The classic NES has a distinct look all its own, greys and reds paired together in a way that could only come from the ’80s. And, of course, black wires connecting controller to console, with that chunky, weird proprietary connector. That connector has been the stuff of nightmares for retro gamers and modders alike, but now, thankfully, it’s no longer a problem.
The Retro Receiver is a custom-designed Bluetooth dongle that slots into the connector and lets you pair most wireless controller to the NES. 8BitDo, the manufacturer, would of course prefer that you pair its custom Bluetooth controllers styled after the NES, Famicom, or SNES, but Sony’s more recent Dualshocks and Nintendo’s Wii and WiiU controllers can also be used. In a nice touch, it’s got an onboard CPU and memory, so it might allow other controllers and Bluetooth devices to join the party in the future.
That said, purists and speedrunners might prefer the wired controllers. Bluetooth can be notoriously iffy in certain situations, and those picky about latency, or how long it takes a command to transmit to a computer, may prefer to use wired controllers. It’s also up in the air when the Retro Receiver will be available; right now, their U.S. distributor, Innex, doesn’t have a listing. But soon enough, you won’t need to find a retro controller to play retro games.
(Via 8bitdo)