If you’ve been watching the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U scene recently, you may have heard about the new Bidou controller configuration that’s turning some heads. Last week, My Smash Corner demonstrated how this button layout can change the way the game is played by offering easy access to techniques normally avoided in tournaments due to their inconsistency, while also opening up some options not possible without it.
Since this stands to change the way we think of the fourth Smash title, it makes sense for top players to give their opinions on the matter. One such player is none other than Team SoloMid’s Gonzalo “ZeRo” Barrios.
The biggest problem with any change so drastic, as ZeRo points out, is the adaptation period required. Some folks have been playing Smash on a GameCube controller with a standard button layout for as long as they can remember, so making the change not only to a new layout, but also a new controller–anything Wii U compatible with four shoulder buttons–will understandably take some time.
Those who do decide to give the configuration a go will face unique challenges not present when doing something less drastic, like changing main characters. While mid-transition, players will likely suffer from the inability to reliably perform at tournaments, not only because they’ll be less consistent with the new layout, but because making a return to their comfortable, standard layout could work to erase any muscle memory they’ve built up. So it’s an interesting call to make: is the benefit of easy access to previously lab-only technology worth reconstructing the method through which players access the game? The answer to this will certainly depend on the player asked.
Toward the end of the video, ZeRo notes that “[a]ll it takes is one player mastering this technique and going to a tournament and having a great showing at it to prove if Bidou is or not the next big thing [sic],” and that’s a fair call. To make a switch like this look worthwhile, we need to see someone blow away the competition by using it. We need to see movement and positioning so crisp that the GameCube controller will become a thing of the past, but that doesn’t currently look too likely.
One thing to keep in mind, is that the Bidou layout takes advantage of some obviously unintended mechanics in order to create its effect. Certainly, bugs in fighting games are nothing new, and some do wind up sticking around, but with Nintendo still keen on patching the game, anyone looking to take their Bidou layout to an upcoming event would be wise to keep in mind that its effectiveness could be tweaked or removed at any point. If this does happen, it will likely happen without warning, or even announcement, thanks to how Nintendo tends to handle updates.
Check out ZeRo’s video below and let us know if you’ll be making the switch in the comments.
Source: ZeRo