Play the Switch in 4K?!? HECK YEAH! PhotoFast 4K Gamer + Tested!

Is it possible to get 4K video out of a Nintendo Switch or Switch OLED? We find out in this episode as we unbox and test out if you can really play the Nintendo Switch in 4k as the PhotoFast Gamer 4K + is tested in this episode.
Check out our archived stream where we did some more testing at • Test Stream - 4K Ninte...
The Nintendo Switch is really an amazing little device. It provides console-quality gaming hooked up to a TV or on-the-go handheld mode. One of the Switch's drawbacks is that it only outputs 1080p in docked mode. It looks really good, but it sure isn't 4K. The team at PhotoFast is looking to improve that situation with their new dongle, the Gamer 4K +. We tested it to see if we really could play the Nintendo Switch in 4K.
Simple in its design, out of the box, it includes the dongle itself, an HDMI extension cable since the dongle will not fit inside the dock, a USB cable for power, and an instruction manual. The dongle is pretty simple in its design, it only has a single LED-backlit button on one side. Press it wants to enable 4K, again to bypass 4K and just have 1080p pass-through.
I know many people will compare this to the mClassic from Marseille, but it's significantly different. First and foremost, the mClassic is a great device, but it is designed to enhance and not upscale. The Gamer 4K Plus line multiplies from 1080p to 4K.
I will admit that I was very skeptical about this actually outputting 4K, I've seen plenty of Nintendo Switch docks that promised that but in the end, all that they are doing is passing through 4K content if it's a 4K input. For example, if you connect a Samsung phone to a Nintendo Switch dock it's going to pass through 4K because the phone is outputting 4K via the USB-C port. Would this deliver?
Upon connecting it to my television, I hit the input button to see what the resolution it was seeing was. Hot damn, 3840x2160, 4K! Okay, I'm intrigued. Hooking up to my 4K capture card, OBS also saw a 4K input. I was really curious now!
The first game I tested is possibly the most beautiful game on the Switch, and one of my least-favorite games ever, and that was The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. While I do not care for the gameplay, it is an absolutely stunningly beautiful game. Things like draw distance won't be increased with the Gamer 4K +, but you'll notice more detail in the graphics, and character sprites, the colors will just be richer, and the overall picture looks better.
One of the cool things about the Gamer 4K + is it doesn't just work with the Nintendo Switch, it works with any 1080p device. With that knowledge, I had to hook it up and connect it to my RetroTink 5X! With my RGB-modded Super Famicom Jr connected through Insurrection Industry SCART cables, I had to see how one of my favorite games of all time looked, Super Mario World. The colors absolutely popped off the screen, It was really quite amazing how sharp and bright everything looked. It was especially interesting to see how good this looked since it was a 240p game originally, being upscaled to 1080p, and then upscaled again to 4K. I'm working on a review of the 4K capture card that I used here, and while not shown here I did record footage of Super Metroid that you will see later. My goodness that game looks amazing in 4K, I can't wait for you to see the footage!
My final test was with my HDMI-modded NES 101 Top Loader and my Famicom Disk System. I love this combination so much! I put Doki Doki Panic in, and man the waterfall was so trippy I couldn't show it here for risk that it might trigger someone who has seizure issues. Beyond that, however, the experience was identical to my Super Famicom Jr. Bright beautiful colors, wonderful sound, and overall a fantastic improvement to my video quality.
Why it RoX:
- Easily upscales 1080p content to 4K
- Plug and play compatibility
- 1080p bypass option
- Compatible with devices such as the RetroTink
What could be improved:
- Does not fit inside the Nintendo Switch dock
- It actually gets quite warm
Should you buy one?
If you can't tell, I am over the moon for this device, PhotoFast has really done something I didn't think was possible. Does not having 4K really hurt the Switch that badly? Not really, but having it is better than that. You do need to make sure that you're using quality HDMI 2.0 or higher cables, so that is definitely something you'll need to have in your setup. But the Gamer 4K Plus really does make a difference, it does work as advertised which blows me away. It will be available to order from the Amazon appealing link after November 18th, 2022, and is something that I would recommend that you consider for your gaming setup.
#Nintendo #4kSwitch #PhotoFast

[@alexchan554]

Should’ve done a side by side. Thanks for the video anyways.

