Difference between revisions of "Swiss/Forced Progressive Compatibility List"

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[[File:SSBM 480p demo.png|thumb|alt=Three screenshots of a fighting video game, labelled "50Hz mode at 576 lines", "50Hz mode at 480 lines", and "60Hz mode at 480 lines".|In this sequence of shots from Super Smash Bros. Melee, it is clear that while the game's internal modes, 50 and 60Hz, display correctly, forcing 480p in 50Hz mode causes the bottom of the screen to be lost (see
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Common issues").]]
 
==PAL games==
 
==PAL games==
 
While the PAL GameCube supported 480p just fine in hardware (in the DOL-001 revision with Digital AV Out port), for whatever reason, the feature was removed for all PAL game releases. Where holding B on a compatible NTSC game enabled progressive output selection, for PAL this is just a 60Hz (480i) or 50Hz (576i) switch: offering players a tradeoff between framerate and resolution. With some modchips and now with Swiss, it is possible to force the 480p video mode on PAL games, with some caveats and issues.
 
While the PAL GameCube supported 480p just fine in hardware (in the DOL-001 revision with Digital AV Out port), for whatever reason, the feature was removed for all PAL game releases. Where holding B on a compatible NTSC game enabled progressive output selection, for PAL this is just a 60Hz (480i) or 50Hz (576i) switch: offering players a tradeoff between framerate and resolution. With some modchips and now with Swiss, it is possible to force the 480p video mode on PAL games, with some caveats and issues.

Revision as of 00:18, 20 February 2012

This is a compatibility list for the Swiss feature enabling the video mode to be forced to 480p. This is something of a different concern for NTSC and PAL games--many NTSC games are already capable of running in 480p simply by holding the B button on startup, and so the feature is only important for those games which lack the feature. In PAL regions, all games had progressive output removed, and so forced 480p is relevant to all of that video standard's games.

NTSC games

The original model GameCube (DOL-001) as well as the Wii are already capable of supporting 480p for many games. On the GameCube, the progressive menu is summoned in compatible games by holding B as a game is started, while the Wii will ask automatically if it's set up for progressive display. This list is specifically for those games which do not natively support 480p.

NTSC game list

Navigation: # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Game Swiss rev. Status Notes
Three screenshots of a fighting video game, labelled "50Hz mode at 576 lines", "50Hz mode at 480 lines", and "60Hz mode at 480 lines".
In this sequence of shots from Super Smash Bros. Melee, it is clear that while the game's internal modes, 50 and 60Hz, display correctly, forcing 480p in 50Hz mode causes the bottom of the screen to be lost (see Common issues").

PAL games

While the PAL GameCube supported 480p just fine in hardware (in the DOL-001 revision with Digital AV Out port), for whatever reason, the feature was removed for all PAL game releases. Where holding B on a compatible NTSC game enabled progressive output selection, for PAL this is just a 60Hz (480i) or 50Hz (576i) switch: offering players a tradeoff between framerate and resolution. With some modchips and now with Swiss, it is possible to force the 480p video mode on PAL games, with some caveats and issues.

Common issues

Since these games were never intended to be run at 480p, forcing it can cause a number of issues, such as:

  • Games still targeting their rendering to what they expect to be a 576i output resolution. This results in an image which looks stretched vertically, with the bottom fifth of the screen being cut off. The 576i image is too tall and in the wrong aspect ratio for 480p display.
  • Games which set their video mode much later than the initial boot will generally bypass the forcing--e.g. the Zelda compilation discs will only run the game menu in 480p.

Wherever possible, it is better to test using the 60Hz mode included in many games. Forcing 480p also forces the VI to 60Hz, so ideally, the GameCube should be targeting a 60Hz setup. Changing the in-game Hz setting changes more than just the refresh rate, since there are associated resolution differences which games cater to by altering things such as the field of view (FOV) at which they will render. Thus, 60Hz mode is generally preferred. In an ideal world, this will bring the game closer to the way it played in NTSC regions.

PAL game list

Navigation: # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Game Swiss rev. Status Notes 60Hz

Animal Crossing (Australia) r94 Fails Massive scrolling and flickering. Unplayable.

