They do look better, but its very marginal.
Agreed. In fact, on my 32" LCD, 480p mode actually makes some things (Miis for example) look worse than 576i. If you do get the cables, I would suggest playing the game for a while on 480p, then playing for a while on 576i. I personally find 576i looks slightly "furrier" but as the Wii is not a HD feed, that actually helps hide some of the limitations that are much more options in 480p. My Wii is set to WS576i, as to me that is the best compromise.
This party can sometimes be pretty good, if not BETTER than first party products
Agreed. I almost never buy First party items when there is a third party option. More times than not the third party option is not only better, but can in some cases actually be more functional. When one is $50 and the other, better, more functional option is $20, well...
Joytech and Madcatz that should just be avoided.
Strongly disagree. I would own either of these companies products happily, and would buy them over other brands when there is the option.