How to Hook up Multiple Consoles to a TV - Retro Bird 

HUGE NEWS: Some of you have noticed that there is a little white spot that shows on my CRT TV while filming (which is caused by the light I use to light my controller btw). Well, it appears that I have figured out how to get rid of that white spot. The days of that little white spot terrorizing my footage are now over. That being said, I understand some of you may have grown attached to that white spot and will now miss it. For that, I have a song to help you cope with your loss: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ltIFitYFiVs.html

For me the most annoying thing about hooking up multiple consoles is not having multiple consoles to hook up.

I hate it when an extra life spawns in a wall. I felt your pain.

I absolutely hated having to change out cables all the time. I have an n64 nes, GameCube, genesis, PS1, and Dreamcast all hooked up to one CRT. A few weeks ago My school was throwing out a bunch of old technology they didn’t use anymore and I asked them if I could take this 5 input av switcher off them. That’s how I got a really good switcher for free

My power plug life changed for the better forever when I got a modern 3-in-1 connector that gets the Gen, 32X and CD all into one plug - that's STILL smaller than an OEM Genesis plug!

Mama's got a switch box, Daddy never sleeps at night.

Keep doing what you're doing, you'll have 100,000 subs in no time. Your videos are fun and informative!

Most annoying for me is the cable management. Two of my TVs are mounted on a wall so it took a lot of work to make the wires less agregious

The worst is when you change your setup and have to unplug something, only to have to try and follow cables to figure out what the right thing is to unplug. Or trying to remember the exact configuration to get the right output for the particular console you want to play. Hooking up newly found/purchased older consoles is always a struggle. Is the lack of display because the configured settings is wrong on the tv? Is the cable broken? Is the console itself just not working? Huge hassle.

An annoying thing for me are power bricks!!! They can block the plug next to the one they are plugged into, sometimes two of them! My solution is to buy short 8 to 12 inch extension cords. The plug on these takes up just one spot. There are also what I would call "octopus" extension cords. These take up one plug but have 3-5 arms dangling off of them. Of course there are also power strips that have the sockets further apart than normal so a brick only takes up the one spot. The cords work better for me as I have bricks plugged into different power strips.

I use an HDMI switch for my modern consoles and it has been a lifesaver. Too many consoles for 3 HDMI slots.

The most annoying thing about hooking up multiple consoles is both not having enough inputs, and not having enough power outlets. Like GAWD I have two 7 port HDMI 2.0 switches because even the 4 on the TV aren't enough. I also have a HDMI ARC Soundbar, which while awesome and convenient, needs to be plugged into a specifically labeled HDMI port to work(HDMI 3 in my case). I also plan to invest in a more expensive component switcher later on. The TV I'm using is awesome though. It's a Sony XBR-43X800D, a 4K Android TV from 2016 with what looks to be VA Panel. Pretty good blacks(not quite as good as OLED, but still excellent), really good viewing angles, accurate color which can get quite punchy if desired, and some of the best built in upscaling I've ever seen on a TV. It's not quite the top of the line 4K 120 Hz TV, but I've had this TV for about three years, and I still love it.

I don't know why them ketchup water jokes get me

For component setup's Gcomp is a must. It's expensive as it's a premium product but it's automatic. Meaning you just set it and forget it. 8 inputs and 2 outputs. If it had support for svideo I'd say it would be perfect. GScart is also great but is more complicated to get setup in an American household. And yes it's true, tv manufactures don't care that you have multiple retro systems. Most tv's don't even have composite anymore.

Great video! I have maybe a niche problem hehe. Where I live getting good s-video cables for consoles is almost simple, but finding a good S-Video to S-Video cable is impossible, it has to be imported :(

Amazing video. All the stuff with hiding wires, switches, conextions to TV... is a pain in the ass. Some of my consoles are now disconected, just exposed, because of this issue. Only the ones I use more often are currently connected to my CRT. Regards from Spain.

Yes I've noticed the outlets, and my theory is they're made to look like faces and are located near the floor so babies can put stuff in them.

This is awesome! Questions: I want to do this with a Playstation (original full size), PS2 (original full size), Gamecube, and a Wii. Can I do this on a 'normal' modern TV or does it need to be a CRT? And will those four consoles use the same input, i.e. go into the same type of splitter? Thanks!

