to use them for example doing quickspin in OoT or for proper Smash Bros. use th-cam.com/video/gD9FbgNcnFc/w-d-xo.html
It seems there are now two or more revisions of this stick. I bought one off Amazon that was labeled "high sensitivity" and it was way more accurate than the one installed on MLiG.
You can see in his footage at 5:24 even though Mario is out of footage, he "snaps" to angles. These replacement sticks do not replicate the original stick with a sufficient sensitivity and freedom of range.
I've seen the same thing you guys mentioned. I've tried a hori style replacement before and there was something off with the resolution of the stick digital output to the movement from center to left/right/up/down/etc. I think I can actually check the resolution of the pulses with the adaptoid pc adapters I've got using the joystick calibration of windows. I didn't check that when I last tried changing to this new style stick. The height of the joystick is going to play into this as well.
All these 3rd party replacement sticks are terrible.
Interesting to note this replaces the n64's optical sensors, which are in many ways superior to potentiometers which will wear out. If your n64 controller stick is not slack yet, apply some lubrication to ensure the plastic keeps for longer, and don't throw away the old housing if you do this mod! You can buy new plastic parts for inside the housing but the optical mechanism is not as reproducible.
On an unrelated note, how does this controller do in terms of the outer radius? The original joystick has an odd hexagon shape that most n64 games are designed for. It can lead to some games feeling off using different geometry around the stick? I suggest you test it with an N64 Controller Test rom (first result in google).
It's like the pin connector on the NES. The original piece can be serviced and restored to function properly. But rather then people putting in the 10min extra effort peole are simple replacing them with crappy unoriginal pin connectors from China.. 🥺
The stick on my n64 controller is so loose that it touches the sides of the gray part so what I'm going to do is get a replacement stick and take all the parts I need from the replacement part to use on my original part and lubricate it with lithium grease to keep it from going bad again.
I'd be worried about durability of the potentiometer if you still play the N64 a lot. There are Hall Effect replacements as well, but I like to try keep using the optical encoder.
Thanks for this video! I have here two N64 controllers that is deeply worn-out. Your video will help me through the process of replacing it.
Kitsch-bent. Replace the gears in the original one.
I love your videos, I think in this case you have missed investigating a big concern with any thumbstick replacement. There are issues with reproducing the n64's range of motion and how the change in position is tracked. This can be verified in games like golden eye aiming can be nearly impossible with some replacements. Also in mario you can test how it ramps from slow walk to run as you press forward. This can make the games harder to play then with a warn controller. I hope this isn't the case in this replacement but it would be sad if viewer bought a replacement that does work well.
It would indeed be sad if a viewer bought a replacement that does work well. smh my head.
@@PaleHorseShabuShabu I smh my head to you
@@PaleHorseShabuShabu lol out loud, dude. Do you not see what the wtf is happening here?
@@PaleHorseShabuShabu I always win. I am the most MVP player.
I've tried installing one of these into one of my controllers and while it functions, it doesn't seem to have the same levels of gradual motion, acceleration or range of input. Slower/less sharp steering in driving games, troubles in Zelda OoC performing certain spin attacks or precise movements to not fall off of something, etc. Acts more like an 8 way digital input. Might be ok for a very casual use, but just makes me prefer an original stick that isn't as worn, or my Brawler64 pad.
Haven’t tried one of these yet but I am impressed with the replacement OEM parts from Kitsch-Bent. They are very cheap and with some proper lube and a bit of refinement, they are a direct replacement and keep it original.
The OG Mario Party was a destroyer of these joysticks and palms at the same time.
Yep, either that or Smash.
Mods/repairs that require zero knowledge of Cutting or Soldering is an instant win in my book.
While I do appreciate that this part exists as a complete unit for easy installation, it's much better to fix your existing analog stick by replacing the plastic parts inside.
