Coliseum

Input lag has been a huge talking point in the FGC over the past year. With Street Fighter V–the most featured fighting game of 2016–having a higher-than-normal delay on inputs, a lot of people were concerned about the impact such a delay would have on the overall game. There have been notable effects on both balance and player reaction, leading to Capcom eventually reducing the input lag by a degree, after which there was discussion about the implication on balance reducing the lag had. Most players expected the lag to be altered again with the Season 2 update, but with no additional changes to input lag in sight the topic has been open to discussion all over again.

In a move reminiscent of their April Fools character announcement, the latest patch for the PC version of Skullgirls promotes a wholly unique feature for a fighting game. It was announced that players can now manually choose to increase their amount of input lag by 3 frames, bringing the delay from 3-4 frames up to 6-7 frames.

I did the thing I said I'd do!https://t.co/Ck2SjzmfZ3#ascendhigher

— Mike Zaimont (@MikeZSez) December 20, 2016

The point of this patch seems like a joke at a glance, but there’s a bigger talking point here: is raising the input delay such a silly thing to do that it has to be a joke to suggest, and if so what does that mean for games that ignore a delay? What kind of impact does such a delay have on footsies, hit-confirms, zoning, pressure, and resets? Would anyone intentionally raise the delay on their game, and why? Does player input matter, or is this a decision that should be left up to developers? This option adds some important discussion material, being the best chance for players everywhere to personally feel the difference a few extra frames of lag can make.

Source: Skullgirls

While the games that will be a part of Combo Breaker are something to behold, the Super Street Fighter II Turbo event is definitely one to pay attention. The soon-to-be 23 year-old title always draws a crowd wherever it goes on the circuit, and Combo Breaker not only plans to bring out the old school players, but to bring them out in droves.

This year, the event will be played on custom arcade cabinets with fully restored monitors, courtesy of Paradise Arcade Shop and 2 Old 2 Furious. These cabinets will feature all the old features of a cabinet you have come to expect, but also new additions such as Undamned USB adapters so you can use whatever stick or pad you are comfortable playing on.

But the icing on the cake is the fact that the winner of the tournament will walk out of Chicago with not just a trophy or cash prizes, but also one of the cabinets that the event was played on. While the winner will shoulder the responsibility of paying for shipment of the cabinet, it will include everything needed to have your own arcade setup at home, including a Super Street Fighter II Turbo board!

Think you have what it takes to lug home a relic of the old school back home? You better make it to Combo Breaker from May 26-28, 2017!

Source: Combo Breaker