Analog sticks
The GameCube controller has two analog sticks: the primary one on the left, and the C-stick on the right.
Each analog stick assembly is made up of three primary parts: the physical thumbstick, the stickbox, and the potentiometers. It’s important to know the differences between these three parts, and which types of issues are caused by each part.
Thumbstick
The part of the stick your fingers touch. As a thumbstick wears, the rubber cap on top typically loses its texture, and sometimes becomes damaged enough to tear away from the plastic base of the thumbstick.
Stickbox
The mechanical component that lets you smoothly move the thumbstick, and returns it to the center when you release it. As a stickbox wears, it often stops returning the stick to center as effectively, and can have a sizable “dead zone” of play in the middle of the range.
Potentiometers
Two potentiometers serve as the electronic interface between each stickbox and the controller’s processor, translating the movement of the stick along each axis into discrete input values. As potentiometers wear down, they develop an issue called PODE that makes them less responsive to thumbstick input. This typically manifests in games like Smash as inconsistency performing tech that requires rapid analog inputs, like dashing.