The Dreamcast VGA Box (also known generally as a DC VGA adapter or DC VGA cable) is an accessory for Sega's Dreamcast video game console that allows it to connect to a video display such as a computer monitor or an HDTV set through a VGA port.Because the Dreamcast hardware can produce a VGA-compatible video signal natively, this connection provides improved picture quality compared to standard. Sega Dreamcast VGA Adapter Box by Performance. Price: $49.99. On Sale: $24.14. Official Dreamcast VMU Memory Card. Price: $29.99. On Sale: $8.47.
Sega DreamcastThe Dreamcast (like most other 6th generation game consoles) outputted most games in 480i, with some supporting 240p and 480p. If you’re not familiar with those terms, I highly recommend you read my before continuing.All 480p Dreamcast games look great through VGA and if you have a display that supports a 480p input, then that’s by far the best output method in most cases.
If you use an RGB cable, the few 240p games that are available will look great, but all other games will only output in 480i. As a result, an RGB cable is only a good option if you’re using a display that only supports 240p and 480i.Output Options:Analog Options (can be combined with a converter to get HDMI):Retro Access now has both SCART and BNC solutions that work in all resolutions and on all multi-format monitors. This is your best choice if you have an all-SCART (or all BNC) setup and are using a 480p-compatible RGB monitor.(you can choose cable type from the drop-down)(choose length and audio connector from the drop-down)will soon be releasing a SCART cable that supports both 240p/480i and 480p modes.HDRetrovision will (eventually) have their component video solution, which supports all modes and outputs the correct sample rate to HDTV’s. Boxes made by Beharbros:My current favorite solution from the Behar Bros is the Kuro Plus:In my opinion, the Kuro Plus is the perfect solution for people who have two monitors: An RGB monitor and a VGA monitor.
This one box can do both for a very reasonable price! It’s very similar to the Toro, but without a scanline generator.
For more info, check out the toro’s review:VGA / SCART Cable By The Foo: – These seem to be good quality and the sync combiner works well, however the SCART adapter is often out-of-stock.HDMI Options:Cheap HDMI Cables:Cheap HDMI Cable #1:Cheap HDMI Cable #2:Most of the plug-and-play HDMI “cables” I’ve tried for the Dreamcast work very poorly. Most aren’t compatible with any 480p/240p game, some have a very soft output and others barely work at all. Luckily, they don’t seem to add lag, so they don’t completely ruin the experience.
480p DTV signals are what you’d find from a DVD player, cable box or even something like a Playstation 2: A 720x480p “television” resolution. Pretty much every single TV, capture card or analog to digital converter will interpret the Dreamcast’s VGA signal as 640×480 VESA resolution, like you’d find from a PC.
The easiest way to spot this, is an aspect ratio that’s too narrow. The aspect ratio itself isn’t the big deal, it’s that the cause of the problem is the wrong samplerate being applied to the signal. The correct sample rate for the DC’s signal, as well as any other 480p DTV signal is 858 pixels per line. If the signal is interpreted as VESA, only 800 pixels per line will be sampled. After deducting invisible areas, front/back porch, sync areas etc, this means that you actually lose 43 pixel columns within the active picture area (picture courtesy of Fudoh):By applying the wrong sample rate you not only lose 43 pixel columns, but neighboring columns also get fuzzy and blurry and since the 43 columns are evenly distributed across the screen your whole image gets a rather fuzzy look.
It’s funny, because there were many times over the years I saw a Dreamcast’s signal and thought it looked a bit soft. Looking back, I wonder if this was what I was always seeing. Another problem is that while the DC’s signal technically is a 720x480p DTV signal, only the inner 640x480p area is actually used. Any A/D conversion will sample the pillarboxes to the left and right as part of the active image, so you always end up with those aspect ratio problems. The aspect ratio problem is even bigger with DTV sampling (1.18:1 without correction while VESA sampling gives you 1.25:1).
You can try using a VGA to component converter to solve the sampling problem, as all component to HDMI converters use DTV sampling rates instead. I guess you could then even go from component video to HDMI and while this retain’s the Dreamcast’s picture quality, you’ll still end up with the wrong aspect ratio. You can use a OSSC to apply a DTV sampling.AND. reduce the active image area to 640 pixels, basically creating a VESA signal from the DTV signal. This solves both problem, but can bring compatibility issues, as not all TVs can accept a 858 px wide signal with just a 640 px wide active area. The advantage on the other hand by using a correctly sampled DTV signal without AR correction, is that you get a 1:2 pixel mapping on the horizontal on a Full HD screen.
