My GameCube does "high-def"
by Blake Snow 
{ Jan 16th 2006 at 4:45PM }
Well, not actually,
but the console does support progressive scan if you are an owner of a GameCube that was manufactured before May 2004,
after which Nintendo discontinued the digital AV port presumably to cut cost. From the article: "It's not
widescreen, but it's in progressive scan on 90% of the Nintendo titles, and a good amount of non-Nintendo titles... All
you have to do is load the game up holding down the 'B-button' and it'll ask you if you want to enable 480p. It looks
damn good."Nintendo never really pushed this feature when the console was launched back in 2001 which in hindsight makes sense given the company's current stance of not heavily marketing tech specs. Any GameCube owners use the progressive scan setup when available? If so, how much of a difference was there? Also as a reminder, you could invest around $10 for an s-video cable to experience sharper resolution too.
Highly recommended upgrades for any Cube owner before the imminent Zelda: Twilight Princess spring release.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Sengoku @ Jan 16th 2006 5:03PM
I'm using the component video cables (direct from Nintendo) and use the progressive display on my 65" Toshiba HDTV (most games do support it, including every Nintendo-made game that I can think of). It does look quite a bit better. If your Gamecube has the D/AV port, do yourself a favor and get the cable!
Jesse Pentecost @ Jan 16th 2006 5:10PM
i use the cable.. all but 1 of my 20 GC games doesnt support it.. (killer7) 3 of them support 16:9
Eternal Darkness
Time Splitters 3
Battalion Wars
i really wish more used 16:9 it really adds to the game.
i have a 32inch Samsung HD widescreen
cshsia @ Jan 16th 2006 5:11PM
Well, if you have the newer gamecubes, you're outta luck, for there simply isn't that port even if you're willing to pay a few bucks for the cables.
I havn't played my GC since i got that HDTV, perhaps it's time to try next week.
Clay @ Jan 16th 2006 5:13PM
I've used component video cables to connect my GameCube ever since I got my 40" Sony HD CRT three years ago. I did some comparison tests but had a hard time distinguishing between progressive and interlaced mode in games.
Mojo @ Jan 16th 2006 5:15PM
Yeah, I use it with the component cables, too. It definitely makes a difference when things start moving around. Plus, the colors look spectacular compared to rca, for sure.
Kirk @ Jan 16th 2006 5:15PM
Back before F-Zero GX came out I was running my cube with an S-Video cable on my HD set. When I finally bought the then massively anticipated title, I decided I'd order the component cable. I had to wait a week before I got the cable and I played an awful lot F-Zero during that timespan. When I got the cable all set up and fired up the week old title...WOW! The difference was more than marginal, the best way I could describe it is like geting a new, juiced up GPU for my PC.I pretty much refuse to buy games for my cube nowadays if they don't support progressive scan. The difference is that good.
I always questioned why people when all apesh*t about the Revolution not supporting HD...when 480p alone looks far superior to any standard def set. Sure, the extra texture clarity is nice I guess...but now we know where all those high specs on the other two machines are geared towards.
In comparison...I recently purchased a PS2 (long story as to why it took so long) and ran a few of it's top notch titles thru components. Although running it at 480p looks better than your basic cables, I find it doesn't match the Gamecube in clarity...not even close to be honest. I find the picture is a little more muddy and washed out than running the game with components and set at standard def.
To top it off...I was at my cousins house who managed to get his grubby mitts on a 360. He has it running in full HD (1080i) glory, and I honestly and truly found it to be a very small bump in quality over 480p.
Anyways...all those that may bang on Nintendo for opting out of the HD race really have no say if they haven't seen a Cube running at 480p.
Chris @ Jan 16th 2006 5:16PM
Metroid Prime in Progressive is a thing of beauty.
James @ Jan 16th 2006 5:17PM
Yes I use it with the component video cables on my 42 inch plasma. I can honestly say I think Metroid Prime 2 at 480p looks better than Perfect Dark Zero running at 720p.
I'm hopeing that the NES and SNES games can run at 480p when you download them on the revolution. When they ported Ocarina of Time over to Gamecube they upped the resolution to 480p and even though the textures were still bland the game did look a little better.
ed @ Jan 16th 2006 5:18PM
Totally agree. It improves picture quality no end. You see details in games that were never there before. You see, it pays to be an early adopter. ;)
Chiablo @ Jan 16th 2006 5:19PM
You don't have to hold down B to access it. If you are using the component cables, the prompt to switch over to progressive comes up automatically.
