User:P.i./Lag Guide
This guide explains how to minimize lag when playing Smash games, both online and offline.
Terms
Latency, also known as lag, is the delay between player input and display output. It's typically measured in milliseconds (ms) or frames (~16 ms).
Jitter is lag variability. Even if the average latency is low, occasional connection hiccups manifests as lag spikes.
A connection can be laggy but smooth (high latency, low jitter) or mostly good but with bad lag spikes (low latency, high jitter). Usually jitter makes games unplayable more quickly than steady lag.
Display lag and input lag
The most common source of lag for offline play is from the television or monitor. For older Smash games, it might be easiest to use a CRT TV. On modern flat-screen TVs, go into the TV's menu and turn on "Game Mode" and turn off all of the post-processing effects (sharpening, etc.). Some flat-screen monitors, especially large ones,[citation needed] simply can't achieve low latency.
Some video adapters (e.g. composite to digital) also have significant lag.[clarification needed]
Some controller adapters for using a GameCube controller on a PC have more lag than others, although it's usually very small (significantly less than a frame) either way.
Wired controllers might have less lag, jitter, or other misbehavior than wireless ones.
Wired connection
Wireless connections are more susceptible to noise, which results in lag spikes.
To use a wired connection on Nintendo Wii, Wii U , or Switch, you'll need an adapter. Make sure to get an adapter that advertises Wii/WiiU/Switch support, as common PC adapters usually won't work.
- Wired Internet LAN Adapter (Official, Nintendo Store)
- Ethernet Adapter Replacement for Nintendo Switch Wii U and Mac Windows Laptop USB LAN Adapter (third party, Amazon, untested)
To configure a wired LAN adapter:
- Nintendo Support: How to Connect the Wii to the Internet with a Wired Connection (Wii)
- Nintendo Support: How to Set up a Wired Internet Connection (Wii U)
- Nintendo Support: How to Connect to the Internet Using a Wired Connection (Switch)
Router
If you share a connection with other people or devices, get a high-quality router (TBD) and configure Quality of Service (QoS). Note that on some low-end routers (including Linksys[citation needed]), turning on QoS can actually make performance worse.
Modem
Some defective cable modems actually add significant amounts of latency or jitter. See the list here.
Game-specific techniques
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
This is a Gecko code that eliminates zero to two frames of input lag that the game has built-in (even offline).[citation needed]
Controller Input Lag Fix [Magus] C202AD8C 00000002 7C630214 3863FBFC 60000000 00000000
Troubleshooting
A long-distance connection (e.g. between America and Europe) will necessarily have high latency due to the speed of light. Latency can also be caused by buffer bloat.
Jitter can be caused by Wi-Fi (wireless interference), sharing an internet with other people, hardware problems, or problems with your ISP or specific internet routes (packet loss).
Check your internet connection with a ping test. Details on ping testing by Brawl Bois member Four Sword:
Please try several tests, or on several servers (one close to your opponent) before making a conclusion whose net (or both) is causing issues.
We recommend using a wired ethernet connection due to the inherent jitter wi-fi causes.
High jitter/ping might be caused by your internal network which you can exercise control over, or be caused by your ISP's network, which you have less control over.
