GameCubes are old. If you don’t remember exactly how old, try to imagine the fact that they came out in 2001, 18 years ago, 3 consoles ago! We’ve seen Nintendo pass on to the Wii, Wii U, and finally the Switch.
Despite all that, GameCubes still play some of the best games; Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Star Wars: Jedi Knight, Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Super Smash Bros: Melee, and the one true Mario Kart game: Double Dash!
There are more reasons than we care to name to bring the GameCube out of the attic (aside from the fact that high temperatures in the attic may harm a gaming system, please take care of your nostalgia devices, everyone). Unfortunately, if you’re trying to connect with a new television, you may find yourself attempting to plug a bunch of RCA cables:
Into an HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) outlet:
And if that’s the case, here is our guide for…
How to play GameCube on a modern TV
First things first, make sure to look closely at your TV. You may be able to connect without realizing it.
Gamecube RCA chords use the common red, white, and yellow colors. A very simple guide goes like this: white and red carry audio, the yellow delivers video.
But, for TV, things can be different. Red and white ports still generally stand for audio, but other colors are used for video thanks to the introduction of High Definition RCA cables. For example, in the photo below, the green ports are labeled as video, and (in our experience) may still be able to receive a yellow video cable’s information:
There’s no guarantee, yes. But make sure to try these options before buying anything! You may be pleasantly surprised.
If that doesn’t work…
Get a Converter!
For around $15, you can fix the problem with a device that fits into your pocket.
RCA cables go in one side, and HDMI comes out the other, no problem! However, there is a catch:
The box requires power.
It takes a little extra electricity to convert RCA to HDMI, so be prepared to plug a USB power cable elsewhere. A laptop can easily power the converter, but any USB wall adaptor can do the trick as long as you need.
Now, a quick note: after plugging in the device and getting it powered up, it may take a few moments before sending the audio and video to your TV. Don’t panic! Give it a few moments, and retry the connections if there’s an error.
In our experience, not only did the box begin working perfectly fine after a few tries, the controller lag was minimal! The best of all worlds.
Option B
If you want to play Gamecube on a modern TV and are in the process of buying a TV… just look for one with RCA connections (those yellow, red, and white connections)! Not all monitors are built equally, and some have a much wider range of available ports. Some higher-end TVs may be able to connect with your Gamecube.
Final Effort
On the other hand, if you want to cheat the premise of this article completely, just find an old, cheap, used TV set at a garage sale! You may pay 20 bucks. You may have to find space for a new electronic device. You may not have the best resolution. BUT, you may have the perfect device to bring about your ancient love for Pac Man: World 2.
Have fun, and enjoy the games!
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