Gamecube Component Cable Availability
The Crowing One
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Registered User regular
I did a search around the boards and didn't come across anything useful, so I'll give a new post a shot and see if anyone has the answer I seek.
There have been a few games released on the Gamecube that I've always wanted to play, but it never really made sense for me to pick up the system until now. I made certain that the model I purchased was older in order to have access to the Digital A/V (Component) out. Picked up the system yesterday and launched into some SSB:M but one thing is really bugging me: That the picture is still SD and the bars to the left and right on my HD TV unit are really giving me a headache.
I know that the Component cables are Nintendo only, and that they go for much more than I purchased the whole console bundle for. My question is simple: Anyone know of a way to get one's hands on these cables without paying an arm and a leg? I've been calling around to my local EB/Gamestop and other video game retailers without luck.
Secondly (and this is more of a G&T question) has anyone every had any luck using a VGA hookup to enable Progressive Scan 480p on the Gamecube? This seems to be the other option for getting my picture to fill the whole of my newer television.
Any ideas?
There have been a few games released on the Gamecube that I've always wanted to play, but it never really made sense for me to pick up the system until now. I made certain that the model I purchased was older in order to have access to the Digital A/V (Component) out. Picked up the system yesterday and launched into some SSB:M but one thing is really bugging me: That the picture is still SD and the bars to the left and right on my HD TV unit are really giving me a headache.
I know that the Component cables are Nintendo only, and that they go for much more than I purchased the whole console bundle for. My question is simple: Anyone know of a way to get one's hands on these cables without paying an arm and a leg? I've been calling around to my local EB/Gamestop and other video game retailers without luck.
Secondly (and this is more of a G&T question) has anyone every had any luck using a VGA hookup to enable Progressive Scan 480p on the Gamecube? This seems to be the other option for getting my picture to fill the whole of my newer television.
Any ideas?
The Crowing One on
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Some gamecube games even have slightly better load times on the Wii too, not really noticable unless you are looking for it.
It's an option to consider.
I'm honestly not interested in the Wii, and I can live without a component connection on the Gamecube. I was able to pick up the system, controllers, games etc. for under $50 and the system is purely so that I can play some gems like Pikmin, Zelda and Eternal Darkness. I was gung-ho about the Wii at launch, but my enthusiasm has since dropped to the "I'll wait until the console is under $100" level of interest. Shelling out $250+ necessities for the Wii isn't really in the gameplan.
Really, this is a shot in the dark to see if there is some secret stockpile of the Component cables out there that Google doesn't know about.
Your best bet for component cables will be to trade in the GameCube for a Wii and buy cables for that, because GC cables are rare and cost $texas. Also they don't carry sound while the Wii's does. (At least, that's from what I remember).
In short for just a little more money than you'll spend on the cables you could just get a Wii anyway.
http://www.mobygames.com/attribute/sheet/attributeId,278/offset,0/p,14/so,0a/
No component cables needed.
Really my option is either 1) Find the cables for less than $70 or 2) Quit my whining and enjoy the games.
I'm happy to settle for #2 if the cables just simply cost that much. Eternal Darkness in progressive scan sounds delicious, though.
Why are people saying this? Unless I'm mistaken, the GC cables are $70 on Ebay and the Wii is $250.
I don't believe there are any solutions for getting progressive output to VGA, since the Gamecube component cables have some kind of special chip in them, and Nintendo never licensed it out to anyone.
If it's any consolation, 480p isn't really HD, and in my opinion the difference on the GC isn't as dramatic as on the Xbox; I only saw the difference when it was gone. I was originally disappointed when I plugged the cables in, but after playing for a while it was really glaring to switch back.
Unless it's the official Nintendo one, it is not a component cable.
He said widescreen, not progressive scan. They are two different, independent things.
Progressive scan (480p resolution) will improve image quality, but not all the games that support progscan will necessarily be widescreen, and vice versa.
For example, Smash Bros Melee works in 480p just fine, but it is not widescreen, and so you'll still have either black bars on the sides of your screen or a horrible-looking stretched image.
From what I've inferred in my research so far this doesn't seem possible. If you did do this I would love some info if you would be able to share.
As a student in EE (nearly done!), I'd think it would be relatively simple to reverse engineer such a cable. The only reason you don't see companies doing so and selling them is because any legitimate company doing so would probably get a C&D quicker than shit from Nintendo. The barriers to producing these things are probably more legal than they are technical.
Alas, I may just take MegaMan's advise and look for a nice fellow to part with theirs.
Steam
XBOX
Definitely worth a look, though I turned up nothing with the search. As per usual, the only ones out there are the First Party Nintendo cables.
Again, licensing issues. You simply will not find one in a store that is not (or rather was not) made my Nintendo. Period. Anywhere.
Unfortunately part of the process for making a new cable as an engineer would probably be getting ahold of an old cable, and taking it apart to analyze it. You could probably treat it as a black box problem, but that would be a pain in the ass. Alternately, there may be documentation somewhere on the interwebs of exactly how the cable works, allowing you to make one from scratch given the proper components.
Sounds like the biggest pain is finding the proper DAC or an equivalent. But this can be done.
*shrug*
No idea. Honestly, probably not more than $30, even to build a prototype and a final version. Depending what he has access to (for instance, I can pretty easily get simple 2-layer PCBs cut through my department at school...cheap if not free). The components and ICs aren't the expensive part.
But I could also be horribly, horribly wrong. And it would probably take a very real time commitment to create one.
Anyway, check out here, which seems to suggest that the digital output is some kind of "standard" digital video format (SDI). I know nothing about this (only skimmed that thread), mind you, but this may be enough to get somebody started on creating such a cable. And if this really is a "standard" signal (licensing just the connector would be enough to foil anybody wanting to make third-party accessories) then you might be able to build an interface for it relatively cheaply. Though maybe not...a few searches didn't turn up an SDI->component converters for less than $100.
But that doesn't mean it's impossible to create a cheap one for your purposes for less...looking at functional block diagrams they don't look all that complicated.