This is a first ever for me to be totally honest, trying to review a controller for the N64. What makes it tough is that the original controller is how games on the N64 should be played. Now unfortunately the originals have this tendency to have the analogue stick go bad over time, and that’s where aftermarket controllers make their entrance.

Even though the Nintendo64 was released some 30 years ago and it’s a niche market to produce controllers for, some companies still go out of their way to produce compatible controllers.

Say hello to the Hyperkin Captain Preimum Controller, an odd name for an N64 controller with reference to absolutely nothing. It’s a somewhat modern take on the original N64 controller, it looks like one, and it almost feels like one – I say almost because Hyperkin choose a plastic with a little bit of texture to it and honestly that’s a bit of a turn off for me personally.

The analogue stick has been changed, sure it’s still in the same place as on the original, but it sits closer of the joypad shell than the original, and for someone like me who never plays N64 with anything other than the original, it feels wrong, but hey it works and I could probably get used to it.

That was probably the best I had to say about this controller, because unlike the Z button which feels almost as the original, all the other buttons for sure doesn’t – in fact, they feel super stiff and uncomfortable to use, sure these are new and my old worn original is… well old – but in this case new doesn’t seem better, it seems like a button press takes too long, which could be an issue in a shooting game – I am not a fan!

But hey, let’s bring the analogue stick to the test, let’s measure how well it does compared to my old original, worm, controller. I am using the “Mimi” controller test rom, which can be found at https://github.com/wermipls/mimi/releases

First, let’s have a look at my original grey N64, 30 years old, controller.

A healthy, factory-original controller registers peak values between 81 and 85 on both the X and Y axes. My old controller is actually not doing too bad, but not perfect and understandable due to its age.

Let’s move on to the Hyperkin Captain controller.

The verdict is clear - Don't buy this if you want accurate N64 controls. The main directions are way too sensitive, reaching crazy high numbers (104–112) compared to an original controller. This makes fine aiming impossible and it doesn’t make it any better that the diagonals are completely broken. Pushing Up-Right drops all the way down to 60, meaning your character will suddenly slow down to a crawl when running diagonally. The angles are totally skewed and uneven.

So basically, avoid this controller unless you love jerky, unpredictable movement – come on Hyperkin you can’t be proud of a product like that, your reputation is on the line. With that said they are releasing a new “Captain+” controller right about now.

But for now I think I will just “stick” to my old controller :-)

The Hyperkin Captain controller gets 2 of 5 Stars - Way too twitchy and uneven, nothing about this controller screams premium, on the contrary really.