How do you find the best gaming cables to upgrade your retro games consoles?
Do you spend hours flicking around the internet trying to search for the best deals, reading reviews and ultimately tying yourself into knots? Or do you check out our list of the best gaming cables, stick one in your basket, and sit back while the package arrives.
I think we all know the answer to that one…
(…It’s the second one…).
Table of Contents
Picking Out The Best Gaming Cables
Why Do I Need The Best Gaming Cables?
Before we go any further, we need to address a sad truth; the graphics that you can remember are no longer any good.
There, I’ve said it.
Of course, if you have a Sony Trinitron or another small monitor, then your retro games will still look exciting and new.
But if you play Goldeneye or any of your other favourite retro games on an HDTV, your eyes will feel like they are being clawed out by wolves.
We’ve made a list of the best gaming cables for upscaling your games, making them suitable for modern HDTVs and enhancing the graphics all-round.
These cables won’t suddenly turn your discs or carts into uber-HD-copies of your favourite games, but they will make them look a lot crisper, clearer, and any other word beginning with ‘C’ that relates to a better visual experience.
Cleaner; that’s another one.
How Do I Use The Best Gaming Cables?
A little bit like that!
The best gaming cables in our list below are all super simple to use. Simply plug one end into your TV and one into your console, and let the science do the rest.
There’s no installation or messing around with soldering. Just plug in and play!
And How Do I Buy The Best Gaming Cables?
We’ve done all the hard work for you.
Just click on the title, picture, ‘Buy Here’ button, or find the name of the product in the text.
That’s four chances to shop as you scroll through each section.
You’ll go straight through to the official buying page, and then the rest is up to you!
1. POUND HD Link For Sega Dreamcast
With the POUND HD Link for Sega Dreamcast, you can finally play Shenmue, Sonic Adventure, Phantasy Star Online, and many more titles on your 50″ TV with ease.
All of the best Dreamcast games look great when you hook up this POUND cable. The VGA converter providers crisp pictures and clean textures on every style of modern TV.
It even works on 4K models.
Plug and play, then game away!
(I really should go into poetry).
2. Hyperkin 3-In-1 HDTV Cable for GameCube/ N64/ Super NES
Hyperkin are a brand that you may well have heard us talk about a lot here at Retro Dodo.
They are a company dedicated to pushing the boundaries of retro gaming like no other, producing products that are constantly improving and enhancing the way we interact with the best retro games consoles of yesteryear.
The Hyperkin 3-In-1 HDTV Cable for GameCube/ N64/ Super NES is a cable that you can use with not one, not two, but three of Nintendo’s classic machines.
Yes, this cable will work on (get ready for some not-so-subtle article advertisement here) –
- The best SNES games
- The best N64 games
- And the best GameCube games!
Plug this cable in and experience 720p resolution and crisp, stereo audio on any TV. It does require an additional power source and doesn’t work on PAL GameCubes, but apart from that, it’s brilliant!
Twin it with the Hyperkin Wireless N64 Remote for the ultimate gaming experience!
3. PORTHOLIC Wii to HDMI Converter 1080P
With over 4,700 reviews on Amazon, the PORTHOLIC Wii to HDMI Converter is a piece of kit that certainly knows how to please the masses!
If you’re in the UK, then the connector will cost you under £10. Playing in the US? You’ll only pay $15.99 with a HDMI cable included in the bundle.
That’s a bargain!
This little device plugs straight into the back of your Wii and performs magic while you play. It’s that simple!
You’ll benefit from full digital HDMI 720p or 1080p video and audio output, and there’s even a headphone jack if you don’t want to disturb anyone while playing!
4. LevelHike HDMI Cable for PS1 & PS2
Next up on our list of the best gaming cables is this LevelHike HDMI Cable for PS1 & PS2.
LevelHike is another brand dedicated to giving gamers the best possible experience while playing their favourite retro games, and this cable is perfect for any die-hard Sony gaming fans out there.
Not only will it work on the best PS1 games, but it will also upscale your collection of rare PS2 games as well!
This affordable cable provides no lag, low latency, and works with capture cards. It reproduces colours perfectly and converts your RGB signal with ease.
