RetroTink 2X Pro Review - RGB to HDMI - Adam Koralik 

Its always a good day when we get a new upload from adam. One of the few ogs who hasn't went down the switch news rabbit hole lol

This summerizes the 12 hours of research I've done in just 27 minutes and explains it better than anyone else I've seen. Hands down. Outstanding. Thank you sir.

You've been borderline giddy when discussing the nuon the last couple of videos. It pushes the sixth generation over the edge as your favorite generation now, no need to hide it Adam.

Would love for you to do a comparison between the RetroTink 2X Pro and RetroTINK-2X Pro Multi-format for mainly PS2 use.

9:39 in my very very long time gaming on CRT's, I don't ever remember seeing scanlines on my TV, so the nostalgia is lost on me 🤷‍♂️

you put ROTTEN EGGS

18:30 Scientists use Shenmue II to confirm multiverse theory.

20:45 You where being so sarcastic I literally thought you where talking about the PS2 lol. Can't wait for the Nuon episode because I know barely anything about it and you always do the best console retrospectives as always.

I have the Retrotink 2x Pro. Love it. I sadly have too many things on composite. I’m trying to upgrade as much as possible to RGB component. I’m still working on cables for as many systems as possible.

Oh wow I was just wondering when are you going to review the Retrotink 2X Pro, then you uploaded it today. Coincidence. Anyway yes great video with details. I mostly want to get this for the PS2. Though what I need to make the PS2 video quality great is that I need the HD Retrovision (PS2/PS3) component cables (switch from RGB to the other on the system configuration), hook it to Retrotink 2X Pro, turn on smoothing, plug in an MClassic to the Retrotink 2X Pro HDMI, then connect an HDMI cable from the MClassic to the HDTV. Got it. Thanks again for this. Looking into the Retrotink 2X Pro Multi Format...seems like the best to go because of the 480i/480p content. Great video.

I have found the transcoding feature very useful in my setup. I have both the 2X and the OSSC. For S-Video sources I have paired this with a no-lag HDMI to Component converter (Mike Chi has used this in a demo video) to get those sources into the OSSC. Now I use the transcoding feature to tame the 240p coming out of the SNES HD Retrovision cables, which cause a blinking image on my TV directly. Using the same HDMI to Component converter, no more blinking. Seems roundabout but it's working great.

Love the Nuon clip lol. Really interesting PS2 set, for me the line doubling introduces a flicker which I guess is a capture shutter issue maybe? Great video as always Adam!

Adam I feel like it's so difficult for you to REALLY show us these gameplay comparisons. It seems like it's always either the capture process doesn't do what you want it to do, so you have further explain why the capture looks the way it does, or RU-vid compression is affecting the footage.

Always informative. Keep up the good work.

Great little device, but the fact that we need to supply Component cables may be a problem if those cables become scarce. Hopefully these cables stay in production long enough for the people that want this for years to come. Also, nice Nuon troll.

one of these popped up locally for $50 I'm glad I watched this video thanks I was planning on playing GameCube Wii Xbox and PS2 with component Cheers :D

I might get the 2x pro to hook up my ps1 with sony brand ps3 s video cables, I wonder how that will look

Adam, the PS2 looks best with HD Retrovision cables + DVDO iScan + mCable. The iScan is the fastest and best de-interlaser I have ever seen. It also lets you upscale, overscan, and add additional image enhancements. When all 3 are combined, 480i content looks like native 480P content. Similar or better than the PS3 60gb can handle PS2.

I bought the DCHDMI service and he's getting my mods done right now, actually he might be sending it back already. I can't wait to test it all out.

19:16 I love the Ps2 man, I really do, as of now Ace Combat 5 is my damn thumb picture. But that's the worst thing about the system, it's biggest flaw. It's the reason why I keep a Sony Trinitron, a JVC I Art, my Toshiba etc, for their glorious 480i. Not just for Ps2 obviously but it's nice being to able to preserve the crts for the 240p systems, instead of the 6th gen 480p ones.

