RetroTink 5X Review: Not Just for Consoles

[@rolandbaron5813]

Okay, I think I've done enough homework on the retrotink 5x pro. I'm convinced to getting one. Thanks for sharing.

[@sasquatchintime]

What a great showcase! I was lucky enough to get my order for the 5x in this morning. Part of the fun for me is ordering a product and watching reviews of it before it arrives! Seeing the clarity on the Metal Slug 3 brought tiny tears into my ducts! Do I have a NeoGeo? No, but wow if that wasn't a sight to behold! I appreciate you taking the time to cover all of the avenues that you did in this review.

[@ScarletSprites]

Thanks man, congrats on the order! I don’t think you’ll be disappointed AT ALL. The thing is great and so easy to use. Mike has dropped some firmware updates too that make it all the better. Enjoy!

[@KingRadinov]

It's so great to see how much you've grown since that first RetroTink video. Keep it up man!

[@ScarletSprites]

Thanks man. I've gone from having no idea of what I was doing to having very little idea of what I'm doing!

[@triple_lei]

Looking forward to getting one myself. You know, for Mother's Day...

[@ScarletSprites]

There’s nothing mom wants more than Jaguar at 1440p.

[@dvnnvhvn]

Any solution for VGA outputs like Naomi?

[@ScarletSprites]

There's probably a few options for that either with cables or with the Capcom I/O. I didn't mess with it since Axun identified the brightness issue with the early Jamma Extractors (since corrected). I'll give it a shot eventually.

[@dvnnvhvn]

@@ScarletSprites That’s the only issue I have with the OSSC. The timing for VGA drops in certain games or doesn’t display at all. Need that final solution to complete my Arcade1up masterpiece

[@fluffisaurus7090]

You might be able to get a sync combiner/stripper for not too much money if you have many VGA consoles.

[@MaxaMillion711]

Excellent video. Super excited to pick one of these up.

[@ScarletSprites]

Less than an hour away!

[@TobyRieper48]

Ah man I really wanted one of these. Sold out already. I do love my 2x scart though :) keep up with the good videos mate.

[@ScarletSprites]

Thanks man! Sorry to hear you missed out. They did indeed go FAST as expected.

[@Smoot1000]

I'm so glad I was able to snag one of these! I primarily wanted this to use with the CMVS Ultra by the Behar Bros... If they ever end up shipping it that is... I do have faith! And you were spot on with the 3DO! It's one of the few consoles I don't have hooked up and this will definitely give me an excuse to get it out. Great vid as always.

[@ScarletSprites]

Yeah, this totally breathes new life into consoles that are sitting on the bench due to lack of a decent scaling or HDMI option.

[@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342]

Good for you and me! I'm a huge console collector. Own like... 20 consoles lol. About half of which are retro before HD ports. Want to hook em all up to one TV easily and have them all look great? This device is pretty much perfect for such a thing.

[@TheSocialGamer]

I always love your style of reviews. It's not overly technical yet super informative. I feel like it's just a friend telling me the important stuff I need to know. 🙏 Great info. I appreciate you brotha! 😁👌

[@ScarletSprites]

I always appreciate the support man. I tread that line of trying to toss out just enough before I’m over my head and before I’m boring people.

[@c8r9a9m3]

Definitely one of the moments I've been waiting for! Mike is KILLING IT!

[@ScarletSprites]

And he’s a really nice person on top of it. A rarity lately.

[@c8r9a9m3]

@@ScarletSprites I've seen glimpses of that. Seems like a very kind soul, and all he wants to do is help us enjoy the things we hold dear, and I think its hard to encapsulate the level of appreciation I have for that.

[@ShutUpBubi]

Mike Chi knocked it outta the park this time

[@ScarletSprites]

Indeed, it’s a slick and intelligent little device.

[@Meubeu1]

Hell yeah, when I read the title I thought right away about the jamma extractor, since retroRGB talked about it I'm eyeing it for the streaming purposes AND the dual cabinet possibilities but I always had something else to spend my money on (especially since I'm from Europe). I'm glad if you're reviewing it soon, you're not the most technical guy out there (no offense) but your videos are ones of my favs to watch, good work man, and to stay in topic, the 5x looks insane tbh.

[@WhiteJarrah]

The RetroTINK 5X sounds very promising. In my current setup I have THREE scalers: the Framemeister, the OSSC and a cheap SCART to HDMI converter. The Framemeister looks amazing with 240p, 288p and interlaced games. But it has so many settings that it becomes user-unfriendly, and most profiles I found seem more geared towards NTSC games than PAL games. The OSSC is much easier to use, but I could not get it to display on my TV or capture card unless I fed it into the HDMI input on the cheap converter. Speaking of which, the cheap converter has been my go-to device for the longest time because most of my favourite games switch between 288p and 576i. I had used the original RetroTINK 2x, but it had even worse compatibility issues than the OSSC. Again, I had to feed it into the HDMI input on the cheap scaler. So I'm really hoping that the 5X will offer compatibility, ease of use, and seamless transitions between resolution changes in one little package.

