Daytona (DC) Pal + VGA = 60Hz?

[Atticus]

Playing it it looks like it's running at full screen/full speed but I've not triggered anything (or seen anything) in the options to activate 60Hz.

Is the process automatic when using a VGA box?

[Sane]

Yeah, if I remember correctly VGA will only output 60hz. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

[Atticus]

Cheers Sane, I was thinking that might be the case

[Lyris]

I don't think 50hz was a standard scan rate for VGA monitors, so yes, the output from the VGA box will always be 60hz.

[JazzFunk]

^Game does have a 60hz option when running thru RGB, so yep.

[sj33]

There were a few 50Hz-only games that, when 'tricked' to run in VGA, were forced into 60Hz as a result. Namely Dino Crisis.

This doesn't work with Skies of Arcadia PAL however

[fallenangle]

You can also force 60Hz with some PAL 50Hz 'only' games using a DC-X Change boot disc just by swapping to NTSC in the menu. Soul Reaver is a good example.

VGA must be preferable though as it's a progressive scan display and, or so I thought, has a fixed 60Hz refresh rate. VGA is 640x480/60 is it not and even if you're forcing a PAL game into VGA that is what you're going to get, surely?

[Lyris]

Yes. Unless the game tries to send 50hz against all odds, then you get a black screen.

[sj33]

Dino Crisis has a weird problem when your force the game into VGA, is runs in 60Hz but the cutscnes are presumably designed for a PAL display because they don't display (though you can still hear them). Luckily there aren't too many cutscenes.

[Lyris]

Marvel vs Capcom 2 PAL was weird like that too, it still asked if you wanted 50/60hz when you hooked up over VGA and no matter what you chose, there was obvious frame-skipping. Just one of the many reasons why the Dreamcast was the last PAL console I owned.