23:07 *Facepalm* With due respect Adam, anybody who recommends linedoublers for interlaced content should have their hands chopped off. The reason the RetroTINK looks so good on things like the Supper Nintendo and Sega Mega Drive is because you are primarily sending progressive signals to it. With 240p and 288p, the device has all the horizontal lines of each frame to work with right from the word go. But with the PS2, the output is primarily 480i or 576i. Interlaced means the odd and even lines that make up each frame are displayed separately. So 30 frames per second is actually 60 half frames per second, half as in half the lines that make up the image. That means at any even time, the OSSC only has half the picture to work with, linedoubling that means half the vertical resolution is sacrificed to make a pseudo-progressive frame. And because each field shows different parts of the one image, the resulting picture seems to continuously bob up and down to the point it becomes a distraction. Some people appropriate call this mess "bob-deinterlacing". If you must upscale PS2 content, you should deinterlace it properly. You can clearly see that the component passthrough looks substantially better because the TV or capture card is deinterlacing it properly so that there is no vertical jittering. Hell, even your old SCART to HDMI with the PS2 connected via RGB SCART looks better than the sample you show at 23:08, aside from being stretched to 16/9. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-q95L4K3nUIY.html

1:16 I haven't used the Super 64 or RAD2X cables myself, but without even using them I see a serious design flaw. Despite using the same technology of the RetroTINK, there's no passthrough option. If you're playing a 480i or 576i game, that forces you to play with that terrible bob-interlacing that sacrifices half the resolution.

Dang it, I saw "2X" and thought this was a video about Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X, which is the OG Xbox version of PS2... THPS2. Yeah. :P

23-year-old in 2020:I want DreamCast,GameCube,PS2,and Xbox in 4K!!! 23-year-old in 2030:I want Ouya,Wii U,PS4,and Xbox One on a holographic display on Mars in 800000000K!!!

The US did get an RGB format it was called VGA (RGBHV). Component is not RGB, it's a completely different color space.

I TINK Adam's made some good points in this video.

Really want to get that S-video version. But not really financially possible now

PS2 with the retrotink pro looks the same to me on running PS2 games on the PS3. Does a great job with s video for other consoles as well.

I do use it for my Wii for 240P content only. However I do use a component splitter, one goes to the Retrotink Pro, and the other straight to my TV for 480P content.

Came for the omelette recipe, was not disappointed.

Which of the up res devices do you use?

Best solution for ps2. Get a CRT with component.

Adam, have you at least tried all of your Dreamcast game? I only ask because I wasn't aware until recently Atlus released a game on it called Maken X.

Nice video Adam! I'm so fed up with trying the $30 price point PS2 to HDMI converters. I've tried Levelhike, Hyperkin, and the Amazon's choice one, and I've had either sound buzzing issues, or intermittent black screen issues with all three of them. I'm thinking about entering the RetroTink product line for my PS2 and the RetroTink 2X Pro looks like probably the smartest option. Aside from the RetroTink 2X Pro, what other cables/products would you recommend to complete the connection/setup with it?

The line doubling creates visual issues on shinobi.

Hey brotha. I can't get a signal from my retrotink 5x pro to my elgato hd60. Is there a fix for this? Thank you in advance

Would this solution work well with the Saturn? I bought component cables for my Saturn but my Vizio can’t read the 240p signal. I’m assuming that this will line double the Saturn to 480p and make it look pretty crisp

14:38 Ironically the SCART version of the RetroTINK seems rather stripped down and inferior. It only supports RGB, which seems like a missed opportunity given that SCART can also carry composite, S-video and YPbPr. There's also no passthrough option. If it had those functions, it would have been hands down the ultimate RetroTINK.

do you want the Commodore 64 game console 3rd Generation console???????

Adam , can you please do a video, comparing the retro tink, ossc, and frameister? A video comparing all video scalers you have.

I thought the PS2 composite footage looked way better than what was suggested as best practice

Without scanlines some games outputs flicker a lot.

If anyone whom noticed can help me out: at what point in the video does he talk about the s-video? Early in, it (the s-video) is recognized as a feature and he says he'll get back to that... Did I miss it? He dose compare component to composite, so basically "only use component cables" is the message I'm getting.

PS2 can look great. Try this setup Adam. ps2 component - XRGB mini, 480P, Game 1 - mCable - Scanline generator - TV. You need scanlines to hide stuff you dont want to see. Try bouth P and I content.

Honestly the GBS-8200 with custom firmware and the mcable looks great on the PS2 with the motion adaptive deinterlacing. If you get a chance, try it out.

