The WaveBird controller was an official wireless controller for the Nintendo GameCube and the perfect periphery if you were playing games like Smash (I speak from experience) or any game where you didn’t want to be confined to the length of a cable. It came with a little receiver but, as with all tiny things, they could get lost over time and replacing them wasn’t as easy. Also, it’s 2025 and finding both the controller and the receiver together could prove difficult or costly.
Well, James Smith aka loopj has created the WavePhoenix Mini Receiver, a small, low-cost WaveBird receiver replacement
. It uses a wireless module which you can get pre-assembled to a PCB or you can hand-wire it yourself and the repo comes with the 3D printing files to build the case.
It’s worth noting that the “low-cost” element comes from the cost of the individual parts themselves. If you don’t already own a 3D printer or have access to one, the cost goes up dramatically from there. But if you have the tools you need already, this could be a great little project for an iconic controller.
(via Hackday)