Descripción
Episode 67 - The RetroTink 2X Pro, an updated version of 2018's RetroTink 2X, is a basic video upscaler that accepts standard definition video signals via composite, s-video, and component, and outputs video via HDMI. This allows old video game consoles, and even VCRs and LaserDisc players, to be displayed properly on your HDTV with zero input lag. It is also both designed and manufactured in the USA.
This is not a sponsored video, and I was NOT sent this unit for review by the manufacturer. I bought this device because I thought it would be cool to mess around with, and because I wanted to share it with you guys as a viable alternative to spending a ton of money on an OSSC or Framemeister along with RGB cables for all of your systems, plus RGB mods for consoles like the NES and Nintendo 64. Obviously, composite video can only look so good, but I was totally satisfied with how it ended up looking on my HDTV, both from my NES and from a VCR and a LaserDisc player. S-video is a clear step up in video quality, and that shines through with the RetroTink 2X. I tried playing both my Super Nintendo and Playstation and they looked great. Lastly, I plugged my Playstation 2 in via component video, and with the RetroTink 2x's smoothing filter turned on, games like SSX and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 looked excellent. I do own both an OSSC and a Framemeister, but honestly I only bought those devices for capturing footage for the show. Were I just looking for something that would let me enjoy my games without having to either hunt down and dedicate space in my house for a CRT or plug my systems directly into my HDTV and put up with an awful picture, I would be very happy just using a RetroTink 2X.
You can buy it directly from the manufacturer at retrotink.com or you can grab one at Stone Age Gamer or Castlemania games.
Show Notes:-
- By the time I started my show, pointing a camera at your TV as a means of gameplay capture was no longer really acceptable production quality, so it was fun to finally be able to do it.
- Speaking of that, in some shots it looks like there are curved bands going across the TV screen. This is due to the way that the camera focusses on an LCD panel, and is not actually present on the screen.
- This is the second of three hardware review/showcase videos that I have been working on this month (the EverDrive N8 Pro video being the first).
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Video game footage featured on Classic Gaming Quarterly is recorded using either actual game hardware or FPGA-based systems, unless otherwise noted. For episodes 1-34, it was recorded in s-video using am RGB to s-video encoder and a DVD recorder. As of episode 35, it was recorded from actual hardware over RGB, upscaled using either an XRGB Mini Framemeister or an Open-Source Scan Converter (OSSC), and captured on either an Elgato Game Capture HD or a Startech USB 3.0 capture device. Beginning with episode 59, I started using FPGA systems like the Mega SG, Super NT, and MiSTer, which all offer cycle-accurate hardware emulation. All videos are edited on a Mac using Final Cut Pro X.
Most box art featured in CGQ videos comes from The Cover Project (www.thecoverproject.net). Check them out for all of your video game insert needs. Other box art and magazine scans come from Matt Henzel Video Game Obsession (www.videogameobsession.com), and SegaRetro.org. Many, many other photos appear thanks to Wikimedia Commons and Evan Amos.
Theme music courtesy of Kevin MacLeod: (www.smartsound.com/royalty-free-music/incompetech)