Nintendo Wii
The Wii is a great system for both old and “new” games and there’s three main choices for getting high quality video output: Component video cables get you the best analog video signal from the Wii, you could use an analog-to-digital HDMI adapter, or install an internal, digital-to-digital HDMI adapter. Info on all three are here:
High Quality Wii Component Cables: https://retrorgb.link/hdrwii
HDMI Adapter: https://retrorgb.link/wii2hdmi
Internal Wii HDMI Mod: https://retrorgb.link/avehdmi
Here’s some other info about the Wii, including some comparisons and older / alternative mods, such as the discontinued Wii Dual. Also, please note that as our TV’s get better, some of the Wii’s “unique” video output choices start to show their age, so if your Wii is softmodded in any way, I suggest checking out this video from Wobbling Pixels and adjusting the output to your liking: https://youtu.be/sjECzM61atg
| Wii Dual – HDMI Kit!
There’s a new kit that outputs a true HDMI signal from your Wii! It also upgrades the output of the component video signal AND ads RGB output in all resolutions!!! |
Wii VGA Mod
Aurelio on the BitBuilt forums has figured out a way to get a true VGA signal from the Wii!! This requires a softmod, as well as a hardware mod to connect RGBHV to the AVE-RVL chip. I haven’t tested this personally yet, but it looks like a great solution for people who require VGA! |
Wii Virtual Console Games vs. the Originals
I wanted to compare the Wii to the classic game systems. Doing the comparison on a modern TV isn’t fair, as the Wii outputs in a higher resolution…so I decided to compare the systems on an RGB monitor, so it’s the Wii vs. the classic consoles and their native original output. |
| Wii / Wii U Controller Adapters
This page describes ways to use controllers from classic game systems on your Gamecube, Wii and Wii U. |
Wii / Wii U Modding
This page provides basic info and links about softmodding your Wii and Wii U. |
A note about the Wii’s video output quality:
Some newer Wii’s output a much higher quality video signal than the originals. There is a really helpful thread on the Shmups forum with details and picture evidence: http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=51789#p1066811
As an FYI, the analog output from a Wii Dual will look better than any model Wii’s original output.
As a result of the above comparisons, I have to conclude the following:
– The Wii is an awesome tool for playing retro games. If you really love a classic game, the Virtual Console will never be a true replacement, but if you’re a casual retro gamer (even for just specific games), it’s a perfect way to experience the older games in high quality.
– NTSC Wii’s (US, etc) should stick with component video for analog output, but make sure to use good cables!!!
– PAL Wii’s (UK, etc) should chose whatever analog output their TV or monitor supports: If it supports 480p, use component. If it only supports component via 480i, stick with RGB…but component video is definitely recommended for any display that can support 480p and up.
-If you need HDMI output, good plug and play solutions like the one linked above are great, however Wii superfans and perfectionists may want an internal HDMI mod. Remember to truly “clean up” the Wii’s image, you’ll need software tweaks like the ones shown here.
– Wii games on the Wii U can be blurry and have weird aspect ratio issues, but that’s still an option: http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?p=1208264#p1208264
If you’d like info on mods for other systems, head to the Getting RGB From Each System page or check out the main page for more retro-awesomeness.