Getting the most out of Standard-Definition Wii gaming

[WillzTJ]

Hey there people :) OK, this thread is to basically to give some tips on how you can enjoy a great picture while gaming with your Wii in standard definition. OK, here we go!

1) 50Hz/60Hz - OK from what I've heard and read about before, to put it generally, 50hz/60Hz is related to the framerate that you get on-screen. "50Hz produces 25 fps and 60Hz produces close to 30fps, which may not sound like a big difference, but the increase in quality from 25 to around 30 fps is quite noticable on-screen." (PAL SSBB manual, pg 5) So basically, if you set your screen display to 60Hz, what you'll get is a smoother gaming experience with the game running at optimal speed. However, I did some research before concerning 50Hz and apparently it may be the case that 50Hz (576i) gives off a better picture than 60Hz (480i) as there are more lines on-screen, (think about it, 576i, 480i) however, with the reduction in frame-rate, movement on-screen looks choppy in 50Hz compared to 60Hz.

2) Cables: Composite, AV scart (adapter), RGB Scart - When you bought your Wii you may have also gotten the composite cables too. They are those grey cables with the red, yellow and white:


As far as I know this is like the minimum standard of picture quality you will get in terms of Wii cables, and if you have been using these up 'till now, you may not be aware of the increase in picture quality the other standard-definition alternative(s) may bring.

AV Scart adapter:


Now, I'm not exactly certain about the AV scart. It might be the case that it is slightly better than the AV Composite cables (maybe I'll test it out later) but from what I've seen is that RGB scart blows both the AV scart adapter and normal composite out of the water.
When I bought my Wii RGB cable, I wasn't sure what to expect, but when I saw the picture it produced, I was blown away by the enriched picture quality, increased sharpness and enriched colour display. Trust me, if you don't have HD and want to get great picture with on your SD TV, RGB scart is probably the best you can get. Even compared to my friends HD TV, I had hesitations about whether his HD picture quality was better than my RGB, b/c it seemed the colours on my screen was more richer than his. I've even read about how HD TVs may not be all good for wii gaming, as it may try to upscale an initially 480p/whatever image to 1080p or whatever, and that can result in a not so good picture.
And playing Gamecube games through RGB scart is like taking it to another level. Really, it looks pretty amazing when you campare the normal AV cable quality of GC with the RGB cable quality you get from playing GC games on the Wii. I've played SSBM on my Wii with RGB, and the quality is amazing. It's just so sharp and colourful, I was impressed that such a great picture is feasible on the Gamecube.

Wii RGB Scart:


3) TV settings OK, even if you have RGB Scart and set your settings to 60Hz, it's probably worth tweaking your TV settings - if you haven't already - to your liking. Try maxing out the colour and contrast and tweak the brightness, or move things up and down here and there until you feel you have a good picture. It's probably worth it if you haven't done so already.

4) 16:9 and 4:3 16:9 and 4:3 (if I'm not mistaken) are aspect ratios. 4:3 is standard and 16:9 is widescreen. Now initially, it may be the best option to go with widescreen, and overall it is probably better to have a 16:9 experience than 4:3. But what I find is that for me, when my setting is on 16:9, I can't see the whole of the screen. When I play Tatsunoko vs Capcom in 16:9, some of the HUD can't be seen. This might be because I have an older TV and the 16:9 doesn't perfectly fit or something, but what I've found is that 4:3 fixes that problem quite significantly but not perfectly, but quite considerably. But the general, arguable downside is that with 4:3 the image may become seemingly stretched on-screen.
You can experiment with your TV's settings screen settings and the Wii's 4:3/16:9 settings and see what kind of settings you may like.

Well, I hope this guide helps you in a good way...reply if you have any more tips, suggestions or just wanna chip in to the topic or something! :)

[Sonic3646]

I have the cables. And you make this thread like people care about graphics. The only people who do are PS360 fan boys/girls.

[Zail]

Nice information, Good job for informing me that my ordinary wii can be batter. :D

[WillzTJ]

I have the cables. And you make this thread like people care about graphics. The only people who do are PS360 fan boys/girls.

I know where you're comming from. I have defended the wii with things like "It's not all about the graphics" and that is kinda true I guess. But what I've found out for me is that I'm kinda keen on picture quality when gaming on my wii and I find it fun to tweak the settings. Also, I've seen Marvel vs Capcom in 1080p on Xbox360...and just wow it's really impressive. Really. It's kind of a shame the wii can't produce such an intense resolution like that but it's OK anyways because I still get a great picture from the wii on SD. At the end of the day its not the most important thing, yes, but it's just I found ways to make the picture quality even better for SD Wii gaming, so I thought it would be nice to share some of those tips :)

[TruthWielder]

You should get Wii Component Cables (the ones with R/G/B/R/W colours) if you want a sharper image, especially on HD TVs.

[Venat]

You should get Wii Component Cables (the ones with R/G/B/R/W colours) if you want a sharper image, especially on HD TVs.

Those barely help at all. I use them and it only improves small things.
If you have a Wii and want better graphics, just get another console for your HD needs.

That's what I did.

[Shigeru]

Those barely help at all. I use them and it only improves small things.
If you have a Wii and want better graphics, just get another console for your HD needs.

That's what I did.

This..

@ Topic.
If you want HD,Wii is not what your looking for that's for sure.

[WillzTJ]

This..

@ Topic.
If you want HD,Wii is not what your looking for that's for sure.

I see what you say and I acknowledge your point - I'm even somewhat considering a PS3 to get MvC3 at least - but still I'm sure there are people who play wii (obviously) and probably care about picture quality when it comes to gaming, so even if Wii doesn't produce picture as good as PS3/Xbox360, I'm just giving some tips on how to get a yet still great picture even if you don't have HD.

[Marcoboy]

For some HD TVS now if you like to konwn about 480p is for movies or games in widesrceen, so I set my HD widesrceen on my wii and wow I'm getting 480p.
And for PS3 HD DVD player is 1080p and other like DVD player wii be 720p for some DVD players now to the set up boxes mine only is the foxtel IQ as a PVR
Wii be 576i or 576p HD. Hope this understands of HD,

[TruthWielder]

Those barely help at all. I use them and it only improves small things.
If you have a Wii and want better graphics, just get another console for your HD needs.

That's what I did.

Well, it looks better on HD TVs than the regular composite cables. Some people can afford more than one console considering the Wii is dirt cheap now :P