Tryce, the big reason why the OEM stick has a finer degree of control is in the fact it is NOT "analog" as people call it. It actually functions a bit more like how older PC mice do. The stick uses an opto-mechanical encoder, with springs. As each divot on the wedge passes through a sensor, the encoder sends out that "analog position" so far out in X or Y. So far, additional mods have been made with a soldered IC in the controller shell to add back the finer degree of control in the OEM sticks. Lastly, the construction of the pivoting bowl and stick itself were not the highest quality. As the OEM sticks are used, the plastic in the pivoting bowl is ground out (and original lubricant drying out). That causes the "loose stick" issue that is so commonplace. And I'm nerding out again..

I replaced my oldest and most used N64 controller with a GC style stick and almost immediately I had an issue with it not responding after playing a long while. It would make me move in one direction, so I had to reset my controller via the reset button input. I was wondering if getting a replacement N64 style stick would eliminate the problem and would feel more like the original stick. It's too late now anyway, my Grape N64 controller has quite literally been falling apart with each use. The casing is shattered. But man, I remember when I opened the thing up and saw that there was nothing left of the mechanism that made the analog stick work. After playing it to oblivion for many years, it simply stopped working because the insides were worn to dust. RIP Grape N64 controller, you did good.

The only people that hate the N64 are the ones not holding the middle arm with their left hand when using the analog controls.

Thank you so much for exposing your personal opinions!! The larger dead zone and lack of sensitivity definately repel me from doing this mod! Love you guys!

these dudes are awkward and uncomfortable in front of the camera, and i like that keep making more videos

Just a small observation, but Cory said the dead zone was greater, not smaller.

Wtf... This guy knows how to film and edit videos.

3rd party potentiometers in analog sticks are always horrible, no exceptions. What you should do is swapping them out with some good ones, preferably with some from a dead 1st party Gamecube controller. It is a way harder process and definitely one for advanced users only, but it pays off. The" dead zone" gets eliminated and you do get all of the directions which stock 3rd party potentiometers simply don't have (they tend to register only 45° turns, or 8 directions, and only 3 positions of pushing/pulling the stick - almost nothing, medium and full, with nothing in between, basically making them an advanced d-pad, but still a d-pad).

Amazing quality videos, especially for a channel that's not very well known. Just got a new sub, keep it up!

for me it was the best controller of the 90s

My best friend and I would have to get new 64 controllers at least once a year because of the obscene amount of Smash Bros we played! Also, Mario 64 can be pretty rough on the stick if you go heavy with the flips and Bowser fights. But yeah, still LOVE my 64 controllers to this day, and was thrilled to find replacement sticks for all my worn ones a few years ago. (Never got rid of any of them, and because we always bought new colors, I wound up with quite the colorful collection!)

I really love this channel, your jobs is amazing guys, the way you love gaming and the intro music are just top!

Thank you so much for your honesty! Now I know to bring the old stick back to life in the best way. Thank you!!

I love this channel. You guys are pretty cool. Keep it up dudes, I love it!

The Nintendo 64 controller joystick was beautiful, the accuracy is unrivaled when you owned a new official one, but sadly the chosen material let down an otherwise spectacular design with optical/digital input.

1:50 That's My all time favorite controller, in fact that exact model green translucent controller is my favorite one I got back in 2003. lol

I 100% agree One of my N64 controller had a dead stick, but like really.. really... dead, it just had to be replaced! So I went with the Gamecube Style stick, but it really blows! Luckily they also sell original N64 replacement sticks, so I got that one instead, and now it feel likes a new controller! Love it!

Great video as always. Was gonna do this mode until I saw this and now I think I'm gonna hold off. Really appreciate it.

I was already enjoying the video, and then the Blast Corps soundtrack kicked in and elevated it further. Time to go fire that up again. Keep up the good work, lads!

Fascinating insight as always boys and excellent use of music!

I was raised on n64 since 2003, Im used the the original controller and love it. You did great making this video and camparing the 2 controllers.

