RetroTink 4K Review for Dreamcast! A Perfect Match: Getting the Most out of Dreamcast in 4K

[@dorfus]

I’m pretty sure I asked for a Casio Loopy RetroTink video. Why won’t you give the people what they want?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

You’d need to mail me back the Loopy. I don’t think your daughter would allow that

[@neilinacarmichael9518]

I know it isn't in the usual purview of this channel, but would you consider doing a RT4K video about its uses for non-gaming related video sources? You being someone who works in film, I would be very interested in your takes on its usefulness for older formats like VHS/LD/DVD or any other application where it could replace some much more expensive equipment used in the professional film industry. I totally get it if it isn't something you'd want to do, but I, for one, would love to see that video from your channel. Either way, keep up the exceptional work!

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I’ve thought about it but the issue is almost everything throws up flags. Finding content to upscale that I can also then show to everyone is like needle in a haystack

[@neilinacarmichael9518]

@@VideoGameEsoterica Ah, yeah. That makes sense. I hadn’t considered that. Don’t imagine you’ve got a bunch of home movies on VHS in a box somewhere? 😜

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Hahaha not enough to make a video

[@METR0lD]

The me from 9/9/99 would have been blown away by my Dreamcast looking this good on my TV.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It looks too good almost. I gotta hook my NAOMI up to it soon just for fun

[@SydneySE_]

Really, really enjoyed this video. I just got my Tink4K, really appreciate you sharing any tips for using this thing. I am blown away by what it can do.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Glad you enjoyed the video and are enjoying your Tink 4K. More videos coming eventually

[@JDVHS]

I thought optimized resolution for our old gaming consoles is the reason why i still hunt for abandoned TV's on curb side collections that still work in 2023!!

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Haha I still have four CRTs in my office

[@simon41978]

I had a 25'' PC monitor that weighed around 30kg. It was a pain to move around so I gave it away. VGA was very nice on it. Dreamcast looks amazing on your video and the first thing I'm going to check when I get mine are the Capcom 2D games. I really like Shutokou Battle II also.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

You should have given it to me lol

[@simon41978]

@@VideoGameEsoterica It was when I was planning my Games Room. It was taking up a lot of space, I rarely used it and it was very heavy. If I had a mansion, I would have definitely kept it.

[@Prime-1111X]

I'm still waiting for a RetroTINK-4K with second generation consoles. I've been experimenting with the cropping feature and the RGB mono overlay. It looks fantastic to me.

[@czr5014]

I could watch these videos all day

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I may make a few more so :)

[@simon41978]

Could you tell me whether you can get s-video working with Dreamcast? I bought 2 cables and can only get audio. I should say I'm using a GD-EMU. I'm not sure whether that makes a difference.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Should work fine. Aftermarket cables? They are horribly hit or miss

[@SP95]

Yay !! Thanks for capturing a little bit of gameplay from Virtua Tennis which is my 2nd favorite Dreamcast game and there is not really anyone who has correctly captured it for KZbin 🥳🎾 This game doesn't feel right via emulators as notice too much slowdowns so having real hardware comparisons does really helps pinpointing what's wrong. And of course, damn, that RetroTink machine is a godsent; too bad for the price but at least it exists, it's out in the wild. I might get one some day but mostly in order to correctly capture my family VHS/DV cassette tapes correctly as here in europe we have SCART VCRs and that RetroTink 4K will finally make good use of it. And this is also a good time to once again praise the image quality brought by the SEGA Dreamcast which was only matched two generations later by the Xbox 360 through HDMI ! I believe most PS2 games in spite of outputting a final standard 480i picture were internally rendered in 240i/320i while Dreamcast seems to often use an internal 640x480 pixels image. As for what should be feeding that RetroTink machine next i'd suggest, if possible, using a SCART console like the Gamecube or Xbox OG. I disagree with you stating that a 31khz/480P video feed should remain RAW on a modern television because the colors will still remain incorrect and the pixels should also be blended between each other in order to achieve the intended color palette and the right aesthetic. On the other end we don't have a relevant enough CRT filter available for that machine yet so in that case yes i'd also recommend playing with the RAW pixels until a correct extensive filter comes out.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I may do OG Xbox or PS2 next. We shall see

[@SP95]

Hopefully in SCART if possible

[@SNKev411]

Dude I hope you can make a video of PlayStation 2 and the retroTink 4K in the future. In addition, great video bro

[@PopeTheRevXXVIII]

