The N64 controller for Switch is back in stock in the Nintendo store (update: sold out)

Update 13:05 ET, May 31st: Nintendo’s latest wave of N64 controllers is sold out. Keep an eye out for a new fall in the coming days, weeks or months. We are certainly not sure when it will be, but hopefully soon!

The official N64 controller for the Nintendo Switch has just been rebuilt in the Nintendo eShop. This controller for $ 49.99 allows you to experience N64 games as they were meant to be played – with a large gray controller with an awkwardly placed central analog stick. This offer is exclusive to the Nintendo Store and can only be purchased if you are a current Nintendo Switch Online subscriber (Note: you can only access the N64 games by purchasing the Switch Online Expansion Pack).

Unlike some rebuilds for the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5, the method of purchasing this controller is very straightforward. Just log in to your Nintendo account in advance, click “add to cart” and hope for the best. The inventory of this controller goes remarkably fast, so do not be surprised if you see them become unavailable

For the uninitiated, the Nintendo Switch Online is needed to access the online components of a number of titles, including Splatoon 2, Minecraftand Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, just to name a few. As an added bonus, a membership also includes access to classic NES and SNES. An annual subscription to this service costs only $ 19.99, but to access Nintendo’s online library of N64 titles, you must also subscribe to the Expansion Pack, which costs $ 49.99.

This re-release of the N64 controller is mostly what you will remember from the original console, with some improvements in the quality of life. Wireless connectivity, which is rechargeable via USB-C and built-in rumble support, helps modernize this classic controller, but retains the classic shape. While the overall form factor of the N64 controller remains divisive in a modern context, the popularity of this controller is proof that nostalgia will win every time.

Nintendo Switch (Red and Blue Joy-Cons)

The Nintendo Switch offers a 6.2-inch touch screen, three gaming styles and a Wi-Fi connection, enabling multiplayer gaming (with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription).