Uploaded May 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Here's a guide on the basics of how to get started streaming and recording a wii for capture!
There are some links that need to be sent here from the video
here's the link to OBS, the recording and streaming software that most people use:
obsproject.com
Video on video bitrates by EpoxVox, be sure to check out his channel for more indepth stuff about OBS and Streaming:
youtube.com/watch?v=LhiD2sAX48g
Here's a quick list depending on the loadout you go with:
Hd PVR:
1 Av cable (the red white and yellow cable on both ends)
1 Wii Av cable (should be included with the wii)
EasyCap/Dazzle:
1 Wii Av Cable
Usb extender (optional)
1 AV cable +1 Av 2 female 1 male splitter (so 3 x 3 female, 3 male)
or
1 Av 2 male 1 female splitter (3 x 3 male, 3 female, you need the capture card and your tv to be pretty much next to each other tho, so not recommended)
HD60s/Lgp/Any modern hdmi capture card:
1 wii2hdmi adapter + 2 hdmi cables
or
1 hyperkin wii cable + 1 Hdmi cable
Usb cable (should come with your capture card)
Tips:
There are some tips I left out in the video bc they were quite a bit advanced, however if you are running a interlaced (that's what the i in 480i stands for) signal you can apply a deinterlace option inside obs by right clicking your capture card sources tab (normally at the bottom center), look for the deinterlace option and mess around to see which one looks the best to you, note this is not a feature yet in streamlabs obs, you have to use the official OBS build.
Also there is a really awesome plugin that allows you to tune the colors a bit more (if any of you do video editing, you'll be familiar with the color grading options most editors have), which is how I get slightly different color grades and things on my wii footage. Here's a link to that if you want to try that:
obsproject.com/forum/resources/streamfx-for-obs%C2%AE-studio.578
If you are playing on 4:3 be sure to set the scaling/aspect ratio plugin to 4:3 instead of 1920x1080 or 16:9, you might have to adjust it a bit. Also just heads up the crop black... stuff that you need to crop out will be a different resolution compared to 16:9, that's normal. One trick I do when I play on 4:3 is (using the plugin above) I use a source mirror and duplicate it so the background is really blurry and you don't get those ugly black borders on the side. If you want a tutorial on that let me know. :)
Also for pushing quality even further, I've seen people talk about wii U's, Wii Duals and Mclassic adapters.
Wii U vs Wii there is next to no difference in quality at least to me, same with wii duals, some people will claim that the algorithm or whatever is a better bump in quality but I recommend if you have a wii u, just use that, and if you don't don't worry about it. However a Mclassic is a converter (iirc it cost like a hundred bucks) that is a custom algorithm upscaler that is said to look even better. There are videos out there about the difference in quality or not, if this video gets enough views to allow me to actually BUY a mclassic I might make a video about it LOL.
Oh yeah to those of you wondering why I don't like wii2hdmi adapters, it's because every one of them has problems either with lines running across the screen (this is due to a poor component and solder connection), some adapters had color issues, and the worst one which is that they are just dummy adapters that can't actually run a 480p signal, they're locked to 480i. I know a lot of people who had good experiences with wii2hdmi adapters but I'm not one of them.
Finally, if you plan to STREAM your mkwii footage to like twitch or youtube, just keep in mind your bitrate will need to be much lower (6k max on twitch for 1080p) and you will also have to take your internet speed into account. There are a lot of good guides about streaming using OBS, epoxvox, alphagaming, the gaming carreers youtube channel, and many many more, so be sure to check them out.
Here's a basic list on the resolution to recommended bitrate for twitch:
stream.twitch.tv/encoding
Oh yeah, for you super nerds, I'm aware about component and composite bs stuff. HDMI isn't the only way to get 480p (the original intended way that nintendo made the wii's progressive signal was for things like RGB cables) but for most people the best way to use component is through an hdmi converter, and I didn't cover rgb bc... no one uses it, and those who do already know how to hook all that up anyway. If you need more info to itch your scratch check out retro RGB, they'll be able to cover a lot more detail then I can.
00:00 Intro
00:13 What To Buy, Why To Buy
2:18 Plugging Everything In
5:43 Setting Up OBS
7:30 Skip To This Part
10:50 Outro
Where you can find me:
ArcIntel (Voice, script, etc.)
Stream: twitch.tv/Arcintel
Twitter: twitter.com/Intel_Archttps://discord.gg/PPv4eKmHnU
Instagram: instagram.com/arcintel
Here's a guide on the basics of how to get started streaming and recording a wii for capture!
There are some links that need to be sent here from the video
here's the link to OBS, the recording and streaming software that most people use:
obsproject.com
Video on video bitrates by EpoxVox, be sure to check out his channel for more indepth stuff about OBS and Streaming:
youtube.com/watch?v=LhiD2sAX48g
Here's a quick list depending on the loadout you go with:
Hd PVR:
1 Av cable (the red white and yellow cable on both ends)
1 Wii Av cable (should be included with the wii)
EasyCap/Dazzle:
1 Wii Av Cable
Usb extender (optional)
1 AV cable +1 Av 2 female 1 male splitter (so 3 x 3 female, 3 male)
or
1 Av 2 male 1 female splitter (3 x 3 male, 3 female, you need the capture card and your tv to be pretty much next to each other tho, so not recommended)
HD60s/Lgp/Any modern hdmi capture card:
1 wii2hdmi adapter + 2 hdmi cables
or
1 hyperkin wii cable + 1 Hdmi cable
Usb cable (should come with your capture card)
Tips:
There are some tips I left out in the video bc they were quite a bit advanced, however if you are running a interlaced (that's what the i in 480i stands for) signal you can apply a deinterlace option inside obs by right clicking your capture card sources tab (normally at the bottom center), look for the deinterlace option and mess around to see which one looks the best to you, note this is not a feature yet in streamlabs obs, you have to use the official OBS build.
Also there is a really awesome plugin that allows you to tune the colors a bit more (if any of you do video editing, you'll be familiar with the color grading options most editors have), which is how I get slightly different color grades and things on my wii footage. Here's a link to that if you want to try that:
obsproject.com/forum/resources/streamfx-for-obs%C2%AE-studio.578
If you are playing on 4:3 be sure to set the scaling/aspect ratio plugin to 4:3 instead of 1920x1080 or 16:9, you might have to adjust it a bit. Also just heads up the crop black... stuff that you need to crop out will be a different resolution compared to 16:9, that's normal. One trick I do when I play on 4:3 is (using the plugin above) I use a source mirror and duplicate it so the background is really blurry and you don't get those ugly black borders on the side. If you want a tutorial on that let me know. :)
Also for pushing quality even further, I've seen people talk about wii U's, Wii Duals and Mclassic adapters.
Wii U vs Wii there is next to no difference in quality at least to me, same with wii duals, some people will claim that the algorithm or whatever is a better bump in quality but I recommend if you have a wii u, just use that, and if you don't don't worry about it. However a Mclassic is a converter (iirc it cost like a hundred bucks) that is a custom algorithm upscaler that is said to look even better. There are videos out there about the difference in quality or not, if this video gets enough views to allow me to actually BUY a mclassic I might make a video about it LOL.
Oh yeah to those of you wondering why I don't like wii2hdmi adapters, it's because every one of them has problems either with lines running across the screen (this is due to a poor component and solder connection), some adapters had color issues, and the worst one which is that they are just dummy adapters that can't actually run a 480p signal, they're locked to 480i. I know a lot of people who had good experiences with wii2hdmi adapters but I'm not one of them.
Finally, if you plan to STREAM your mkwii footage to like twitch or youtube, just keep in mind your bitrate will need to be much lower (6k max on twitch for 1080p) and you will also have to take your internet speed into account. There are a lot of good guides about streaming using OBS, epoxvox, alphagaming, the gaming carreers youtube channel, and many many more, so be sure to check them out.
Here's a basic list on the resolution to recommended bitrate for twitch:
stream.twitch.tv/encoding
Oh yeah, for you super nerds, I'm aware about component and composite bs stuff. HDMI isn't the only way to get 480p (the original intended way that nintendo made the wii's progressive signal was for things like RGB cables) but for most people the best way to use component is through an hdmi converter, and I didn't cover rgb bc... no one uses it, and those who do already know how to hook all that up anyway. If you need more info to itch your scratch check out retro RGB, they'll be able to cover a lot more detail then I can.
00:00 Intro
00:13 What To Buy, Why To Buy
2:18 Plugging Everything In
5:43 Setting Up OBS
7:30 Skip To This Part
10:50 Outro
Where you can find me:
ArcIntel (Voice, script, etc.)
Stream: twitch.tv/Arcintel
Twitter: twitter.com/Intel_Archttps://discord.gg/PPv4eKmHnU
Instagram: instagram.com/arcintel