[@abletothink]

Ordered one today. Planning on using it as my main scaler and selling my Framemeister on eBay. This seems like it'll be way more convenient since I won't have to switch the Firebrand X profiles when I switch systems.

[@ScarletSprites]

That ability to cycle profiles by system is great. And if the default doesn’t work for you for some reason you can then tweak yourself. No 3DO option though, lol!

[@WhiteJarrah]

9:29 Is that the Elgato Game Capture HD? The RetroTINK 5X is compatible with the Elgato Game Capture HD? :D

[@ScarletSprites]

It is and it worked surprisingly well with the arcade stuff. For almost everything though I used an S+ since I needed 4K.

[@WhiteJarrah]

@@ScarletSprites Quick question. The Elgato Game Capture HD can only capture 50fps at either 576p or 720p. 1080p50 is converted to 1080p25. Looking at the user manual and firmware updates, the RetroTINK 5X's only options for PAL content is 576p or 1080p. Is their a 720p50 option?

[@brokedownsystem]

This looks amazingly sharp.

[@Ajax-2112]

"If you think you're smarter than Mike." Naw man. Not even close. He is brilliant to pull this off. Hats off!

[@ScarletSprites]

Legendary status in the retro gaming community in just three years.

[@AndreVandal]

I'm waiting in line for the order to begin. Mike makes the best products. RetroRGB has a pretty in-depth review of the product out.

[@ScarletSprites]

I had very little doubt Bob would crank out explanations of all the finer details. I'm certain a few more of those videos will be queued up by other great tech channels too.

[@Madness832]

Would I assume, that for that chunk of change, I'd get a unit that doesn't start up w/ video, but no sound? That's been my experience w/ some of the cheap composite-to-HDMI adapters/converters from eBay/Amazon (always had to cycle the HDMI cable connection to fix it). Also, how well does it work w/ a VCR?

[@ScarletSprites]

You shouldn’t experience any of the dropouts with this, it’s pretty solidly designed and tested tech that’s beyond the junk on Amazon. I haven’t tried this with a VCR but have been meaning to. I did convert some old home video tapes to a digital file with the old 2X Pro and it turned out well.

[@dvnnvhvn]

Copped

[@dvnnvhvn]

@@SC_ULTRA heh. I’m better than that.

[@MarkFerrara88]

What an amazing and elaborate review!

[@48859234]

As always, this video is complete and very interesting. Can’t wait to grab one. Thank you for this nice work 👍

[@ScarletSprites]

Thanks Luc, you won't be disappointed.

[@InvictvsNox]

Also, on the scanline options: THANK YOU MIKE! Because yes on my 2XSCART, which I believe is a sister product that at least shares the same scanline generator, the only setting ,"on", is much too dark. I'm so happy to see this update.

[@ScarletSprites]

Yeah, I maybe should have stressed that more but the 50% is really nice. The 90% and 100% integer aren’t even really a choice imo (maybe there are some use cases I’m just unaware of) but damn that 50% makes me a bit of a believer.

[@TheHistorianKing]

@15:19 you mentioned light gun border. Does this mean that that the light gun border option will support (for example) a SEGA Dreamcast light gun on HDTVS?

[@ScarletSprites]

No, it’s specifically for the Sinden light Gun.

[@TheHistorianKing]

@@ScarletSprites oh darn it. Thanks

[@SC_ULTRA]

Really great video! My favorite on the 5X that I've seen so far. My ADD kept kicking in at around 13 minutes because the footage looks too good to watch and listen to you at the same time. I'm not kidding. I had to back it up 5 or 6 times. A good problem to have I think! Cheers!

[@ScarletSprites]

Haha, you don’t need to listen to me just allow your eyes to eat up those sharp pixels. Thanks man!

[@EposVox]

Great review!

[@ScarletSprites]

Thanks man! Funny, I was just watching your video on the cheap 4K capture cards which was very helpful to me.

[@djchac5245]

There we go - this is the kind of coverage I wanted to see. Glad I managed to snag one of these when they went on sale this morning. The OSSC served me well, but its compatibility with arcade boards is pretty spotty and I never know if it's because I need to futz with the settings or because the OSSC just doesn't like that particular game. Hopefully this'll just work for a change.

[@ScarletSprites]

Definitely use the Triple Buffer option. It worked the best for me on the boards I tried. Good luck!

[@waydown2552]

Great video! Can not wait to get mine in!

[@ScarletSprites]

I expect people to get these this week considering how fast he and his wife are shipping the unit. It’ll be cool seeing how everyone uses them.