The PS2 on the 5x looks good but requires a lot of tinkering since it's 480i

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

If these do well I’ll keep making more. Go watch twice or something 😂

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Interlaced content is always a chore

[@SNKev411]

@@VideoGameEsoterica I’m not gonna lie I already watch the video twice lol once on my phone, and once on my 4K TV. i’m almost done with your videos that you made 4 years ago

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Haha wow. Really caught up

[@IS-ix5ib]

How are you on recording CRT TV video? I know the Tinks have fantastic scanlines and shadowmasks. Would be a cool video to see if you could replicate the how a CRT looks on a 4k monitor side by side. I only suggest this because i booted up morrowind on my OG Xbox ran to my 1080p monitor and it looked super flat and bad. Moved my 27" JVC TV into my game corner and booted it up on that and it looked so much better. Not sure if its nostalgia goggles or if the CRT actually adds something the monitor is missing, but I'm about 20 hours into another morrowind run now.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I’ll look into it in the future. I have some macro shots still to use

[@dbnpoldermans4120]

crazy taxi has wide screen patches, right?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Kind of on DC. I know there are hex edit ways to do it with codebreaker

[@langenohl]

Could you do a video on this RetroTink 4K with working on the Steamdeck (docked)? and how to set best settings per console (emudeck)?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I can take a look at it and see if it works well together. Could be interesting

[@SeanDarr]

I've been down this rabbit hole and i'm losing my mind - i'd like to get a Retrotink 5x to upscale my gamecube so it looks more like emulators - but every video i watch for every brand of upscaler they claim it looks so great and I think it looks identical or like crap to just playing it natively and this stuff costs so much money. I was going to get a Morph 4k it's on the cheaper side - but i'm so worried it won't make any difference. Is it not possible to get even like halfway to dolphin emulator - with your ACTUAL gamecube? I'm so lost on all this stuff and the more videos i watch the worse i feel.

[@brianyu8413]

Would there be any significant difference between VGA and SCART out if the Toro to the tink4K?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

The Toro specs say SCART outputs 480p but I’ve just always used VGA. A few games on DC have a 240p mode and that MIGHT be beneficial to run over SCART but I’d have to test

[@studiokadaver]

I’m currently using a Dreamcast SCART cable to my OSSC

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

A solid choice for sure

[@studiokadaver]

@@VideoGameEsoterica yeah but that new 4K is looking mighty nice. I’m sure temptation will eventually get the best of me.

[@troybilko]

I’ll stick to my dchdmi mod, thanks for the video tho. Also, scan lines for dc don’t do so well. The technology for the dc had a vga out and it doesn’t seem to work so well with it

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

That’s fair. Everyone gets their choice

[@sockpuppet7881]

Any recomendations for a 4k television for use with the RT4K?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

That’s not my wheelhouse. Go to rtings (yes that’s how it’s spelled) and look at their tv ratings for gaming. They do lag testing in gaming mode, etc etc

[@sockpuppet7881]

@@VideoGameEsoterica I'll check them out, thanks.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

👍

[@kamarrawlings6285]

The toro vga box with it can you still be able to play games not compatible with not supported by vga?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

No it will throw an error

[@Tacos-oz6vx]

MVC2 😍😍😍😍😍😍 just ordered me a 4K can’t wait to play with it.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Enjoy it when it arrives. It’s awesome

[@PopeTheRevXXVIII]

The Dreamcast on the 5x though S-Video with motiom adaptive Deinterlacing is the best it's ever looked . But brightness and Contrast never quite seems right. Never dial in settings on the system menu is one thing I learned other than to get rid of ghosting

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Dreamcast can sometimes be overly bright even on CRT imo. Sonic Adventure on my Sony Trinitron VGA monitor can be blindingly bright

[@PopeTheRevXXVIII]

My favorite Dreamcast set up was on this giant Toshiba TV we used to have probably the biggest CRT made by the hands of man. I played all the classics from Dreamcast and Early Xbox on that wonderful thing.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

We had one of those growing up. Like a 37” Toshiba. It was MASSIVE.

