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Few Nintendo franchises command as much loyalty and community engagement as Super Smash Bros.. From high-profile competitive events down to the hacking and modding scene, it's a series that has a large and devoted following.

In the opinion of some Super Smash Bros. Melee is the pinnacle of the series, still commanding the biggest audiences at tournaments and with a dynamic modding scene. When browsing the subreddit for the IP we saw just how deep the passion among a core of the game's fans goes, with a current debate raging over input lag in the iconic title.

The argument centres around an online multiplayer community, in particular - those that use the Dolphin emulator to play Melee online have been apparently divided over a method to reduce input lag. One intrepid gamer released a custom version of the emulator that doubles the emulation speed; while lag reductions this small can pass a lot of players by, for competitive players it can make a lot of difference.

Not all have been happy about it, however, due to this user utilising a custom Dolphin build, accepting donations and seemingly trying to control (and potentially profit from) its distribution. This somewhat runs counter to the principles held by many in the emulation and modding space.

Modder Dan Salvato decided to explain why he's disgruntled with developments and how they've seemingly split the Dolphin / Melee community. What comes from this is a rather intriguing video in which he explains how input lag works, and how he's implementing code that can be added to the standard dolphin build to be easily accessed by all.

Of course, modding and emulators can be grey areas, though at present there's no current-gen legitimate way to play Super Smash Bros. Melee. In any case, it's interesting to see how impressive coding skill is put to work in areas likes this - Smash is a franchise that continues to command great affection and commitment from its communities.

[source reddit.com]