Cobrevolution
Smash Master
Using alternate controllers at Smash 64 console events has become possible over the last year. Read more to learn how this went from being a mere pipe dream to a reality!
Call to Arms
Ruoka Dancho, one of the best Japanese Falcon players, sits cross-legged on the floor at Apex 2014, waiting for his match in Winner's bracket. His opponent, Killer, an American from Connecticut, settles down in a chair next to him and loads up training mode. He practices his fast fall aerials and his pivot up tilts, achieving them with completely precise accuracy. Ruoka looks over and does a double take.
Killer is using a keyboard.
Crafting the Adapter
Keyboards were allowed at Apex 2013, but at that time, no adapter had been created, or even thought of. After seeing the largest turnout for a North American event, the community wondered how some of the online warriors would fare against the console monsters. Top online players like Bane, LD, Frogles, and Star King were rumored to be as good or better than top console players, but these players had learned the game using other controllers. There was nothing that existed that allowed them to play at their full potential, so the entire debate was purely theoretical.
A few months after Apex 2013, Karajan began working on an adapter that would allow keyboards to be a legitimate input device on Nintendo 64 consoles, as well as other USB connectors. I had a chat with him, and here’s what he had to say.
In Karajan's Words
Cobr: What made you want to create an adapter like this in the first place?
Karajan: I don’t know (laughs). I found out there wasn’t one so I decided to make one. It was also a good opportunity to learn about microcontrollers.
Cobr: Generally speaking, how feasible is it to make one of these at home yourself, in terms of cost and knowledge?
Karajan: The cost is about $45 for the device, plus other stuff to interact with it – a computer screen, a micro HDMI cable, USB port, et cetera. And an extra N64 controller wire.
Cobr: I remember at Zenith it took up a large amount of space, and then seven months later at Apex, it was pretty much the size of a regular setup. It looked like it was just a tablet versus a large LCD monitor.
Karajan: Yeah, there were two different versions. The first was with Arduino and it used a laptop and an Ethernet cord, which sucked. The better one, the current one, now uses Beaglebone Black, which you can attach a custom LCD screen to. It costs around $100.
Cobr: So the second version is basically the one that you’ll be using from now on. It’s more compact, has no frames of delay, and has the ability to work with any USB controller… even though there were a couple of issues at Apex, right?
Karajan: The issue only applied to a special case with an Xbox 360 controller, where a person uses the L and R triggers and wants to set a deadzone for themselves.
Cobr: We all know 64 controllers are getting rarer to come by due to them being out for almost twenty years. What about those third party brands that are still making controllers, like Cirka’s Classic Controllers? Could these work just like original controllers with your adapter?
Karajan: Yeah, but the converters from N64 to USB can introduce delay. The Raphnet that I have has delay, according to Jousuke (Japan's top player). His Adaptoid, however, doesn’t have any.
There are multiple adapters for hooking up N64 controllers to a USB device and then playing with them on laptops – Raphnet offers one that works with Hori Mini Pads, a popular third-party controller, as well as Gamecube remotes; however, a frame or two of delay comes with it. The Mayflash adapter is also popular, and a cheap buy, but the C buttons have delayed jumps. Unfortunately, the Adaptoid Karajan is referring to has been discontinued for years, and finding one is difficult and would set the purchaser back about $100.
The prototype adapter that Karajan brought to Zenith 2013 had a fluctuating delay of one to three frames, which was comparable to playing someone on a Kaillera server in the same region without the lag spikes. After tweaking some more, Karajan managed to eliminate all input delay and greatly improve the usability of the adapter. However, it cannot be used by more than one player at a time, and its use required Karajan's constant presence. While a lot of progress has been made, there's still quite a bit left to go.
The Future of Alternate Controllers
Cobr: There were a decent amount of people who used the adapter at both Zenith and Apex, but still some notable absentees – Bane comes to mind, for instance. If this draws even more people out, as it has done already, are you planning on having more than one at a national event to help speed up the matches? Or do you hope that people will take it upon themselves to make their own?
Karajan: I always have at least 2 with me. I’m giving two to the Japanese next time I go, and giving two to the Peruvians, probably. I wish people would figure it out…but they need to be somewhat proficient at Linux. Or I'll just make a video. (link to outdated guide)
Cobr: Do you think they (Peru and Japan) will be willing to try them out at tournaments? Or will their “purity” prevent them?
Karajan: Peru won’t care. Most of the Japanese think keyboards are inferior anyway, so that shouldn’t be a problem. There will be arguments as to whether or not Xbox/PS3/etc should be legal, since some tournaments already ban Hori pads. I'll let them figure it out.
There was much debate about the adapter being legal at Apex. Some players initially expressed their distaste with the idea, and threatened to not attend, while others said they would only show up if they could play on their Xbox controllers. Ultimately, the adapters were deemed legal and players like Star King and Killer used their own keyboards to compete. They placed 9th and 13th, respectively. The malfunction of the Xbox 360 portion of the adapter, on the other hand, forced other players to have less than favorable results - Near placed 49th, and hipstur placed 65th.
In the past, Karajan has used a keyboard, a 360 controller, and a SNES controller on his adapter, and he recently made a post expressing interest (albeit perhaps jokingly) in making one for Melee.To read his guide on how to create one of these adapters, click here.
Cobrevolution, also known as 4thPlaceolution, is an angry Samus player based in New Jersey. He plays Smash 64 and can be reached on Twitter, @Cobrevolution.