You can get replacement analog stick parts from kitsch-bent, such as the bowl and stick itself, as well as joystick gears. Lubricate the bowl and stick with the appropriate lubricant so the plastic parts don't grind against each other, and you'll have a stick that feels great AND retains the proper analog stick sensitivity and range of the N64. Plus since potentiometers are not being used, but instead optical sensors similar to an old ball mouse, the actual circuitry won't go bad unlike modern potentiometers which are prone to wear.
"GameCube style" N64 analog sticks tend to have issues with oversensitive range, which can be terrible for fine movement. One of the reasons for this is bad calibration, but also because the newer style analog sticks simply do not have the same resistance to push/pull as the original Nintendo 64 stick does. Playing games like Zelda and just trying to aim your bow and arrow or slingshot manually becomes very difficult as the sensitivity is just too high and doesn't ramp up correctly.
Honestly, I even noticed the aiming being harder on the GC port of OOT too, even though they could’ve tweaked it. (Perhaps they did but not enough.)
I performed this repair last year on my N64 controllers using the Hyperkin replacements which look eerily similar and I ran into a very minor issue: the tolerances were slightly off and the Z trigger got really stiff as the casing pushes it ever so slightly further up than stock. Did you run into a similar issue with these?
Good call out! I’m curious about this as well.
The tolerances seemed fine overall, though I didn't try to perform any kind of measurements for comparison. I didn't have any problems with the Z trigger, it still feels just like it should!
I've used these sort of replacement stick in the past. The analog deadzone and movement rate slightly don't match the original stick, so it destroys those decades of muscle memory aiming in GoldenEye. Very disappointing. You can get replacement gears from Kitsch-Bent, I think those are a superior option. If the bowl is too worn it can be built up with epoxy then sanded. Maybe try one of those too?
kitsch-bent have the bowls too. Very cheap.
Looks like that bowl part could have a silicone mold made from an unworn one then new parts cast in a hard and wear resistant urethane resin. I'd be willing to advise on such a project. I've been doing this type of work for 22 years.
YEAH BOI KITSCH BENT
I've seen some people swap in Gamecube thumb sticks, it's a great upgrade.
But that makes a controller unoriginally which is the whole point
I've had good luck with repairs on the thumb sticks but I might start with this option. That looks sweet
Pretty Cool Video, This reminds me of a different repair my uncle did to my n64 controller when I was a kid. I had a pet rabbit at the time and he ate my cord connecting the controller to the console. My soldered a phone cord to my controller and it worked like new and was great for playing over long distances as we didn't have wireless controllers back then.
Glad most of the comments brought up the sensitivity problems. This video has great production quality and great angles, but poor research into N64 stick repair. Damn shame
This is amazing! I didn't know they existed. I've got 8 N64 controllers I might need to get onto doing at least 4. I would like to know how the rubber tip gets on over time. Some of my older consoles the rubber analogue tips have corroded pretty horrendously. The hard plastic tip would be preferable.
You didn’t mention the sensitivity that these Gamecube style analog sticks have vs the original. They can differ quite a bit and you will definitely notice in a game like Mario 64. I have a couple of these and those controllers I only use for Smash bros or Mario Party fames.Even Mario Kart but games like Mario 64 in my experience are not great for.
These "GameCube Style" sticks are notorious for its lack of several degrees of movement.
I cannot recommend it. They're cheaply produced, and some games are no joy with it. Zelda is a good example: When you try a spin attack by rotating the stick, it will fail almost every time you try.
Man this console was the first one to show me I can't handle 3D movement
I would get a dizzy with a headache and my eyes would hurt the racing game would not be so hard on me unfortunately the 3D would I would say that the N64 is still one of coolest console of 96 and it successor the game cube had some of the best graphics to me anyway
It is a good idea to test the stick's accuracy first by comparing the original. I've seen this same stick replacement before on some videos, and they claimed that the stick movement of degree wasn't accurate to the official ones, which can somewhat affects the performance.
I recommend you to test the stick by slowly tilt the stick from one way to another and see if there's any jittering. Ocarina of Time is a good game to test it on.