Well I have 4 CRT TVs all with different consuls hooked up to them that’s my solution they’re all in my room lol

I had a vision once that tv companies should build tvs for gamers. Multiple inputs that accept all resolutions for up to 20 inputs. Just implement an upscaler inside the TV as well. Seems like an opportunity missed but no TV companies show interest.

I use 2 4 input component switchers plugged into an OSSC on my HDTV works great. the consoles I can’t hook up on the ossc are hooked up to my crt tv

Subscribed within two minutes of starting the video. Had no idea it would be this funny!

In my bedroom I have all my RF systems hooked up to a small crt TV. I daisy chained the RF connectors together so that all I have to do is plug in the AC adapter for whatever system I want to play.

Unfortunately with how much my game collection has built up over the years coupled with my living situation, hooking up all my consoles to a single TV is just the tip of the iceberg for me, haha! I definitely want to invest in better shelves and other furniture to make displaying and organizing my collection a lot easier, and of course get some new AV selectors to make switching between each console much easier. Now the biggest problem is space...

Oh man, my journey to hook up everything in my setup can either be considered the stuff of legend or stuff of nightmares. I'm just gonna go with both since I don't regret it but it's also been the bane of my gaming existence. I started out like most people would have, a simple unpowered switch box for my analog consoles and a small Kenevo switcher for HDMI. Both had no more than four inputs and at the time I didn't need more. Since then I have gotten many more consoles and had to upgrade my hookup options significantly. Two Extron Crosspoint switchers handle all of my Component and S-Video consoles while a single Extron DXP HDMI switch handles my HDMI consoles. The DXP is easy to setup since its just your typical HDMI connector, but the Crosspoints are a different story. I need so many cable converters and adapters to make them work they way I want with my setup, especially audio since Phoenix connectors are nowhere near consumer standard. I don't even bother with RGB here, Crosspoints only take C-Sync and produces a sync signal with too high a voltage that can damage or destroy consumer grade equipment. Still though, they work fantastically, are relatively cheap to buy and are built to last since they're all commercial grade stuff that were only available to corporations and such and cost thousands when they were brand new. They float around on eBay from liquidators and individual companies looking to get rid of outdated equipment, great news and opportunities for us retro gamers. :)

Thank you! Its always a funny way to learn things of you and remember me each Time how IT was somewhere in time

If I ever get to the point of collecting that many consoles, I plan to make a display box with built in video and power switching- using proper switch boxes, but hacking in extended switches/buttons to reach the console’s spot on shelf (each shelf itself hollow with removable top for routing wires away)

My biggest problem is physical space to site all my consoles (11 at the moment). But I have had so much 'fun' perfecting my set up and switches (SCART, Component and HDMI) have been a real pain at time

No one talks about how the audio is handled in these multi console setups. Anyone using with an a/v receiver/surround sound system? Thanks

Ok this is my first video are you Scott the WOZ dad lol 😂 definitely subscribing

I've got three switchers hooked up to a 32" trinitron. One svideo, one component, and one composite switcher. So snes, n64, gamecube and ps1 for svideo. Ps2 and xbox for component. Nes, master system, genesis, and a vcr for composite. A lonely arari 2600 is hooked up to the vcr the through rf. On my hdtv is anything hdmi, ps3, ps4, xbox 360, wii-u, pc. The most annoying thing hooking up another console is definately finding a spot to put it. I like having everything so it's just a input change or a button press away from being used.

Currently working on my retro gaming setup.. I bought the Panalog 8-way AV switcher but have no idea what I'm doing. I'm not a techy person, just like playing the games. Thanks for this video.. informative and made me laugh, too! SUB!

2:02 that 1up stuck in the wall, this is love

I've been on top of this for years, thankfully. My original CRT TV had 2 shared inputs other than the RF, so I had to find a way to get all my composite and S-Video stuff into those 2 inputs. I started with those 4-port cheap RCA branded switches that you could buy at Radio Shack and Walmart, and over a decade ago I found a Joytech 240C at Best Buy that handled up to 7 inputs, and included component across 6 of them. I still use that in my setup today and would be in trouble without it.