Jesse Pentecost @ Jan 16th 2006 5:20PM
i wish more games ran in Widescreen.. thats more important to me than 480p.. it really adds to the game!
Lou @ Jan 16th 2006 5:21PM
Yeah I finally bought the cable from Nintendo's site this summer and it rules. I love playing Madden (which does support widescreen) on my 50" Samsung DLP and I can see receiver to receiver... Even Eternal Darkness and Beyond Good & Evil support the widescreen ratio as does Battalion Wars and lots of other games. Many Nintendo games seem to be made in a ratio between 16:9 and 4:3 so stretching the screen doesn't distort things too bad... Burnout 2 supports the widescreen ratio also. Many games that don't even show the "Progressive Scan Compatible" icon on the back of the box still support it.
Most games detect the cables automatically and ask me to swithch. Some will switch automatically after waiting 10 seconds for user input. Some games that weren't optimized to run in progressive scan and rely on a normal TV's natural color bleeding effect to enhance apparant color textures look really pixelated such as Resident Evil 4 and especially R:Racing Evolution. R:Racing Evolution doesn't even look like it's running in 640x480... I guess it must have been a straight port of the PS2 version with no GC optimization...
I really hope we atleast can get widescreen 480p on Revolution.
nix @ Jan 16th 2006 5:21PM
Unfortunately PAL GC games don't support 480p... holding down B just makes them run in PAL 60Hz mode instead of 50Hz. Fortunately PAL GCs still support the HD cables, and with a Freeloader or Action Replay you can play NTSC games in 480p. Most of my GC games are imported from the US for this very reason. Looks fantastic on my Sony 32" HDTV.
Lou @ Jan 16th 2006 5:27PM
I believe you can contact Nintendo and trade in your Rev. C Gamecube for a Rev. B is you want the progressive scan option: http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/nintendogamecube/component_faq.jsp
Jason @ Jan 16th 2006 5:27PM
I bought the digital cable direct from Nintendo when I installed a digital projector last year. The difference in clarity is amazing, getting rid of much of the "fuzziness" seen when using S-Video before. Hopefully Nintendo will at least support progressive 480p with the Revolution...
Sengoku @ Jan 16th 2006 5:29PM
I agree #6. The GC's colors are so bright and vivid compared to the other systems (and I have all 3, so am *not* a fanboy). GT4 on the PS2 does look nice in 1080i, but all the Rev really needs to do is antialias the jaggies from the GC and I'll be happy.
MosquitoControl @ Jan 16th 2006 5:32PM
Our HDTV only has so many component inputs, and they're tied up with the Xbox and the digital cable. I suppose I'll need a switchbox when the other nextgen systems come out, but for now the GC looks good enough as is.
Sorry for my bad english @ Jan 16th 2006 5:34PM
First time I own Star Wars: Rouge Leader with S-video, it was most impressive after I compare between AV and S-video.
george @ Jan 16th 2006 5:39PM
to me it doesnt make much difference.I have a 50 inch sony lcd microdisplay tv.I bought the cables from lik sak, and they came from japan. They look better than s video, but not much better.It wasnt until i read this article that i figured out how to access the progressive scan mode.It would only show it in 480i until i pressed the b button to show 480p.
well on my tv 480 p doesnt look much better than 480i,so te difference isnt outstanding.but it does look better than s video
Jay @ Jan 16th 2006 5:40PM
goes to show how US-centric this site is, no mention of European GC games not supporting 480p. It was a guy like this telling me to buy an S-Video GC adapter for 480p only after I bought it a european guy tells me it won't work as the Euro GC has no S-Video signal output.
You should have a warning there before all the European cube overs rush out to get an S-Video lead.
My cube was bought the day after the UK launch, my girlfriend got one about 2 years ago still with the Digital port. All the other cube owners I know have this port. is there anyone without Digtial out?
gameclu @ Jan 16th 2006 5:42PM
Just upgraded to a 62" HDTV three weeks ago. Component video is a beautiful thing. Out of all the games I've tried since, including PS2 and Xbox titles, Metroid Prime is by far the best looking. I think I'll be happy enough playing the Revo in 480P.
