Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 September 2022
So from what I can tell from doing some reading on the subject, the Gamecube was released at a slightly awkward time for TVs, many didn't have HDMIs until about the console was already mid-way into it's lifecycle. The original models of Gamecube launched with two AV outs, a standard analogue one used with a SCART lead or composite leads (the same leads could be used for the N64 or SNES) and a Digital AV Out.
Nintendo briefly supported the digital option by releasing an official component cable which has five ends (Red, White, Red, Green, Blue - colours do vary slightly with some of this technology, sometimes one of the Red ones is a different colour to avoid confusion, sometimes the Green one is Yellow). To benefit from this your TV needed to have corresponding component ports. Unfortunately, the official component cable is very rare and can cost £200 on auction sites.
Many modern TVs don't even have component ports, instead have HDMI ports instead, so there are various adaptors on the market to allow the Gamecube's Digital AV Out to connect to them, however these cost up to £110.
The Kaico Component Cable is an unofficial substitute, and being one of the cheaper options it's certainly a good choice to get the Gamecube's visuals looking decent on modern TVs, some of the more expensive options may be slightly better, but this certainly does the job (I'm in the UK and am aware that the display options for PAL vs NTSC are slightly inferior anyway).
The Kaico Component Cable comes well packaged, the cables themselves in a thick plastic envelope, inside a box. The cables and ends seem well built, but the metal connector which connects to the Gamecube feels a little light and cheap, and is surprisingly big. To support it and stop it bending downwards a plastic 'shelf' is supplied which is first clipped in underneath into the vents at the back of the console. For some reason I had two 'shelves' in the box, a white one and a black one, which I presume is a spare or colour choice.
The first game I tried the cables with was Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. The game tells it's story using colourful static artwork and text boxes and the action plays out in a 3D environment, characters consisting of simple polygons. The difference was immediate, using the analogue connection everything looked wrong, no amount of fiddling with picture options on the TV made a difference and the characters looked extremely washed out during the story scenes. As soon as I booted up the console via the Kaico Component Cable I noticed the text was sharper, picture richer and story scenes looked how they should. Some forums warned that the Gamecube's digital output is so sharp that it can reveal the simplistic graphics and 'jaggies' common to older consoles and normally hidden by the 'blur' of old CRT TVs - I did notice that some of the polygonal characters in the game looked a little rough, this is a plus, though, showing just how sharp the picture was. I also tried Metroid Prime, and yes the graphics look dated compared to modern games, but the new cable (and my glasses) revealed how impressive they actually are, I'd be more than happy to play through the game again.
So what do you require to make use of the Kaico Component Cables?
- TWO AV ports in the back of your Gamecube, one marked 'DIGITAL AV OUT' (newer models don't have both).
- FIVE coloured ports in the back of your TV, they are usually marked 'COMPONENT' (just a red and white one, or red, white and yellow one, will NOT be enough).
And recommended:
- Once connected, experiment with displaying and playing games in 50Hz or 60Hz, since this is an option on some games it is free to try, go with whatever feels best.
Since I'm impressed with the Kaico Component Cables why haven't I given them 5 stars? Well, as mentioned the build quality for the part that connects to the Gamecube feels a little cheap, certainly not as robust as an official Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo product, however I was careful with it and got the impression that as long as I did this I would be fine, also at £49.99, this feels like quite a high cost, which many people may find restrictive. The equivalent cable for Wii and Wii U is a lot cheaper, but sadly uses some different technology and is not compatible with a Gamecube. Finally some videophiles will argue that the more expensive options and HDMI are the way to go, but you should note that the overall differences will probably be minor. This option suited me just fine as I was running out of HDMI ports on my TV anyway!
Overall I think the Kaico Component Cables are a very good option to get your Gamecube games looking decent and playable in the modern age, if you can meet the two requirements mentioned I would absolutely go for it.
