This article will show you how to connect a Wii, PS3, PS2, and Xbox 360 to an HDTV via component AND a LCD computer monitor via VGA at the same time. Both displays will show the exact same thing. The sweet thing about this setup is that you will not have to unplug or switch any wires when you want to use a particular display.

At some point you may find yourself wanting to have ALL your game consoles (PS3, XBOX 360, Wii etc.) hooked up to multiple displays at once. In my case I wanted to be able to run my game consoles on my computer LCD display in my office in addition to my HDTV in the Living room. I noticed that hardly any game websites go into ways to pimp your gaming setup so this is the first of a new series on this site about how to configure a killer gaming setup.

The idea of having my consoles on multiple displays first started when my mom came in town to visit me and took over my TV. I was bored and really wanted to play Halo 3. As I looked at my LCD computer monitor while surfing the internet in the next room it became clear that my next project would be to have my consoles hooked up to both displays without having to change out any wires. Then about a week later Ikaruga was released and I thought about how great it would be if I could play it on my computer LCD which is easier to rotate or “tate.” So, thats where the idea came from. On to the fun part…

The thought of buying VGA cables for each console sucked and would get pricey so I ruled that out. Also running all the extra VGA wires and switching between the component for the “big” HDTV and VGA cables for my computer display did not sound ideal. I had all my consoles (Xbox 360, Wii etc.) already connected to my HDTV via component cables so I set out to get a component to VGA converter so I would not have to swap cables on the console every time I wanted to play on my computer LCD display. There are many ways to do it but this is how I rigged my setup. The graphic above shows the full setup and components but be sure to read the rest for important details.

Ingredients:

- XCM Component Cables V3
- Component Video Splitter (powered)
- High-Box Component to VGA Converter
- 2x Component video and RCA audio cables

I purchased the XCM Multiple Console Component V3 cable from Renchi. You can check out my review of the cable here. I hooked the XCM cable to my Wii and Xbox 360. With the XCM I still can also connect to a PS2 and PS3 when I get one soon.

The component end of the XCM cable is plugged into the powered input. The picture below shows the input/front(top) and output/back(bottom).

It is important to purchase a component splitter that uses external power to prevent video signal degradation. I used this model, but if you can also get this component splitter if you feel you may need more outputs at some point. note that these splitters also have audio outputs.

One of the outputs from the splitter is then connected to your HDTV or surround sound receiver. The other component output is then connected to the High-Box converter that is then plugged into your computer monitor and computer speakers. Check here for my review on this VGA converter. You will notice that this method keeps the amount of wires to a minimum. To change between consoles all you do is click the switch on the XCM cables. You will not need to change out any wires.