[@waydown2552]

​@@ScarletSprites Indeed. A lot of people seem to be getting theirs in. Mine still hasn't shipped :(. I'm interested in trying two consoles on my Sony 4k tv's. The NES and SNES. The OSSC with those two consoles give Sony tv's fits. They pretty much don't work. I know the Pro supposedly fixes the tv compatibility issues that the OSSC had. Super excited to test it out!

[@allu5346]

Could this device be good for capturing VHS tapes to digital format? I have a combo DVD-VCR player and I can easily copy most of my recorded VHS tapes to DVD using the built-in function but then there are those copy protected VHS tapes which I can't copy so my only solution would be to hook the player to a capture device and copy them that way but I'm struggling to find the perfect solution with the best possible image and audio quality. Do you happen to have any ideas?

[@ScarletSprites]

Yes, I have used it for exactly that purpose. It works really well.

[@Kretinou]

Great video, thank you ! Did you test the 5x with Taito F3 or Seibu PCBs ?

[@ScarletSprites]

No, unfortunately I don’t have those boards. I’ve heard Beast1X say he has not been able to get the F3 to sync up.

[@JeffYPbPr]

Great video dude. Looks like a fantastic device

[@ScarletSprites]

Mike making amazing things happen…again!

[@foreversleepy4379]

At the beginning, I just wanted to get my old consoles looking good on a modern display, but now I have a degree in video signals, video cables, analogue video, deinterlacers and scaling algorithms.

[@ScarletSprites]

Welcome to the next level.

[@Neo-ruga]

Are you seeing any artifacting when playing SSVS? I see artifacting from my 2x, but specifically when playing SSVS. So, this might be a good upgrade for me if this is fixed.

[@ScarletSprites]

Haven’t played that with it yet.

[@tapetraining]

What capture card can I use with this? I know on their website it said some of the different units not to use Elgato capture cards.

[@ScarletSprites]

I’ve used the Elgato HD, the HD60S+, Avermedia, and currently a Magewell.

[@tapetraining]

@@ScarletSprites Thank you soo much. Was looking at the HD60S+. I really appreciate it.

[@ScarletSprites]

@@tapetraining They work, they're just not always reliable for some niche situations.

[@enthusiasticgamer88]

RIP OSSC. God I hated configuring my OSSC. The only console I have left connected to it is a Saturn but honestly the ease of use of this RetroTink 5x puts OSSC and Framemeister to SHAME. It's refreshing as hell to see this as it opens up access to pristine image quality retro console gaming to everyone, it's stupid proof.

[@ScarletSprites]

I have never owned one but I’ve heard the tales. It’s largely why I opted to just HDMI everything I could one by one. With the 5X though, it’s just super convenient and it works. My patience paid off finally.

[@blackvulcan3]

I’m sitting here with your video popping up while I’m playing my 161 in 1 on my supergun on a cheap video board and thinking it looks sweet...until.....come on man, every time I watch your channel I feel my wallet getting lighter. Love it Joe, thanks man.

[@ScarletSprites]

If that’s an MV1C it’s prime for this! It needs 1440p output. Begging for it! Seriously though, it’s a pretty cool setup for superguns or streaming/captures. I question whether I would have anything HDMI modded again. It’s on that level.

[@blackvulcan3]

Missed out on this release. Damn sleep. Mike has said he will look after UK people in the next release, hopefully that means Australia too. This looks so good.

[@hhectorlector]

Great vid… was fortunate enough to get one of this first batch… your 2X Multiformat vid also helped me purchase that scaler!

[@ScarletSprites]

Awesome! Glad you’re adding to the RT family. Thanks for taking the time to drop the kind words.

[@ricksmith6693]

Great info and video! Will have to wait till it comes back in stock, it's sold out right now. Thanks for the info and video Scarlet Sprites.😀

[@ScarletSprites]

It doesn't go live until 12pm EST so if you're around give it a shot. Otherwise, I'm sure Mike will try to keep up with the demand.

[@goukigod]

So did you the Elgato for capturing?

[@ScarletSprites]

I had to borrow a friend’s S+, but the HD oddly worked better for some of the arcade stuff.

[@linvol20]

I have the retrotink 2x pro and im just wondering if the 5x handles composite and s-video the same or better.

[@trev1976]

I'll watch this whole video when I have a bit more time but the most interesting feature for me is 720p downscaling to 240p and then being able fit a 16.9 image onto a 4.3 CRT. Would really like to see how the M2 shot triggers PS4 ports look on a 15khz Arcade Cabinet

[@ScarletSprites]

Hah, the one thing I didn’t get into was the 240p downscaling. I just don’t have any use cases for that.

