HDMI cords that improve visual quality for gaming.

[Deleted member 1413]

The gaming edition (the expensive one) seems to do the most, yes.
The cinema edition is half the price but a bit less effective
I'm hoping it's worth it since it's on its way here, lol

 

[Monster Zero]

So the expensive one is worth the money?

Click to shrink...

Yes if you have the money to spare. I'm very pleased with the results on the Switch and can only imagine what it would do for polygon games of the previous gen.

 

[Medalion]

I've done some testing... I cannot use the Gaming Cable to hook from my 4K blu ray player to the TV as a replacement for the regular cinema one... it will show the menu, but cut out if you try to play media on it.

There is a way around that, if you use your console that streams media...maybe

 

[Deleted member 1413]

Would be neat to see the effect it could have on a potential GCN and N64 Switch VC.
Heck, even Wii if they don't do resolution increases.
Skyward Sword is a bit unsightly on an HD TV, but the picture that's floating around with the mCable looks quite nice

 

[Roto64]

Playing Odyssey with my current settings I'm pretty pleased with the results. At the right viewing distance I can barely see aliasing in a lot of stages unless I'm moving the camera. With just a bit of help I imagine it'll be pretty much perfect(ish, I imagine New Donk might still have some issues)

The highly detailed menu Mario had some aliasing issues in the hair too. I imagine that helps.

Can the USB be plugged into the Switch without causing any issues or is it recommended to be plugged in elsewhere?

Click to shrink...

I've been using it with the USB connected to the Switch dock with no issues.

 

[Militaratus]

I pre-ordered the mCable Gaming Edition which will ship December 1 when the next batch is ready. When I get this, I'll post some comparison screens of PS3 games like Dead Space.

 

[Deleted member 1413]

A little bit of speculation:
the mCable seems to have a considerable impact on MK8 and Splatoon 2. I'm going to guess that it's due to the lack of AA on those titles. BOTW and Mario, on the other hand, do seem to have some form of edge filter post processing.
I guess it could be the adaptive resolution, but Splatoon has it too so it's a bit weird.

 

[its_Ditz]

.

 

[Deleted member 12317]

I got to buy an mCable on eBay for a really good price. It´s not here yet, but reading through some comments, can anybody confirm that I absolutely need to run the system (Nintendo Switch) on the same resolution as the TV?
What I´m getting at is the fact that Zelda renders at 900p internally at most so do I have to change resolution to 720p everytime I´m playing Zelda for the mCable to work properly?
Would hope that´s not the case...

Click to shrink...

You only need to set your console to 720p if the game runs in 720 AND is aliased (Rocket League for example) for the cable AA to be efficient.

On 900p games it's quite good as seen in Zelda.

But some games don't really benefit from it like Mario Odyssey except on some edges (mostly on Mario itself).

It works better on games running in 1080p without AA, but leave your console in 1080p unless you play Rocket League, or you might lose some details (but have better AA) if games render at a higher resolution than 720p.

Take a look at my 1080p screens : https://www.resetera.com/posts/611591/
It works pretty well on Zelda.

 

[Deleted member 1413]

You only need to set your console to 720p if the game runs in 720 AND is aliased (Rocket League for example) for the cable AA to be efficient.

On 900p games it's quite good as seen in Zelda.

But some games don't really benefit from it like Mario Odyssey except on some edges (mostly on Mario itself).

It works better on games running in 1080p without AA, but leave your console in 1080p unless you play Rocket League, or you might lose some details (but have better AA) if games render at a higher resolution than 720p.

Take a look at my 1080p screens : https://www.resetera.com/posts/611591/
It works pretty well on Zelda.

Click to shrink...

So it adds AA and sharpening? Seems like an odd choice, but likely to make up for the artificial AA.
I have sharpening at 0/native. It does make it look a bit soft but helps the IQ a bit. Hopefully the cable improves that as well

 

[Deleted member 12317]

So it adds AA and sharpening? Seems like an odd choice, but likely to make up for the artificial AA.
I have sharpening at 0/native. It does make it look a bit soft but helps the IQ a bit. Hopefully the cable improves that as well

Click to shrink...