[@RoXolid]

If I did, the render outputs everything at the same resolution. So seeing it side by side would have had a slight difference but not as noticeable as live in person. It would have made the 1080P look inauthentic as well.

[@arcillascrisanto]

Nice video!! i will get this one for my oled thanks!!

[@RoXolid]

Thanks for checking it out

[@Larry]

What is the difference between the Plus model and the Pro?

[@RoXolid]

The Pro has 3 levels of improvement, the + just has 1.

[@felipeaspiazu890]

Have you tried with an Nintendo 64?? Connect the EON 64, then the mClassic and finally the Photofast?

[@zaqueroberts1975]

It would be nice to have visual comparisons. Also, why don't you plug the dongle into the TV and the switchs hdmi into the dongle? That way you could bypass the extension hdmi

[@RoXolid]

If I did, the render outputs everything at the same resolution. So seeing it side by side would have had a slight difference but not as noticeable as live in person. It would have made the 1080P look inauthentic as well. Also, that's just not the way directionally that the signal goes. You have to go in through the mail and out through the female

[@McGreish]

Nice video! Personally recommend anyone looking at this to buy their newer version 4k Gamer Pro though. It's 3rd setting which isn't on the 4k Gamer+ adds more. Both are expensive at the end of the day. Also, my personal opinion on this is these devices mClassic/4K Gamer Pro/+ really go far in cheaper end tvs who aren't as good at scaling lower res to higher resolution screen.

[@RoXolid]

Actually THIS is the newer version, a more basic version of their Black unit.

[@abrahamthomas32]

Hi. Does it support Roku streaming player or roku ultra at 1080p 60 hz output to 4k?

[@frankbizzoco1954]

I have found that this device does wonders when attached to the Retrotink 5x. It really makes the pixels seem to pop off the screen. I wasn't as impressed as you with the effects on the Switch. Yes the signal is 4k, but it sharpens edges as opposed to smoothes them out. The Mclassic does the smoothing, which is the effect I am personally looking for with 3d games. Supposedly the Mclassic can upscale up to 1440p, but I can not seem to get to engage 1440p on my LG G1. I have to set my Switch to 720p, and let the mclasssic upscale to 1080p. But thats a whole other story. I use the mclassic on my gamecube with the carby, and it does a really good job upscaling 480p to 1080p. I have daisey chained the mclassic to the 4k gamer pro on the gamecube also. It gets the gamecube to 4k, but there are wires everywhere, and any noise in the signal just gets sharpened and amplified. Its just redundant. Overall I like the mclassic better. They are two very different devices, and depending in your desired effect you choose which to apply. RGB Bob did a great video on the difference between the two when it was announced. I keep the 4k gamer pro attached to the Retrotink, which essentially becomes a "Retrotink 4k". Nice review Gary.

[@RoXolid]

Thanks Frank!

[@wdy8425]

It looks like during the odyssey gameplay that when Mario's in motion it it gets pretty blurry wonder if it's like other upscalers I've seen that do this

[@RoXolid]

It didn't do that live, that was more the compression of KZbin and the rendering. It looks beautiful in person

[@jmallowss]

Great review. Just want to ask what capture card and hdmi cable are you using? Will hdmi 2.1 cable work? I have mine but it is just displaying a blank screen. Thanks so much!

[@jmallowss]

I just saw that you're using Digitnow 4k capture card. ;)

[@RoXolid]

Yup, there you go!

[@user-qe1lk4pq8t]

Does the sharpness increase of the 4K Gamer + (Red) compare more to the low, medium or high setting on the 4K Gamer Pro (Black) ?

[@RoXolid]

I would say it's probably between the medium and the high

[@josephchaparro1037]

Why was the background screen on your TV not as dark black whe the photofast was hooked up compared to the Mclassic? Also I noticed a bad blurring effect with the photofast when Mario was running in Odyssey did you notice that or was it just me?

[@RoXolid]

It did reduce the black levels, that's legit. That had to do with the capture, what I saw live was flawless

[@ZombieTechie]

I'd love to see more content with the mClassic/ossc/retrotink 5x/other native HDMI systems (Xbox 360/Wii u/ps3) if you have or can with any of those. Also didn't you post something about black levels being more gray or am I thinking about someone else.