There is a bit of a fix to the dusty and loose control stick that I thought you would cover in this video. I tried it out myself and it wasn't that hard. At 5:28 you accidentally disassembled the control stick and it showed all the dust in that white bowl. The dust comes from that bowl being scratched by the control stick as you keep moving it around. Eventually (to my understanding) you scratch it too much that the surface in that bowl is now too low for the control stick to sit on properly, and becomes loose. What you do in that stage shown at 5:28 is clean off all the dust with a Q-tip and add a little bit of White Lithium grease to the bowl, just enough for it to spread inside. That black thing sitting on the bowl is like a swing, its the X-axis (or was it the Y axis?), you also put a bit of grease in it so that when it makes contact with the other axis, it's slippery. What this does is make the control stick not scratch the bowl anymore, as the grease is making the surface slippery, lubricated. And this will prevent the stick to ever become loose, or create more dust. You can even put your ear in the control stick and move it around before and after this small fix and notice how different it sounds, and not necessarily because the dust isn't there anymore. This is the video I followed to do this small fix, check it out: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hat6oLaCz7Wygps.html Oh and btw, great videos. I'm looking forward to your new stuff and subbed!

There's been so many developments in replacement sticks, it would be worth doing another video about this. I've replaced a stick on a controller that had a replacement N64 style joystick that was quite sensitive with an 8BitDo hall effect stick. And wow, the 8BitDo comes very close to an original OEM stick!

I am so glad I found your videos. So much love to retro ! Thank´s n keep up the good work. Mr. Damon

1080 snowboarding was the game that destroyed the n64 stick in hours

Your voice sounds like Tom Hanks...

These are the best videos! I love ya man.

I LOVE the N64 controller! I loved! I still love it! And it was very important for the gaming community

Great video, My Life in Gaming!

I love the series you guys are doing a real how to for retro gaming.

I don't know what all the fuss is about with the acting, but I really enjoyed the video and how you both conveyed everything. The epic outtro song along with the speech made for a solid ending!

Oh how I love Blast Corps and it's wonderful soundtrack.

Such an awesome video!! It´s so nice to see how much they love their consoles. So did I, unfortunatly I dont have my consoles anymore...

I feel the same. When I play goldeneye with the autoaim disabled and set the controls to turok-style I can easily get headshots. The same is not true with any other console FPS I've played, as trimpots just don't have the same precision as the optical sensors in the N64 analog. People keep saying controllers don't match mice in precision, I think the gap would be much fewer if not negligible if modern analogs were like the N64's instead of the crappy ones we have today.

I love that you made a video about this. I'm glad we were able to chat during your live stream. I hope you love your new analog stick.

I love this channel, I host pop up arcades and the information you have blessed with has really help. Thank you guys ! If you're ever in Toronto let me know

Your videos have the best intro music I've heard.

I like the mix of viewpoints presented

Thank you for this. I Almost bought the GC stick but now after watching your video i know it wont be the right way to treat my baby N64 controller. I want to keep it as original as possible.

To me It´s one of the best controller in the world.

Got the GameCube style analogue sticks for both my controllers and they work great

Love the Blast Corps music! Nice choice.

Loved hearing again the familiar Blast Corps music ;D

I don't understand how these videos have so few views. So great.

Great video. I'm currently in the market for a new N64 controller and I really appreciated the detailed information here.

I'm glad you posted this video. I repaired some N64 controllers many years ago with GC-style joysticks. The deadzone is horrible, but most importantly, the ones I got don't have the same max range of movement. So you aim in GoldenEye, press the joystick to the left/right edge, but the aiming doesn't move far enough to turn the player movement. The N64 has a design flaw that the stick gears wear out and the cup which the joystick sits in grinds away as you press on the stick. These days you can get replacement gears off eBay and they're a much better option.

That's insane!! I swear if i only had the foresight to keep my n64 long ago i could have resold those controllers as pristine. I never had issues with bad sticks until i re purchased my n64 just a few years ago and replaced all the really bad sticks with aftermarket not as bad sticks as well.

Good job and great info. Goober and Shirley!