[@alexandrevieira9470]

Hey! Great video! I have a question, is the filter mode option available on Retrotink 2X Pro still available on 5X? I think the filter mode is very good for smoothing the 3d pixels of n64 games.

[@ians_parks]

It is not.

[@PabstOban]

Man I can’t wait for this to come... the downscaler portion was something I was really excited about... but now I’m getting pee shy about the whole thing.

[@ScarletSprites]

I think you’ll love it. I would only ding Mike for not having 3DO and Jaguar profile settings. The REAL consoles of a generation…of losers.

[@PabstOban]

@@ScarletSprites SHOTS FIRED!

[@garogercade7850]

What an amazing review for an amazing device. I love the channel where real stuff happens!

[@ScarletSprites]

REAL Stuff! Thanks so much man!

[@r.t.8468]

Great video, man. If I only care about PS2, is the Retrotink 2x Pro Multiformat just as good? Thanks!

[@ScarletSprites]

If you’re happy with it you’re probably fine, but the higher resolution and adaptive deinterlacing make the PS2 a prime candidate to take advantage of the 5X’s features.

[@ozzyozcorn]

So you would say this ones better than the 2x muliformat? Graphically wise?

[@ScarletSprites]

Yes, it’s almost not even a fair comparison. (480p vs. 1440p)

[@ozzyozcorn]

@@ScarletSprites even with the component cables hooked up? I have hd retrovision currently

[@ScarletSprites]

Component is all I ever use with the Neo Geo. Think of it this way, you’re looking at DVD (480p) vs. Blu-Ray (1080p or greater).

[@SherringtonBun]

Thanks for the report. I’m aware of Axunworks as I just spent some serious coin on his cool products before I saw this video. The 5X is looking like a big upgrade to my OSSC and Framemeister. Looking forward to your next video!

[@ScarletSprites]

Yeah he makes some cool gadgets for arcade players. Despite having a NetBoot setup his Naomi CF option is enticing.

[@Alexp37]

Hey mate, could you help me out please? I connected the Retrotink 5x pro correctly with the AV adaptor to a PAL PS2 + 4K HDMI TV. I switch to 1080p resolution on the device with RR Type 4 running on the PS2 and looking like complete trash. Like no improvement AT ALL. What could be the issue? Could component cables be the solution? Idk cause I believe something's wrong. Do you have an idea? :(

[@ashwinnair1987]

Great video! I was wondering if this would work with a vcr connected to composite to a 4K television! At the moment I when I connect my vcr to 4K tv via composite it doesn’t output video. VCR works fine when connected to a crt.

[@ScarletSprites]

Yes, a few people use it for things like that. I used the old 2X to dump old college VHS tapes to digital files. I should probably do this again with the 5X for the better deinterlacing.

[@ashwinnair1987]

@@ScarletSprites Cheers sounds good!

[@EC18FEA30B]

This would work, but you would need some kind of TBC (Time Base Corrector) between the VCR and the RetroTINK or the signal will cut in and out if the tape signal is not stable enough

[@user-hr5di5fg8b]

Thanks for the review

[@ScarletSprites]

Thanks for watching.

[@tuxmask75]

Wait , what about Dithering to translucency filtering like the 2X pro offered? has that been cut?

[@hhectorlector]

You mean the “smooth” thing? That isn’t on here

[@tuxmask75]

@@hhectorlector this feature for translucent effects, not exactly sure what it’s called but here is a video. twitter.com/raycommend/status/1298075997833760770?s=21

[@ScarletSprites]

Not certain on the specifics of that or if it’s inherently covered somehow via a profile. That’s probably a good VGP question.

[@mattpurvis927]

I currently have an M-cable - which makes things look pretty good. Is this better?

[@ScarletSprites]

Not totally certain as I’m not familiar with the M-cable.

[@mattpurvis927]

@@ScarletSprites - It's an hdmi cord with a built in graphics processor.

[@mattpurvis927]

@@ScarletSprites - You should hit up Marseille - they make the Mcable and Mclassic cable. Maybe they'll send you one to review. If that's something you would like to do a video on.

[@SuperNicktendo]

Pretty impressive device. I have no use case for this as I prefer CRT but having this as older TVs get harder to find is important for the future preservation of these games

[@ScarletSprites]

I was all CRT until a few years ago when I decided I had just had it with all the cables and switches. It made capturing footage a huge pain too whenever I had to unhook stuff and then reconnect so I started searching for HDMI options and modded a few consoles. I never wanted the hassle of fooling with a scaler, but the 2X was more than sufficient at the time for the few consoles I didn't have an HDMI option for. Here we are today and I don't know if I'd even bother getting something else HDMI modded.

[@marlbear]

Alright mate, what’s the arcade playing at 5.50? Great video as always 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@ScarletSprites]

Thanks man. That’s Shock Troopers 2 for Neo Geo.

