One of Melee’s best is looking to start a revolution.

One of the best Super Smash Bros. Melee players in the world (famous/infamous for his Jigglypuff skills) Team Liquid’s Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma has branched out and joined EON — the producers of the GCHD GameCube HDMI adapter — as an official Brand Ambassador and Esports Liaison. From the press release:

Juan has been shaping and dominating the Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament scene for years through his incredible play, winning every major tournament in 2017 and starting strong in 2018, as well as introducing an all new monthly tournament in his local scene of Orlando, FL, called Overlords of Orlando.

At the most recent Overlords of Orlando, Juan debuted the first-ever fully digital Melee tournament using all 144Hz monitors and original GameCubes outfitted with the EON GCHD. This was a highly controversial change at the time, being that Melee’s competitive scene has been inextricably tied to CRT TV gaming… But with the combination of original GameCube hardware, lagless HD monitors (standard in all other competitive fighting games), and the EON GCHD, Melee could be played at a professional level on modern displays, with no lag, and at the highest resolution possible. The community reception was overwhelmingly positive, with players verifying the lagless input and stream viewers pleased by the impressive new visuals.

With the success of Overlords of Orlando and his belief in the GCHD, Juan identified an opportunity to help modernize Super Smash Bros. Melee, while also alleviating many of the headaches involved in supporting a 17-year-old game tethered to old technology. With the help of EON, Juan aims to forever change the Super Smash Bros. Melee scene, solidifying its future as it continues to be one of the most watched and respected fighting games in history, now with no CRT strings attached.

A move to “modernize” Melee via play on HD monitors as opposed to CRTs is certainly one likely to meet with resistance, but with Hungrybox on board, odds are more players will consider it. For more information on the EON GCHD adapter, have a look at their official website. Tournament organizers interested in the GCHD can contact Hungrybox directly at hungrybox@teamliquid.net for details on how to utilize the device at their own events.

Source: [press release]