[@PopeTheRevXXVIII]

I specifically have vivid memories of playing Guilty Gear, Jet grind radio and Halo on it. My bedroom TV was a Toshiba with red oversaturation. But it's speakers were other Worldly. Day I got my Dreamcast I popped in Street Fighter III, played Second impact and it was a religious experience

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I had a 2X” inch Trinitron in my room growing up. I can’t remember what model. Had S video though I do remember that

[@peterhartley8694]

Currently in the process of repairing and modding my childhood Dreamcast but I can't afford the retrotink - what's the best cheap option for scaling?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Define cheap? So I don’t offer you something outside of your range :)

[@peterhartley8694]

@@VideoGameEsoterica UK based but equivalent to $100-200 maybe?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

GBS control or look for someone selling a used RetroTink 5X now that the RetroTink 4K is out

[@sketchy0078]

I don't think the Retrotink 4k will be a CRT killer. The price along with the screen pairing to get the lowest latency means it will be well out of reach for many. It will be the best way to appreciate retro consoles though. The fact that CRT's are all starting to die or get stupidly expensive means we need solutions like this.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Sadly the CRT killer will just be time itself

[@sketchy0078]

@@VideoGameEsoterica unfortunately that is case. I managed to get a lovely 17 crt Philips monitor a year ago and I love it to bits for my mister multi system. I know when it dies it’s going to be pretty expensive to replace or repair it. I really fancy getting the Retrotink 4k but at this moment in time I have no real need for it.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Thankfully I have back up TVs. I’m weird like that

[@sketchy0078]

@@VideoGameEsoterica Fair! If I had room and didn’t have such a problem with fixed gear bikes I’d probably do the same.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Haha I have a Cinelli Vigorelli in my studio next to the tv 🤣

[@yoda779]

curious what an atari looks like on the tink lol

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Haha that I don’t have

[@pwnswoggle]

MVC2 was a great showcase. I play DC on 29” 4:3 Loewe VGA CRT so I’m spoiled but this looks very impressive.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Loewe. There’s one you don’t hear mentioned every day. I heard their VGA signal is legit

[@Wobble2007]

@@VideoGameEsotericaThe DC and 360 in native VGA are both immaculate on a arcade VGA CRT monitor or similar like your Loewe with a VGA card, I've been after the Toshiba 29" 1600x1200p 85Hz arcade CRT monitor for ages, or the Nanao equivalent.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Unicorn arcade monitors these days. Or close to it. I need a 24khz monitor still. I have nothing that will work at medium resolution

[@gvanderlee2703]

​@VideoGameEsoterica German tv. Was quite common here in Europe in the 90s. Not as popular as Sony, Philips and JVC, but common enough :)

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Ahh that makes more sense

[@dorfus]

But feel free to mail that Sony VGA monitor back. I’m sure it won’t shatter into any more pieces.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It’s mine forever

[@dorfus]

@@VideoGameEsoterica trade you a HiVision for it

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

You know I don’t have the space for that damn thing

[@trzarector]

I’d like to see the Neo Geo mini with its notoriously horrible output through the 4k.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I got rid of the Mini forever ago. Waste of money

[@Vvewa]

I dont have a big oled but If I did I would be sega marine fishing with the rod on my couch

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Nah use the rod to play Soul Calibur. Weirdest use for it

[@RetroReloaded]

May the past never be a memory

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Isn’t here that’s for sure

[@MichaelM28]

DC Digital + Retrotink 4K is the best combination

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Just not something I have installed in my Dreamcast. But at native res I think VGA does every bit as good as HDMI visual wise. 480p VGA vs HDMI is such a tiny negligible diff for the amount of mod work needing to be done IMO. Now if you want to output higher than 480p then sure DCDigital is great

[@MichaelM28]

@@VideoGameEsoterica No colour compression, no analogue noise and better sound quality IMO it's worth the install

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I’m not saying it’s not worth it. I’m just saying I haven’t felt the need to do it

[@MichaelM28]

@@VideoGameEsotericaIs it the price or installation that's the issue?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

No I could install it I just haven’t felt like I’ve wanted to

[@Wobble2007]

Even better, is the DC VGA hooked up to a mClassic via a HDFury, then back to VGA in 1920x1440p, trust me it looks better than the Tink 4K, just a shame you have to use a HDFury with the mClassic, a direct VGA mClassic would be amazing, if you want to get crazy, add in a VGA SLG too.

[@gunsmithx]

Making me sad I missed on the first drop 😢

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Haha sorry. I almost missed it myself. Was hard getting the order to go through

[@gunsmithx]

It's my Xmas gift from my wife so she's still mad lol I know Mike will eventually make enough

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Sounds like you should maybe get her a kitten or puppy in the meantime

[@gunsmithx]

I have a dog 5 cats and a child please do not breath that into the universe

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Five cats? Ok yeah sounds like you have enough 🤣

[@srvuk]

This is one of the most overproiced products that I have seen recently.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It’s expensive, not overpriced. The BOM of materials in it alone costs a small fortune. But there is a difference between expensive and overpriced