Good evening. I am just now getting into retro gaming and looking for the best set up using the retrotink. The consoles I purchased were: 1. N64 2. SNES 3. Game cube What else do I need to purchase cable wise? I have a 4k LG OLED tv.

The only time I've used scanlines was when using the n64 on the framiester through s video as it actually masked some of the noise and dithering while running in 720p

So 2x Pro or RetroTINK-2X Pro Multi-format for PS2 use? Or at that price point OSSC?

I’d definitely turn the line doubling off when using the Ps2 cuz it was making the graphics all super jittery. It actually looked better just through straight composite or component.

why does line doubling + component make the picture jump around on ps2? is that how it looks in the real world or just on the capture?

Will this gizmo fix the ps2 sound issues (distortion/crackling)?

Your omelet explanation was gold lmao

One thing I'm not clear on: Is it meant to take RGB signals over the component cables, or YPbPr signals? Or can it understand either/or without inaccurate colors?

Have you considered getting an OSSC 1.6? Judging by your videos you seem to run everything through the mClassic. Given that you're retro setup is either RGB SCART or YPbPr component and you seem content with the 2x mode, I think the OSSC 1.6 might be what you're looking for. The mClassic only seems to support the 2x mode on the OSSC and the OSSC supports 240p, 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i, plus the PAL equivalents.

Great video. Looking into this for sega saturn. I went and pre ordered rgb cables to replace the originals. I was told to use retrotink to help it out. Have you tried saturn?

Would this be the best converter for av composite modded Intellivision and colecovision?

Hey Adam... I have the otaku scart Switch. Not sure if you're familiar with them. Sure I can get the retrotink scart but It has a component output which my TV doesn't seem to recognize since it's 240p. Do you think the retrotink pro could help with that?

The only down side for me would be that there's no 4:3 & 16:9 switch on it.

Question for you. If I have the cables from HD Retrovision cables for Genesis connected to my Tube TV, can I still play light gun games? Same thing for the Original Playstation, Saturn, NES, SuperNES? Is it possible to play gun games while trying to get the best output?

is there a way to fix the micro usb port on the retrotink itself? It seems to be loose and barely reads it anymore unless i push the wire down with an object or something.

Will this work for a VCR with RCA outputs???

So I just purchased the Genesis model 1 Version. Haven’t purchased any of the needed cables yet. You recommend the HD Retro Vision cables to go along with the Retro Tink 2X Pro and nothing else needed?

Not that you didn't explain it thoroughly, but I'm so ignorant to this stuff that I'm still confused. Been using composite the whole time not because I'm satisfied with it at all, but because I don't know where to start. I'd like a solution that would work for my PS1 and Dreamcast as well, but this doesn't seem to be it. Would the scart version work with all three? 🤷‍♂️

i dont know what to use the 2x pro for anymore everything looks better with scart cables anyways for old consoles

So the one box with Scart, Sega Saturn to RetroTink2X Scart to TV = Saturn RGB on a modern display?

Using retro 2x pro, which console will produce the best quality picture for a ps1 game? Ps1 with svideo, or ps2 with component? Thanks

I like turtles

Hate to ask this but after searching I couldn't find an answer. You mentioned that your tv does have component inputs. I have one that does as well (though it's just a run of the mill HD tv I got for like $70 at Walmart on a Christmas sale like 5 years ago). What's the difference between just plugging straight in and plugging component cables into a device like this? I'm just going to assume due to not being able to find any information that there's a reason why you wouldn't plug straight in and would use something like this but it seems like an extra step to me.

Will this work with the PS2 - PS1 back compat? I suppose you would just need to plug in composite for PS1 games?

So this device is useless? The whole point is to go from Composite to something better. If I have to buy component cables before that, why the hell would I need this? I would just go EON Super 64 I'm sorry I appreciate your highly technical review Adam but I'm not really understanding it's really convoluted. Can we target general dummy audience like myself? I just want to get better display for like an N64 and I have the original composite cables.

Hey Adam-I'm pretty sure you can output 480i over component for wii and wii U. You just have to do it in the settings.

I just got the Retrotink 2x Pro, and I’m getting image drops like crazy. Not straight up flickering, but every 30 seconds or so the screen just goes black for a few seconds. This happens during normal gameplay, not resolution changes like some menus on PS1. Anyone know what the problem might be?

My ps2 is hooked up to a 60 inch 4k tv and using 10 dollar component cable looks like garbage will this 2x pro alone help upscale to at least 1080p and 16:9.

