To a lot of gamers, the Wii is a very boring system, geared mainly towards kids. I beg to differ! The Wii is a very powerful device that is capable of doing many different things (like being a home media/web server, etc). BUT, one thing that the Wii lacks compared to other game consoles (PS3, Xbox 360) is high definition output. With the original composite cables, you can only go as high as 480i. Writing is blurry, textures aren’t as clear, etc. Now, you can always get yourself a component video cable, such as this one. You will then get 480p picture. What’s the different? A lot!

First, I would like to thank Optimized Cable Company for sending me this. They are a fairly new company based in Issaquah, WA ( ). They sell all sorts of audio/video accessories and supplies, such as HDMI cables, DVI cables, wall plates and mounts, etc. They are now featuring gaming accessories. They are definitely worth a look!

There are a lot of different component cables for the Nintendo Wii, all with varying prices. There are some that are cheap, but you get what you pay for. This particular cable is available for $17.99 + free shipping, and is usually $28.99. The cable itself is 5 feet long, which is plenty. The cable is fairly thick. The nubblets that plug into your TV are nice and thick as well, so you don’t have to fight with unplugging it (unlike Apple’s composite cables…).

Now that you have a component cable, will you get HD picture? No! Instead, you’ll get a very nice looking 480p picture. Compared to the composite cables (480i), text and video is much much clearer. Text is crisp, textures look nice. It’s almost like it is in 720p, but it really isn’t. I was able to instantly notice a difference after changing the resolution settings in Wii settings>Screen>TV Resolution.

Should you get this? Absolutely! If you play your Wii on any sort of HD TV, then this is highly recommended. 480i doesn’t look very good on a 55″ LCD TV. Using this component cable will make every single thing look a whole lot better.

Wii Component Cable, $17.99 + free shipping

Check out our review video below!