Multi-console Component Cable

[JKTrix]

Skip my random typings, check it out here and buy if you're interested. (http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-1u6b-71-n-49-en-84-j-70-1smg.html)

I'm a bit of a videophile. Not quite a 'graphics whore', but if I can get a game to look good, I will. 'Back in the day', I had component cables for my Xbox, my PS2, and my Gamecube. My TV, however, only has 2 component inputs. So for a while, I had to juggle between them, though usually it was the Gamecube that was unplugged unless I was playing F-Zero or Resident Evil or something.

Then I got this component cable splitter that plugged into both the PS2 and the Xbox, leaving the other slot free for the Gamecube. I was happy.

Enter the Xbox 360, with its HD component cable goodness. Gamecube, what little I played of it then, was completely relegated to front-of-the-screen SD plugin. It wasn't that big of a deal, because I didn't really play it much anymore.

Now comes the Wii, with its component cable. The 360 and the Wii are now taking both of the Component slots, and I'm forced to PS2 in muddy SD. This really struck me the other day when I played Soul Calibur 3 for the first time since I got my Wii, and it looked *terrible*.

Now, browsing through my favourite import site, I see this cable set (http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-1u6b-71-n-49-en-84-j-70-1smg.html). A multi-cable for the PS2, Xbox 360 and the Wii! Perfection! It also works for PS3, but that's less of an issue for me (a: don't have a PS3, b: when I do I'll be using my HDMI port).

So basically, I'm just pointing this out to anyone who might be in a situation like me, where you have more plugs than holes on your TV. This could also be useful for people who can't find the $30 Wii component cables in stores--this thing is only $20 at first cost. These things come from Hong Kong, so you will have to pay for shipping, but in general it should be a little less than $30.

http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-1u6b-71-n-49-en-84-j-70-1smg.html

[Roto13]

I had a bar thingy that had inputs for, like, five different a/v cables at the same time. It broke, though...

[Pike]

I have a little box thing with a switch that lets me switch between any of my consoles and my DVD player, it's pretty nifty.

[JKTrix]

Yeah, I was actually looking for one of those boxes for component cables beforehand, I was gonna buy one in a couple of weeks. I had a switchbox previously, before I went HD.

I saw this one (http://www.svideo.com/com3.html), which I might have ended up getting, but then again it's $80 (and that's a little less than half off the retail cost). This $20 cable will do for now.

[XxSephirothxX]

Have you actually used the cable yet? My TV, which has two HDMI inputs, only has one component input for some reason. That's used for my 360 and has discouraged me from purchasing any form of component input for my older consoles, especially because I didn't know just how much better the picture would look with a high-def input for a 5 year old system. One I read about the cable, I decided I'd get one--assuming they were up to snuff. Would you say the picture is just as good as it is with any other component cable out there?

[JKTrix]

Well, for the older systems, it really depends on the game. The picture tends to be slightly less muddy, but if the game itself doesn't support anything better than 480i it won't look much different.

I think All Xbox1 games support 480p, which tends to look crisper than 480i. I mentioned Soul Calibur 3, because I think that runs at 720p (like Soul Calibur 2 did on all systems), and I think Tekken 5 has an HD mode as well as Shadow of the Colossus. If a game has a Progressive Scan And Widescreen Mode, I will play it in that mode. If it doesn't have it, it doesn't bother me--but when I know a game is supposed to look good I do what I can to make it happen.

As for the cable I mentioned in the topic, I haven't used it yet. I just placed the order earlier. However, I mentioned I had a similar cable for my PS2/Xbox, this is it (http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-2b-49-en-70-3zq.html). Hardly the most high-end looking box :P but it worked perfectly. Halo 2 looked as great as it did on the Official Xbox Component Cables, and the few HD games on PS2 looked equally fine. I'm sure there are some differences between cables as far as quality goes, but I think those are more determinate by how they are handled. The highest quality cables could be durable enough to have vehicles run over them repeatedly, while a very low quality cable could snap just by bending it.