Retro is in, and Nintendo knows it. What better way to capitalize on nostalgia than by making what are now hard-to-find games and systems easily accessible and cheap? Nintendo’s Virtual Console is going to do just that, and with a well-designed retro pad (the VC Controller) coming to the Wii, gamers will get all that old-school gaming without digging out boxes of dusty cartridges.

The VC Controller feels like an absolute dream. It’s probably the most comfortable retro-style pad ever created. The controller plugs into the Wii-remote expansion slot, so any worries about wires should immediately be dismissed. One comes out of the bottom to connect to the remote, and that’s it. None of the games available ever had rumble features in their original forms, so it’s unknown whether this controller will or not. The controller did feel light, so maybe it’s just not in these models.

The controller has a great layout for retro games. On the front of the controller we have the four face buttons in the Super Nintendo layout. To the left we have the D-pad, and below it are two analog sticks. There are also right and left shoulder buttons, but also on the top there is a button in between that functions like the Z-trigger on the N64.

The controller is obviously set-up like the Dual-Shock controller, but it feels totally different without the handles on the bottom of it. The back of the controller is bubbled out on each side, resting nicely in your hands. Playing retro games with the VC Controller is a treat, so this should be the least of your worries.

The VC Controller also works well with the games available. Nintendo had Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, Sonic the Hedgehog,, and Bonk’s Adventure available to play at the show. Each game had its own screen in the menu. The screen showed the box art and the system in the background, so behind the Bonk’s Adventure box there was a picture of the Turbo-grafix 16 and its controller.

It’s important to note that the emulation in all of the games was spot-on, and in some cases even improved the game’s performance. Super Mario 64 is the biggest benefactor in the games shown at E3 2006, with an insanely smooth framerate. The character models and environments have also been smoothed out a bunch, resulting in a game that’s easier on the eyes.

The other games also received small upgrades as well. Super Mario Bros., for instance, was said to be running at 60 frames-per-second. While it’s not making the Wii sweat by doing so, it’s nice to see that the games are being groomed rather than just being thrown out there.