For as much praise as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has been getting as pure value for your dollar, it has been getting complaints from hardcore players for feeling laggy compared to other entries in the series. Something feels off, whether it is slow input lag or just the feel of the game, some players are having a hard time adjusting.
And it's not just them. Some of the best number crunchers out there have run the numbers, their data shows that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is indeed laggy.
GigaBoots, a frequent counter of framerates, dug a bit deeper into the input lag, and their scientific method involves some definitive data. Playing the game at 1,200 frames per second and using each controller setup possible, the Joycons, the Pro Controller, and the GameCube controller in both the hub and the console, a total of thirty times, they found a variation of 87.87 ms to 112.87 ms depending on the controller. While such small milliseconds might not seem like much, this accounts for six or seven frames of animation when played at normal speed.
Their results put the GameCube controller plugged into the hub as the absolute best way to play the game in terms of speed, but even then, the game came far short of the other entries in the series especially the definitive Super Smash Bros. Melee, which reacted to button presses as quickly as twice as fast as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's best settings.
As usual, Digital Foundry is the best place to turn, and their findings turned up similar numbers to GigaBoots, whose findings are also quoted all over their breakdown video.
In the end, it might not matter to casual players, but those who have ground away at Super Smash Bros. over the years, or like me, are leaping into the game directly from Super Smash Bros. Melee might have a hard time adjusting to the differences in this latest game.
We'll see how this all plays out or if Nintendo has any intentions of adjusting the game's performance through updates or patches.
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