On a side note, I've always felt the Gamecube had better color than the other two. PS2 games and Xbox games usually look faded or washed out in comparison. imho.
EggsnBacon @ Jan 16th 2006 6:04PM
Progressive scan owns. Why did you have to run an article about it? I thought it was common knowledge.
Lou @ Jan 16th 2006 6:06PM
I bought a second GC this summer to get the Super Smash Brothers bundle and install the qoob Pro chip and it's a Rev. C gamecube with no DV out. Infact the regular AV out connector occupies the space where the DV connector should be.
Kirk @ Jan 16th 2006 6:17PM
#16, that brings up an important point...
By Nintendo saying that they aren't supporting HD (720p~1080i) does that simply mean they aren't forcing it as a standard?
As you said, GranTurismo 4 runs at 1080i...just because the software takes most of the load. Soul Calibur II on the Xbox runs at 720p...
Once HD becomes more of a standard, will Nintendo and the third parties support 1080i from the software level on the Revolution?
When it comes to next gen...are we missing something? Are we being duped? I don't fully understand how PS2 can run at HD res...yet there's such a huge emphasis on HD for PS3 and Xbox 360. Does the fact that they are HD -native- have much of an impact?
Someone please explain....
Osiris @ Jan 16th 2006 6:38PM
If you install a Viper GC mod chip, it has a feature to Force progressive scan on all games.
Very nice feature.
Dylan Horkin @ Jan 16th 2006 6:39PM
I used to use an S-Video cable + TV tuner. It drove me crazy how low a quality I get. I now display gamecube on my monitor directly with the component cables at a glorious 480p.
It looks so much better you can't even compare the two. Component/svideo is so fuzzy that you can't even see many details.
For example: In smash bros., when someone is using the cloaking device, they seem to just completely disappear on svideo. With 480p of goodness (even on my 21" monitor), the picture is so much sharper that you can now see that there is a shader for cloaking. It refracts, and is pretty enough that when I first got my cable, I rediscovered Smash Bros. by pausing and rotating around characters.
If you can display component input on your monitor, and your GC supports the cables, BUY THEM. There's also a VD-Z3 box that lets you convert component to VGA (http://www.vdigi.com/ , supports 480p, 720p, and 1080i). It's what I use, and I love it.
Jago @ Jan 16th 2006 6:56PM
I'm actually going to be buying the component cable in the next couple of weeks now that I have a A/V switch with plenty of inputs. After hearin all you guys say how awesome the colors are and the crispness of everything, I can't wait to see how it looks.
I'm gonna have to buy the cabel on eBay tho b/c Nintendo's online store has been sold out for sometime now.
Momus @ Jan 16th 2006 6:59PM
Funny, I finally got Beyond Good & Evil today and it doesn't support progressive scan. What's the deal?
Also was looking for Monster's Standard composite/S-video cables for GameCube, but no one around here sells anything other than the PS2 and Xbox versions. Again: what's the deal?
Jake @ Jan 16th 2006 7:07PM
I had to order the cables directly from Nintendo, couldn't find them anywhere else.
However it was mandatory. The first time I hooked my cube up to my 51" HD ... Mario Sunshine made me want to puke. It looked like crap frankly. Blurry everything, scanlines in motion etc... etc...
The compenent cables made a world of difference ... made it playable. ;)
Ritz @ Jan 16th 2006 7:22PM
Although I don't own a progressive scan ready set, my TV still accepts component color input, so I got the cables anyway. The difference in color quality is amazing, let alone when I am able to play in Prog Scan when I'm at my friends house. I bought my cable from an import store, and they kinda ripped me off though :S. I payed $98 Canadian for it... it's a good cable, and the quality is great but... man 100 bucks... I really hope if Rev supports 480p they use the same cable format :(
James @ Jan 16th 2006 7:25PM
To Kirk,
Technically the current generation systems can do HD graphics. They don't because the developers don't have the tools to produce those graphics, and the systems don't have the horsepower. GT4 did support 1080i on the PS2 but look at how long that game took to come out. They learned every in and out of the PS2 hardware to pump those graphics out of it.