The main part on the stock stick that goes bad is the X and Y Axis gears, especially the X-Axis gear. The gear-replace process is a bit trickier than installing a new analog stick. The gears are fortunately pretty cheap though I don't know how much shipping of them costs. Kitsch-Bent has a set of replacement gears for $0.87 a piece. The replacement gears are pretty good though not quite as good as the rare stock gears that are in good shape. You need to scrape off a bit of what's called "flash" due to the molding process. Reassembling the analog stick is a bit tricky though. There is also a way to make a small pcb that interperets the joystick more accurately for the GC style stick but that is considerably more advanced. My personal N64 controller just has a stock N64 analog stick that was in good condition replace the old one. Additionally using ceramic grease can keep the N64 analog stick's internal parts from grinding eachother down more.

All you need to repair your original stock n64 joysticks are replacement plastic thumbsticks (that aren't worn down from rubbing in the dome track) and white lithium grease to lubricate them so they never wear again! No replacement module can hope to compare to the original modules in terms of precision and smoothness, my repairs went so well that I was surprised at how immersed I was able to get into my old 64 games again! The sticks are like new!

Like a few others have said the replacement gears that you can buy for the Nintendo 64 controller from Kitch- Bent are awesome. They use a much sturdier plastic than the originals and as long as the bowl of the controller isn't too worn out though usually fix the problem. I've currently fixed about 20 controllers using these and have had great results. It sounds like you got the first model of the GameCube style replacement joystick. A newer one was released and it fixes the main issue you talked about. More degrees of movement were added and the stick feels tighter. The dead zone is also nearly unnoticeable. One thing they changed that has received mixed opinions on was their decision to not include a rubber covered stuck this time around.

Awesome video, and I have an extra green N64 controller I found not too long ago at a goodwill for $.50 that has a broken Analog stick, so yeah I'll for sure look into the GameCube Analog stick.

l love the n64 controller left and right handers alike...and the trigger underneath..genius... my fav....controller

U have the best Intro Ever!

I used to love watching people struggle to figure out how to hold the N64 pad. Their instinct was to always hold the two outside prongs and reach across with their thumb to the analogue stick. When they did that I just watched for them to need to his the Z trigger. The pad gets some flack but it's a really versatile design suited for all sorts of games. Also, nice log cabin setting you got there Try.

I’ve never used the middle handle and still love the n64 controller. Growing up with giant third party genesis controllers trained me well

I find that a lot of bad analog sticks seems to have been ground down over time. It is a little bit trickier, but if disassemble the analog assembly (as you did in the video), you will find it collects plastic dust in the bottom. Cleaning this out and reassembling can really improve the original assembly.

i just don't fuck around with 3rd party controller anything for nintendo consoles as a general rule. everything i've tried from anyone other than nintendo on a nintendo console always pales significantly in comparison. also imho the n64 controller is one of the best ever made and it absolutely set the standard for absolutely every controller that came after it. even the playstation didn't have analogue sticks or force feedback until after the n64 pioneered both of these features on a home console.

Wow! That comment I made from that PCE Works stream a few weeks ago about the N64 Joystick replacement… Got it's own episode? Who knew. Regardless, as always-excellent video, guys. Keep up the GREAT work!

Props for the blast corps music

Yep. Remember seeing a few of those LodgeNet setups in hotels as a kid. You weren't kidding about the prices, haha.

Id say to invest in a hori minipad if you're a big n64 player. just a shame it's not perfect for all n64 games and the stick can be a little sensitive for some games

Love your show

This is my favourite console and controller ever

My biggest gripe with the analog replacements is that they're fairly expensive... I mean, I could basically buy a brand new 3rd party controller for the price of an analog replacement which may or may not be as good as the original anyways. That being said, I do appreciate official controllers and they're much better than 3rd party.

Try4ce you should analize the steel stick, it's substitute the plastic parts that get lose and break by steel, the reviewers said it was great.

You saved me almost buying 4 of these

The N64 controller is still my all time favorite. In 1997 I crush-amputated my left hand and actually became better at Goldeneye playing with only my right hand than I was playing with the two controller method. Mind you I loved the controller equally as much when I still had two good hands. Thanks for the video.