[@mheyman]

Hey, love the channel! I had a question. Do you film at 24 or 30 fps? I was wondering how you mixed 60fps game footage with the more natural looking 24fps camera footage. Do you capture your game footage at 24 or 30 or 60 fps? Hopefully this question makes sense! Thanks!

[@ScarletSprites]

I almost always do 30fps these days, it makes life so much easier. I am personally averse to 60fps gameplay footage as I think it looks unnatural for retro stuff, so I always do 30fps for that. On occasion I’ll do 24fps if I don’t have direct captures being inserted but really, 30fps just works and is hassle free for me. Everyone will have different opinions and styles.

[@mheyman]

@@ScarletSprites Ahh thanks for the reply! I personally prefer the 24/30fps look when filming on a camera but found that when using 60fps game footage on a 24fps timeline it was obviously dropping a lot of frames. Does capturing at a lower framerate help this at all? When you record from emulators do you adjust the fps in the emulator at all? Maybe I'll try sticking with 30fps for both camera/game footage. Thanks again!

[@ScarletSprites]

I always have the source and capture card set to 30fps. I then film all real life stuff at 30fps so there’s no mixing of frame rates needed. Even with 24fps footage mixed with 30fps gameplay you’ll see judder and some ugliness. The alternative is to of course film everything at 60fps. I don’t really like that either though. Everything at 30fps is my sweet spot and gives wiggle room for a lot of things, including the filming of CRTs head on (usually).

[@mheyman]

@@ScarletSprites Ahh, that's probably the component I'm missing, setting the source to 30fps. Do you use a scaler like the OSSC to achieve this? I thought most retro consoles output ~60fps

[@ScarletSprites]

I always feed through some type of scaler. Previously it would be the RetroTink 2X Pro, now it’s the 5X going forward. Something like the Triple Buffer setting can help to standardize a signal from consoles or devices that have wonky refresh rates (like Genesis or Neo Geo) and give a more compatible output. You need to make sure your capture profile in whatever software you’re using matches (usually 30fps or 60fps). I don’t like the overly smooth look of 60 so I’ll always use 30 for captures.

[@rianhassan3149]

Great video. They are currently out of stock. Can you make a list of games and systems that you played them on for this video?

[@ScarletSprites]

I think the only systems used in the video are the ones I mentioned; Neo Geo and the 3DO. The arcade boards were all Konami games, Simpsons, Sunsetriders, and GI Joe I believe.

[@NullyBird]

Around the 10 min mark I'm noticing trace amounts of noise in solid colours, is this due to KZbin compression?

[@ScarletSprites]

Theres two things (maybe more) at play here. The Konami pcbs are notoriously noisy, RetroRGB actually commented on that as well. His Simpsons board produces similar results. Secondly, the Jamma Extractor prototype I used has a minor defect that tends to oversaturate and do odd things with luminance and brightness so it could be that or a combo of both. The Jamma Extractors shipping have been corrected for this. Either way, I wouldn’t place too much blame on the 5X considering the source and then the device feeding it.

[@NullyBird]

@@ScarletSprites I see, thanks for the in-depth reply. Great review btw!

[@joshuahelmeke]

DUDE! That extractor is NUTS!

[@ScarletSprites]

It's pretty cool. There is a small issue with it that has since been fixed. Once I receive the new version I plan to do a video about it.

[@brentgreeff1115]

Awesome game capture - nice choices - Would you use the 5X with MISTer? - Would it do a better job than the built in HDMI out? - I am keen to try the 5X overscan option on a 1080p monitor

[@ScarletSprites]

No, I don’t think you’d want to go analog to digital if you didn’t have to. The MiSTer digital output is pretty great imo.

[@brentgreeff1115]

@@ScarletSprites - OK - awesome, I guess thats worth a try first - but I meant - you could go from the analogue out - which is just the original native signal, isnt it? - then into the 5X, if thats a superior scaler - but I am thinking too many steps ahead. Let me try the onboard HDMI first. - thx

[@brentgreeff1115]

@@ScarletSprites - Wait - I think you understood me the first time. You dont recommend going from the analogue out on the MISTer into a scaler. - I do wonder how it works internally though - I guess each original console must have an digital to analogue converter, and the MISTer just bypasses this - tapping the original digital signal - which is probably cleaner than any original console actually produced.

[@ScarletSprites]

Yeah, there’s no reason that I can think of as to why you’d want to take analog from the MiSTer only to convert it back to digital when you could just grab a pure digital signal from MiSTer.

[@super-retro-city]

My Gawd... Mike killed it with this installment! #RetroTINK5X great video @ScarletSprites as always man!

[@ScarletSprites]

He indeed did. This thing is awesome. I may not be HDMI modding any consoles in the future.

[@Soulcommander]

Does this thing need power? I would assume so. If so what is being used to power the device?

