Controller

A diagram the DOJO!! showing the four available control methods in Brawl.

Controllers are used in video games for players to input buttons and other commands. Throughout the Super Smash Bros. series, the games have been compatible with many controllers usable for playing.

Types of controllers

Nintendo 64 controller

This was the first controller to be used in Super Smash Bros.. Due to the fact that only one console is compatible with the controller, the Nintendo 64 controller rarely sees use in tournaments; the resurgence of interest in the original Super Smash Bros. due to emulation also has not caused more interest in the Nintendo 64 controller, as it is difficult to find adapters for the controller, and specific drivers for the adapters can also be difficult to procure.

GameCube controller

For Melee, this was the only controller one could use, barring the use of esoteric adapters for other controllers.

The GameCube controller can also be used as one of the four options of playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl. This option was made for people accustomed to Melee's controls. The release of Super Smash Bros. for the Virtual Console also added the ability to play the game with the GameCube controller. In addition to a standard wired model, a wireless version was released called the "Wavebird"; though identical in function, it did not have the rumble capabilities of the original GameCube controller due to battery life concerns.

GameCube controllers were discontinued in North America and PAL regions shortly after the release of the Wii; however, Nintendo of America continues to sell the Platinum controller on its website and third party options are available as well. In April 2008, Nintendo released a white GameCube controller exclusive to Japan. This model differs from previous controllers in that it sports a white, 3 meter long cord compared to the black, 2 meter long cable on older controllers. This revision has attained a modest amount of users in the tournament scene, particularly by Japanese players such as Otori, and despite its relative difficulty to procure in the United States, some smashers use it as well, such as Nairo.

Within Brawl tournaments, the GameCube controller is by far the most popular option, due to the still-strong tournament scene of Melee, the high amount of Melee veterans who have since moved to Brawl, and most players having the opinion of the GameCube controller being the best controller for Smash. Additionally, GameCube controllers do not bring the wireless issues the other available controller types bring, do not carry potential battery issues, are overall simpler to manage (other controller types require batteries and additional attachments), and connecting GameCube controllers to a Wii is considerably simpler and faster than syncing Wii remotes.

While not featuring dedicated ports for the controllers, an adapter produced by Nintendo for the Wii U will allow the use of these controllers with the console; third party options are also available, which instead plug into the Wii remote.

Wii Remote

The Wii Remote is used on its side, much like an NES controller. In Brawl tournaments, this controller is rarely, if ever used, due to having severe limitations not present in other controllers. Besides having significantly less available buttons and lacking an analog stick to move with, this controller lacks a c-stick equivalent, jumping cannot be relegated to another option other than up on the d-pad (which limits one's aerial mobility and efficiency at performing aerials), up tilts cannot be performed without doing another input previously while holding up on the d-pad (pressing up and attack before jumping will produce an up smash), angling forward tilts and shifting the position of one's shield are impossible, special moves with directional control are harder to maneuver (e.g. Fire Fox, PK Thunder), and it is impossible to perform a DACUS or boost grab (however, hyphen smashes still work).

Due to the Wii U's backward compatibility with Wii games, the Wii Remote and all variations below can be used on the Wii U; while this means that the controllers will be useable with Brawl when the game is played on the Wii U, it is not yet known if these controllers will be useable in the fourth game.

Wii Remote with Nunchuk

The Nunchuk is inserted into the bottom of the Wii remote for games too complex for the remote alone. Movement is assigned to the Nunchuk's control stick, while A and B button attacks are assigned to the A and B button on the remote and grabbing is performed by pressing A and B together. By default, taunts are assigned to combinations of the 1 and 2 buttons. This controller is commonly referred to as the "Wiichuk", as a simpler name that differentiates it from the Wii remote alone.

The majority of players believe the GameCube controller to be superior to the Wiichuk. Despite this, the Wiichuk has near-equivalent capabilities compared to the GameCube controller. For objective disadvantages, the Wiichuk lacks access to B-sticking and A-sticking, as well as having less available buttons. The Wiichuk does have a couple of advantages however; the ability to assign smash attacks to buttons, rather than assigning them to an analog stick, gives the Wiichuk superior capability to mash out of grabs, and it has access to the unique shake smash.

