Quick Shot Review: Cirka Freepad Wireless Controller: A Gamecube Wavebird for the 21st Century?

In this video, we launched a new type of review. This is our Quick Shot look at the Freepad Gamecube Wireless Controller from Cirka.

The Nintendo GameCube offered my favorite controller of all time. The stock GameCube controller was so comfortable to use that it has endured even until today. If you ask most serious competitive Super Smash Bros players what controller they prefer, they use some variant of the GameCube controller.

The Nintendo Wavebird was a variation of the GameCube controller that offered wireless gameplay. Best of all it was a first-party solution. It works great, but over time they do tend to wear out. This is where Cirka comes into play, a budget-friendly accessory manufacturer. Their new FreePad offers a modern take on a wireless controller solution for the Nintendo GameCube.

The FreePad is available in two different colors, indigo and midnight black to match the two most popular GameCube colors. Power is provided by two AA-batteries, not included, and a wireless dongle receives the signals and plugs into your system.

The plastics of the controller are pretty smooth and, honestly, kind of slippery. It doesn't have that textured feeling that the GameCube controller had. For some, this may be a turn-off. Everything is a little bit smaller than the Wavebird as well, from the overall footprint, to the buttons, to the analog sticks.

One exciting addition over the Wavebird is a fact that the FreePad offers a turbo functionality. This makes it easy for you to perform rapid-fire maneuvers in games such a Star Fox, or other shooters.

The left analog stick seemed a little bit more sensitive to me than an original GameCube controller. That made precise shooting in games like Resident Evil 4 a little bit of a challenge, however, this is something I feel like with extended play time I can adapt to. The range was never an issue for me, I never left the room that I was playing my GameCube in.

Why it RoX:

- Wireless control for the Nintendo GameCube
- Available in midnight black or indigo to match your system
- Very reasonable price
- Turbo functionality
- Controller and dongle come pre-paired to each other
- No teeny tiny screw to hold the battery door on

What could be improved?
- The plastics feel somewhat slippery in the hand
- The face buttons and analog sticks are all slightly smaller than the original GameCubes
- The left analog stick felt a little overly sensitive in precise shooters
- No spice Orange?

Should you buy one?

Considering that it's about half the price of what you can find a decent Wavebird for online, the Cirka FreePad does an okay job. It will not replace your Wavebird if you have one, however, if you need a player two, player three, or player four controller, you may want to consider it. I really did appreciate the turbo functionality, and even though they were smaller than the original equipment the buttons worked great throughout all of my gameplay. I never felt any additional lag or latency built in through the controller, so the responsiveness was very good. For the money, you may want to give the FreePad from Cirka more than just a passing glance.

The footage used in this review are used under the Fair Use laws, referenced below:

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/107

Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include—

(1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
(2) the nature of the copyrighted work;
(3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
(4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.
(Pub. L. 94–553, title I, § 101, Oct. 19, 1976, 90 Stat. 2546; Pub. L. 101–650, title VI, § 607, Dec. 1, 1990, 104 Stat. 5132; Pub. L. 102–492, Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3145.)