[@ScarletSprites]

Thats what the USB port is for (and firmware updates).

[@Soulcommander]

@@ScarletSprites So device has no USB adapter to power, must provide your own. Thanks.

[@ScarletSprites]

I just plug mine right into the TV.

[@Soulcommander]

@@ScarletSprites was thinking that also! Need to make a slot available!

[@YellowandBlack]

As always great informative Vid Mate

[@ScarletSprites]

Thanks man, much appreciated.

[@mikegreiling]

Just got my order in. Can’t wait!

[@ScarletSprites]

Welcome to the next level.

[@InvictvsNox]

Me at 3:54 "Man that's awesome... shit, I just realized this thing doesn't have a remote like my Framemeister does..." 2 seconds later: 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

[@ScarletSprites]

He gotchu fam.

[@ardencollins5379]

Is it good to use the retrotink 5X and output the ps2 in 480p then i add Mclassic on top to output it in 1080p? Does this work?

[@ScarletSprites]

I’m sure it does but I don’t really do PS2 nor do I have an mClassic cable. I know that people were previously doing this with the 2X Multiformat.

[@outtheredude]

Thanks for giving us the dimensions of the RetroTINK-5X Pro (6 1/4 x 3 3/8 x 1 1/4 inches / 158.75 x 85.725 x 31.75 mm)! It would fit perfectly on top of my TP-Link TL-SG10008D Gigabit Switch for networking my home entertainment stuff! :-)

[@Charlie-Cat.]

Looks like Scarlet is having fun as usual. 8^) Anthony..

[@ScarletSprites]

Always a good time when Mike drops a new product.

[@joandarc441]

I wish Nintendo switch consoles or the new controllers have the neo geo pocket thumb stick

[@Bo_Knows_Tecmo]

Love the proper scaling options on this for each console. Have you tested on GameCube. Wonder if looks better than Wii U using the Nintendont homebrew app.

[@ScarletSprites]

I have, I played a little Waverace with it but didn’t use the footage since the focus was primarily arcade. It looks really good, aside from some minor noise I’m not sure my eyes notice much difference, which is a good thing.

[@SkyScourgeGod]

As an OSSC owner I'm incredibly stoked to try and get a Retrotink 5X. The OSSC is still a great device, but it does have some flaws that the 5X apparently has ironed out. The signal is kind of wonky past 2x modes so my TV's have slight issues with signal changes and drops, and bob-deinterlacing flicker is not good on my eyes at all. I use a partner device to handle deinterlacing, but I know it adds at least one frame of lag to the overall setup. If that wasn't enough, I have a Koryuu chained into all of this just to add S-Video since a few of my consoles still run on that connection. The 5X would do a multitude of things for me: free up some much needed valuable space on my shelves, video switchers and power outlets and give me some really great options for deinterlacing my PS2 and 3DO content. The price is a bit steep, but this is basically the end all be all for analogue connoisseur's so it's justifiable.

[@ScarletSprites]

It's tough for me because I've been asked so many times about how it compares to the OSSC or Framemeister and I've never owned either. I was always a CRT guy up until a few years ago when I decided I would just HDMI mod the consoles I could and "live with" the rest until I found a solution. I really don't venture much beyond the GameCube but it sounds like the early disc based systems have long been an issue for people and scalers due to the varied signal outputs. Glad to hear that this will work for you. Hope you get one and that it meets your needs.

[@SkyScourgeGod]

@@ScarletSprites I wouldn't feel too bad, this stuff is pretty niche so it can be hard finding the right information from the right person. It took me a long time to figure out how to best use my OSSC with the specific equipment and video connections I use. Like you mentioned though, groups like RetroRGB and My Life in Gaming are well suited for this purpose. Being new to arcade collecting I'm honestly glad I get to see how arcade hardware fairs on these devices and that's why I watch you and your content. :)

[@thefifthdoctor6780]

I own everything retrotink, finally got round to selling my ossc. Hoping we get an ossc pro though.

[@ScarletSprites]

Hang on for the RT4K.

[@IanNewYashaTheFinalAct]

See you in six years when Mike Chi drops the RetroTink 10X, as well as RAD-5X direct HDMI adapters for the PlayStation 2 and the Wii

[@LINKr2]

Nice review! Good to finally see Arcade boards performance running on this! Have you tried CPS2 and CPS3? (maybe the ps1 384 built in mode could be a good fit for those) Thanks!

[@ScarletSprites]

I've not actually, but I did swap in G-Net, some Midway boards, and ST-V. There is a strange brightness saturation thing that happens with some of those that washes out the picture. Kind of like it's overly bright. My Jamma Extractor was a prototype and I saw this week that Axun identified the issue and has corrected it for anyone experiencing the issue and for all subsequent sales of course.

