adamsappel Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 This weekend's episode of Pulse on G4 referenced a story on 1up.com (which has yet to be posted, afaik) stating that Nintendo was dropping the digital port from future manufacture of the GameCube. The port-less GCs would be on the US market by May. I did find this reference at IGN: On top of this new pricing policy, Nintendo announced plans for some changes to the GameCube hardware. The GameCube will see the digital AV port removed from its back, with the name-plate atop the Cube becoming impossible to remove. Full story from gamesindustry.biz: for American and Japanese gamers who want to use the progressive scan or HDTV functionality of the console, Nintendo plans to continue to make a version of the console with Digital AV support available. Still, won't this mean that developers will simply drop progressive scan from their games? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iainl Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 It should be noted that wildly differing positions are coming out in every report of this - I'd hold off any panicing for a while. So far I've seen all three positions reported: 1) Nintendo have dropped the digital port. No Prog Scan for you, Mr. slow adopter. 2) Nintendo will be selling non-digital ones alongside digital ones. 3) Nintendo have dropped the digital port, but there will be a new Prog Scan connector that goes on the analogue port along in a few weeks. Mind you, late model N64s couldn't do S-Video, only Composite, so there is a history for this A/V feature removal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danger9777 Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 From everything I heard, Nintendo is planning on somehow supplying the component video signal through the Analog A/V port instead and that a new cable would be available soon. Who knows whether this is true or not? I read this news a couple weeks ago and was most concerned. I played the heck out of my GC and I still have a TON of GC games left to play with tons more coming out this year that I plan to get. While I doubt the console will break on me, I didn't want to risk having it break and me getting stuck with a console that no longer had the digital port(since I already own a set of component cables). So, I decided I would just bite the bullet and I bought myself a second GC. I just got it a few days ago and hooked it up in the bedroom. I should be good to go until the N5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starhawk Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 Wow. This is reason enough to buy a second Cube if the news proves to be true. There's no way I could suddenly drop down to S-Video from progressive component! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark E Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 While I doubt the console will break on me Ha, yeah, well, don't just assume that, lemme tell ya :bang: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danger9777 Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 LOL.....yeah, I understand. After reading your thread, you definitely inspired me to pick up a second GC. I definitely didn't want to risk mine breaking and me getting a second with without the digital port, so I just went ahead and jumped the gun and bought one now so I could be sure it did have the digital port. It actually works out nice at the moment as sometimes the fiance' likes to watch some crappy program on Tivo in the living room and I can just head over to the bedroom and still get my GC fix without having to unhook everything. Good luck with everything Mark. Just convince mom and dad to give you an early birthday present. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Monkey Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 Back on the SNES, the same analog port had RGB. This was dropped for N64 and the SNES2, but the actual pins still exist in the spec. These same pins could be used for component video on the Gamecube. PS2 did the same thing, changed the RGB pins on the (compatible) PS1 video port to component video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark E Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 Honestly, it's not like you don't have to walk on hot coals just to get a component cable already, it's hardly going to make it LESS accessible if they at least consolidate it. Maybe they'll even sell the damn things in stores. I actually have a component input on my tv (I mention because I myself am shocked :green:) but refuse to shell $50 US to Nintendo for cables. One of my system gripes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danger9777 Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 $50?!? I believe the component cables from Nintendo cost $30 and then another $5 for shipping. The reason these cables are so expensive is because they contain a DAC(Digital to Analog Converter). By having the cables contain a DAC, Nintendo saved some cost on on the console by leaving it out. However, because the cables have this DAC, other third parties cannot supply component cables for the GC. I'm guessing somehow Nintendo has managed to cut costs and somehow include the DAC in the hardware making the cables more standard. If this is the case, third parties will also get on board to make cables. Speaking as somone who owns the component cables and uses them often, I think they are worth every penny. Playing games like Metroid Prime and F-Zero GX in progressive scan is simply stunning. In all honesty, I have been much more impressed with the graphics in my GC games than I have with my XBOX games, and I use component for them both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Monkey Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 I'm guessing somehow Nintendo has managed to cut costs and somehow include the DAC in the hardware lmaking the cables more standard. IF this is the case, they probably just upgraded to a newer video encoder chip, one that may not even cost more (at this point) than the old one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamsappel Posted March 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 Originally posted by danger9777@Mar 29 2004, 03:08 PM $50?!? I believe the component cables from Nintendo cost $30 and then another $5 for shipping. Mark is Canadian. Since Nintendo won't accept his country's play money, he has to pay more in US dollars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Monkey Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 I lucked into a used component cable for about $25 shipped from an HTF member. The really irritating thing about the component cable is that, while the digital AV port (which uses a form of DVI) includes 16bit/48khz PCM digital audio, they chose not to provide digital audio with the component cable (probably trying to avoid increasing the price by another 10 bucks). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danger9777 Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 Even though Mark is Canadian, I have friends up in Canada who just called up nintendo to get the cables or simply went into their local game store and saw them there for sale. Definitely look around as I'm sure you can get them for cheaper than $50. Mike, I read that Factor 5 really had a big influence on Nintendo choosing to go with Dolby Pro Logic 2 as opposed to having actual 5.1. I'm not sure how much of a cost it would have been but I guess they just felt it wasn't worth it. While 5.1 would've been nice I will admit that PL2 does work quite well when used right. Still...not quite as good as 5.1 I'm hoping the N5 will have actual 5.1 or even 7.1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Monkey Posted March 30, 2004 Report Share Posted March 30, 2004 I read that Factor 5 really had a big influence on Nintendo choosing to go with Dolby Pro Logic 2 as opposed to having actual 5.1. I'm not sure how much of a cost it would have been but I guess they just felt it wasn't worth it. While 5.1 would've been nice I will admit that PL2 does work quite well when used right. Still...not quite as good as 5.1 I understand that, but that is no reason not to provide PCM 2.0 (which can be decoded as DPL and DPLII) via digital output. It is much more convenient for many setups, and has better sound quality. Digital audio is not just for surround. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason One Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark E Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 Yeah, I'm not big on that circular reasoning. Less than one percent use the component cables because the damn things are nigh impossible to get, basically. Very frustrating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFo Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 Originally posted by Pharmboy@May 27 2004, 10:45 PM Less than one percent use the component cables because the damn things are nigh impossible to get, basically. Very frustrating. Agreed. You can't expect something to sell if you don't make it easily available to the public. I'd like to see what the same numbers for the PS2 and Xbox just for the sake of comparison. I seriously don't know what Nintendo is thinking with this move. I only hope that they don't decide that 480p and HD support won't be necessary for their next system based on the GameCube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLYING SE7EN Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 Maybe nobody uses the feature because you cant buy the component cable anywhere but from the big N. No third party cables either. If it wasn't for this forum, I wouldn't have known where to get them. And they were overpriced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamsappel Posted May 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 Again I feel I must point out that we are exceptional here. Most people either don't have the capability to see 480p or don't know/care if they do. Buying another set of cables when there's already one that comes with the console isn't high on most people's lists. There's still apparently a large market for RF connectors! The pro-scan converter is being integrated into the cable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark E Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 There's still apparently a large market for RF connectors! Yeah, I'm always floored when I walk into FutureShop and see the wall with a bunch of these actually. I agree with your point, Allen, that most people here are techno-savvy in a way Joe Average isn't, but how many people like us have wanted those cables but felt they were either too expensive or that going through Nintendo was too much of a damn hassle? I know I'm one . Maybe that would alter the stats a little bit from the dismal use it's apparently getting now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boogieman Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 Well this is just dumb. I guess I need to speed up my saving some money to buy a 'cube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bryan Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 I'll wager that this is being done to lower the mfg cost as the machine enters the latter part of its life cycle. Allen, tell us more about progressive being integrated - that helps to soften the blow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason One Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Monkey Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 Well, this is worse than I thought. I was hoping they were just moving the signal to the analog port, which has unused pins. HDTV is a growth area, console makers should be adding, not removing, higher-res graphics support. By the way, there is no way to get the true temporal resolution of 480p by doubling the scan rate in the cable. These aren't 24-frame movies with 3:2 pulldown, there are no progressive frames to reconstruct if the console only has interlaced video output. Again, this cost cutting is not without precedent. The top-loader NES dropped composite output, and the SNES2 dropped RGB (and S-video, I think). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason One Posted May 29, 2004 Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.