It adds a slight sharpening effect, it's not as heavy as the Cinema cable.
It helps in some games.

 

[its_Ditz]

.

 

[Medalion]

I was quite surprised how much nicer playing in 720p in docked looked with this cable... it will make you... a BELIEVAH

 

[munancho]

Do we have any screenshots of the mCable with an Xbox 360 or PS4 to see if there is as much of a difference as the Switch?

 

[Deleted member 1413]

Do we have any screenshots of the mCable with an Xbox 360 or PS4 to see if there is as much of a difference as the Switch?

Click to shrink...

There's the Bloodborne pic from the first page

Bloodborne - Generic:

Bloodborne - mCable:

Click to shrink...

There's also a Demon Soul's comparison here

 

[munancho]

Thanks for that but I was wondering it there were any more recent ones? Preferably on a vibrant title on the same level as Mario is as that is what seems to highlight this cables effect the best.

 

[Deleted member 12317]

Thx pal, I appreciate your reply. I´ve already looked over your screenshots which is why I asked. I was very unsure about what to think until now.

Say, what if I don´t change the resolution all the time and just keep the settings at 1080p? Even when playing Rocket League as stated in your post. Should I expect a visual downgrade?

Click to shrink...

As Rocket League runs in 720p, if the console is in 1080p the cable won't be able to resolve every aliased edges as they will be thicker, so it won't change much but it won't be worse.
Someone said in this thread that putting the console in 720p gives a better result with Rocket League.

When the game resolution is closer to the console resolution, the cable can do its magic better as its algorithm searches for sharp edges.

 

[its_Ditz]

.

 

[thedrunkenchild]

So here is a first batch with Switch games (mouse out : mCable, mouse over : default HDMI) : http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/122840/

There is :
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Splatoon 2
- Zelda BOTW
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Spelunker Party (because it's very aliased)

It was hard to find good spots where aliasing was removed, but it seems more efficient on characters and rounded objects than flat surfaces.

The AA is mostly efficient on diagonal edges but not on almost horizontal or vertical lines.
The sharpen effect is subtle but quite good.

I did not notice any delay.

I should do a video with some zoom-in this week.

Click to shrink...

Mario looks fantastic... and for Zelda, here's a channel for comparison videos

Zelda BOTW mcable


Zelda BOTW regular hdmi


There are other videos like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on that guy's channel

Click to shrink...

I find this solution's inconsistency in anti-aliasing coverage extremely distracting, even worse than fxaa, my eyes are immediately drawn to the unaffected areas, the added sharpening is extremely ugly to me too, especially around characters and text. On a tv 4 meters away maybe it's ok but on a pc monitor it's really noticeable. the added mushiness to some textures is also far from ideal for me. It's a neat a idea for some content but a game changer? man I really don't think so,PtBiseems to be a way more balanced solution

 

[Medalion]

Yeah I wouldn't call it THAT drastic... but every little bit helps, especially on Nintendo games that notoriously AA free

 

[Pizzamigo]

It's pretty drastic in person to me, I also don't have any edge sharpening on my setup.

On the games I've played with, Mario Odyssey and Zelda...there is literally no downside. It improves the picture a noticeable amount. Does it work magic and make the game look like native 4K, nah.

But it cleans up the quality a lot with badly aliased games. On Mario for example, the character models and objects in the foreground, it cleans up jaggies really really well but distant objects like wires/cables it doesn't help as much. But I'll take some anti-aliasing over none every single time. I can't go back to playing these games without the mCable, Mario looks so rough and jagged without it.

Will be testing a new game with it tomorrow: Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Edit: also I love how it's literally just plug and play too. Don't need anything extra. And no input lag! It's just an HDMI cable and instant results (on Switch). I really consider this a Switch essential if you can afford it. Wouldn't recommend it for PS4 Pro or Xbox 1X as it would be useless there pretty much.

 

[SleepSmasher]

It's a neat a idea for some content but a game changer? man I really don't think so,PtBiseems to be a way more balanced solution

Click to shrink...

Except you don't need a PC with extra bells and whistles to pull it off.

 

[Pizzamigo]

Except you don't need a PC with extra bells and whistles to pull it off.

Click to shrink...