Well sadly that just ruins it, might as well get a new hori like N64 controller. The entire purpose of the original ugly controller, as unreliable as it was; the tall Analogue stick is the best designed one for platforming. You don't get nearly the delicate control with a stubby little 360 clone stick.
These types of joystick were used in the dualshock 3 and 4, and a lot have already failed sadly. Hopefully someone will manufacture brand new like original thumbsticks.
Lets not kid ourselves. We all use our translucent purple controller more than the grey one. And that poor thumbstick deserves a good retirement...
Neat... the potentiometer kind of makes me worry though, is it better than the normal DS3/DS4/Joycon potentiometer?
Hello Collin! Hope you are doing well! You made a video a while back on Nlite for Windows XP. I noticed that you installed it on a Laptop. I'm doing the same thing right now. Everything installed perfectly except for Sound. I am using a Lenovo Thinkpad T430. I've tried installing one sound device driver but that didn't work. Have any ideas?
My friends broken two N64 joysticks with Mario Party. Have you tried these joysticks on Mario Party minigames that involve rotating the joysticks.
Hey Colin, I'm looking for some reasonably-priced and reasonable quality unofficial cover plates for the New Nintendo 3DS (not XL). So far the one seller I've tried on Amazon has been around a dollar, but the plates don't fit securely. Do you happen to have any recommendations?
As is evident in your footage, these replacement sticks don't give you true analog movement, as you can see Mario sorta "snaps" to angles, and you no longer have "analog" movement, more like about 32 directions. I would rather recommend people get a replacemenet controller, or if someone can make replacement plastic parts for the original stick which uses an optical encoder.
The price seems a bit steep. I've replaced 2 sticks with parts from Ebay at about 2/3s the price, and they work great. Just have to be careful to get the version that comes with the connector.
Nintendo and thumbsticks with durability issues are just a tradition at this point.
Well, not really.
Only N64 and Switch Joysticks have problems. The other console's Joysticks are fine.
My ruined ps3 controllers analog sticks assure you it's not just a Nintendo problem. Thanks katamari forever.
Aren't there different analog container shapes? I got one from Aliexpress last year and it did not match my controller. Ended up searching a little bit more and found one with the correct container.
I enjoy this video but I prefer the nostalgia of the classic controller stick. This is more in line with the Hori N64 controller
i replaced the bowls in mine with Kitsch-Bent parts. they work great
thats what i thought this video would be lol they're the ideal replacement parts because they're basically 1:1 with the originals. These chinese replacement sticks are very dodgy and incredibly unreliable.
@@SithlordSigma ya so far im super happy with Kitsch-Bent parts. the joysticks feel so smooth
I remember that I customized a few N64 consoles and controllers. I always thought the worn out plastic dust, was chalk, hah. I also replaced the complete units for better ones back then.
Hm. I'm skeptical that this is really an improvement. I had some cautious interest in SteelSticks, but that seems to have evaporated.
I've heard of these thumbsticks causing issues in certain games. Wasn't there a movement to manufacture reproductions of the parts of the original thumbstick?
That's a "nice" example of planned obselecence.
I was wondering what is the name of this part I looked up hyperkin name brand
I replaced the analog sticks on all my n64 controllers with gamecube style sticks years ago and never looked back
my gamecube style one goes cockeyed and thinks neutral is hard left, thus tends to need resetting by pulling the cord and reinserting basically every time, and the regular style ones other than those are waaay too sensitive w no way to counter it. Makes me like Kitsch Bent Parts. Fraction of the cost too, they let you replace a whole setup for like 3 bucks.
How does this joystick work out for you and does it have any other problems
You have to give it to Mario Party torture test LOL
Used a few of these types of sticks in the past and they are great for platformers, but have terrible sensitivity for FPS games. It feels like the N64 reaches the max of the sticks range before the GC style stick does, so your playing within the first 2/3rds of its range when trying to aim. Even worse some sticks actually allow the N64 to go out of range and some games go a bit wonky when that happens.
