r/customGCC • u/gabejohnson518 • 11d ago
Thumb pad recommendations?
I’m playing with a Power A Wireless GameCube Controller and my left thumb stick’s pad finally ripped off. I am mostly using it as a wireless controller for PC as I GC is my favorite and I don’t enjoy PS or Xbox controllers. I also like that I can still use it for my switch (I have actual GC controllers too but they aren’t great for PC)
I’ve never had to replace a thumb pad before so I figured this would be the best place to ask about them. I tried googling to see if they were the same as original GC controllers or if I’d need a special type for Power A but came up with nothing useful.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated as I’d rather not buy an entirely new controller
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u/RealTwittrKD 11d ago
If you are dead set on keeping that controller, here’s what you can do…
Disassembling that sucker is pretty easy. Just keep all your screws organized. Your stick cap has a thin metal support it sits over. Most replacements are going to be more shallow/spacious than this.
What you can do — take some tinfoil and tweezers to line / pad the inside the recess of your replacement stick. Test it as you go to get your desired fit, and test with both shell halves together so that you can get a feel of it put back together.
If it really bothers you to use tinfoil, be my guest to use something else like epoxy or whatever.
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u/Dazzling-Doughnut-53 11d ago
I'd throw out the whole controller and get a real one dawg. Those things suck. Spiky stick off etsy is your next bet bet. https://www.etsy.com/ca/market/spicy_sticks_gamecube
but I not sure if the power A internals match a real real gamecube controller so it might not fit. So I unno
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u/DagonX 10d ago
I got myself the Hand Held Legend GC Ultimate Controller and couldn't be happier with it.
Wireless and Wired Operation, supports Dinput, Xinput, Switch, N64, GCN, SNES,...
It also adds the missing buttons: ZL, Stick press L and R, + (replaces Start), -, home, screenshot.
And you can get any part of the assembly as spare if something breaks.
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u/ghostpicnic 10d ago edited 10d ago
Maybe not the solution you’re looking for, but when I would wear down my GameCube thumbsticks as a kid, I would go to Michael’s or Walmart and buy that squishy foam with the back that you can peel off and stick to things. I would cut out the shape of the top of the thumbstick and just stick it there and use it as padding. It wouldn’t last super long but it’d get the job done.
If you’re dead set on not buying a new controller, that might be the best you can get, because I don’t think they make replacement sticks for these.
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u/Togetic52 10d ago
People do sell custom “caps” for original GCC sticks when the rubber tears like this to slide over, kind of like a steering wheel cover for a car. I’m just not sure how well it would fit on a controller like this
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u/NoCollection3724 11d ago
better to just get an actual official GCC, i own like 4 of those powera controllers and they're all trash and just drift overtime. it's worth the investment because you can actually open up the official controllers and customize the buttons and stick if it ever rips which will save you a ton of money overtime but thats just me
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u/Concemi1 10d ago
I've modded a few controllers enough to know that there are very few actually good thumbstick replacements. Most of the readily available replacements feel completely wrong, like they used the wrong mold for the stem.
If you want it to look original, you will likely have to look for oem spare parts that people slavage from other controllers. If you don't care, there are some nice resin options on etsy that look cool and feel great.
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u/TheSeagoats 11d ago
The PowerA internals don’t match an OEM GameCube controller, and unfortunately I don’t know of any thumb stick makers for that controller. If you got a good deal of longevity out of the controller you might just replace it with an identical one. If the controller didn’t last long, you either need to deal with the replacement costs over time or convert to a more durable PS or Xbox controller.