Yup! And like I mentioned above, no input lag. But again, it's mostly a Switch only cable for me.

 

[thedrunkenchild]

Except you don't need a PC with extra bells and whistles to pull it off.

Click to shrink...

yes but like I said I really don't like the end result, even if it's cheaper the more balanced image of the native look is still better imo, I prefer a nokia flip phone to a knockoff iphone that works half the time and if I really wanted an improvement I'd go the extra mile and get the real Iphone, that is more expensive but does the job to my satisfaction.

 

[Brodo Baggins]

Anyone with a cable pick up Xenoblade? I'd love to hear impressions, I'm tempted to pull the trigger myself, because between XB2 and the upcoming Zelda DLC I think I'm going to be playing a ton of subnative Switch games this month.

 

[Pizzamigo]

Anyone with a cable pick up Xenoblade? I'd love to hear impressions, I'm tempted to pull the trigger myself, because between XB2 and the upcoming Zelda DLC I think I'm going to be playing a ton of subnative Switch games this month.

Click to shrink...

Me, if I have time I'll try to do a comparison pic. I dont have any fancy screen capturing equipment though so you'll have to settle on camera photos :P

...unless someone else here has capture equipment able to take direct screens with the cable's effects

 

[Deleted member 1413]

Cable is taking ages to get here despite ordering on the 20th of November.
I'll test out xenoblade when the cable arrives before Saturday.

Anti aliasing is *very* good for that game so I'm not sure the mCable will do much.
I'll check in any case

 

[Inuhanyou]

i'd still love to see concrete comparisons between cinema edition and gaming edition...apparently cinema version works for games as well just not as good as the gaming edition?

 

[Whizper]

Just guessing, but it looks like the Marseilles cables have an FPGA that upscales, runs Sobel edge detection to create a mask, then applies a blur to the mask, then downscales again? That's something you can easily do in compositing tools like Nuke, but not in real time. That's no snake oil, that's a technique commonly used even in big budget movie productions to integrate, say, 1080p drone or Gopro footage in a 4k project.

 

[Deleted member 1413]

Was going to try the cable out with Bayo 2 since I had issues with it on Wii U, but the Switch port makes it all the better.

Still not here yet after ordering it on the 20th. I'll hold off on the Zelda dlc till then. Hopefully will have some pics to show

 

[MadraptorMan]

Will this work in conjunction with an HDMI female/female adapter? My current HDMI switcher has it's output cable permanently attached, so I can't just plug the mCable into it...but with an adapter I was wondering if it would still work..

 

[Deleted member 12317]

Will this work in conjunction with an HDMI female/female adapter? My current HDMI switcher has it's output cable permanently attached, so I can't just plug the mCable into it...but with an adapter I was wondering if it would still work..

Click to shrink...

Yes it should work, as long as the mCable gets USB power.

 

[mountainmohawk]

Some people earlier in the thread mentioned that they had troubles with the cable and the surround sound setting on their Switch. Changing the audio to stereo and back to surround fixed it.

Has anybody else encountered this?

 

[Falus]

Some people earlier in the thread mentioned that they had troubles with the cable and the surround sound setting on their Switch. Changing the audio to stereo and back to surround fixed it.

Has anybody else encountered this?

Click to shrink...

It happened to me only when I went through my avr. directly to tv has no issue

 

[SirBaron]

Can you use this with a hdmi cable splitter so that you can do it on the ps4 as well? Infact do hdmi splitters support automatic hdmi switch these days? Been years since I had one.

 

[Nolbertos]

I'm in the market for a 3x1 or 4x1, so eg 3 inouts to 1 output so I can toggle between console I'm playing. Anybody know any decent HDMI splitters models they can recommend??

 

[Medalion]

I used to have the sound issue with this cable, it seems to have gone away
Not sure because of one of the Switch's updates or something

 

[Poison Jam]

From what I've seen, I don't like the sharpening or black crush it tends to introduce.

Click to shrink...

Same. I would have probably bought one out of curiosity if it only added SMAA. But once it starts to change black levels and add sharpening like some cheap mod, it's a no-no.

 

[Stitch]

Infact do hdmi splitters support automatic hdmi switch these days? Been years since I had one.