There is the new retrotink 2X multi. That suports the 480p signal and you can use it for wii, xbox, ps2 and dreamcast and have no problemas.. ok my bad.. put down the comment too soon! Ahahah. I got the 2x pro and ill be geting the 2x pro M when available in Europe with videogamesperfection. Also waiting for retrovision hd cables but i cant find the adaptor for the NeoGeo anymore :(

Why is the ps2 image flickering when using the retro tink 2x on component? How does this setup compare to like ps2 on scart?

What if your genesis has the triple bypass up grade???

you better have a polymega or FM towns Marty?

Too bad HD retrovision cables are always out of stock in the US

Hey Adam, are you looking forward to get an 8K TV to play your Next-Gen games on native 8K?

Do you think that using the Retrotink 2X Pro is the best at achieving the highest quality video & audio feed to HDMI for the PS2? You see, what I'm currently trying to achieve is being able to record PS2 gameplay footage at the highest achievable quality that it can output.

Adam, what is the best way to hook up my og xbox thru hdmi? Pound+mclassic? Hd pack+comp2hdmi+mclassic? I'm lost. Please help.

So this won't do anything for a Wii that is already outputting 480i/480p?

23:20 min "This is the best that ps2 games will look without hardware modification" I strongly disagree. You can achieve better results with the following combination: 1. GSM using upscale to 720p or 1080p -> OSSC Passthru -> Mclassic AA and Upscale to 1440p applied Some games will look to pixelated or not work using progressive mode. In this case I would reccommend this ssetting: 2. GSM using upscale to 1080i -> OSSC 2x Line Bob -> Mclassic AA and Upscale to 1440p applied 3. The last scenario would be using GBA control + mclassic. The advatage of gsb control is the motion adaptive line doubling with 480i content which does not produce line jumping as bob deinterlacing does. All three options produces better picture than everything else on the market or shown in the video. Maybe you can somehow add retrotink smoothing filter into the option 1 or 2.

I'm fairly new to retro-gaming and I'm a little confused. I'm interested in using the Wii to play Wii and GC (backwards compatible) games. Would using RetroTink 2X Pro (set to Auto) + Wii RetroVision HD Component cables make sense? I can't tell if you're saying to simply not use the composite cables that come with the Wii with the RetroTink, or, to not use the RetroTink with the Wii at all. Also how necessary is the mClassic? Would prefer to not go over budget. Thank you for the informative video.

hey sense u mention ps2 I just saw a comment that ps3 fat backwards compatible with the ps2 YLOD problem was 2 capacitors and not the lead free solder did you know about this or I am late to the party?

23:25 is that........ better? there's so much flickering

you'd think new TVs would integrate proper component/composite "Retro-Friendly" soft/hardware ...

Shinobi was actually gonna be on Dreamcast but then they made it ps2 exclusive when sega discontinued Dreamcast also what you think about ossc with ps2 plus I’ve noticed some games look more clear then others on ps2 and I have component games like tekken 4, burnout revenge and Tenchu 3 actually look decent just with component crt is best tho with ps2 looks the most clear

someone answer me this please....should I not use my brand new composite cables from my n64 to the retrotink?

Would you recommend this or the rad2x for the PS2? I also still have a working BC 60GB PS3.

Is it bad that whenever I play retro games, I hate upscaling them. I love playing them on their original resolution and format.

My dream device would be a rad2x or carby like device for the original wii with 480p passthrough.

I use a 8 way switch for various consoles conected to a CRT all with composite cables. Would this give me decent quality HDMI if i was to use it and connect to my HD tv? Or would I just be pissing in my omlette? Or would I need a 5x or ossc to clean up the signal?

Mine for og xbox I just got is 360 oem component modded to og xbox to ossc to mclassic to m cable gaming. I can't fuck with the jaggies so I killed the jaggies

Do the phat PS3's display PS2 games in a superior method than PS2 hardware?

Love your work, man, but I humbly disagree that line doubling and the Mclassic make the PS2 look better. That jittering is not acceptable in my opinion.

i've never liked line doubling deinterlacing, the flickers is too distracting to me.

Is the update for this worth getting? I haven't done so since getting it like 2 months ago. I use it only for the N64 and It looks really good on my projector.

Why didn't you go over n64?

Its on eBay