Nintendo WaveBird Wireless Controller Troubleshooting

Controller doesn't turn on or respond to button input.

Turn on power switch and make sure the Power light turns on. If the light doesn’t turn on, try replacing the batteries.

If replacing the batteries doesn't work, the problem is hard to diagnose. There are many possible causes for the controller not to turn on including a bad switch, a bad motherboard, a bad connection somewhere inside the controller, or a bad electrical component.

The power light turns on, but the controller doesn't respond.

Make sure the receiver is fully plugged in to the GameCube.

Press a button on the controller. The small light on the receiver should flash.

If the light doesn't flash, make sure the controller is within 20 feet of the receiver and try again.

Make sure the channel wheels on the controller and receiver match.

If the light still won't flash, try using a different channel.

If you are using multiple wireless controllers, make sure they are set to different channels.

If you cannot get any response from the controller, try replacing the motherboard.

The channel wheel is stuck in place.

Make sure the area around the controller wheel is cleaned of gunk. Use a pin or needle to clear the area around the wheel of any dirt.

If wheel still will not turn, try replacing the wheel.

When you press a button it is slow to come back up or nothing happens.

Make sure the area around the buttons are clear of gunk. Use a pin or needle to scrape any dirt out of the space around the buttons.

If buttons still stick or don't respond, try replacing the buttons.

When you move the joystick/C-Stick, the character won't respond.

Make sure the joystick/C-Stick is cleaned of any visible gunk. Use rubbing alcohol and a Q-tip or cloth to scrub the base of the joystick/C-Stick. Rotate the joystick/C-Stick as you scrub to clean all sides.

If the joystick/C-Stick is still sticky, there may be dirt inside of the joystick/C-Stick. To clean this, use the joystick installation guide to remove the joystick or the C-Stick installation guide to remove the C-Stick. You can now clean the joystick/C-stick with rubbing alcohol.

If cleaning the joystick/C-Stick doesn't help, try replacing it with the joystick installation guide or the C-Stick installation guide, respectively.

The game character moves when you're not touching the joystick or moves in the wrong direction.

Re-orient joystick on GameCube menu. This should stop any rogue input from the joystick.

Turn the controller off. Turn it back on while the joystick is in the neutral position. If you start a game with the joystick off center, the game will take that new position as neutral. This will make your character move when you take your thumb off of the joystick.