LevelHike HDMI Cables for N64/GC/SNES and Genesis Review
Manufacturer: LevelHike
Price: $29.99
Release Date: October 2019
Are you one of those gamers that has hung onto their old consoles? Thinking you might need a way to play stuff on a modern 4K TV? LevelHike may have the answer. They have created an HDMI solution for those retro minded gamers. The Gamers Lounge got a chance to review the N64/GC/SNES hdmi cables and the HDMI Genesis cables and we came to the conclusion this may not be for everyone.
LevelHike’s cables are great for someone who has kept the SNES in a box for 10 years and wants to play Super Mario World or maybe dig out the N64 in their parents’ basement to play some Goldeneye multiplayer. I was thinking I wanted to play some NBA Jam TE on my model 2 Genesis. Each LevelHike’s box includes instructions, an hdmi cable and a usb power cable that can be connected to a power brick or a TV’s usb port. Each adapter has a 16:9 to a 4:3 switch in case players want to change the resolution.
One set of cables will work with the SNES/GC/N64. I tested Rush 2049 for N64 and Need for Speed Carbon on the Gamecube. While the cables connected seamlessly to each console, the images were a lot darker than an A/V connection. It also stretched the image and this looked best on Gamecube vs. the N64..
I tested NBA Jam TE and Power Rangers the Movie on the Genesis. This hdmi adapter included the piece which allows the cable to work with the Model 1 Genesis. The sound for both games was fine. But the picture looks fuzzy on NBA Jam TE and with Power Rangers it was significantly darker than I expected.
Final verdict, these cables are a little bit more than Hyperkin or what has Pound offers but they are about the same quality. All of them are available on Amazon. They are a cheap option to connect to modern TVs. This is probably okay for the casual gamer. If someone was in the market for good picture quality on modern TVs, I would suggest the Retrotink series which you can buy at Castlemania Games, use discount code, TheGamersLounge and save 10%. If you are looking for an option for the GameCube a Carby is a good option. For the N64, you can get it RGB or HDMI modded.
Thanks for Levelhike for letting us review the cables,
Final score
Pros:
Cheap way to connect retro consoles to modern TVs
Good for the casual gamer
Cons:
Dark image
Better options are available