Controllers…So many of them.

A huge part of fighting games is the controller the player chooses to use. Controllers used by most of the FGC population are the “Fight Stick” and the “pad.”

 The fight stick has been around forever. The fight stick is the portion of the arcade cabinet that has the stick to move your character around and buttons to perform actions depending on the game; the fight stick is just a portable version that can connect to home consoles. These are popular in the FGC due to their legacy in the scene, moding capabilities, and it can sit comfortably on your lap.

The Pad is basically a regular controller. The most popular pad to use in the FGC is the PlayStation 4 DualShock 4 Wireless Controller, due to its comfortability in a player’s hand, simple design, and the D-Pad (the buttons on the left side of the controller).

These two types of controllers are used for traditional 2D fighting games. Smash not being a traditional fighting game has its own types of controllers.

Smash has a wide variety of controllers to choose from. The two most popular controllers used by players in smash are the GameCube Controller and the Switch Pro Controller.

The GameCube controller has been used by the smash scene since its introduction in 2001. With the controller’s legacy and its comfortable handling, it is chosen by a lot of players in the smash community.

The Switch Pro controller released alongside the switch; the newest generation of pro controllers from Nintendo. This controller is slimmer and (some would say) more comfortable than the GameCube controller. The Switch Pro Controller also has more buttons than the GameCube controller.

Even though these are the more popular controllers used in fighting games, there are still some oddities.

Yes, let me say it again, these are oddities. Some people find comfort in odd controllers.

The single Joy-Con, even though these controllers are used mainly to play games on the switch, for smash, these can be hard to get adjusted due to its very small size.  The single Joy-Con can be hard to handle but, if you add another one in the mix, this feels way better and more appropriate for a game such as smash.

When it comes to 2D Fighting games (Guilty Gear to be exact), there was once a guy named Initial T (reference to the anime Initial D) who beat top player Dogura with a controller in the shape of a steering wheel. Yes, a steering wheel.

So, when it comes down to controllers, play what you feel comfortable with. The selection of controllers is wide. There mods that can help you use any controller to compete with. Just make sure…

Its comfortable in your hands.

You spend time with it.

Adjust the controller for your needs.

And you should be set to play.