[@RoXolid]

Last year I posted a lot of individual systems with the retro tank 5X. Many of the ones that you referenced were covered. If they had native HDMI out, however, I did not utilize them. So things like the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 did not get featured

[@ZombieTechie]

@@RoXolid oh I meant with this new device photo fast+ mClassic, other HDMI devices and all the others... Though I guess it doesn't work with 720p from what I saw which eliminates a lot.

[@OneMore1UP]

Can you see any differences in between the red 4K Gamer+ and the black 4K Gamer Pro when the 4K Gamer+ are in the blue 4k mode and 4K Gamer Plus are in the highest enhancement mode or are the only differences that the 4K Gamer Plus have 3 levels of enhancement when you push the button?

[@RoXolid]

They're pretty similar in the same modes, I think for most the red one will be more than good enough

[@OneMore1UP]

@@RoXolid ok thanks👍

[@RoXolid]

@@OneMore1UP you're very welcome

[@shipleygreen2103]

I use the MCassic & 4K Gamer Pro on Light Mode. Superb picture on Switch, PS3 & GBA Consolizer

[@RoXolid]

I think the main difference between this one and the pro is the pro has the three different profiles and this only has one

[@Pysnpai]

@@RoXolid what profile would you consider the red one to be when compared to the black one? The first, second, or third?

[@RoXolid]

I don't know... Yet. I have the black one coming for review soon!

[@shipleygreen2103]

@@Pysnpai I have the Black one. I go with the 1st mode to avoid any further sharpening on the resolution

[@RussLyman]

pretty neat add on. Thats cool that it actually shows its outputting correctly on your TV. All my TVs I have can't do 4k since they are so old lol

[@RoXolid]

Time to upgrade from the CRTs my friend, lol

[@infinitewarriorproduction6278]

Will this work on a ps3 nativelycause most ps3 games only output 720 p

[@_MJ07_]

The mclassic does output 4k! EDIT: Also I'm confused why you said your TV is 4k but not uhd. The 16:9 4k standard is 3840x2160 aka UHD. I don't think any consumer television is 4096x2160.

[@RoXolid]

You're right, for some reason I was thinking that it only went to 1440p but I guess it does do full 4K. I meant HDR, not UHD

[@Videogame_STX]

Hi I daisychained my mclassic with my photofast 4k gamer plus (the red one). The result looks fantastic but I have a problem. The photofast 4k gamer gets very hot and sometimes the screen turns black for a second at a 30 min intervall. I bought some new extenders and hdmi cables. I believe they were fine before because the problem still exists. Could it be the energy source for the 4k gamer plus? I connected it to the USB port of the switch. Sorry for the bad english but maybe you can help

[@RoXolid]

Interesting, not anything I've encountered, sorry.

[@benjaminwoodhouse5324]

At least this is a real 4K upscaler but is there really a difference between the 4K gamer pro vs 4K gamer + And there not a lot of information about the HDR, does that work well?

[@RoXolid]

The original black version has 3 different levels of upscaling whether this red version is either on or off

[@benjaminwoodhouse5324]

So the plus and the pro do the same thing then

[@benjaminwoodhouse5324]

If they do the same thing you can save a lot of money because the pro is £141 but the plus is £80 off Amazon

[@RoXolid]

@@benjaminwoodhouse5324 They do the basic same thing, but the black one has the 3 levels of engagement be the 1 on the red one

[@benjaminwoodhouse5324]

@@RoXolid ok

[@rescuecomplex5115]

Hi! Is there a difference between the 4k Gamer + and the 4k Gamer Pro, please?

[@RoXolid]

Yes, the Plus only has an on/off mode while the Pro has 3 different filtering/scaling options.

[@rescuecomplex5115]

Ah, ok!! Thank you!!@@RoXolid

[@RoXolid]

You're very welcome

[@Justmeandmy20cents]

Also, The 4k gamer + does HDR if you are using it to play an HDR supported console like the PS4 poor or the Xbox S.

[@ivanildoaureliano2322]

Use um cabo HDMI 2.1 8k da ugreen que vai ter uma melhor experiência

[@tajawnalewis7099]

should try this with the witcher 3

[@RoXolid]

I have never played a single Witcher game

[@animeviolet8599]

Just wondering if u can do video of Pokemon game in 4K

[@RoXolid]

I don't have any Pokemon games, never been a fan and I don't like RPGs, sorry.