Upgrade to SteelSticks64 metal bowl and it was like night and day comapred to the stock stick, but still had the exact same sensitivity. Sadly i don't think they are being produced anymore, SteelSticks twitter has been silent for quite some time.
Iv'e seen ProStick 64 recommended as a good alternative but never used them.
I miss the Nintendo 64. My favorite game on there was GoldenEye.
I call that the Game Cube style stick replacement. There are others that are more faithful to the original design (hyperkin) but those are terrible. I order the up-down/left-right “gears” from store.kitsch-bent (about $1.50 a set) and replace them in the OEM stick housing (with silicone grease), keeping them basically original. They have bowl and joystick replacements too but I find you won’t need them most of the time. They (the gears) alone work great! The Game Cube style is fantastic, except if you gotta do any “tight-rope-walking” stuff in games. That stick is super sensitive but I love the controller I put that in. Oh yeah!
Very good video I always look forward to the next video. So Interesting to watch.
also for true analog that doesnt wear out will need to use hall effect sensors but then you will need some sort of MCU which N64 most likely than not doesnt have
For me, I appreciate the notion to address the faulty design, and for 3D platformers Like Mario 64 and Action Adventure games like Ocarina of time it will work just fine, without issue.
However games that require the precision sensitivity of the original control stick such as F zero X and Star Fox, feel far worse in my experience. I find it much more difficult to maintain control in F- Zero X, the lack of range in motion of the replacement is a detriment here.
It's overall a good replacement and most people won't really notice, but for those who have a large library of N64 games, it would be more ideal to replace the joystick with an original stick, and add some grease to the bowl, it will dramatically increase the longevity of the stick. Also makes it feel much easier to move and tighter, it's amazing what a bit of grease can do!
I remember the early days where there were numerous of threads where people were debating exactly what the dust inside the stickholder is.. lots of peoole were saying it must be a compound needed in it functioning properly.. 😅🤣
It’s highly possible that it is old crusty grease or sweat residue but plastic is also very likely
how does the in-game control feel
I've heard nothing but issues with this drop-in replacement, from deadzones to it accurately tracking position. Can you comment on that?
The part that I installed didn’t seem to work any differently than an original one, but it’s quite possible there’s some variance in manufacturing quality.
While I appreciate the effort in trying to repair old N64 sticks, it NEEDS to be said that these GameCube style replacements do NOT have a good reputation. They're often too sensitive and have dead zones that make some games unplayable. If the one you installed, by any chance, is some kind of revision that improves things then it needs to be tested and shown on camera before posting a video like this. Roms for controller testers can be used either on your PC or an Everdrive through official hardware. If you don't do this, you're potentially encouraging people to buy a bad solution for an already bad situation. N64 controllers already have a poor reputation amongst general gamers, so encouraging them to install a potential junk solution that hampers the gaming experience is not going to help. I would love to be wrong though, as a "good" N64 stick replacements would be a godsend.
I like to wash my controller housings and buttons (not the membranes) with Dawn dish soap to fully degrease and remove the grime. Makes them feel almost like new again!
the sad irony about the original N64 joystick is that the optical sensors are actually a lot more robust than the potentiometers used in all modern joysticks, including this replacement one. they basically have zero wear.
I purchased one of those "GC style" sticks before, and it loved to decenter every four minutes during regular gameplay. There really isn't a sane option to repair N64 controllers, you are either dealing with shady low QC or ridiculously pricy overbuilding.
Yeah I had one like that too. I put up with it for awhile, but I eventually caved an bought a different stick that replicates the original design. Its not perfect, clearly QC is nowhere near the originals, but with extra grease and a bit of break in period its starting to get better, and "binding" is almost nonexistant. And no longer decenters. Only time will tell how long it holds up though. I have another controller that still has the original thumb stick so I'm planning on rebuilding it instead using parts from Kitch-Bent.
You replace the worn parts with replacements from kitsch-bent. The only way to do it.