Also, HD graphics take up more space. Developers are already complaining that they can't fit everything onto a 9GB disc that the X360 provides. They certainly can't fit them on a Gamecube disc.
These next generation systems are designed to push out the kind of horsepower needed to play games in HD. That's why the Revoution with it's lower specs won't technically support HD. Will it be possible to do it? Most likely yes, but more than likely nobody will attempt it.
Of course there is also the possibility that the current gen systems block out resolutions higher than 480p. The hardware may simply not be able to recognize or handle the signal. If anybody knows for sure please comment.
Lou @ Jan 16th 2006 7:30PM
You can do that with the qoob (www.qoobchip.com) Pro as well... As far as current systems running 720p and 1080i, it's more of a stretching effect... But then look as the detail level of textures designed for 480p, then zoom in. If you did that on 1080i, the textures would look bad so you have to store the textures in a higher resolution than textures designed to look good at a lower resolution. So HD is more a question of storage capacity. Also, higher polygon counts are usually a requirement as well for larger screens so that we don't get 6-sided circles (etc...) on those large screens... That's why the 360 could fall behind on some games vs. the PS3...media storage. By Nintendo not supporting HD resolutions, all their games will fit nicely on a DVD-9 format. Filling every pixel in a 720p vs. 480p screen requires 3 times the memory...to do it as efficiently, your gpu need to be 3 times faster overall as well.
Princess Zelda @ Jan 16th 2006 7:59PM
I don't have component inputs just S-video on my TV. So, I bought the Monster S-Video cables for it. It made a huge difference in the video quality. I highly reconmend buying a set of S-video cables at least for your Gamecube the composite cables are terrible that come with the Gamecube. You can order a S-video cables from Nintendo's website for $15.95 or a set from Monster Cables. The Monster cables are only marginally better. If you plan on playing Zelda:Twilight Princess treat yourself to some S-Video Cables if that's the highest video quality on your TV.
The Component Nintendo cables are suppose to be back in stock in February.
tim @ Jan 16th 2006 8:07PM
Just wondering if anyone had tried the third party tripled up component cable? It has heads for xbox, ps2 and gamecube. I'm wary about the quality because they are really cheap.
pr0 @ Jan 16th 2006 8:41PM
I've used the component cables for the last two years on my widescreen HD. Indeed it is a thing of beauty.
I don't play many non-progressive enabled games, mostly because first party titles are among the best, but I do enjoy Monkey Ball 2 in 480p and widescreen.
If Twilight Princess doesn't support widescreen, I think I'll cry. Beyond Good & Evil doesn't support either, so you get letterboxed wide in 480i.
I love my Gamecube, and would probably rank it as their third best system behind the SNES and DS.
Admomatic @ Jan 16th 2006 8:55PM
The 480p looks great on most games... but RE4 does not fill a 16:9 screen which really hacks me off.
peon @ Jan 16th 2006 9:59PM
ya'll convinced me. i went and ordered some component cables from nintendo's site. said it's on backorder but hope to ship in early feb. can't wait!
Beanie @ Jan 16th 2006 10:40PM
Super Mario Strikers can do 16:9 and it looks really great! That is one the best games out for gamecube right now.
Alan @ Jan 16th 2006 11:29PM
I purchased the japanese component cable from Lik-Sang before I realized you can buy them on nintendo.com
Not a huge difference on my 26" CRT HDTV, but i'm sure there would be on our 50" plasma. It's definitely a necessity either way in my opinion.
jadenguy @ Jan 16th 2006 11:35PM
vgabox. that is all.
Alan @ Jan 16th 2006 11:50PM
Actually, I didn't know about the whole B-button thing. The only difference I was seeing before was obviously just some better color definition. Now that i'm playing in true 480p it looks great! Awesome.
DG @ Jan 17th 2006 12:06AM
So my Platinum Gamecube that came with Zelda isn't 480p compatible? I've been looking for component cables, but haven't had any luck. It looks like I shouldn't bother? Or am I confused?
Rusty Boyer @ Jan 17th 2006 12:22AM
This is old news to me...
I have been using the component cables almost since day one - the cables didn't ship until about a month after the release of the GC if I remember. I had played a solid month of Rogue Leader with the standard AV cables before the component ones arrived and the difference was definitely noticable. Some early titles (like Rogue Leader) forced a large amount of AA that was activated along with the Progressive Scan. This resulted in a "fuzzy" look that was sometimes distracting.
