Hi all,
I’ve recently been getting to all the amazing games I missed in my childhood due to being in ‘a Nintendo household’. It’s been amazing experiencing these time capsules of entertainment on their original hardware.
The ‘trouble’ I’m however having is the age old issue of video inputs and outputs. I picked up an old Sony TV that has a bunch of inputs so I can connect all my systems at once and don’t have to replug things. The issue is that it’s become a bit of a mess due to the TVs limited inputs:
- Dreamcast -> Composite
- PS2 -> Component
- GC -> Composite to SCART
- Wii U -> HDMI
This results in wildly different video quality across all systems.
How do you keep your consoles connected? HDMI mod them all and connect them to a modern TV? Do you even do that or do you just swap out whatever you are playing at the moment? Or should I just play everything on PC.
Most online posts talk only about getting the best video quality from one connected console, but the prospect of having to buy 4 OSSCs seems a bit daunting.
Bonus question: hoe do you manage the Audio?
At the moment, I have a N64 modded with a PixelFx HDMI converter, a GameCube with a MKII EON which is just a composite to HDMI converter that plugs into the back, and a PS2 with a really shitty standard composite to HDMI converter that is powered by one of the PS2’s USB ports. All of those, and a couple of non-retro consoles, feed into a 7x1 HDMI switch and then into the TV. And the TV outputs all the audio to a sound bar. I just finished modding the N64, but I have another PixelFx for the PS2 because the lag of the converter is really starting to piss me off, and an untouched Wii sitting in the closet.
Modding the consoles is just what I prefer so that they work on modern TVs, and it gives me something to tinker around with. The problem with that route is that the mods can be expensive, paying someone to install them is really fucking expensive, and even if you have the know-how to install them yourself there is still a chance you can brick your console (there is also the rotting carcass of an Xbox in my closet, but we don’t mention it after 3 years of headaches). However, you said that you already have a TV with composite and component hookups, and it looks like there are composite and component switches like what I am using for my HDMIs. That would probably be the best way to go for you, and it looks like you could get one for about $30 USD. I dunno if a switch will degrade the signal quality at all, but I haven’t noticed any with my HDMI switch and I think I got mine for around $40 USD. When it comes to quality… Look, the consoles and their games are dated. No amount of lossless converting or upscaling is going to make them look like a game on the PS5 or Xbox Series SSX Tricky whatever the fuck it’s called. You’ve got some consoles and a TV that you can plug them directly into, that’s about as good as it’s going to get without diving through a trash heap to find a CRT. If you do end up getting a component/composite switch, maybe get 1 OSSC between the switch and the TV if you really want one. You don’t have to spend tons of money on something because some nerd on reddit insists it the “best and only way to experience retro games” just do whatever works best for you and remember to have fun