Click to shrink...

I have a cheap one from Ebay and it is able to detect where the input is coming from and then switch automatically.

 

[SirBaron]

I have a cheap one from Ebay and it is able to detect where the input is coming from and then switch automatically.

Click to shrink...

Nice, 3 is no where near enough Hdmi ports. 5 should be the minimum.

 

[Dragon1893]

I had no idea there were cables that could have such an impact on image quality. That's damn expensive for a cable though.

 

[Deleted member 3365]

Hi everyone, first post here - I got the mCable Gaming Edition (and made some comparisons with Switch and PS4 games):

Comparisons:

Switch games:

Generic:

mCable:

Generic:

mCable:

Generic:

mCable:

Generic:

mCable:

Generic:

mCable:

Generic:

mCable:

PS4 games (Settings - PS4 Pro / 4K TV set to 1080p. The cable works (as in, a normal HDMI cable) when the system is set to 4K, but no AA is applied):

Driveclub - Generic:

Driveclub - mCable:

Driveclub - Generic:

Driveclub - mCable:

Driveclub - Generic:

Driveclub - mCable:

Driveclub - Generic:

Driveclub - mCable:

Alien Isolation - Generic:

Alien Isolation - mCable:

Bloodborne - Generic:

Bloodborne - mCable:

Click to shrink...

Thanks for these, wasn't aware something like this existed. I would consider buying the cable but at the moment the price is a bit too much for me.

 

[Deleted member 1413]

Finally got it.
Cable seems great for Splatoon and MK8D.
It's noticable on MARIO Odyssey, but it's not a huge leap.

Might just be seeing things, but the cable seems to do more for Mario and Zelda when set at 720p?
Meaning you get a smoother image but it's not as sharp.

Seems useless for Xenoblade. It's 720p, but the Anti Aliasing solution is already really good.

Makes Sonic Mania look bad which a bummer, doesn't play well with pixel art games

 

[Deleted member 1413]

Updated impressions; keeps changing the brightness automatically?
Or maybe it's the black levels? Dunno, either way I can't say I like that at all.
In xenoblade if I move the camera to a dark spot the whole screen gets darker including the UI.
Xenoblade already had a bit of an issue with brightness so that doesn't help.

Managed to fix it by upping the brightness by 10, but it really shouldn't do that. Starting to regret the purchase despite being pretty excited for it

 

[Kyzer]

Updated impressions; keeps changing the brightness automatically?
Or maybe it's the black levels? Dunno, either way I can't say I like that at all.
In xenoblade if I move the camera to a dark spot the whole screen gets darker including the UI.
Xenoblade already had a bit of an issue with brightness so that doesn't help.

Managed to fix it by upping the brightness by 10, but it really shouldn't do that. Starting to regret the purchase despite being pretty excited for it

Click to shrink...

That doesn't sound good, let us know if you find a workaround

 

[Deleted member 1413]

That doesn't sound good, let us know if you find a workaround

Click to shrink...

Changing my TV brightness seems to have worked, jumped on Splatoon's Splatfest and with the nighttime visuals it looks abhorrent.
There's a stage that has a black sky, if I look upwards the screen darkens.

I had noticed some people mentioning that it messed with black levels, but I don't think anyone mentioned it did it depending on what was on screen. I'm not sure I can return it, but a cable I can only use on some games to have a marginal benefit doesn't seem worth buying.
Asked the company on twitter for feedback, but the account seems inactive

 

[Juste]

Has anyone PM'ed Dark1x with a suggestion Digital Foundry do a piece covering a sampling of these cables?

 

[Journey]

That's very interesting for a cable to have built in processing. Genius!

 

[Medalion]

It's not easy, but I found a weird way to get my mCable gaming edition to work on my 4k blu-ray player... it applies a weird filter to smooth things that are not native rez... this may not be everyone's method to deal with things.

 

[Zelda]

I'm interested in the cable, but as mentioned by others in this thread I'm worried about the loss of detail in dark scenes shown in some of the comparison shots where black levels seem to smear together. Are there any more comparison pics for Bloodborne besides the two shown previously in this thread? Or other shots with dark / unlit / shadowy scenarios?