[@Deltax5]

i kinda want to wait till i see what ossc pro has to offer before considering the retro tink 5x. I like custom profiles per console. I like firebrand x profiles. I hope ossc pro will offer set profile per console. maybe automatically when set. Still rocking the framemister. I am just happy with it. Thou ossc and retrotink 5x these days is prob better. I don't really want to upgrade till i see a 4k scalier. Thou with the mister i need the scalier more now for 480i/480p. RetroTink 5X seems like a good product. If you like 5x and like your games full screen you usually keep it that way.

[@ScarletSprites]

Living amongst multitudes of options is a great place to be right now. It wasn’t always this way. I’m having a hard time thinking I will ever HDMI mod anything in the future. For my needs this probably settles things, at least for now.

[@ZilogandMoto]

It was really cool to see that Jamma SCART breakout device, I hadn't even thought about that particular use case. I'll be really interested to see how it compares with my Framemeister on capturing Sega content when it comes in. Might have to do a one off video on that myself.

[@ScarletSprites]

There’s just so many things to pour over really. I’ll be glad to see this get into the wild and see what people come up with. So many use cases and variances across gaming that I’m certain we will be learning things for the remainder of the year if not longer.

[@RetroRalph]

Great video bud, super detailed!

[@ScarletSprites]

Thanks man!

[@jasonhowe1697]

Noting that 720 in terms of console is 720x576.. 720 that was by sega was pc monitor resolution no conversion cable as far as I am scaled correctly due to pin out on conversion cables

[@BeAsT1x5]

Just finished streaming for like 6 hours off it. Works phenomenally but arcade hardware types Taito F3 give video issues and the M72 resolution is just weird... but nonetheless a godlike product for sure

[@ScarletSprites]

A few people asked about the F3. That’s a board I don’t have. What were you using to feed the 5X? Curious to try some things if DS lets me borrow the multi for a video.

[@jonniefast]

i have the 2x pro and spam it often will probably snag the "6x" at some point i like the idea of an all in one with scart for my arcade pcbs

[@jonniefast]

solid upload

[@ScarletSprites]

It’s a cool setup for sure. I think you’ll like it if you’re already interested in such a thing.

[@kdkseven]

Great review! Will you be covering the release of the OSSC Pro and PixelFX Morph? I held off on getting a RetroTINK 5X, and that's going to be a tough decision to make!

[@ScarletSprites]

No, unfortunately I won’t be doing those since I’m pretty squared away on the RT5X. Thanks for the kind words though and good luck with making a big decision.

[@HadoukenX]

Great video!

[@ScarletSprites]

Thanks Phillip!

[@caivsivlivs]

what capture card do you have?

[@ScarletSprites]

I personally have an old Elgato HD. Had to borrow a friends newer card that handles 4K for the rest. Believe it was an S+.

[@caivsivlivs]

@@ScarletSprites ah word yeah i have a usb3hdcap that captures the 1200p 5x mode from OSSC but i was wondering what you used to capture the 1440p clips

[@miltiadiskoutsokeras9189]

Are we going to have a product for every integer scale? 😁

[@ScarletSprites]

If we’re lucky!

[@BenWillock]

This product looks great... but I think I'll wait for a future Retrotink 9x so I can get native res on my 4k TV. Seems like a bit of a missed trick that they went all the way to 7x but not to 9x.

[@ScarletSprites]

When the 2X came out everyone asked why it didn’t just go to 3X for 720p. Behind the scenes there were complications with that however. It wasn’t as simple as non-engineers (self included) opined that it was. I suspect this is no different.

[@BenWillock]

@@ScarletSprites Thanks for the reply, that makes sense 👍

[@DavidGarcia-qf7gc]

I'm curious about using it with a PS2 or Wii

[@ScarletSprites]

It’s apparently revolutionary for PS2 given all the mixed modes in and across games. Some of the footage I’ve seen looks spectacular, especially for early 3D stuff.

[@Bennett.R]

@@ScarletSprites But my question is: is it going to be better in any way than a digital HDMI solution for the PS2 (once one is finished), or the existing Wii Dual mod?

[@brotherbodhi237]

Have a 5x on the way, mostly planning to use it with PS2 and Saturn as I have good options for most my other consoles. I need to look into using the 5x with the HAS though. I have an MV1C I’ve been meaning to hook up with the HAS but I haven’t gotten around to it because I’ve been playing NeoGeo on the MiSTer

[@ScarletSprites]

I’m sure pairing this with a Supergun will be amazing. I unfortunately don’t have one to test but the Jamma Extractor is at least part way there.

[@JohnLee-ks8ke]

Great video, you should compare retrotink 5x vs ultrahdmi n64 , a rematch for retrotink

[@ScarletSprites]

Ahh, that would have been good. A throwback. I unfortunately no longer have the UltraHDMI though. I sold it a few months ago.