In general one of the biggest problems is keeping track of the cables and connections. I've got some many switchers, power strips, voltage converters that it can be quite confusing at times. However what is the most infuriating is the lack of space for all of my equipment and when I want to change something in my setup it's like playing Twister. Your left foot goes here, your right foot has to stay up in the air, your left hand leans against the wall, your right hand desperately tries to reach for the correct inputs and your head has to be tilted unnaturally to actually see something. It's like most the exhausting yoga session you've ever had.

just realized i never subscribed but have been watching you for a while...my bad ...finally pressed the button :)

Was looking for this exact topic today and you upload this literally today. Thanks man!

Video switchers of high quality have been around longer than video games. You can't find them because they are beyond Amazon and Radio Shack. Regarding security systems and broadcast-level hardware, it is out there. You can even buy a 20 x 20 HDMI Matrix switcher. It will cost you $20K but is out there. Looking at companies like Pelco and my favourite Kramer you will find the best of the best but they are only sold via their websites. My favourite switch to date was my Kramer switcher scaler. It had multiple inputs from composite to HDMI and scaled everything with settings for the scaling.

The gcompsw is the single most awesome piece of auxiliary electronic hardware I’ve ever bought, but for those looking for a cheap alternative that’s inexpensive and much less a pain in the ass than going to the back of the tv to swap consoles, get an HD Retrovision female to male component cable, plug it into the back of your tv, and leave your new “inputs” in an easy to access area that your consoles cords can reach. Just swap out your console of choice from there. Saved me many a back injury, especially with the gargantuan CRTs I own. Another option that is getting better everyday is honestly the MiSTer. What an amazing device. I’m an original hardware all the way kinda guy, but the space this thing saves and the amazing accuracy it provides through hardware FPGA emulation feels exactly like the 6 or so systems I have hooked up in my main room, but in one convenient, one component input occupying, lovely black box. Again, this is coming from a guy that can’t vibe with emulation in the slightest due to the tiniest of issues, but that thing? The coolest piece of tech I have ever witnessed for this hobby. Have you considered talking about it at all Retro Bird? Cheers, and great video as always!

I love the Streets of Rage music in the background

Have four systems myself all hooked up. AV splitter for my SNES and N64, and the RF for Atari 2600 and NES chained together. Very nice to switch systems within seconds and two or three button presses at the most, and play what you want and when you want to. And I must say, Kaboom for Atari is still as addictive and crazy as it ever was.

I think I have the same Trinitron as you, Retro Bird. I have my consoles connected via HD Retrovision Cables running through a component switcher I found at a thrift store. Looks amazing.

My personal annoyance is types of connectors on older consoles. My NES top loader has only RF for connection, no composite support. My gen 1 Genesis has no stereo audio cable and SCART is not in the US. Lastly I hate the rarity and price of good official component cables like the one for the GameCube.

Here I am watching your video on how to connect multiple consoles when I become distracted at the game you're playing. I'm like, "That looks like Rayforce. But Rayforce isn't a horizontal scrolling shooter." Then the rest of my brain catches up, "Oh, I see. He has it in Tate Mode." I forget that some people like playing their games Tate on their side. Me, I prefer vertical scrolling and don't mind the smaller picture.

CRT5: Back In Composite

What switcher do you use personally? I really need to find something good 😂

Your videos are very informative and entertaining. I would say your channel is definitely a hidden 💎 and deserves more subs.

I'm late to this party, but my multi console retro setup is use and older AV receiver to be a switcher. You can typically get a top of the line AV receiver that's older for very inexpensive, AND get the benefit of multiply inputs, single output.

2nd. Really enjoying this channel. Keep up the great work.

No love for av receivers 😢 multiple inputs and the added bonus of being able to use actually good speakers and utilize that sweet Dolby pro logic surround

I have an inexpensive 4-input switch, that I use for S-video. But the switch could also do composite, if I wanted to. Like you, I have never noticed any issues with the signals going through the switch.

“It's the Retro Bird.. yeah! And he's talkin.. talkin about video games! It's the Retro Bird.. oh yes! And he hopes that you liked what he had to say!” Great content and amazing jingle at the end of your videos!! Thanks for sharing with the world.

I’m not sure if it’s just me, but when I put my gensis through my switch box, it somehow looks better

I lucked into a Denon surround system at a thrift shop for $8. IT HAS LIKE 10 S-VIDEO INPUTS.

Oh man, I have no idea how I’m going to add the consoles I find this year to our game room 😅

Wow I have never seen those cable wraps before!

Me to the Johnson's: SEE THIS! 4 INPUTS! YEP! 4! WHAT NOW JOHNSON!