[@animeviolet8599]

😢 ok and what about minecraft 😅

[@RoXolid]

@@animeviolet8599 I strongly dislike Minecraft

[@animeviolet8599]

🤣

[@sirducksworthythe3rd842]

The Mclassic can actually do up to 1440p

[@RoXolid]

Well, they claim up to 4k too

[@carlosbomediano849]

Does warframes graphics have a big upscale?

[@RoXolid]

Never played it so I don't know, sorry

[@carlosbomediano849]

Could u try giving it a go

[@RoXolid]

@@carlosbomediano849 I don't own the game, sorry.

[@spleety7430]

@@RoXolid it’s free

[@RoXolid]

@@spleety7430 Ah, I didn't know

[@doubleglaze7979]

Can I use this for ps3 or Xbox

[@RoXolid]

As long as you send a 1080P signal into it then yes

[@thataintplum]

#Respect love the video

[@RoXolid]

Thanks so much

[@thataintplum]

@@RoXolid No Problem Bro 💯👍🏽

[@argedismun2]

I want to test this on my Xbox 360

[@RoXolid]

The 360 doesn't output 1080P does it? Legit asking, I don't know

[@argedismun2]

@@RoXolid : yes it does for example forza Motorsport 4

[@RoXolid]

@@argedismun2 Good to know. I would say you need to make sure that the content you're playing is 1080P as that is the spec input source resolution, just a heads up. So if something drops to 720P you might see screen drops/blank screens.

[@bavarianconsolegamer]

When I try to capture gameplay with the elgato 4k60 s+, using the gamer+ gives me a totally oversaturated image in the recording, although on screen it looks great. Anybody know a solution for this?

[@RoXolid]

What software are you using to capture and record? If you're using OBS There's a settings menu where you can adjust these settings.

[@bavarianconsolegamer]

@@RoXolid @RoXolid Productions no additonal Software, just the standalone recording of the elgato 4k60 s+ without pc, directly to SD card.

[@RoXolid]

Check the other thread, just going to reply on that one.

[@gabbothegiver]

Garyyyyyy

[@RoXolid]

Gabbo!

[@RoXolid]

The PhotoFast Gamer 4K+ will be available to order after 11/18/22 at amzn.to/3tnDyoQ Check out all of our 3D Printed items by visiting roxolid-productions.weeblysite.com/ Join this channel to get access to perks: kzbin.info/door/znAOWQLsiCAMNRq9fzQJpwjoin Follow Us on Social Media! Instagram - @RoXolidProductionsGK Twitter - @RoXolidStudios Facebook - facebook.com/RoXolidProductions/ Get early access to our videos and support RoXolid Productions for as low as a dollar a month through our Patreon page, www.patreon.com/RoXolid Looking for some RoXolid Merch? Check out our T-Spring store for shirts and swag at teespring.com/roxolid-productions-official-s Would you like to have your products featured on RoXolid Productions? Do you have Questions? Comments? Email us at [e-mail]!!

[@proplayer682]

A GIMMIC

[@RoXolid]

No, it's legit upscaling. That's like saying the RetroTink 5x is a gimmick

[@TheSocialGamer]

The Switch OLED is maxed at 720p it only upscales the image to your TV to fill a 1080p screen otherwise your TV would have to do the upscale. It's still only a native at 720p.

[@RoXolid]

720 is native to the built-in display, but the video output of the system docked it 1080P.

[@TheSocialGamer]

@@RoXolid correct upscaled.... Your right that the Switch indeed pushes 1080p when docked. It used the extra power of the dock to basically overclock the GPU as it's can draw power from the wall and not its battery and it also pushes the fans harder so you can hear them ramp up. Personally building huge computer rigs for over 2 decades, the Switch is really a 720p machine with the boost in resolution it's all it provides. 😆 Still... I'm digging that 4K upscaler. Looked great. For me I always leave the system at 720p it runs cooler and the visuals don't change only the resolution. Great stuff man. No links to the 4K upscaler?

[@RoXolid]

@@TheSocialGamer I'll update the pinned comment around the 18th when the link goes live.

[@jakesmith5278]

This looks terrible for 4k.

[@RoXolid]

KZbin and rendering compresses the original files, in person it looks fantastic. Dumb quesiton, did you adjust your video settings to 4K in the KZbin player?

[@sinchman1]

Breath of the Wild was a Wii U title ported to the Switch.

[@RoXolid]

Yes, but it doesn't change the fact that the switch version is still pretty to look at