Keyboard

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Keyboard play is the act of playing a Super Smash Bros. game with a standard computer keyboard as the controller. Keyboard play is almost never seen in tournaments; its primary use is through the use of emulators such as Project 64 and Dolphin, due to the difficulty in procuring adapters for the computer.

Since emulator play holds by far the most prominence with Smash 64, most notable keyboard players are Smash 64 players.

Comparison to actual controllers

Keyboard play is considered by most players to be more difficult than standard controller play. In addition to most users already being used to the standard controllers for the games, the setup of the keys on a keyboard can be considered counter-conductive to gameplay; on the standard GameCube controller, for instance, shielding merely consists of pushing the L or R buttons with one's index finger, whereas on a keyboard, this can require movement of a player's fingers in order to reach around other keys. Outside of this, keyboard play requires the player to use the standard arrow keys of the device, which grant considerably less precise control compared to the control stick found on official controllers.

Playing with a keyboard, however, does yield some interesting benefits compared to a controller. Button mashing, for instance, is more efficient on a keyboard than a controller, allowing for improved operation of attacks such as Mario Tornado, as well as allowing for players to more easily escape from throws in Melee and Brawl. In addition to this, SDI is easier to perform, due to keyboards only having the ability to "tap" when a key is pressed; this is particularly useful in the original game, as Smash DI is the only DI present in the game. The default Project 64 configuration maps the C buttons to Home/pg Up/Pg Dn/End, which on many keyboards is on the right hand side, allowing players to SHFFL easier.

Use in tournaments

While tournaments prefer the use of the original console in tournament setups, the use of emulators are not unheard of in competitive play, particularly in the case of Smash 64, where keyboard play is especially popular. As such, keyboard play has sometimes seen use in professional gaming, though most players instead use alternative controllers to play the game.

Keyboard USB adapters for offline SSB64 were created by Herbert Von Karajan back in mid 2013 and are supplied by several members of the offline community. It was originally a hassle, with using Linux and it had some delay (2/3 frames.) More recent versions of the adapter have allowed for much easier delay free input as well as the ability to save inputs. The same adapter can also be used for 360 controller play (such as by LD) as well as other alternative controllers.

The Canadian smasher SuPeRbOoMfAn notoriously fought against American smasher Sensei with a keyboard in the grand finals of Zenith 2013's Smash 64 bracket. SuPeRbOoMfAn lost by a close margin, and he elected to switch to a regular controller towards the end of the set.

There are however some top to mid level players who stick with Keyboard in offline tournaments and have gotten notable results, namely Killer, Star King, and KoRoBeNiKi.

Notable keyboard players

•  Bane
•  Killer
•  KoRoBeNiKi
•  Nephiros
•  Star King
•  SuPeRbOoMfAn (uses the alias KeyboardKing)
•  Unreal