Call to Arms
Ruoka Dancho, one of the best Japanese Falcon players, sits cross-legged on the floor at Apex 2014, waiting for his match in Winner's bracket. His opponent, Killer, an American from Connecticut, settles down in a chair next to him and loads up training mode. He practices his fast fall aerials and his pivot up tilts, achieving them with completely precise accuracy. Ruoka looks over and does a double take.
Killer is using a keyboard.
Crafting the Adapter
Keyboards were allowed at Apex 2013, but at that time, no adapter had been created, or even thought of. After seeing the largest turnout for a North American event, the community wondered how some of the online warriors would fare against the console monsters. Top online players like Bane, LD, Frogles, and Star King were rumored to be as good or better than top console players, but these players had learned the game using other controllers. There was nothing that existed that allowed them to play at their full potential, so the entire debate was purely theoretical.
A few months after Apex 2013, Karajan began working on an adapter that would allow keyboards to be a legitimate input device on Nintendo 64 consoles, as well as other USB connectors. I had a chat with him, and here’s what he had to say.
In Karajan's Words
Cobr: What made you want to create an adapter like this in the first place?
Karajan: I don’t know (laughs). I found out there wasn’t one so I decided to make one. It was also a good opportunity to learn about microcontrollers.
Cobr: Generally speaking, how feasible is it to make one of these at home yourself, in terms of cost and knowledge?
Karajan: The cost is about $45 for the device, plus other stuff to interact with it – a computer screen, a micro HDMI cable, USB port, et cetera. And an extra N64 controller wire.
Cobr: I remember at Zenith it took up a large amount of space, and then seven months later at Apex, it was pretty much the size of a regular setup. It looked like it was just a tablet versus a large LCD monitor.
Karajan: Yeah, there were two different versions. The first was with Arduino and it used a laptop and an Ethernet cord, which sucked. The better one, the current one, now uses Beaglebone Black, which you can attach a custom LCD screen to. It costs around $100.
Cobr: So the second version is basically the one that you’ll be using from now on. It’s more compact, has no frames of delay, and has the ability to work with any USB controller… even though there were a couple of issues at Apex, right?
Karajan: The issue only applied to a special case with an Xbox 360 controller, where a person uses the L and R triggers and wants to set a deadzone for themselves.
Cobr: We all know 64 controllers are getting rarer to come by due to them being out for almost twenty years. What about those third party brands that are still making controllers, like Cirka’s Classic Controllers? Could these work just like original controllers with your adapter?
Karajan: Yeah, but the converters from N64 to USB can introduce delay. The Raphnet that I have has delay, according to Jousuke (Japan's top player). His Adaptoid, however, doesn’t have any.
There are multiple adapters for hooking up N64 controllers to a USB device and then playing with them on laptops – Raphnet offers one that works with Hori Mini Pads, a popular third-party controller, as well as Gamecube remotes; however, a frame or two of delay comes with it. The Mayflash adapter is also popular, and a cheap buy, but the C buttons have delayed jumps. Unfortunately, the Adaptoid Karajan is referring to has been discontinued for years, and finding one is difficult and would set the purchaser back about $100.
The prototype adapter that Karajan brought to Zenith 2013 had a fluctuating delay of one to three frames, which was comparable to playing someone on a Kaillera server in the same region without the lag spikes. After tweaking some more, Karajan managed to eliminate all input delay and greatly improve the usability of the adapter. However, it cannot be used by more than one player at a time, and its use required Karajan's constant presence. While a lot of progress has been made, there's still quite a bit left to go.
The Future of Alternate Controllers
Cobr: There were a decent amount of people who used the adapter at both Zenith and Apex, but still some notable absentees – Bane comes to mind, for instance. If this draws even more people out, as it has done already, are you planning on having more than one at a national event to help speed up the matches? Or do you hope that people will take it upon themselves to make their own?
Karajan: I always have at least 2 with me. I’m giving two to the Japanese next time I go, and giving two to the Peruvians, probably. I wish people would figure it out…but they need to be somewhat proficient at Linux. Or I'll just make a video. (link to outdated guide)
Cobr: Do you think they (Peru and Japan) will be willing to try them out at tournaments? Or will their “purity” prevent them?
Karajan: Peru won’t care. Most of the Japanese think keyboards are inferior anyway, so that shouldn’t be a problem. There will be arguments as to whether or not Xbox/PS3/etc should be legal, since some tournaments already ban Hori pads. I'll let them figure it out.
There was much debate about the adapter being legal at Apex. Some players initially expressed their distaste with the idea, and threatened to not attend, while others said they would only show up if they could play on their Xbox controllers. Ultimately, the adapters were deemed legal and players like Star King and Killer used their own keyboards to compete. They placed 9th and 13th, respectively. The malfunction of the Xbox 360 portion of the adapter, on the other hand, forced other players to have less than favorable results - Near placed 49th, and hipstur placed 65th.
In the past, Karajan has used a keyboard, a 360 controller, and a SNES controller on his adapter, and he recently made a post expressing interest (albeit perhaps jokingly) in making one for Melee.To read his guide on how to create one of these adapters, click here.
Cobrevolution, also known as 4thPlaceolution, is an angry Samus player based in New Jersey. He plays Smash 64 and can be reached on Twitter, @Cobrevolution.