The DC will fill a 1280×1080 area in the middle of the screen, giving you a quite narrow AR, but certainly the best possible picture quality you can get from a DC. By altering the active image area to 640px instead, the signal gets scaled to 1440×1080 instead, so you no longer get an integer scale on the horizontal. Of course you can get proper 4:3 now, but at the expense of some PQ. Some TVs can show 1280×960 from a 640x480p signal, which combines the best PQ with the correct AR, but of course you have to deal with the underscan.A huge thank you to Fudoh for helping with this, as I still find it massively confusing.
Progressive Scan (240p & 480p) compatible games:Not all Dreamcast games are compatible with VGA, but a very large amount are. I found a site that shows which games are compatible and even shows you how to force a VGA mode in most others!:To access the 240p mode in Dreamcast games, a few games ask if you’d like to start the game in a “progressive” mode (Bangai-O) and some Capcom Dreamcast games (Third Strike) can be forced into a 240p mode by holding Start+L (or Start+Z on the Arcade Stick) when you turn the system on, before the Capcom logo appears. As far as I know, these are the only Dreamcast games that support native 240p:Bangai-OLast HopeStreet Fighter Alpha 3Black Matrix A/DMarvel vs Capcom: Clash of Super HeroesStreet Fighter Zero 3Gunbird 2Neo XYXStreet Fighter Zero 3 for Matching ServiceGunlordPrincess Maker CollectionThe King of Fighters Dream Match 1999Jo Jo’s Bizarre AdventureStreet Fighter 3: Third StrikeThe King of Fighters 99 EvolutionLast Blade 2: Final EditionStreet Fighter 3: Double ImpactTwinkle Star SpritesForcing Widescreen mode / Aspect Ratio:Some Dreamcast games have been hacked to run in widescreen mode. If you play these games on an HDTV, this is definitely worth checking out:Also, the aspect ratio of Dreamcast is a bit weird. I plan on updating this section soon with detailed information. For now, check out Fudoh’s great post about it and how it can be fixed with the OSSC:Some games aren’t RGB-compatible:I know that probably sounds crazy, but a few game discs will output composite and S-Video, but not RGB! Some games can be fixed with an ISO patch, however the very few games which are effected won’t run in RGB from their original discs.
Here’s some games that are effected, as well as a forum link to fixes:Effected Games (most): Giga Wing, Skies of Arcadia/Eternal Arcadia, Street Fighter Alpha/Zero 3, Super Street Fighter 2 X, Touken Retsuden 4, Vampire Chronicle for Matching Service, Pop ‘n’ Musci (all 4).Links:Converting 480p to 240p for a “retro” look:If you run the 480p VGA signal through an, you can force a 240p mode. I’ve tested this method and in my opinion (when using a display that doesn’t support 480p), a “forced 240p mode” looks better than 480i.
Check out for more information.Playing CDr’s:If the original game is under 800MB and you use good quality (Tayo Uden) discs, you can safely play backups on VA0, VA1 and some VA2 Dreamcast consoles using a software patch. Using cheap media is very bad for your GDROM drive and will absolutely wear your drive much faster than with regular games! Also, games over 800MB (GDROMs can be over 1GB) will either have to be compressed or split to multiple discs. Overall, improper use of CDr’s are not recommended and using an ODE is overall a better choice.Optical Drive Emulators:You can replace the Dreamcast’s GDROM drive with an ODE that allows you to launch games from hard drives or flash media. My favorite at the moment is the GDEMU, but here’s a page showing them all:Hardware Tips and Tricks:Here’s a video that shows all my favorite tricks for getting the best out of your Dreamcast:Summary:– If you’d like the best analog output from your Dreamcast, purchase a video output solution that supports both video modes. You’ll be able to play your favorite games in a way that looks best on every display you use it on.– Using Dreamcast on a flat-screen can be complicated.
The best way at the moment is using the DCHDMI or.– I like using ODE’s to play my DC games, as patching and options are applied much easier.– If you’d like digital audio, you can try this TOSLINK mod:– Please check out my tips & tricks video that shows all my favorite Dreamcast hardware mods:If you’d like info on mods for other systems, head to the or check out for more retro-awesomeness.