Like many retro gamers I’m constantly playing the meta-game of attempting to create the optimal retro gaming setup.
Should I run my PS2 through my LCD TV or via a CRT? Do I use my modern Retrofighters Dreamcast controller or the original? For each gamer there’s a different set of requirements and constraints, which leads to different outcomes.
My gaming attic setup houses a 32” LCD TV on the opposite wall to my consoles. Between them I’ve run VGA, composite + phono audio & HDMI connections.
For modern consoles such as the XBox 360 and PS3 using HDMI is an obvious route. However for my Nintendo consoles, such as the SNES, GameCube and N64 I’ve historically gone the composite route.
I recently decided to make the investment to get the most out of these consoles by ordering a RAD2X cable. These are fantastic devices that finds the best quality AV output being exposed by the particular consoles it’s plugged into and then turns that into low latency 480p output.
To make best use of this device I also employed the services of James from Bytes Free to mod my PAL N64 to enable RGB output for the best quality image.
After connecting up the RAD2X the difference in quality was immediately obvious. Playing Street Fighter II on the SNES produced a bright, vibrant image with no fuzziness or artifacting. The audio was also massively improved, with much punchier and cleaner sounds that were a pleasure to hear.
My GameCube also showed a big improvement, with all the historical fuzz I’d endured for years finally banished. My GameCube is modded so that I can load Swizz from a CDR and then use GameBoy Interface to play GameBoy games. Firing up Advance Wars was a joy to see such vivid colours and crisp sound on the big screen. It felt as if these games had been waiting all these years to finally be unleashed.
Finally I was hoping to fire up Goldeneye on my N64 and enjoy the combination of RGB & RAD2X pumping AV goodness to my TV. Sadly my N64 did not want to turn on, with the red LED power indicator refusing to light up. Hoping this is just due to a broken PSU, so I’ve ordered a replacement in the hope it will do the trick.
The RAD2X was not a cheap device and it’s something I held off on purchasing for quite some time. However now that I’ve invested in one I feel like I’ve finally got the missing piece to allow me to fully enjoy my retro Nintendo games in the modern era whilst still using original hardware.
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