Excellent review! Honestly, I'm not too surprised a 3rd party replacement part wasn't as spot on as the real deal. It's unfortunate though, because I was really excited for this to be THE replacement for my janky 64 analog sticks. Oh well.

Mario Kart 64 will always be my favorite racing game, and drifting with the 64 analog stick is one of the biggest reasons I think I love it so much. Also, probably where these sticks take most of their beatings from.

Dude sounds like Tom Hqnks hahaha. Great video! Spot on.

Its good to still see alternatives and fixes for the old N64. I still play mine to this day and I found a aftermarket controller made by Yobo which I will say is the best N64 controller I ever used, not only is it bigger so your hands don't feel cramped but the analog stick on it uses a ball and is very similar to PS1 thumbsticks. It's responsive, precise and even the D-Pad on it is great.

thumbs up for testing 3rd party controller sticks, so we don't need to buy crappy ones, which are a LOT!

I love the Nintendo 64 controller. It's comfortable. I love the joystick but they wore out quick. I got 2 of my authentic Nintendo 64 controller joysticks replaced 2-3 years ago with the Repair Box's GameCube style joystick. I like it but I still prefer the original stick. Old Skool Sharpshooter joystick replacement is great. Looks and feels like the original authentic Nintendo 64 joystick.

Blast Corps music!! Hell yeah

Thanks for the info i was wondering because i have only one N64 controller and i was thinking of doing the conversion. Glad i didn't now lol

Good video dudes

I love the N64 controller but I have moved to the Hori Mini Pad you've mentioned for all my N64 gaming sessions now. They are expensive but I think well worth the money. I also agree that I never understand how so many people had trouble with their N64 controller joysticks. I never once had a single issue with mine and I played the N64 more than any other console.

Love The Intro Music

Responding to the intro, I went from SNES to Playstation and when I got Spyro, my eyes opened. I heard about super mario and other games but never got to see them or play them until after I played Spyro.

a 90's kid's DREAM

every time i pick up my n64 controller i love it i still wouldn't swap it for any other controller . that feeling of it in the hand is the best nostalgia is defs clouding my judgement

I’m an oddball because I LOVE the N64 controller when I first held I fell in love with it

I ordered the gamecube style stick as well to see what it was about, and yeah, Try is right. The deadzone and snap are very noticeable.

I quite like the N64 controller. I kept a few with perfect analog sticks from my time working at EB, but my original pack-in is still going strong.

your video leaves a very positive position on the n64. I for one Iove the N64 my favorite game is Paper Mario ❤

This video was 4 years ago??it just seen like the video came out not too long ago..wow time has flown..

The aftermarket sticks don't have good interpolation programmed into the microcontroller that drives them. It basically takes the input from the potentiometers that exist in the stick and convert it to the 'steps' in the original control stick. But it doesn't smoothly calculate it, so there are issues with it. A replacement PCB with a properly programmed microcontroller is available, but it requires opening of the replacement stick and soldering components onto the replacement board, so it's not so accessible to all gamers. Some people selling the aftermarket stick -may- be switching out the boards, but it's hard to say for sure.

I've heard rumours about a stick that doesn't have the deficiencies that the gamecube style stick has. But I've given up since I've managed (for the most part) to repair the slightly loose analogue sticks (not the extremely loose ones). I used nail polish epoxy from my wife's stash to "build up" the worn down layers of the plastic bowl. However, there is nothing you can do to repair the worn down plastic of the fulcrum/gear mechanism (pretty sure they sell replacements of those though).

I browsed a catalogue right now and i found something interesting - some aftermarket sticks are different from sticks that ship even in modern consoles. They contain a silvered no-resistance area around the center of both potentiometers, essentially making for an additional complex deadzone. Probably good for something, but not how original sticks work, they simply correct the deadzone in software. Something to be aware of when replacing sticks.

I thought about getting a replacement, but after seeing this, I'm beginning to having second thoughts now.

