Multiple Shades of N64 Solid Blue Controller?

Hello, I'm new to these forums, and came here because I couldn't find anything else online.



Does anyone know if multiple shades of the Blue N64 controller were made?



I've tried to attach a picture that attempts to show the difference. Was the blue different in Japan or Europe maybe? At first I thought it was just exposure to sunlight or heat or something, but the color is very smooth and even across the entire controller.



Any light you can shed would be appreciated. 

Comments

  • Welcome to NA there, buddy!



    There will most likely be someone who can answer this for you, plenty of big N64 collectors here.
  • Looks like one is either sunfaded or from a smokers home.
  • Welcome indeed.



    I have a blue controller, but only the one. I've never noticed if there are differences or not from other times I've seen them.



    This is interesting because if it is concluded that there are multiple shades of blue then likely it is because Nintendo commissioned multiple runs for the controller from different factories who did not have the same exact color of blue plastic. I work in the T shirt business and this happens all of the time. Small thru XL of a particular color might be dyed in Pakistan, whereas 2xL and up might be made in Honduras... clients can definitely tell the difference in tone if they weren't colored exactly... which they hardly ever are.
  • Originally posted by: MrWunderful



    Looks like one is either sunfaded or from a smokers home.

    That is what I thought at first but I don't see any discoloration in any of the buttons or anything.



    Who knows though I don't know anything about N64 controllers.
  • I really like the slightly darker one, and I don't really want or need multiples of the same colour, but I don't want to keep it if damage is the reason for the darker shade. But honestly, it looks badass.
  • There are no 1st party variations on the blue color except for the transparent "Ice Blue" controller. I've never seen faded buttons on a faded N64 controller either. I'd wager as well that it's faded or was modified.
  • Welcome.
  • That would be some good old-fashioned sun fading, sir. Welcome to the site, always happy to welcome a new BC'er!
  • If you want to determine if it's smoke or sunlight that caused the different in color, you could open up the controller body and look at the color of its interior, and see if it matches the exterior and also my balls.
  • Originally posted by: tubeway



    If you want to determine if it's smoke or sunlight that caused the different in color, you could open up the controller body and look at the color of its interior, and see if it matches the exterior and also my balls.



    So simple, wish I'd thought of that. Thanks!

     

  • Originally posted by: Conrad MacIntyre




    Originally posted by: tubeway



    If you want to determine if it's smoke or sunlight that caused the different in color, you could open up the controller body and look at the color of its interior, and see if it matches the exterior and also my balls.



    So simple, wish I'd thought of that. Thanks!

     



    lol damn.....a genius is in our presence!


  • Hmm, inside looks the same as the outside and the Expansion Slot Tab is the same bright blue you would expect...



    I guess it's just a plastic variant, so it shouldn't hurt the value of the controller at all, right?
  • Could be a different type of plastic - similar to the buttons. Looks like it was faded from sun/smoke to me.
  • I've seen this four times recently, twice on these controllers, once on a Pikachu N64, and once on a GB Color. The GBC was from a display unit with a frame around the edge which created a two-tone effect showing that it really is discoloration. Certain batches of the blue plastic Nintendo used is simply prone to this discoloration. Probably a bad mix of flame retardants, like the UV-reactive yellowing on SNES consoles.
  • Originally posted by: CZroe



    I've seen this four times recently, twice on these controllers, once on a Pikachu N64, and once on a GB Color. The GBC was from a display unit with a frame around the edge which created a two-tone effect showing that it really is discoloration. Certain batches of the blue plastic Nintendo used is simply prone to this discoloration. Probably a bad mix of flame retardants, like the UV-reactive yellowing on SNES consoles.



    Yep, almost certainly this.



    Also of interesting note is that people (myself included until recently) think that it is UV exposure that "triggers" the yellowing of the plastic in these controllers or consoles. I have to at least partly disagree as I have an SNES that I bought many years ago that has basically lived in its box in my storage unit for years. When I first bought this SNES it looked factory new, bright, and the plastic even had that still-shiny new look to it. I bought it specifically because it was in such new-looking condition.



    Fast-forward several years later when I take it out of my storage unit to hook it up in my new place, and the plastic on the console is now significantly yellowed. It's very noticable, and it didn't get that way by being exposed to sunlight/UV. UV may speed the process or exacerbate it, but this console yellowed in the darkness of a box. I also noticed at work that some of the plastics on some of the fixtures have yellowed significantly since starting the job a few years ago, and some of those fixtures never see sunlight (or stong light of any kind) at all.

     
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