Topic: GameCube Component Cable impressions

i have a quite big flat screen (47'') it dosent have HD (it does have 480i) and i play Gamecube games on it. So im thinking about getting a component cable.

Anyone out there that have a component cable for thair GC? And does it improve picture quality

I just use the ones that came with my N64 since the can be used on the SNES and GC as well.

does GC and n64 actauly have the same port?

Yep the SNES, N64. and GC have the same port for the cables.

well im playing a bunch of us region games on it, and my wii is pal. so sould i get a us wii insted?

It's less a question of where you bought it - just, do you have an input for component on your model or not.

As WaveBoy says, a Wii system using commonly available (and inexpensive) component cables is a better idea.

yes i have the old model.

Its funny how this thread has become nothing obout how the component cable improves the video quality. The reason i made this thread is someone is selling a gc component cable on tradera (swedish ebay). And at a good price to

And they deleted my comment...

i know it makes magific difference on my wii. I just want to know if the difrense is the same with GC. The question is- Will wii u have Gc vc? As i have understand my wii component will work on Wii U along with ac adapter and sensor bar.

I personally own an original release date Gamecube, and I've got the actual official Nintendo component cable for it. I bought it from amazon years ago for "just" $40.00 plus shipping - they go for over $140.00 US now LOL.

A few noteworthy things about the GC and component cable:

• You will need an older GameCube console equipped with a digital A/V output port (model DOL-001) - Nintendo took this port AWAY for models released after DOL-001.
  • Although PAL editions of the DOL-001 hardware were produced, the games themselves only support PAL (576i) or PAL60 (480i). This means you need NTSC games to see the actual differences.
• You might want to see if the games you own even support progressive scan - check this list here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nintendo_GameCube_games_...

• You need to activate the progressive scan mode for the first time by holding the "B" button when you power up the console. After enabling it you should not have to do this again. Most games will indicate upon start up that progressive scan mode is enabled, or will actually have "YES" or "NO" to select progressive scan.

Having said all that, ideally need an HDTV capable of 480P to fully utilize the potential of the GC + component cable as progressive scan mode means games are displayed in a smoother, crisper, 480P. I only have HDTVs in my house, so I cannot compare the picture quality on a non-HD or less than 480P TV, but I imagine the colors should be crisper.

Some of the games look AMAZING in 480P. Some of the games not only offer 480P, but also 16:9 widescreen mode too. Soul Caliber II, and F-Zero GX look no less impressive than some of my XBox 360 games - for real. Other games that indicate it's turned on are not as graphically amazing, but then again they were not as good looking to begin with.

If you can find the cable, and it's affordable, and you have games that utilize it, I say GO FOR IT. Get yourself an HDTV and enjoy the full potential of that GameCube!!!

If you've ever heard of Chuggaconroy, he natural mentions what the component GCN cords do for the graphics. In his Luigi's Mansion LP at least but I willing to bet he mentions it in his other GCN Lets Plays. If your willing to spend the money, go for it. However, I think most Devs had standard composite cables in mind when they made graphics for the GCN games. So in my opinion, I wouldnt go for it. My overall opinion doesnt matter though because it's your money.

I agree that if the OP is looking at a $100.00+ cable it's not worth it, UNLESS he is just absolutely in love with his GC collection. The OP is basically having to choose between a US Wii, or the component cable to use with his US GC to play his US games. He never mentioned the actual price of the cable, but "good deal" probably means less than the going rate we see currently on Amazon/Ebay. He's already got a US GC to play his US games - if the cable is "affordable" to him, I say go for it. Otherwise he will be purchasing a US Wii console, its cables, etc. - I'm not sure how that pricing will compare to the GC comp cable.

Also as far as developers not having the component cables in mind when developing the games, please refer to that list f games I linked in my earlier post. That's quite a number of games that do 480P - the difference between playing a game in 4:3 standard def with non-component cables, and playing in 480P with comp cables is night and day. There is no comparison. The blurry edges, pixelated images, etc. are exaggerated on big screen TVs when not using comp cables, and esp when not in 480P/progressive scan mode. ...and that list shows only the 480P/progressive scan games, but even games that do not support/feature that progressive scan mode will benefit from the better component cables in the color crispness, etc.

...and I have also compared the S-Video cable back to back with the comp cables, and again there is no comparison. While the S-Video is definitely better than the standard composite (red/white/yellow) cables/RF switch, the S-Video cable still does not allow for progressive scan/480P mode.

I guess unless you have actually done back to back, "A/B" comparisons it's impossible to understand the dramatic differences between 480P mode and not. I was looking last night for a screenshot capture app for my Vizio TV to try and snap direct comparison shots, but no luck so far. Trying to use even a nice DSLR camera to take still shots of a TV screen is tricky, and taking HD video of an HDTV in use also results in crazy color shifting, etc. - it's never true-to-life at all.

Ultimately we are talking about an old console - over 10 years old now. With truly HD gaming out there, even the best GC/video cable/HDTV setup will pale in comparison to the newer gaming experiences. If you are a casual GC gamer you have to ask yourself if it's worth it to buy an expensive component cable. I was fortunate enough to buy one when they were still not much more than they were when Nintendo sold them (got mine for $40.00) so there's no way I'd ever go back to the other hook-up/non progressive scan mode.

If I have time, and my son isn't on the GameCube at certain times today I still might try and at least capture a screenshot of a full 16:9 480P progressive mode game vs. the standard version of the same screenshot. Again it might not be possible logistically - I've got an infant, a 4 y/0, and there are FA cup games and NFL playoff games to watch today...

S-Video is definitely a tempting alternative. Thankfully my living room A/V receiver has S-Video and will upconvert it to HDMI/component for my TV, which lacks S-Video. I've got a GC on the way and will definitely be getting an S-Video cable.

If I have the digital video port I'd be tempted to get component video... but it's cheaper to buy a first-gen Wii and get component video that way.

I say get the component cables for the gamecube. Buying another Wii and Wii component cables will cost the same, if not more.

If you are in Europe the RGB Scart cable is the best for standard definition games on a non-HDTV as it will improve the clarity of the image and the richness of the colours (especially reds). I'm not sure if this cable it's compatible with ntsc consoles, however.

The Datel freeloader will allow you to play Gamecube games from any region on the GC or Wii.

I realise this is quite an old question, but for information for PAL gamers, thought I'd share that the later versions of the Gamecube Free loader (at least the one I have) do work with the PAL Wii.

If you play a US import gamecube game that supports progressive scan (such as Luigis Mansion or Burnout 2) on a PAL Wii with component cables using the free loader disc, you can active the progressive scan mode of the US game on the PAL Wii. My Game Cube didn’t support the component cable, so I did see a slight visual improvement on import games.

Actually, my PAL version of Timesplitters: Future Perfect actually allowed me to activate the Progressive option when I ran on my soft-modded Wii (used the US firmware and NTSC setting).

This means that some PAL games did keep the 480p option. Unfortunately, I don't have the lead to try this out on my PAL Gamecube.