Hey; I reckon I could work on the shopping channels with lines like the one above if Brandon ever fires me from Retro Dodo…
5. Hyperkin Panorama HD Cable for
Original Xbox
We’re heading back into Hyperkin-space with this next item on our list of the best gaming cables.
‘What’s that green band on the top of the box,’ I hear you ask?
Well, the Hyperkin Panorama HD Cable for Original Xbox is officially licensed by Xbox. That means that it has a seal of approval from Microsoft themselves.
If that doesn’t give you confidence in this product, then I don’t know what will!
This cable has a length of 7-feet, so it’s perfect for anyone who has an elaborate set up where their console is located away from the TV.
It supports up to 1080i depending on your chosen game, and costs less than $30.00!
6. LevelHike HDMI Cable for Sega Genesis Model 1 / 2 / 3 + Multiple Sega Consoles
We’re playing tennis between Hyperkin and LevelHike here in our list of the best gaming cables!
LevelHike’s next addition is a one-stop-shop for any Sega gamers out there.
The LevelHikeHDMI Cable for Sega Genesis Model 1 / 2 / 3 + Multiple Sega Consoles has been designed for playing the best Sega Genesis games, but it is also compatible with –
- The best Sega CD games
- The best Master System games
- The Sega CDX
- The Sega 32X
- And the Sega Nomad
Providing low latency and zero lag, this cable brings life back to all of your favourite games.
You know the score by now; just plug in and play!
Twin it with this 8BitDo Wireless Controller for the best experience!
7. Eon Super 64
Ok, so this isn’t technically a cable, but it’s a seriously cool upscaler that sticks into the back of your N64.
And it works like a charm!
The Eon Super 64 converts the output signal from your N64 right from the source. Designed to fit the aesthetic of the console, it plugs into the back of the unit and doesn’t look out of place at all.
The box that it comes in is even designed to look like the N64 too!
Lots of users have doubled it up with Number 9 (also not a cable) in our list of the best gaming cables for the ultimate mod!
The Super 64 has a slick mode that can polish up those pixels on bigger TVs too!
8. LevelHike HDMI Cable for NEC TurboGrafx-16
With the Analogue Duo introducing new gamers to the TurboGrafx-16, we felt it wouldn’t be right not to include an HD cable compatible with the original console.
The LevelHike HDMI Cable for NEC TurboGrafx-16 comes with a free 1-year warranty and upscales all of your favourite PC Engine games for playing on your 4K TV.
Like the other LevelHike products, you won’t have any lag or latency issues, and the cable provides a cheap way of getting the most out of your machine.
Give it a try and let us know your thoughts.
9. MClassic Graphics Enhancer
No, this isn’t something that you might find in a McDonalds Happy Meal…
The MClassic Graphics Enhancer can be used on multiple consoles, including the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Switch!
Admittedly you’ll see more of a difference on older gaming consoles, but it does make the background on Switch games appear a little crisper too. While that’s not a necessity, you might as well use it on every console instead of just one, right?
The MClassic works on all of the usual suspects; PS1, PS2, Xbox, Wii, GameCube, and many more.
It’s a plug ‘n’ play graphics card that improves your graphics in real time, giving you the ultimate gaming experience. The unit ‘finely redraws and enhances images pixel-by-pixel’.
Does that mean Bob Ross is trapped inside it?
10. POUND HD Link Cable for Original Xbox
We started off this article on the best gaming cables showing you a picture of the POUND HD Link Cable for Original Xbox in action, so it only felt right to finish off with it too.
The concept is the same as the other cables in this list, though reviewers have tipped the POUND cable over the Hyperkin offering on Amazon.
Maybe you’ll have to buy both to see which one you like the best!
Play all of the best Original Xbox games such as Halo 2 and Fable on your 4K Tv and experience them in a totally different light.
Expect brighter images, clearer characters, and gameplay that will make you feel like you’re playing them for the first time again.
Sounds like a winner to me!
Seb Santabarbara has bought every Nintendo console that has ever been released in his 33 years on Planet Earth. His favourite game franchise is Zelda, and he’s patiently waiting for Banjo-Kazooie to come back to the fold. When he’s not playing games, he’s travelling the world in his self-converted camper van.
