Hori Mini Pad

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The Hori Mini Pad (bottom right).

The Hori Mini Pad (also sometimes referred to as the Hori Pad Mini) is a third party Nintendo 64 controller that was developed by Hori late in the Nintendo 64's lifespan, exclusively in Japan, in several color variants. Unlike the first party controller, the Mini Pad comes with two Z buttons as opposed to one, and as such, two Z buttons are allowed on custom button layouts. Due to its Japanese exclusivity, the controller has become an incredibly rare find and is highly sought after due to its high quality for a third party controller, to the extent that it is often referred to as the gold standard of Nintendo 64 controllers as well as the one of the Holy Grails of gaming controllers in general. As such, it rarely appears in secondhand markets, and is typically sold for much higher than its original price.

Tournament significance

Due to its more conveniently-shaped and high quality design, the Hori Mini Pad is considered the tournament standard and is preferred by several top Super Smash Bros. smashers, including Revan, Tacos, and EmmiZhang, for its ease of Smash DI, taunt cancels, and pivoting. Because of its rarity and popularity, several third party companies have made attempts to create similar controllers to the Hori Mini Pad. In 2018, Retro-Bit, a third party company that produces similar products, announced they had signed a deal with Hori to reprint the Mini Pad under their name. Their version of the Mini Pad has since been released on their website with the choice of either a Nintendo 64 port or a USB port under the name "Tribute64".