Wii HDMI Upscaller Impressions

[Lan Di]

I just received this item form an ebay auction;
http://www.ebay.com/itm/270749314928...84.m1423.l2649
(available also on Amazon.com) http://www.amazon.com/ViewHD-1080P-O...words=wii+hdmi

Before I begin let me be clear. This device WILL NOT GIVE YOU HD VISUALS! It is merely a 720p/1080p upscaler, but a good one at that. So shall we begin....

This device does an nice job of upscalling 480i/480p to 720p/1080p. It has a little button that can be pressed with a paper clip or toothpick to switch from 720p and 1080p. It has an audio out jack that you can use for headphones, or whatever you see fit. The sound works fine though through HDMI. The Wii has a horrible aliasing (jaggies) problem and this cannot be fixed by any device. In fact selecting 1080p makes the aliasing appear even worse so I chose to stick with 720p and that worked fine for me. 2D games seem to benefit the most from this device. I tested it with several games and here are my impressions.


Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars - Near HD visuals with a considerable difference from component. Brighter colors sharper looking textures.
Muramasa: The Demon Blade - Near HD visuals with a considerable difference from component. Brighter colors.
Castle of Shikigami III - Better visuals, brighter colors with a minor difference from component.
Resident Evil 4 - Hardly any noticeable change.
Sin And Punishment Star Successor - Better visuals. Brighter colors sharper looking textures.
Okami -Much better visuals with a considerable difference from component. Brighter colors sharper looking textures.
Epic Mickey - Much better visuals with a considerable difference from component. Brighter colors sharper looking textures.
The Last Story - Hardly any noticeable change.
Xenoblade Chronicles - Much better visuals with a considerable difference from component. Brighter colors sharper looking textures.
Metal Slug Anthology - Better visuals, brighter colors with a minor difference from component.
Legend Of Zelda Skyward Sword - Slightly better visuals with a minor difference from component. Brighter colors sharper looking textures.

So all in all it all depends on which games you decide to play. Like I said, 2D games seem to benefit the most. This device also comes in handy for newer TVs without component input. Overall the picture looks considerably sharper and brighter on almost every game. If you're like me and you have absolutely no intention on getting a WiiU then this device might come in handy for you. I have a considerable Wii backlog that I need to address and this device makes it a little easier on the eyes.

[Waterfaller]

Hmm... I've been considering this device. Thanks for the review!

[Lan Di]

No problem. I think the price is fair for what it does.

[Sean697]

I'm gonna be honest here. The Wii U is an outstanding Wii upscaler. The games never looked better. Plus you can play WiiU games. But ya if you are doing the hacked Wii with a hardrive full of games then that won't do anything for you.

[Ace]

One thing I wonder is how well this upscaler handles GameCube games that output in 240p and 480i. I know someone who would be interested in this, but may not get an upscaler like this if GameCube games don't display properly.

And if it turns out to be good, I may actually buy one for myself (even though I am setting some money aside for a Wii U).

[Moirai]

How good is castle of shikigami iii? I've been considering picking that game up...

[Lan Di]

How good is castle of shikigami iii? I've been considering picking that game up...

I like it. If you like pink bullet hell shooters you'll probably like it. It's the best shmup on the Wii.