Baten Kaitos r94 Works Picture appears slightly high on screen.
Battalion Wars r94 Fails 60Hz: Reverts to 480i. 50Hz: Black screen.
Bloody Roar: Primal Fury r94 Works Either Hz is fine.

F-Zero GX r94 Issues Renders to imaginary 576i.
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles r94 Issues Large glitched row across center of screen intermittently.
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance r94 Fails 60Hz: Reverts to 480i. 50Hz: Black screen.

Ikaruga r94 Fails Black screen.

Legend of Zelda, The: Collector's Edition r94 Fails Variously reverts to 480i (NES) or black screens (N64, Wind Waker demo, videos) when launching contents. ^
Legend of Zelda, The: Ocarina of Time/Master Quest r94 Fails Reverts to 480i when launching games. ^
Legend of Zelda, The: Wind Waker r94 Works Either Hz is fine.
Lego Star Wars r94 Fails Reverts to 480i.
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy r94 Fails 60Hz: Reverts to 480i. 50Hz: Black screen.
Lost Kingdoms r94 Works Use 60Hz. 50Hz blackscreens after copyright screen.
Luigi's Mansion r94 Works

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! r94 Works Picture appears slightly high on screen on either Hz.
Metroid Prime r94 Issues Must use 50Hz mode. Black screen with 60Hz. Continues to use FOV tuned for 576i ratio--looks horizontally squished. Stretching to 16:9 using TV settings looks almost right.
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes r94 Fails Reverts to 480i. ^

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door r94 Fails 60Hz: Reverts to 480i. 50Hz: Reverts to 576i.
Pikmin r94 Fails Black screen after Nintendo logo.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time r94 Issues Major flickering, aspect ratio and interlace issues.
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within r94 Fails Green screen.
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones r94 Fails Green screen.

Resident Evil r94 Fails Flickering and screen scrolling throughout on either Hz.

Skies of Arcadia Legends r94 Fails Blue screen of death.
Sonic Mega Collection r94 Issues Games very high on screen on either Hz--cuts off top. Comics, videos, etc. work fine.
Soulcalibur II r94 Issues Either Hz: Picture appears high on screen, cutting off a small amount, but still playable. Area below screen alternates between solid black and solid white bar.
Spider-Man r94 Works
Spider-Man 2 r94 Fails Freezes on copyright screen.
Spy Hunter r94 Fails Freezes on Spy Hunter logo.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter r94 Fails Flicker and interlace issues, then blackscreens.
Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader r94 Issues Both Hz have major screen scrolling and flickering issues at bottom of screen during cutscenes. Less severe during gameplay, but still present. Playable, but probably not worth it. 50Hz renders to imaginary 576i.
Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike r94 Fails Massive scrolling, flickering and interlace issues in either Hz.
Star Fox Adventures r94 Works Either Hz is fine.
Super Mario Sunshine r94 Issues Renders to imaginary 576i.
Super Smash Bros. Melee r94 Works Use 60Hz mode. 50Hz renders to imaginary 576i.

Tales of Symphonia r94 Issues Weird line through middle of screen.

Viewtiful Joe r94 Issues Major flickering at bottom of screen and aspect ratio issues on either Hz. Worse on 50Hz.
Viewtiful Joe 2 r94 Issues Major flickering at bottom of screen and aspect ratio issues on either Hz. Worse on 50Hz.

  • ^ 60Hz-only game

Special cases

  • Metroid Prime PAL is a 50/60Hz game, however when forced to 480p, it will crash when attempting to run using the game's 60Hz mode. It will run fine in "50Hz mode" (and it will still be running at 60Hz), but since the game expects to be running at 576i50, it will render using a field of view (FOV) appropriate for that resolution. Since 576 is 96 pixels more than 480, the 50Hz mode FOV makes the image's aspect ratio 20% taller/skinnier than its 60Hz equivalent. This means that if you're using a widescreen-capable TV, you may wish to stretch the picture horizontally in order to correct the aspect. The ideal ratio is 8:5 (16:10), however most TVs will only offer 16:9, which is at least pretty close. Ultimately, all any of this means is that you can play Metroid Prime in widescreen 480p.