[@JohnLee-ks8ke]

@@ScarletSprites O: goodbye to UltraHDMI

[@psychoticgiraffe]

we need a retrotink that does VGA, but this output looks incredible

[@ScarletSprites]

A few Naomi and DC people have weighed in with that same thought. I hope the DC HDRV are a reality sometime soon.

[@Bennett.R]

I should buy one of those Jamma extractors and try to get an arcade near me to let me record some gameplay lol Then I would need a 5X

[@ScarletSprites]

Free promo live streaming. Jokes aside there are a few channels and places that do that.

[@Bennett.R]

@@ScarletSprites You’ve given me an interesting idea 🤔 thank you....though I don’t know how enticing it would be to any place if I don’t have a big following or really any following for that matter lol

[@whitecraftnone]

I cannot play the N64 games without a smoothing filter. I think the combination of Advanced Rgb mod with deblur, retrotink 2x pro, mcable + mclassic is the best so far ..

[@ScarletSprites]

The N64 is the only system I insist on having fake scanlines for. It just really seems to help mask the ugliness.

[@arioca]

This looks like a pretty cool device. The only port is missing is VGA for the Dreamcast, and I it's inconvenient that it doesn't support both S-Video or Composite and Component at the same time like the Framemeister does.

[@ScarletSprites]

We need that HDRV Dreamcast component cable. For the latter, do you just mean having the cables plugged in but the consoles not powered on? I had the 3DO and MVS plugged in simultaneously a few times while working on this. You'll still need to swap audio of course.

[@arioca]

@@ScarletSprites I still use the Toro Dreamcast VGA Box and it's an excellent solution. Yes, I just meant that on the Framemeister they have separate ports for S-Video/Composite and Component (via the D-Terminal Component female adapter cable) and separate audio jacks so you could have different consoles like the 3DO and PS2 or Xbox connected at the same time without having to swap cables.

[@davidlee1980]

I watched the video in 4K and the footage looks a bit soft and a bit noisy, especially compared to watching OSSC footage over the years. Is that more of a capture issue?

[@ScarletSprites]

Most likely that, or having been compressed and then compressed again going into KZbin. My capture card is ancient by today's standards and really doesn't do things justice here.

[@davidlee1980]

@@ScarletSprites Thanks for the response! I can see those being causes. I also wasn't sure if your card captured in MJPEG or something, making it also potentially noisier.

[@Shadowbann3d]

Some pretty nice features there (Console specific modes built in! Plus the ability to overcome the 240p to 480p switch cutouts which make Killer Instinct on the N64 currently unplayable for me), I like how it looks like a finished product too that wouldn’t look like an ugly thing spewing cables out in all directions. Maybe time to stick the Framemeister on eBay...

[@ScarletSprites]

Man, so many people have said that about the Framemeister in the last week. I’ve never owned that or the OSSC but I don’t really feel a need to at this point. Definitely a great device if you’re in the market.

[@Shadowbann3d]

@@ScarletSprites I was always put off by the OSSC’s appearance and aforementioned cables (my OCD tidiness forbids it lol) so went the Framemeister route, but this could be a game changer - this review is the first I’d heard of this and it looks like it covers all my needs (an extra HDMI input would be good if I’m being picky though as I’d rather not have to switch between the 2 hdmi consoles I’ve got running through the Framemeister at present). Great video as always my man! 👍🏼

[@KindaCool]

What’s this going to do to the street value of a used OSSC?!

[@ScarletSprites]

Don’t know really. I’ve seen people selling off their Framemeisters though. I think between this and the OSSC Pro pending a lot of the older scalers are being sold off.

[@AkatsukiBK]

I always drool at the pulstar attract screen.

[@ScarletSprites]

Always one of my favorites as well.

[@LodanZark]

There is an awesome alternative to the Sinden Lightgun (and much better IMO) it's called Gun4IR by JayBee. It's more like a DIY sorta of thing, but the dev going to announce prebuilds light gun soon.

[@ScarletSprites]

I’ll have to check it out, thanks for mentioning this.

[@missingmarsupial]

Oh fuck I'm gonna start collecting Arcade boards aren't I oh no

[@ScarletSprites]

Do what your heart tells you is right.

[@Evercade_Effect]

That's an amazing device!

[@ScarletSprites]

It really is. I can’t wait to see what people are able to do with it. My retro console variety is pretty tame these days but I know the PS2 and Saturn crowd will adore this.

[@RetroTechSelect]

Great video! Support questions incoming ;)

[@ScarletSprites]

Haha, I feel bad that it’s come to that but I’m generally so good at responding to people that I think it’s become an expectation of some. I unfortunately have to ignore those these days.

[@angeles2425]

Update this with HDMI input and ill buy.