What are your experiences with upscalers? (Retrotink, OSSC, GBS-C etc)

[Havelsaurus]

I'd be interested in hearing about people's experiences with upscalers, how they've integrated them into their setup, and which scalers they prefer.

I'll start. I started out with cheap ass component to HDMI converters as wondered why I couldn't hit bowser throws. Turns out those ones introduce an crud load of input lag, that one languishes in the drawer forever.

Then, I upgraded to the GBS-Control. Much better! RGB scart and component inputs, fairly decent deinterlacing and seemless resolution switching (fixing the Chrono Cross problem.) My gripe with it was the lack of component or S-Video input, so my N64 sat in a cupboard waiting to be played. Also the sound on component would be really quiet if the scart cable was plugged in for some reason.

Finally, the Retrotink 5x. Pricey. But so much better. All the inputs I need, scaling up to 1440p (experimentally,) decent post processing options, profiles, the works. Very happy.

The one issue with all of these, in a small space, is figuring out how to connect everything together without having to put your back out when switching consoles. I've got a scart switcher but a component switcher just seems like it would introduce even more wires. Behind the TV looks like something out of Tetsuo The Iron Man.

 

[Atma]

I only have the Retrotink 5X, but I can't really go back after it. The quality is absolutely stellar, the only gripe I have against it is the lack of HDMI input which is currently nerfing my PSTV.

Also would like to add that 1440p is no longer the highest resolution. On firmware 4.x you can get near 4K resolutions with proper 4:4:4 HDR colours. Just be mindful that this firmware is only for CRT-simulation, so optimal timings were not included. The upside is that the revamped CRT shaders are top-tier.

 

[Moldark-Wyrm]

I got 0 of experience because they cost 10 times more than the damnn console I wanna upscale.
Like I paid 30 bucks for my PS2 and now you want me to pay 300 bucks for a damn upscale.

 

[Havelsaurus]

I got 0 of experience because they cost 10 times more than the damnn console I wanna upscale.
Like I paid 30 bucks for my PS2 and now you want me to pay 300 bucks for a damn upscale.

The open source projects are getting cheaper thankfully, you can get a GBS-Control Pro for about £85 in the UK. Not sure about in other regions but they are becoming more reasonable. I've never used that one but I'm assuming its better than the GBS I had, which was decent.

 

[Phercarde]

I got 0 of experience because they cost 10 times more than the damnn console I wanna upscale.
Like I paid 30 bucks for my PS2 and now you want me to pay 300 bucks for a damn upscale.

I feel you!!! I tend to tell my friends to get (IF AVAILABLE of course ) a CRT can be 14". I mean i know we on 2026 and each house is diferent. We are use to have this large displays nowadays. But for retro gaming ( and mood ) the crt option is the best. There might be somebody in the neighborhood (maybe not ) or somewhere dumping one or selling . I know those skyrocket these las few years but is pretty good option

another thing that might help is to have a display close to the resolution of the system. I mean is better to stretch 480p to 720p than 480p to 1080p. I say this by experience with my Wii. I know that you guys are upscaling from 240 maybe from older consoles and im happy that you got the resouces to get an upscaler!!! I just wanted to share my experience with what i have at hand.


Now imagine stretching fro 480 to a 4k display i mean. why? its ridiculous get a smaller res cheap tv (if you can )

just an opinion here !!! I still want to hear your experiences with upscalers!!!!

 

[Atma]

I feel you!!! I tend to tell my friends to get (IF AVAILABLE of course ) a CRT can be 14". I mean i know we on 2026 and each house is diferent. We are use to have this large displays nowadays. But for retro gaming ( and mood ) the crt option is the best. There might be somebody in the neighborhood (maybe not ) or somewhere dumping one or selling . I know those skyrocket these las few years but is pretty good option

another thing that might help is to have a display close to the resolution of the system. I mean is better to stretch 480p to 720p than 480p to 1080p. I say this by experience with my Wii. I know that you guys are upscaling from 240 maybe from older consoles and im happy that you got the resouces to get an upscaler!!! I just wanted to share my experience with what i have at hand.


Now imagine stretching fro 480 to a 4k display i mean. why? its ridiculous get a smaller res cheap tv (if you can )

just an opinion here !!! I still want to hear your experiences with upscalers!!!!

Well, a professional scaler will net you with the CRT experience minus the drawbacks of uneven geometry or other misc. issues. That is the main point of it.

Also, the CRT market is getting obscenely price-y as of late, since a lot of sellers are catching on to the fact that the retro gaming market is a thing. If you want a decent Trinitron, best get ready to pay good dough over it. Want something even better? Can get pricier than the Retrotink.

 

[Moldark-Wyrm]

Yeah I fully agree with you sadly CRT´s are harder and harder to get your hands own at least here in Sweden I rarely see any up for sale and I don´t know any one that have one just laying around.

What I done now for my PS1 and PS2 is I use a Scart to HMDI converter and use my 1080p smart mointor yeah it does not look crisp as a CRT or as good as a upscale but it work.

And if Im badly desperate to have some what better visual well just emulate the shit.

 

[Dr.Kisaragi Dr.Kisaragi]

I'm still using good old RCA Cable (well basic still the best)

 

[Nidstang]

I've used the GBS-C, which I bought for my brother. I use a CRT at home for my old consoles, but he just has HD LED options. I'm pretty impressed with the GBS-C. The CRT shaders aren't AMAZING, but they're functional and do their job. The performance of it is great. GBS-C is the only budget friendly upscaler with deinterlacing so PS2 will look good on it.

For Gamecube, I've used the Carby HD Adapter (again purchased for my brother for his set up) - also very impressive, though the CRT shaders are lacking on it, and it does have a slight picture delay when switching resolutions, so sometimes the first few seconds of a cutscene may be lost depending on what game you are playing. You can only use these on 001 Gamecubes with digital outs though (I have a 101 so I'd need an analog upscaler)

I've seen great things about the Morph 2K for a 1080p upscaler that is significantly cheaper than the Retrotink 5X, but has almost identical functionality. The CRT shader options are also pretty impressive. There's also the Morph 4K, but reviews for that are more mixed than the 2K from what I've seen.

Nothing tops the Retrotink 4K though, especially in terms of CRT shader customization. When my CRT inevitably dies on me someday, I will be buying a Retrotink 4K or a Morph 2K depending on what my living situation/TV situation looks like at that time.

Post automatically merged: Today at 4:49 PM

Also for switcher options, look into the SVS (Scalable Video Switch). It's a modular switcher. You can include as many inputs/outputs as you need, and can even feed them all into a singular VGA output for use of the Retrotink 4K if you go that route - One out cable, and the 4K will auto detect what input is being sent, for instant preset loading.

 

[PrismRed]

I have one from bitfunx specifically for Gamecube and a retroscaler2x (retrotink clone I believe), and few cheap ones from columbus circle or something. I'm not a graphic guy so I don't really care about the quality, I mainly use those so I can connect all the consoles to a single modern tv. I was planning to just use a cheap converter/scaler at the beginning, until I hit a roadblock.

GC on cheap stuff is fine really, except all the small texts are blurry as hell and barely readable, bought the bitfunx for this one and it become much better.
Same thing with N64, except it was much, much worse, it was really straining just playing for few minutes, I used 3 different cheap upscalers and it doesn't improve at all, luckily found a used retroscaler2x, night and day difference really.