I’m Bob, the founder of RetroRGB. If you’d like to support my work, please consider following me on social media, or even supporting via paid platforms; Those support services are what keeps the work I’m involved with and this site going. More about me below the links:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/retrorgb
Floatplane: https://www.floatplane.com/channel/RobertNeal
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PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=7J9QNKYKBSM3Y
ETH: 0xA7BB5CEE02Ba521cD11Fa159447Bb968Ab596d3f
BTC: 3GKGQpDHVfoMRdttV6dyGQ5ktW67WntWim
Here’s a link to product’s I’ve personally tested and use from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/retrorgb
T-Shirts: https://retrorgb.link/tshirts
eBay Store (occasionally have extra stuff for sale): https://ebay.to/2ESH3e4
Even if you’re not in a place to support directly, maybe consider using my Amazon and eBay links to purchase regular items? Simply click the links below and buy whatever you’d normally purchase with no markup, but a tiny portion of the sale gets credited to me:
eBay: http://ebay.us/Dv0BVk
Amazon General: https://www.amazon.com/?tag=retrorgb-20&linkCode=ez
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/retrorgb
Video Services:
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Like many people who are probably reading this site, I grew up playing consoles like the SNES and Genesis, which featured styles of games that aren’t nearly as common today. While I love new games and in many ways they can be far superior, they’re not always the style or experience someone is looking for. Some of the biggest pet peeves of modern games are loading times, constant software updates and often long “training sessions” required before the gameplay even starts. Heck, even many of the games are significantly longer! Someone looking to game during the small bits of free time they might have, often look to classic consoles and handhelds that provide a way to just jump in and start playing; Many classic games can be completed within an hour and are a satisfying experience.
The most common styles of games found on those platforms are different too. There are similar games available for newer consoles, like Shovel Knight, The New Super Mario Bros, Ori and the Blind Forest and (of course) Axiom Verge. Still, the amount of 2D vs 3D graphic games made is very small, so I often find that to enjoy that style, you need to go back to some of the classic consoles, which was the original catalyst for this site…
The journey to experience retro video game awesomeness started in October 2011 when I discovered a (low quality) Retro Controller Adapter for the Wii. After a few months of playing virtual console games on my Wii via the adapter, it started to feel like a tease; I got to use the original controller, but I missed the look of a CRT, as well as not having any lag on my games!
I soon realized if I wanted a “real” experience, I had to get the real thing and as a result, I ended up building the Retro Cart. I was happy playing all the old games the way they were meant to be played, on the original hardware, on a high quality CRT TV that brought out the best in the older games. After that project, I thought I was done…
Then, I re-discovered RGB and my retro video game life changed forever (I knew about RGB as a kid, but it was so unfathomably expensive back then that I just put it out of my mind). Even though it was less than three months from the time I completed the Retro Cart, I knew I had to start over. I was able to use most of the same equipment I already purchased, but there were some key differences. I dug so deep into it, that I decided to document exactly what I went though via a Google Doc, just in case “a few of my friends” ever wanted to do the same. I eventually gathered so much information that Cousin Scott suggested I make it into a website, so if other people wanted to walk down the same path, they could skip all the research and follow one easy to read guide. Hopefully I succeeded!
The Koryuu transcoder is for available for purchase at Video Game Perfection for around $95 (with PSU): https://retrorgb.link/koryuu As previously reported, the Koryuu is a device that converts composite and S-Video signals to YPbPr Component video. Of course, this won’t convert the quality of a composite video signal, however this will allow an increase in compatibility […]
Here’s this week’s roundup! An audio-only version, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify and for direct-download: https://www.retrorgb.com/podcast/?name=2020-02-05_187.mp3 Please Consider signing up as a supporter! Either hit Join, tip or pledge on this video, or sign up through the following services: https://www.floatplane.com/channel/RobertNeal / https://www.patreon.com/retrorgb / https://www.subscribestar.com/robertneal / https://bitbacker.io/user/robertneal/ T-Shirts: https://www.retrorgb.com/store.html All equipment used to shoot […]
A developer named Martin has just written a detailed post about the experience of reverse engineering the BKM-129x input board used in some Sony BVM monitors: https://immerhax.com/?p=422 The project is still in progress (the above picture is a mockup), but a complete board is currently in the works. If there’s any brave dev’s out there […]
Analogue have just re-opened pre-orders on their DAC: A Digital To Analog Converter that allows for Composite, S-Video, Component Video and RGB output from all compatible Analogue devices (currently the Mega Sg and Super NT). Depending on your region, the total price including shipping is around $100: https://www.analogue.co/store/#dac They also announced that their Mega Sg […]
Last week, a video was released that demonstrated a major performance increase in certain areas of Mario 64, if you recompile the code with optimizations turned on. Modern Vintage Gamer just did a full analysis of the situation and came to the conclusion that Nintendo didn’t make a “mistake”, they just did the best they […]
John Linneman is back with another DF Retro episode about one of my favorite games of all time: The original Mortal Kombat! John takes a look at every version of the game, comparing each to the original arcade version…all while throwing in a bit of history and perspective to tie it all together. I certainly […]
Mike Chi has just released two new products in his ever-growing line of RetroTINK gaming accessories: https://www.retrotink.com/blog/we-re-back-for-2020-with-new-products RetroTINK 2x Pro – An updated version of the original 2x with more features. RetroTINK 2x SCART – A simple RGB SCART linedoubler that outputs 480p HDMI. Purchase all RetroTINK Products via multiple vendors worldwide here: https://www.retrorgb.com/retrotink.html I’ve worked with […]
Mobius Strip Tech is now selling custom Sega Triple Bypass boards for the Sega Nomad handheld! These kits upgrade the RGB video, as well as the audio from both the headphone jack AND the speaker!!! When purchasing these kits, you’ll need to specify if you’re leaving in the original Nomad screen, or using an aftermarket […]
Krikzz has just tweeted a picture of an upcoming version of the Everdrive GBA x5, that’s the same size as a standard Game Boy Advance cartridge! This revision should be functionally the same, meaning this is just an aesthetic upgrade, however this might have been the single most requested change to the design. Krikzz also […]
I’m very proud to announce I (Bob) will be doing a panel with Jeremy and Benj from Retronauts at PAX East in Boston. It’s Saturday, February 29th from 7PM – 8PM at the Bumblebee Theater! The theme is “The Media is the Message”: From punch cards to MicroSD chips, video games have appeared on an […]
