Racketboy

If the Wii’s Retro controller isn’t good enough for your classic gaming needs on the Wii, you can always build your own controller like this fine example.

While building custom joysticks isn’t anything new (just ask Jemsic), this controller is specially designed to match the Wii’s iPod-like stylings.

Obviously, it would be a challenge to build one that works through the Wii’s wireless input, so it actually has a Gamecube controller cable so you can use it both on the Wii’s side inputs and your old Gamecube.

This is especially handy for arcade fighters as it is the Gamecube controller’s main weakness.

Destructoid spin-off blog, NextLust alerted me to quite an affordable solution to upscaling your older consoles to resolutions up 1080p for your high-end TV. These type of devices have been around for a while, but the X2VGA 2 High Definition VGA Transcoder is at a price that most people can afford.

First of all, you might be wondering why you would need this… Well, as Danzuke writes,

“When you’re watching standard def (SD) stuff on your HD set, it’s being upconverted to HD so you can see it. That takes time (usually a few frames). But it can make playing old games difficult, since the video lags a little behind the audio. Newer HDTV’s are much better, but it’s still a case by case basis. Make sure to check into it before dropping the coin on a new TV.”

The X2VGA Transcoder will essentially take any component or VGA video signal and upscales it to the proper resolution for your HDTV. As the product’s page states it,

“The X2VGA 2 High Definition VGA Transcoder by Neoya is designed to work with any gaming console or video device that has a standard component video output, such as the Playstation 3, Playstation 2, Wii, GameCube, Xbox 360, and Xbox, etc. With the X2VGA 2TM and a standard VGA monitor, users can play their favorite games at 480p, 720p, 1080i, or 1080p resolutions – over double that of a standard TV! The X2VGA 2TM makes games come alive, delivering the sharpest, most realistic visuals available.”

With all that marketing lingo, how can you go wrong? Well, there are a few drawbacks that probably are the reason for the lower price. There is only one component input and one VGA input. I suppose that if you have a suitable AV reciever, you could feed multiple devices though that first before upscaling, but that’s not the most practical setup.

Also, the device only outputs to VGA. I would have liked to see an HDMI and/or a Component output for TVs like mine that don’t have a VGA-in. This would have been the perfect addition to the Dreamcast VGA adapter for people that want their Dreamcast to be high-def via component or HDMI.

However, if the limitations of this device still fall within your requirements, the price is not bad at all…

Jemsic is back at it again.

The premier arcade stick designer on the racketboy forums posted pictures of his latest and most impressive creation yet.

This time the arcade stick as USB output, an unbreakable lexan, and a nice wooden box. As with all of his creations, it also features arcade-authentic sticks, buttons and other parts resulting in a controller that will satisfy the most picky of arcade fans.

Check out the entire collection of pictures and the discussion going on in this forum thread.