RetroTink - Worth it?

[jdkw50]

Hey All,

I was looking for an affordable option to play retro consoles on my hd tv. I know there are some great choices like the OSSC or framemeister but those are
a little too pricey for me unfortunately.

I've heard great things about the RetroTink series from Mike Chi and was wondering if anyone owns these products and their thoughts.

They recently released the Retrotink Mini ($69.99) which cuts back on costs by getting rid of Component cable compatibility which most people didn't need.



I just need something that works better than this junk below for playing systems like N64, GCN, PS1, PS2 etc.

Will the retrotink mini be worth it for that?

[shawndude82]

I'd like to know, too.  I need something to hook my NES up to, CRTs are expensive and take up space.

[azure]

A friend of mine has a Retrotink, not sure which model though. It's a great affordable option. If you are content w/ Composite/S-video out on your consoles the 2x scaling is great and there is minimal input lag. Really can't ask for much more at that price point, it will be infinitely better than the generic scalers you can get from Ebay/Amazon. It mainly comes down to if you are happy with what inputs are offered on the mini. It will do a much better job than your modern TV's internal scaler for old/weird resolutions and output signals. My Saturn won't even run on my current tv without some assistance, just doesn't see its weird resolution.

[droaa]

I have the 2X and I have used it for my Genesis, SNES and Saturn through composite and it makes a difference compared to adapters you find on Ebay/Amazon. I used to have one myself and over time it became clear they were trash. I cant say for composite since I havent dabbled much in it but I do have my N64 right now connected through S-Video and its a pretty good solution if you dont want to go the more expensive routes like Eon 64, Ultra HDMI and other devices.

[jdkw50]

I have the 2X and I have used it for my Genesis, SNES and Saturn through composite and it makes a difference compared to adapters you find on Ebay/Amazon. I used to have one myself and over time it became clear they were trash. I cant say for composite since I havent dabbled much in it but I do have my N64 right now connected through S-Video and its a pretty good solution if you dont want to go the more expensive routes like Eon 64, Ultra HDMI and other devices.

Yes, exactly my point! The ones on Amazon/Ebay aren't even worth the $20 price tag.
The system specific adapters like eon64 for n64 or the Carby for Gamecube are very attractive but the cons I guess are they are limited to just that console and also not cheap. I guess that's where the one tool fits all solution like the Retrotink shines. Have you tried using your retrotink for other consoles besides those ones you listed? Like any 6th gen consoles (Xbox, gcn, ps2)?

[ignition365]

I have the EON Super 64 and I think it functions the same as the retrotink, it's just a line doubler, definitely not worth the price considering it only works on N64 (due to its shape)

I've been thinking about buying a retrotink and I constantly waffle on buying it or not.  I'd buy the full retrotink 2x with component support if I did though... mostly because I do have at least one tv that only supports HDMI inputs.

[droaa]

I have the 2X and I have used it for my Genesis, SNES and Saturn through composite and it makes a difference compared to adapters you find on Ebay/Amazon. I used to have one myself and over time it became clear they were trash. I cant say for composite since I havent dabbled much in it but I do have my N64 right now connected through S-Video and its a pretty good solution if you dont want to go the more expensive routes like Eon 64, Ultra HDMI and other devices.

Yes, exactly my point! The ones on Amazon/Ebay aren't even worth the $20 price tag.
The system specific adapters like eon64 for n64 or the Carby for Gamecube are very attractive but the cons I guess are they are limited to just that console and also not cheap. I guess that's where the one tool fits all solution like the Retrotink shines. Have you tried using your retrotink for other consoles besides those ones you listed? Like any 6th gen consoles (Xbox, gcn, ps2)?

I should make one correction. When I said I used my Genesis, SNES and Saturn with Retrotink, I did it via component not composite. Wanted to clear that up. As for your question, I have not tried it on Xbox since I have it connected to component on my TV. As for PS2, I just have my OG PS3 do all the work and my Gamecube is connected through HDMI using the Carby. That being said, I would like to see how composite is cleaned up using it now that you mention it. Think I'll do that.

[oldgamerz]

I just want to say that I have one of these (in the photo) and yes it's worse then junk, (for example) the one I have I tried to hook up an HDMI device, A SONY PlayStation classic/mini to my CRT and all I got was sound, and a black and white lined screen with absolutely NO picture. I later bought an HDMI compatible television and I think having both a modern tv and CRT in my game room is fine, when I want to play and HDMI only device I used RAW hardware and when I need to use some AV cables I am lucky to own a working CRT. note not all CRT's have AV inputs believe it or not

(edit) maybe I was not using it correctly? I might have been using the wrong device? anyway I caved in and eventually bought an HDMI compatible tv,

[droaa]

Hey All,

I was looking for an affordable option to play retro consoles on my hd tv. I know there are some great choices like the OSSC or framemeister but those are
a little too pricey for me unfortunately.

I've heard great things about the RetroTink series from Mike Chi and was wondering if anyone owns these products and their thoughts.

They recently released the Retrotink Mini ($69.99) which cuts back on costs by getting rid of Component cable compatibility which most people didn't need.



I just need something that works better than this junk below for playing systems like N64, GCN, PS1, PS2 etc.

Will the retrotink mini be worth it for that?

If the 2X is any indication in my testing then I can say that atleast with s-video, it makes so much of a difference than those adapters you mention from Amazon/Ebay. I tried out the Gamecube yesterday through s-video and I found the picture was nice, sharp and far away from what it would look like it connected through composite. Straight up composite, its fine but s-video is the way to go. As I said, I do have the N64 hooked up to s video and it does a nice enough job however I say given the tech of the N64, its not a miracle worker but I'd imagine its the best bet if you dont want to go down more expensive route like Ultra HDMI or Eon. Havent tried with PS1 or PS2 so I can't comment on those atm.