Recommended Hardware

For software to record your speedruns, check out our tools page under speedrun tools.

There are four options you have to capture your game when playing on console. These are ordered from best to worst quality.

1. You can use component cables if your capture card allows for it, or if you have a Retrotink 5X.
2. Its recommended (due to cost) and comparable to component to use a Wii2HDMI and an HDMI capture card.
3. You can use S-Video and it will be slightly better than RCA.
4. The lowest quality option you have is RCA connection. (Yellow, red, and white plugs)

Video

Wii2HDMI

Offbrand “BD&M”
$5 Cheap, lower quality assurance, diagonal scanlines in dark areas

Mayflash
$15 Recommended, high quality

HDMI Capture Cards

HDMI AliExpress Capture Card
$5 Cheap, very slight artifacting and color bleed

EVGA XR1 lite
$60 Higher quality

Component/VGA Capture Cards

Recommended to use an Open Source Scan Converter (OSCC) like the Retrotink 5x-Pro along with an HDMI capture card for optimal quality

RCA AliExpress Capture Card
<$10 Very cheap, requires splitters (RCA Only)

Startech USB3HDCAP
$200 Higher quality

Upscalers

Mclassic
$99

PixelFX Morph
$275

Retrotink 5X-Pro
$325
2X-Pro does not support 480p

Peripherals

Controllers

Smash 4 Gamecube Controller
$30-$60 Highly recommended to find a refurbished or good quality one on ebay, best budget controller. Note the flaming Smash logo as the identifier.

Smash Ultimate Gamecube Controller
$50-$90 More expensive but can be bought new, different stick box deadzones make this strongly preference based.

PHOB GameCube Controller
$20-$250+ Can buy the motherboard for cheap, or buy a preassembled controller from a community seller. Adds a hall-effect stick, button remapping, snapback filtering, and calibration.

Memory Cards

Mcbazel (16344 blocks) Memory Card
$18 Has a button on the memory card to switch between 8 memory cards, useful for practice saves.