So I've been recently getting back into playing some of my favorite Gamecube games. As it is, for some reason, the only system I still own from last generation I have been buying a few of my old favorites to relive. My problem is that since the Gamecube's heyday I have purchased an HDTV; i.e.: my games look like a blurry mess with this svideo cable.

Here's my question, if I were to buy a Wii and some component cables, would my Gamecube games look better? Obviously the games that support progressive scan would look much better, but what about the few that don't? Would they still be a little crisper and clearer?

The nice thing about the Wii is the scaling and overall quality of gamecube games. I can't say it's a dramatic change in fidelity, but it is nicer. Although it is an upgrade, I can't say buying a Wii for the purpose of gamecube up res'ing makes any sense. BUT if you were to buy a Wii for that purpose, make absolutely sure you're not buying the Wii 2011 edition, because they stripped out Gamecube support to save quick money before the Wii U. So final answer, yes, it looks much better on the Wii, but 200 dollars better is the real question for you.

@BestUsernameEver: Thanks. The Wii actually isn't that expensive anymore. A brand new system with Mario Kart is $150 same with the Wii Play Motion Plus bundle. It'd be an interesting system to own for sure (I never played Mario Galaxy or Twilight Princess), and the Gamecube stuff sounds like an added perk.

@HatKing: You made this descision easier then. The Wii is an iffy buy at the price, just to play old games. But if you're at all interested in any Wii game, absolutely pick it up. Kirby epic yarn, donkey kong country returns, Galaxy 2, and Mariokart are all worth checking out. The brand new system you mention that is 150 IS the Wii without Gamecube support, do not buy that one.

@BestUsernameEver: I'm pretty sure it was $150 both before and after they took out Gamecube support. They just left the price the same, so they get more profit from what few new Wiis they are still selling. Regardless of price, I'm fairly certain that any Wii packaged with Wii Sports is the old model, and any Wii packaged with Mario Kart instead is the new one without Gamecube support.

@BestUsernameEver: @BisonHero:

Thanks for the heads up, guys. I'll be sure to watch out for that. The local electronic store/pawn shop place has used Wiis for $85. I'm guessing any used system is old enough to still have the Gamecube support.

@HatKing said:

@BestUsernameEver: @BisonHero:

Thanks for the heads up, guys. I'll be sure to watch out for that. The local electronic store/pawn shop place has used Wiis for $85. I'm guessing any used system is old enough to still have the Gamecube support.

It's pretty easy to identify those with GameCube support just from the packaging. The non-GC models are depicted as resting flat on the box, whereas the original model is depicted as resting in its stand. (The revised model with no GC support also doesn't come with the console stand, apparently.)

@Hailinel: Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder. Another question, can the original Wii systems be kept on their side? It'd fit in my entertainment center far better if it could.

@HatKing said:

@Hailinel: Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder. Another question, can the original Wii systems be kept on their side? It'd fit in my entertainment center far better if it could.

Yes, they can. Using the vertical stand is optional.