My biggest "480p Rules!" moment came about 3 months later when the Component inputs on my TV went out and I was forced to use an S-Video cable while the new parts were ordered. Some friends came over and we popped in Smash Bros... It was the first time I had booted a GC title NOT in 480p in months and it looked HORRIFIC.
If you want to see your GameCube shine in 480p, pop in a copy of SoulCaliber II, Metroid Prime/Prime 2, or Windwaker.
There are a lot of titles for the GameCube that run in progressive scan (pretty much all of the quality titles do) and it's frustrating that there aren't more. I seem to remember a Nintendo programmer once saying that it only took a good programmer about 30 minutes to integrate 480p into a GC game.
Just FYI - The whole "Hold B to activate Progressive Scan" thing is only a half truth. By default the GC has progressive scan turned off. The first time you use the digital cables you will need to hold the B button during start-up to bring up the progressive scan menu. After that it should come up every time you boot a progressive capable game. If you ever choose "NO" and don't switch to 480p then your GC will go back to it's default and you will need to hold B during start-up to bring the 480p option up again.
Mark Korsak @ Jan 17th 2006 12:35AM
Man I posted a story about this on my blog months back. I should have submitted it to Joystiq... Not many people know this, and I still have my launch Cube and I bought and use the Nintendo Component Cables on my HD TV. Its amazing. Almost every title is in progressive scan going back to Luigi's Mansion.
Pikachelsea @ Jan 17th 2006 9:59AM
"Well, if you have the newer gamecubes, you're outta luck, for there simply isn't that port even if you're willing to pay a few bucks for the cables."
False.
Although it was stupid of Nintendo to take out the port, you can call Nintendo and request that they exchange your GC for a refurbished Cube that has the port if you really want one.
Sure, it's not brand new, but it's better than nothing.
pete @ Jan 17th 2006 10:14AM
8: - "Yes I use it with the component video cables on my 42 inch plasma. I can honestly say I think Metroid Prime 2 at 480p looks better than Perfect Dark Zero running at 720p."
Well maybe because no 42" plasma displays true 720p, but it can display every pixel of 480p signal.
42" plasmas are 1024x768 while a 720p signal is 1280x720 - so you are losing 256 lines of vertical resolution.
480p is 640x480 (4:3), so you don't lose any picture information when displayed on your plasma.
I've never seen a 42" plasma that does 1366 x 768, which is the resolutions that 50" plasmas use, and that would be needed to display a 720p signal without loss. If anyone knows of any, please prove me wrong.
Waqas @ Jan 17th 2006 12:33PM
#28, i just got a gamecube w/ mario sunshine and am playing it on my HDTV... looks like CRAP!
i recieved the cables already, and am waiting to send my NEW gamecube to Nintendo for a refurbished one.
I called them and they are sending me a prepaid shipping label. They basically pay for everything, i just have to send my cube w/ a box..
only thing, they didnt gurantee that i could get black (the color i originally have) but im hoping for it...
Jago @ Jan 17th 2006 12:53PM
I've been playing Mario Sunshine on S-video for some time and it doesn't look THAT bad. Why do all you guys keep saying it look horrible? or are you talking about playing it with composite connections?
TheFlyingOrc @ Jan 17th 2006 5:23PM
A big part of the difference is if you have a big TV. If you're playing on a 21" TV, you're not going to see that big of a difference. The problem is, once you get that big TV, your games get ugly without the cables. The thing I hate the most about my 42" plasma is that zoomed in, RE4 graphics don't look as jaw-dropping as they did on my little 19" standard...jaggies were invisible on it. If you have the TV, get the cables - Cheapest I found were on lik sang.
Maxwell @ Jan 17th 2006 5:53PM
I got my component cables today. Damn! The color separation is really nice, and the colors look vivid. The picture is nice and sharp. I just spent the last hour exploring every detail of RE4 and I know that game by heart. It's even scary again and I was playing it on normal. I have my cube plugged into an Infocus X2 projector and the 6' diagonal picture really jumps out. It is like getting a whole new system, and I'm looking forward to rediscovering all my old games.