N6N64 Sticks were bad even at time. Unless you have no siblings nor friends to play with you, that thing wouldn't last
I grafted a analog stick from a Wii into a N64 controller a few years back, It was ... Interesting lol
That looks like a modified gamecube analog stick
The best solution would be a thumbstick made of a lightweight metal that you can just replace the plastic one with, that way you can enjoy the precision of the original stick and not have to worry about it wearing down anymore.
I bought some of these a while back and the sensetivity is all completely wrong
making it more like a controller. I wouldn't mind it so.
Need to do this. Bought an N64 system wit 3 controllers and goldeneye! $10
My friend installed one of these but the stick felt way too snappy and touchy for most n64 games. I like the stiffer sticks on the regular controller since it makes Mario feel heavy to compensate for how slow he moves on real hardware
"Modern mechanism" ... shows a 1970's mechanism...
Those GameCube style replacement sticks are awful. Don’t listen to anyone who suggests using them. You can order new gears for the OEM stick to make it tight again.
Way more easier than fixing a PS4/PS5 controller
Yo have you ever heard of the Thomas A Edison Mini Ideabook? It's a weird windows 98 sub notebook... it's a rebadge of something lol.
even though it is a clever idea. It loses that original feeling that it has
Hey Colin it's winterburden, how's it goin?
Better a "meh" stick then a stick less controller
To bad we don’t have “handheld legend” in Europe. Now we always have import taxes
those oem sticks always getting worse and worse time to time in my opinion... The best thing we can do is buy a new, better quality stick with better parts, I think this is the solution.
did this to mine too a bit a go
I switched mine with the GameCube looking one pretty cheap on eBay
I do that with my controller begin the year
One of these days if I can afford the parts I need for my Nintendo 64 controller I would get that. One day it will happen, just don't know when it would happen. 🤔🤨🤑
All of those 3rd party joysticks suck. I've bought the $10 ones, I've bought the $40 ones. They all have incorrect dead-zones and or sensitivity issues; especially the 'GameCube' versions. These days you just have to find a lightly used controller on eBay or I'll crack open a new old stock controller about once a year.
There great. You do have to break it in.
I love upgrading a friend's favorite n64 controller with a GameCube thumb-stick and in turn, gets them playing again ❤️
I installed one of these in my controller years ago and the movement is off, yes it's a better feeling joystick but it's just not as good as the original.
I recommend one of the Retro Fighters controllers.
These GameCube style thumbsticks are awful. The sensitivity/analog gate is completely wrong. Don't use them.
I heard the Retro Bit ones that are coming out are actually good.
Don't buy these. The sensitivity is way, way off and it has large deadzones. N64 games most often rely on fine movements qnd it's almost impossible with these. There are better options out there. The best drop-in solution would be any of the optical sticks, like the Sharpshooter, as that closest replicates the functionality of the original. Best option is to use replacement parts (stick, gears, bowl) from Kitsch-bent. Quality isn't as great as OEM, especially the gears seem to stick a bit while moving, but at least the sensitivity is just right.
Again, don't buy these.
Those sticks are rubbish. You can buy replacement gears, a bowl and a stick to rebuild the original one for a few dollars. 15 minutes and a drop of lithium grease later, you'll have a much better experience.
The stick's design needs to be the same as an actual Nintendo 64 part. No interest in this at all.
Is Amazing🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤯🤯🤯🤯👍👍👍👍👍
Wow nintendo 64
woww
oof
I always hated the stock n64 layout; * especially* the thumbstick. I don't presently have the console anymore, mostly because prices to get one again are stupid high for the time being.
This gives me more courage to tackle it if I get one again.
These thumbsticks make aiming in starfox impossible.. the correct thing to do would be swapping in Kitsch-Bent joystick bowls or a Steelstick.. in its current form this video is borderline misinformation
Colin, I love your videos, but I must admit that I think they are getting a bit too short. ;-)
You could say so but i think we do not need a 20 min video for a repair you can do in 5 minutes