Determining the resolution of classic games

[zedrein]

Now I know I'm going pretty far into left field for this one, but I was curious if there exists a way to know of a [classic] game's resolution before buying? I ask this because I am just plumb-ticked off at playing games in interlaced modes (where two different frames of picture will display one after the other) this results in alot of flickering that strains my eyeballs. I bought a few games on the Wii's Virtual Console that display in this mode [Ocarina of Time (N64), Bomberman '93 (TurboGrafx-16) and Splatterhouse (TG16)] and I honestly don't want to play them anymore.

I only own interlaced CRT displays [which I feel are the best for non-interlaced games ironically] so the recommendation of "Get a LCD set!" is outta' the question.

Thanks for your patience for these seemingly increasingly bizarre threads...I just ask unconventional questions I suppose.

[NFG]

I gotta say your dislike of interlaced video is baffling, but whatever:

None of the games you listed were originally interlaced.  Knowing the original resolution won't help you, since it's clear they've made changes in the re-release.

[zedrein]

I gotta say your dislike of interlaced video is baffling, but whatever:

None of the games you listed were originally interlaced.  Knowing the original resolution won't help you, since it's clear they've made changes in the re-release.

So you're tellin' me that Ocarina of Time, Bomberman '93 and Splatterhouse were not originally interlaced?! I am now furious at Nintendo because they said there would be absolutely no changes in Virtual Console titles!

[NFG]

I can't speak for certain about Zelda, but being an N64 title the odds of it being interlaced are basically zero.  The other two I can certainly confirm were never interlaced.

Nintendo probably meant that there were no substantive gameplay changes.

[kendrick]

The other issue is that information about the original game code doesn't give you any information about how the emulation works. This is especially true of games that are presented with any sort of 3D rendering, whereby the plotting of vertices and the mapping of textures can be abstracted and plotted at pretty much any resolution or framerate. Unless they publish the information you want, there's really no way to extrapolate it otherwise.

[RGB32E]

Since we're really talking about VC emulators (when Wii console is set to "480i" in the system settings menu)... here's what I've determined:
-VC NES emulatior runs in ~240p (doublestrike) mode
-VC SNES emulatior runs in ~240p (doublestrike) mode
-VC N64 emulator runs in 480i mode
-VC Turbografx (CD) emulator runs in 480i mode
-VC Genesis emulator runs in 480i mode

Unfortunately, one would need to resort to good PC emulators (for the respective console) to determine what the exact resolution a given game is rendered in... The rest is left for the reader to determine!

Basically... 

[zedrein]

Mr. RGB32E, I just booted up Phantasy Star II for the Sega Genesis on Virtual Console and it's in "double strike" mode. But yes, I've noticed both of my TurboGrafx games and both of my N64 games are infact 480i

EDIT: I just got this email from a Nintendo employee...

Hello,



Thank you for your email.  I did some checking, and we don't make any changes to the original game's code, so it will display exactly as it did on the original system.  However, if you perform the following steps, the Wii console will output 480 lines of video instead of 240.  This was a fix put in for some newer TVs which are unable to display a signal with only 240 lines.



1.         Select the Virtual Console game from the Wii menu, then select "Start" to begin the game.

2.         When the game starts, press the Home button on the Wii Remote. (In many games, the music can be heard when the game starts.)

3.         Select "Operations Guide" from the Home menu.

4.         Connect a Nunchuk to Wii Remote.

5.         Press the Z + A + 2 Button simultaneously (the Z Button is on the Nunchuk).  A sound will be heard if the button combination has been entered correctly.

6.         Close the Home menu.  The game display will now be 480 lines.



Note:  These steps need to be performed only once. The Wii remembers the setting.

If you start having problems with the picture on your TV screen after performing these steps, you can follow the same steps, but press Z + A + 1 to revert it back to the original display mode.



Sincerely,


Nintendo of America Inc.
Greg Hamilton

[cgm]

Can somebody add the above to the wiki... or somewhere? Thats pretty good information to know. I have to hand it to Nintendo, they have pretty knowledgeable folks in their tech support department. Although I'm going to guess that display issues in VC are pretty common with LCD/Plasma TVs.

[zedrein]

Well I just booted up an my real-life Nintendo 64 console with the game Battle Tanx: Global Assault--and it is indeed rendered in 240 lines of non-interlaced resolution.

I have come up with another possibility for why some Virtual Console titles that were originally in a non-interlaced resolution appear to be interlaced: Perhaps those titles are still in 240 line mode but they are stretched to fill the screen so there are no dark lines or "scanlines" in between every lines of picture? This is just one possibility I've come up with.

I wish I had a real N64 game to compare to it's Virtual Console counterpart to see if my theory is true though.

[RGB32E]

Well I just booted up an my real-life Nintendo 64 console with the game Battle Tanx: Global Assault--and it is indeed rendered in 240 lines of non-interlaced resolution.

I have come up with another possibility for why some Virtual Console titles that were originally in a non-interlaced resolution appear to be interlaced: Perhaps those titles are still in 240 line mode but they are stretched to fill the screen so there are no dark lines or "scanlines" in between every lines of picture? This is just one possibility I've come up with.

I wish I had a real N64 game to compare to it's Virtual Console counterpart to see if my theory is true though.

I think an equivalent comparison could be had by comparing one of the N64 Zelda games on a N64, to the same game on the GameCube (e.g. LoZ:Collectors, or LoZ:OoT).  The gamecube ports/emulations of the N64 Zelda games do not run at the same resolution as the original carts on the N64...

[zedrein]

I am gonna' send Nintendo a fiery e-mail, I tell you what. They told me that there was "absolutely no changes to the game's code" what a bunch of hooey....Say, do you happen to have a Nintendo 64 with a copy of OoT lying around? I'd love to see if that game specifically was rendered in 240 "double strike mode" on the original system.

[zedrein]

Those scurvy birds over at Nintendo just sent me a written response to my obscenity-laden e-mail from two days ago:

Hello,



Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to provide you with the specific information you are looking for. Virtual Console games are changed in two ways. First, they are changed so they are compatible with the Wii Console and Wii Remotes. Second, they are changed so they can be displayed on current televisions. I know you are wanting more specific information; however, it's not something we are able to provide.



Sincerely,


Shane O'Neil
Nintendo of America Inc.

HA! Looks like the Virtual Console is not so authentic after all!

[NFG]

HA! Looks like the Virtual Console is not so authentic after all!

What on earth were you expecting?  "Oh yeah, they're totally authentic.  The identical game code doesn't run on the Wii, and even if it did the controller is different so you can't play it.  If it's OK, we'll change both of those things, but then the old resolution may not actually work on your TV, so we might change that, if you don't mind?"

[zedrein]

What on earth were you expecting?  "Oh yeah, they're totally authentic.  The identical game code doesn't run on the Wii, and even if it did the controller is different so you can't play it.  If it's OK, we'll change both of those things, but then the old resolution may not actually work on your TV, so we might change that, if you don't mind?"

To tell you the truth, I don't really mind the controllers being different, I haven't found that to be a hindrance, and if it was, there are several products that exist that allow you to use your old Nintendo controllers for Virtual Console games. What twists my coccyx is the fact that the games video can be messed with in a way that is significantly different than the original console.