Hello. 👋 I’m think of getting a scart switch. I had a company here make high quality rgb to scart cables for my retro consoles. Do you know of a high quality switch box ?

Hah! Jackwagon 😆 I just found your videos the other day and you really crack me up dude!

Belkin makes power strips with rotatable sockets, best power strips for lots of bulky power supplies

A pretty relevant topic for me. In the market for a smaller 4k set for my office but I cannot find one with more than one component input. Seems I'll have to go the switch box route and use my retrotink for my consoles with composite input. Tried going the CRT route but I've been burned with discolored and unaligned sets, so better upgrade :/ It's a hard knock gaming life when you want everything hooked up.

I just bought a GCOMP and it does not "see" or recognize my ColecoVision. What could be the problem? what is it not seeing that it needs???

Another great video as usual. Subscribed.

You have the exact same sony tv as I do for retro gaming. This tv is perfect!

LG Made a new CRT tv and I am trying to know how to get one

I’ve got no problem at all with having all 14 of my retro consoles ready to go. In the bedroom, I have my HDTV, CRT, and a monitor using 2 switch boxes. Everything from Atari -Xbox ONE. In my second game room I use my 60” 4KTV for my more modern consoles Xbox 1X, PS3, PS4pro, WiiU, Switch, and a 2nd 360 using an extra box with multiple HDMI inputs. I use the best of the best when getting power strips also.

The issue i have isnt the amount of console i want plug but audio control

You are the only RU-vidr I found humorous. Great content. Keep it up.

Just want to say that your videos always make me smile🤙 don’t ever change

for me, I have a gamecube and snes on the same tv, I just switch the video cables between the two systems because they use the same output

Some consoles use the same hook ups, even if they aren't by the same company. Those are rare occasions though.

I only have 1 AV console plugged in a retro bit so I don’t have to plug in a nes and snes

*laughs in RetroN 3*

I grabbed a really nice Hdmi multiport hub a few months ago from Amazon, maybe 30-40 bucks. It needs a USB power supply which my Tv has. I have my "retro" stuff plugged into that thing since my Tv only has 3 Hdmi ports (ps3 & ps4 occupy the other slots). I have a Pound for my Xbox (meh), both a Hyperkin & Kaico for my modded Dreamcast (ehh), and Level Hike for my Genesis, Saturn, & PS2 (by far the best). The Level Hike requires external USB power in every application but it is way better quality than the other brands for basically the same price. I'll be replacing the others eventually but I'm gonna need a bigger power strip...

Just make sure you tell people to buy shielded video cables. In a cable wrap, there will be a LOT of interference.

My solution is pretty simple but it might not be suitable for everyone, but I think its pretty elegant. I run a composite ext cable to my CRT and a power ext cable to the power strip and have female plugs in a small cubby in tv stand. My consoles are usually displayed on the shelf and i keep my console cables organized in ziplog backs by system and controllers with cables velcro tied neatly in a drawer. I dont really "console hop" so I only have need for 1 system at a time really. Just pull it off the shelf, grab the controller and cable from the drawer, plug and play.

Thank you! This has always been a major issue when wanting to have multiple game consoles hooked up to one TV. Switchers and surge protectors are indeed a necessity! Besides that, the other problem I have is finding room on my TV stand for each console to sit. My TV and sound bar take up precious real estate so I can only comfortably fit three or four consoles at a time (depending on the size of the console).

Does anybody have a suggestion on a switch box that also separates the audio out from the HDMI signal? I am looking to avoid buying a home theatre receiver and would like to just split the audio from the video signal and run the audio into a sound bar or directly into headphones. *Note: I'm dealing strictly with HDMI, not RGB or VGA or anything like that.

My cable management is the worst, but i don't care because i live alone.

One day when I grow up, Ill have a room full of CRTs

Hold up wait... what if you put the water in first AND THEN the ketchup?

I really enjoy your videos and humor style

I power my setup via garage surge protector as the have plenty of space between outlets. I also ensure that the switch is accessible so I can physically switch off the power as those brick will draw phantom power even when consoles are off. As for switch boxes the cheap rgb ones with cord often boils down to poor cable quality. As cheap boxes out there sometimes have no switches but have all the inputs connected together which can be bad for your equipment. There are options that auto switch that use its own power but aside from being expensive I would be concern with interference.

