Virtual Console Questions

[MaliceValentine]

Since i haven't tired it yet I have a few questions

1: Since I am in a PAL territory will all the games i down load run a 60hz?? or a miserable 50 this is a large thing for me seeing as i can for once finally play my N64 games the way they were meant to be.

2: Since the Wii displays in 480pi will my Virtual Console games display in the same quality? and will having a Wii component cable clean up the image considerably as it does wonders for my Wii games.

3: Do they all display in 16:9 wide screen? I have my Wii hooked up to a LCD wide screen in my lounge room and want to make sure they will display properly.

4: What storage mediums can i use to keep my VC games on other than the Wii's hard drive with is tiny.

5: Do they work with the Gamecube controller? Because id love to pick a Hori Pad to play them with.

Thanks!

[GSZX1337]

2: Since the Wii displays in 480pi will my Virtual Console games display in the same quality?

This one I can answer: The games are scaled up to 480i. (I would assume that 480p would work too)
Overall though, if you don't mind the illegalities of desktop emulation, I'd go that route.

[Ziggy]

2: Since the Wii displays in 480pi will my Virtual Console games display in the same quality? and will having a Wii component cable clean up the image considerably as it does wonders for my Wii games.

I have mine hooked up with component cables and I've never seen Castlevania (NES) look this good before.

3: Do they all display in 16:9 wide screen? I have my Wii hooked up to a LCD wide screen in my lounge room and want to make sure they will display properly.

I have my Wii set to 16:9 on my TV. When I play a virtual console game, I have to put my TV in 4:3 mode to display it correctly. Otherwise it'll be stretched to 16:9 which doesn't just look awful, it throws off the flow of side scrollers.

4: What storage mediums can i use to keep my VC games on other than the Wii's hard drive with is tiny.

There was an update that gave us the SD channel. You can store games/channels on your SD card, and now there's a menu to browse and play them. Pretty neat.

5: Do they work with the Gamecube controller? Because id love to pick a Hori Pad to play them with.

Most, if not all, do. I guess the Hori Pad would be nice, but the Gamecube controller sucks for most games. I tried playing a SNES game with it and the button layout was impossible (mostly because my brain is trained for a SNES controller). Every game you download will let you know what controllers are compatible with the title.

[MaliceValentine]

This is sounding awesome, thanks guys now just the 60hz issue and I'm sold! Any PAL gamers here??

[MaliceValentine]

PAL issues

With the launch of the Wii in territories using the PAL television system, it has become apparent that in most cases the games supplied for the Virtual Console run in 50Hz mode and in their original unoptimized state. Unoptimized PAL games run roughly 17% slower than their original speed in 60Hz and have borders covering the top and the bottom of the screen. Setting the Wii console to 60Hz mode does not force the 50Hz game into 60Hz mode (as is possible on emulators and modified PAL consoles).

All currently released Nintendo 64 games are partially PAL optimized, resulting in full screen games (although still running in 50Hz and locked to the original slower gameplay speed). This optimization was not the case for the original cartridge versions of Super Mario 64, Wave Race 64 or Mario Kart 64, making the Virtual Console versions superior in that regard.

Additionally, some Super Nintendo games are also partially PAL optimized with reduced borders but still retaining the slower run speed of the original PAL release (Super Mario World, Super Probotector and Street Fighter II).

A select few games were already optimized in the original release to begin with, and are thus just as fast as their 60Hz counterparts this time around (the most obvious examples being Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest).

Turbografx games are the only Virtual Console games to actually run in 60Hz on PAL Wii systems; this is because the game data was never changed for release in PAL territories, the original hardware itself performed the conversion to a 50Hz signal.

One example of a poor PAL conversion is seen in the Virtual Console release of Sonic the Hedgehog, which retains the slower framerate, music and borders of the original PAL Mega Drive version,[66] despite the fact that the GameCube release Sonic Mega Collection allows PAL users to choose which version of the game they want to play.

Recently, during Nintendo's 'Hanabi Festival' campaign, certain titles that were never released in Europe are being added to the Virtual console. Some of these games, namely the Japan only titles such as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, are run in 60Hz only, thus keeping the original speed and gameplay. A small reminder is shown when previewing the game's channel. Interestingly, these games can actually be played in both PAL60 (480i) and 480p modes. This makes these releases look significantly better on Progressive displays such as LCD TV's. The fast moving sprites in NES and SNES games generally create a significant amount of interlace artifacts on such displays that the 480p option resolves. However Hanabi Mega Drive titles run in 50hz with the usual PAL conversion problems, despite not been released in PAL.

Initially, some PAL Virtual Console games would not display correctly on high-definition televisions when connected via the component lead. However, starting with the April 13, 2007 update of the PAL Virtual Console, certain newly added games, such as Punch-Out!!, support the "Wii Component Cable Interlace mode." This is a temporary fix to problems with various Virtual Console games being played over component cable on HDTVs. The mode can be enabled by accessing the operations guide of the game, and (with the Nunchuk attached) pressing the buttons Z + A + 2 simultaneously. A sound is played if the mode is enabled correctly. Several older games also have updates available to enable the feature, such as Super Castlevania IV. The mode can be disabled by using the same method, but with the button combination Z + A + 1 instead. A full list of games supporting this mode is available at nintendo.no,[67] an English version can be found at vc-forums.com.[68]

Life is Beautiful well looks like its Emulation for me!