My friend who's a Super Mario 64 speedrunner bought this mod a while back. He uses the regular N64 controller for his entire run, but always switches to this controller right at the part during the Bowser fights where you have to spin Bowser around in a circle to reach the optimal speed, and then switches back to his regular N64 controller admittedly.

I did it years ago and the stick I used was gamecube style but it doesn't suffer from the issues yours has. It is very smooth and a must have. They must have changed the stick internals.

My favorite controller!

My n64 stick is still fine after all these years and I've played it a lot.

I'm really sick of people saying that they hate the N64 controller. Calling the N64 Controller a bad controller is like calling the Model T a bad car because it's nowhere near as good as a 1980's Toyota Corolla. It just completely lacks any understanding of historical context. When this thing was first released to the market, it was BY FAR the best standard controller to ever come with a video game console. The Nintendo 64 was the first system to make an analogue control stick a standard feature, and all home videogame consoles have included one as a standard feature ever since then. That analogue stick's biggest weakness was that it had less than stellar reliability. However, as long as it was in good condition, it was extremely precise, and actually more precise than the analogue sticks being used in controllers nearly 30 years later, which is why speedrunners actually prefer original controllers, or (if they're lucky) versions which have had some of the parts replaced with more durable metal components. Considering these were the very first standard controllers to use analogue sticks, this was actually an excellent first attempt. The durability was a major downside, but they still tended to last for years before getting really bad, and replacement sticks (or replacement stick parts) are a lot cheaper than replacing the entire controller, so it's not like you have to replace the entire thing every year or two.

Actually there's things to love about the n64 controller, and when you try to use newer "remakes" or replacement parts for it they don't control things properly, as this video shows. Remakes and 3rd party controllers often left you with shaky aiming in goldeneye, horrible bow accuracy in OOT, and that awkward movement control (too fast ramp up, large inner deadzone, large outer deadzone, and other weird issues) in games like mario 64. The N64 joystick actually was pretty precise, especially for its time, and the tension just felt really good. I don't understand the inner workings well enough to explain why, but a lot replacement joysticks and remake controllers are simply not made to input the way the n64 one is; more specifically if you were to use a analog input debugging tool you'll notice that the OG actually draws an octagonal shape on the outer ring where as others are only really capable of either a square or circular shape. I want to say it has something to do with the optical sensor being able to read beyond the physical outer ring, while others aren't, but again I'm not expert enough to know how much that impacts everything, but suffice to say it worked in a very particular way that isn't really replicated without just 1:1 copying the inner parts. FURTHERMORE: since it used optical sensors to translate your joystick motion into digital input means, unlike every first party controller you buy today, you will never deal with drift. Side note the optical sensor I believe also eliminated a lot of inner deadzone issues caused by modern day controllers. The biggest issue was that the stick itself and the bowl were made of plastics that wore down from grinding into each other over time. Had the sticks and bowls come pre-lubed there would have been far less issues of dangling joysticks. That's right, all that dust is actually particles of your joystick being worn off from use. Best option is to buy a (og) n64 controller, take apart the entire joystick assembly and if things look super worn down, or if it is a loose and dangly sick, replace the bowl and stick (you can actually get metal sticks if you look around!); if it's in good shape you can get some high quality lube and just lube up the bowl and the parts inside the bowl. Any remake or third party controller is simply not going to give you the same control and experience in n64 games (even in emulators, unless you tweak a lot of the analog settings), so if you intend to play n64 games with it, then honestly get an old one and refurb the joystick if you need to!

i got mine from a seller called "Video Game Museum" on ebay. it doesn't have a rubber cap, but I found I didn't have any of the issues you spoke of. deadzone, less precision in the angles and so forth. idk, might be worth looking into for yourself, I love the upgrade. in fact using an N64 controller, VGM's GC stick upgrade, and Raphnet's 64>GC adapter, I've been happily playing Smash 4 competitively for a few months now without any issue

Its 8 axis vs full 360, hence the snap positioning when moving around in games

I bought a joystick like this in 2012 I think and it was perfect even thought there was no rubber part on the top ... There is no dead zones and everything works very nicely even today 5 years later :)