Classic Controller

Classic Controllers were initially released for the Wii's Virtual Console, though this later changed when the Wii's library began to grow, with some games later choosing to use the controller as a method of gameplay controler. After Brawl's release, an updated version, the Classic Controller Pro, added "wings" to the controller and made its profile thicker. As these controllers connect to the Wii remote, it is wireless in nature.

Despite being near functionally identical to a GameCube controller with an added shoulder button, the Classic controller is not used often in tournaments. Besides most players preferring the design of the GameCube controller (for example, the placement of the left control stick), this can be attributed to the Classic Controller having potential connectivity and interference issues that come with wireless controllers, and that the Classic Controller effectively requires the player to bring along batteries and a Wiimote to use it. There are also claims that the Classic Controller is less durable than official GameCube controllers, thus requiring players to have to spend more money to obtain more replacement controllers to continue optimally playing. Despite this, some players chiefly use the Classic Controller in tournaments, such as Vermanubis.

Nintendo 3DS

The Nintendo 3DS is a handheld console, and as such, its controller is a built-in part of its design. By necessity, it is effectively the only usable controller in the 3DS version of Super Smash Bros. 4. Its button layout is similar to the Classic Controller, except it only has two shoulder buttons and lacks a second analog stick.

A later hardware revision of the console, the New Nintendo 3DS, adds a small, secondary analogue nub to the console, as well as two shoulder buttons; while such functionality is available for the standard 3DS via the Circle Pad Pro accessory, Super Smash Bros. 4 will not support it.

Modified controllers

A modified GameCube controller; the left analogue stick has been replaced with one from a Nunchuk, and the bottom shell has been replaced with that of a black controller.

Within the tournament scene, the use of modified controllers (sometimes called "Frankencontrollers" after the famous literary character) became a small, niche trend. Exact modifications can be separated into two categories: cosmetic, and functional.

Cosmetic mods focus on changing the physical appearance of the controller, such as by recolouring the casing or merging two different shells together to form a two-toned controller. Although rarer, other methods of cosmetic changes can also involve placing LEDs into the casing or changing the physical appearance of individual buttons.

Functional mods involve physically altering either the two analogue sticks or the individual buttons. For the analogue sticks, common mods focus on replacing worn-down sticks with those from an identical controller, or even from another, such as from the Nunchuk or even DualShock controllers. In addition, Brawl players can choose to remove the springs from the L and R due to the game not recognising light button presses. Finally, other mods involve completely severing the rumble from the controller, thus decreasing controller weight and preventing the need to constantly have to switch rumble off.

Computer keyboard

When emulated through the use of a computer, standard computer keyboards have seen use by users of the emulators Project 64 and Dolphin. While having flaws of its own compared to official controlling methods, computer keyboards offer some interesting benefits.

Although a rare sight at tournaments, the use of keyboards is not completely unheard of; a particularly well-known event in the tournament Zenith 2013 featured SuPeRbOoMfAn using a keyboard against Sensei in the grand finals.

In tournament play

Within tournaments, controllers are rarely provided to players; as a result, the phrase BYOC became common, meaning "Bring Your Own Controller". Players are responsible for their own controllers, as tournaments will not replace them or compensate players who lose them.

Within the tournament scene, GameCube controllers are ubiquitous, though a few players are dedicated to using the Wiichuk or Classic Controller.

Due to the wireless nature of Wii Remotes, Wii Remotes are required to have their batteries removed between matches, as they can interfere with other remotes trying to sync to the console, as well as with connecting GameCube controllers; players who do not comply can be disqualified.

The decision of whether or not modified controllers should be banned or not is up to the discretion of the tournament organiser, though a ban does not necessarily have to be black-and-white; some tournaments, for instance, may allow some mods, but ban others, and others still might allow strictly cosmetic mods, but not functional mods.

Controller compatibility chart

	SSB (Nintendo 64)	SSBM (Nintendo GameCube)	SSBB (Wii)	SSB4 (Wii U)	SSB4 (3DS)
Nintendo 64 Controller
GameCube controller	(VC only)			(adapter required)
Wii Remote				Unknown
Wii Remote & Nunchuk				Unknown
Classic Controller	(VC only)
Wii U GamePad
Wii U Pro Controller
Nintendo 3DS