Joystiq has a nice thread going regarding the GameCube’s progressive scan/s-video feature going unoticed. 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.”
What has been your experience with the “hi-def” GameCube?
Anonymous
I was one of the 10 percent of Gamecube owners that went through to NINTENDO.COM and purchased a progressive scan cable for my cube. It makes Resident evil 4 shine, baiten Kaitos more beautiful, games like prince of persia Two thrones looks impressive, and the madden/fifa 06 look Great! The list goes on. If you have an HD TV and the cable directly from Nintendo it makes for a much more impressive experience. I have not been dissapointed, much like Nintendo did with the WIFI dongle for the DS, I believe the “NREV” should have this as a standard, along with regular stereo video cables.
Rafael
Anonymous
A few months ago I bought the s-video cable from Nintendo’s online store, and I love it. Everything just seems a little more crisp and clear. It does not make a HUGE difference, but a noticable difference. The easiest way to tell a difference is in text. I reccommend the character select screen from Super Smash Brothers Melee. Just hook up cables for S-video and standard composite and switch which one you have plugged in to the gamecube to see the difference. I WOULD have sprung for the component cables in a heartbeat, but my TV does not have component input 🙁
Anonymous
I live in Tokyo, Japan and I bought the cable from an electronics store… I love it! RE4, Splinter Cell: CT, Mario Kart, etc… Even if the Revolution is just this good, I am impressed… I don’t need a flawed 360…
Anonymous
pfft… 480p is NOT ‘hi-def’…
720p is the minimum.
480p does look cleaner and smoother, but not close to what 720p does.
Sorry.
Fábio
Hey, “Anonymous”, I’m sorry for you that do not enjoy that 😀
I really don’t understand why this hurry to launch HDTV support… it makes no sense right now, in five years maybe, but not now. Instead of more complex scenes in the next-gen, we will have only the same scenes with more points… I don’t think that is really good, but this is my oppinion.
And have fun!!
Princess Zelda
My TV doesn’t support component input but I did buy S-video cables and was happily surprised at the difference in the picture quality. The colour were brighter and the reds don’t blead any more. The picture is crisper and not fuzzy. I reconmend at least buying some S-Video cables for your Gamecube because the composite cables that come with the Gamecube are awful. S-video cables are $15.95 from Nintendo website or you can get a set from Monster Cables.
I bought the Monster cables because I needed a 10ft cable to reach my SNES and N64. The Gamecube, N64 and SNES use the same connector on the back so if you buy an S-video cable you can use it on all 3 machines.
Anonymous
who needs to play video games on a big screen tv?.. that’s rediculous… just use a smaller tv and sit closer… it looks exactly the same… BOOM!.. simulated hi-def… donkeys… why isn’t my hamburger a steak?.. oh wait… i paid half the price for it…
InvisibleMan
I have always bought the component video cables for all my systems that support it (DreamCast, GameCube, Xbox)… having a TV with “enhanced” 16:9 option and a component video input, I couldn’t pass it over. Not all games support it, but the ones that do look phenomenal.
As I wrote in a previous comment, this is why I don’t understand the sudden hoopla about the 360 supporting Hi Def. It seems like nobody cared that the previous Xbox supported it in most games, and that the GambeCube could bring in crips graphics with enhanced widescreen video, even if it wasn’t Hi Def… Few gamers have HD TVs anyway!
Is it all maybe a marketing ploy from Microsoft and Sony to highlight their new consoles without having to focus on actual gameplay, and thus taking Nintendo out of the console war by default?
Albo
None of the current gen systems support high def, InvisibleMan. Progressive Scan doesn’t equal HD.
LSSLAVE
I have seen High Definition and I can tell you, for the increased cost and the fact that it burns out at MINIMUM twice the rate it is not worth it.
Xbox actually HAD high definition, to my understanding, so yes Albo some systems did have it 🙂
Albo
So you’re right, so you’re right 🙂
vakerorokero
look. every generation consoles have update something about the graphics, but nothing more. Try remembering a console that didn’t have something to do with new hardware. last I remember the only one different was the virtual boy. now since they can’t really tell a difference between the last gen and the now they are aiming at resolution, which is pretty much pointless. Playing Doom at 1024 isn’t less fun than playing it at 1900, also high res also means expensive hardware just to make it not choppy. I hope the Ps3 can render 60fps in high res. or is going to be even less important than it already is.
InvisibleMan
Now I’m a bit confused: what exactly IS High Definition, then?
The original Xbox supports, specifically, 480p, 480i, 720p, and 1080i with the High Definition AV Pack (I got this directly from their website, and I’ve seen it in my Xbox’s selection menu). Not all games have it, but I understand even the original Halo supported 1080i… isn’t that Hi Def? And if so, what’s the big deal about the 360? Can someone clarify?
By the way, my GameCube also supports interlaced video, I don’t remember at what resolution…
InvisibleMan
Now I’m a bit confused: what exactly IS High Definition, then?
The original Xbox supports, specifically, 480p, 480i, 720p, and 1080i with the High Definition AV Pack (I got this directly from their website, and I’ve seen it in my Xbox’s selection menu). Not all games have it, but I understand even the original Halo supported 1080i… isn’t that Hi Def? And if so, what’s the big deal about the 360? Can someone clarify?
By the way, my GameCube also supports interlaced video, I don’t remember at what resolution…
Anonymous
No I won’t shut up actually.
It’s not my opinion. It’s a fact.
480p is NOT high definition.
720p + is the standard.
480p is ED – Enhanced Definiton.
Thank you, please come again.
Rollin
That was so childish. But anyway, no one sed it was high def. They only sed it looked good. Don’t get ur panties in a twist.
InvisibleMan
So… what’s “Hi Def”?
Is 720i Hi Def?
Is 1080i Hi Def (both already supported by Xbox)?
Does Hi Def have to do at all with the resolution and progressive or interlaced scan?
I want to know!