For ketchup water just pour it without shaking, sadly works every time

Yeah i've got an old Symphonic Funai CRT TV with only an RF and 1 Yellow and White AV input without the red part, every console is connected to a AV Switch Box but i still don't have enough inputs for all the consoles i own, might plan on getting a stereo receiver for all my consoles

On that Philips switch, can I use both outputs and have the switch know which output to send the signal through? For example, if I have a NES going in via S-Video and a SNES going in via Component, and have both outputs connected, will the switch know to send the NES signal out via the S-Video output and the SNES signal out via the Component output, or does one output override the other if both are connected and all signals will go out that output (presumably the Component output)?

I found these tiny grounded extension cords online. They solve the most annoying problem of power bricks taking up half the space on surge protectors. They are like 3 inch cords and I plug them into the surge protector and the brick into the to the extension.

Try some 2010'ish top-of-the-line AV receiver, or just a 2010'ish LCD TV. I have both, and can't relate to "this problem" in any way.

2:38 i have the same AV Switcher, i use it for my NES, PS2 & GameCube!

I need more than 8. I have two 8s doubled up and have ran out of ports again. I thought about adding another 8, but I have 2 racks, so that would put all of the new available connections on one rack. :( I really just need two 16s. Does anyone know if that is even a thing?

5:35 Very nicely timed thunderstrike right before flattening poor Mario. What an appropriate character pick to have Wario do the honors.

The best way I found to connect them all at once was with an HDMi Switch for the newer consoles, and SCART Switches for the older consoles. Since SCART can carry composite, s-video and component, all I need to do is use SCART adapters for the consoles that don't have SCART on the video cable. The power cables all converge into a ventilated drawer.with 5 power extensions. Cable management was HELL, but now that it's done it was worth the hassle.

I hope you found the recipe for Ketchup Water. I have an issue though that is visible...I have 5 systems plugged in a cheap multi scart to a CRT. When I power on Megadrive, it powers on the Pc engine too even when the PCE is electrically unplugged (only video cable plugged). I'm forced to unplug the Scart cable from Pc engine to play MD.

The worst thing for me was dusting all the cables behind my TV setup. So I had two CRTS next to each other (SD and 16:9 HD), twelve consoles, and a big 12x24 Extron Crosspoint, switching both S-Video and component. It got so insanely dusty back there with the 800 cables and it was so complicated that I just gave up trying to manage it. I recently redid my setup with a 32" 4:3 HD CRT and only have five consoles connected right now (the ones I mainly play), and I put the Crosspoint and it's 60lbs of cables into storage until I move to a place I can have a dedicated game room. Now I just use three daisy-chained switchboxes. Two Gamestop brand component/s-video/ethernet switchers (one plugged in backwards to select the TV) and one Pelican S-video switcher. They're cheap crap but the quality is identical to me lol. It's a fun puzzle building a setup that works. I also have two big 12-outlet Belkin surge protectors which are awesome. One also powers my desktop. I only turn on what I need to and I haven't tripped a fuse yet! Haha

One thing you guys forget to mention is RF for things like Atari 2600 5200 7800 Intellivision ColecoVision etc. I stream these things on Twitch but I take the most direct pads of the TV so that light gun games work and then the longer path is into various other stuff that doesn't have to be instant like the computer broadcast. Also I just have one input for each type and just use ordinary cables and extra double females or RCA, SVideo and Toslink to plug in males and accommodate any connection.

Oddly enough, I'm on board with this "Ketchup Water" idea 🤔💡 hopefully you find the perfect formula 😎👌

try salt, if your ketchup water is too salty, try substituting it w/ msg

Sometimes it's easier to find an alternate cord for your console. I have both vga and component for my Wii, vga and HDMI for Xbox 360, and since my N64 and GameCube use the same cord, I just swap cords between consoles. Also my BUT was nice enough to include a coax input so it doesn't have to fight with the Atari 2600.

I have two retro consoles at this time but I’m planning on buying a N64 soon as well as a sega dreamcast

With an N64, Gamecube, Xbox one, PlayStation, xbox 360, vhs/dvd player, TV, genesis 3, wii, Google mesh, Ethernet splitter, Roku, original xbox, and a plex server to plug in I'm maxed out on electrical and wish I could just plug in everything while having a shutdown option for each port so as to not ever overload the system