Hungrybox calls out Nintendo after lag ruins Smash Ultimate tournament

HungryBox called out Nintendo and begged them to fix the laggy and broken state of Smash Ultimate online after server-side connection issues caused him to lose a tournament set.

Smash Ultimate players have been unsatisfied with the online experience since day one. It’s riddled with connection issues that cause everything from input delay and lag to mid-game freezes and even drop-outs.

It’s problematic for any game to have these issues. However, it’s even more of an issue in competitive fighting games. It’s a game of inches and clutch moments, and even the subtlest instance of lag can determine the result.

Juan ‘HungryBox’ Debiedma was popping off after a slow start in a Smash Ultimate tournament called Galaxy Gambit x Collision 7. But just when it looked like things were on the up and up, a server-sided connection issue caused him to lag. 

His game froze at a crucial moment. It caused him to miss his attack as Jigglypuff, which left him vulnerable. Then, his opponent landed a forward attack and sent him flying off the screen. It put him into a position that ultimately cost him the game.

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“[I] was on one of the best loser’s runs of my life in a 400 man event with 3K+ viewers,” he said. “I upset two players seeded above me. [It] was Game 3, last stock [and] last hit [against] ChunkyKong [and then] this happened. I go through this every day during the pandemic. Obligatory @NintendoAmerica tag. Fix online.”

While most fans supported his criticism, some pointed out that it might not have been Nintendo’s fault. Instead, they think it looked like his opponent ‘lag switched.’

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A lag switch is a physical toggle that can be added to a home network and switched on at crucial moments to give players an upper hand. It’s hard to tell whether it was used in this instance.

Either way, Hungrybox is adamant that Nintendo is to blame. He doubled-down on his view that they need to make the online experience better for players.