Passport Plus 3 and PAL

[Ack]

Hey guys, recently I purchased a Passport Plus III for my Nintendo 64 so I could play import games without damaging my console. It arrived, and after a few minutes of me reading and rereading directions to understand what a Boot Cartridge was, I figured it out and sat down to play some games. Using Super Mario 64 worked great, and I can play the Japanese 64 games I've got.

Unfortunately, the one PAL game I've got isn't working out so well. I'm still using Super Mario 64 to boot, and it is working. Audio comes in perfectly, too. The problem is with the video. Whenever I start it up, the screen flashes up and down, kinda like a film reel that's gotten a bit damaged. The cart doesn't seem damaged in any way(it was packed well and I've cleaned it), and I'm using RCA composite cables to hook into my television. Color's coming through, it's just the issue with the picture. Has anybody ever had this problem with a PAL game before?

I know certain 64 games have problems with certain TVs, and unfortunately I've got one of those TVs that seems to have a few issues(for instance, Dark Rift ends up black and white with random flashes of off colors). Could it be my TV? I don't have another one to test it on so I can't confirm. If you guys can offer any suggestions or know anything, I'd really appreciate the help.

[Niode]

Which game is it?

Not all games are compatible with the passport and certain boot games. Maybe you could try a different cartridge?

[Ack]

The game is Rakuga Kids.

The reason I used Super Mario 64 is because it was recommended as a boot cart in the instruction manual. They gave a few examples of carts, saying whether they were good to use. Super Mario 64? Yes. 1080? No. I'll go through my others, but I kinda doubt any others will work...

[andymol21]

I don't really know much about this, but PAL region uses a 50Hz signal compared to the 60Hz of NTSC. Maybe somewhere in the transition from 50 to 60 you had some trouble.

That's my best guess anyway!

[Niode]

It might just be that that particular game is not compatible with the passport? Some of the later games started adding checks for the passport to stop people importing. However Rakuga Kids isn't exactly a later game so I'm not sure...

[Ack]

I found a guide on IGN about it, and it had a problem similar to mine in the FAQ section, but it's the opposite of what I need.

Q: I've got the right boot code, a boot cartridge, and the import game but
the picture isn't looking right - there's distortion and sometimes that game
won't even boot at all. What's going on?

A: The problem is probably your TV. If you are playing NTSC games on a PAL
console the problem is that your TV isn't modern enough to accept an NTSC
signal. If your TV is less than 5 years old and from a Japanese company it
should be alright, but if it still doesn't work it may be your cable. The RF
cable that comes with a PAL N64 is terrible so pick up either an S-Video
cable or SCART cable. Check that you TV has the right connections, though.
S-Video is generally under the panel on the front of the TV and SCART is
probably at the back.

My issue is that it's a PAL game on an NTSC system, and the TV was probably manufactured in the early to mid 90s. Could that be it?

[D.D.D.]

My issue is that it's a PAL game on an NTSC system, and the TV was probably manufactured in the early to mid 90s. Could that be it?

Sure sounds like it to me. Try it on a new(er) TV...