2022 was the 12 months I made a decision to get severe about my retrogaming setup. I used to be bored with having a 104lb CRT dominating half my pc desk and a PlayStation 2, MiSTer, and no matter different consoles I used to be presently serious about at all times in peripheral imaginative and prescient. After a little bit of thought I concluded that the TV and all of the consoles can be higher off on a wheeled cart. A retro cart, in case you would. It might stay in my closet, or be wheeled out to wherever appeared enjoyable. So I began speccing that out.
The very best type issue ended up having two decrease cabinets—for the consoles, a smaller TATE-friendly/PAL-compatible PVM-1354Q CRT a buddy had lately offered me, and bookshelf audio system—with the big-ass 29” TV up on the third, prime tier. Each CRTs might settle for RGB or YPbPr/element video…which to standardize on? Element appeared simpler for a pair causes, so I went with that. Then I simply wanted a switcher to not solely flip between MiSTer, PS2, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, Wii, and Xbox, however to route any of these sources to both of the 2 screens.
That’s six in, two out. I wished optical audio switching, too, for MiSTer, Xbox, and probably PS2. Mixed, these necessities take us far past the function set of any fundamental switcher you’ll discover on Amazon or Ali nowadays. Thus I turned to the brilliant, shining previous of the mid-aughts, when element video adoption peaked and specialty A/V merchandise catered to the extra esoteric YPbPr-wrangling wants of the period’s house theater lovers.
A number of promising candidates surfaced. One high-end mid-2000s switcher was very fancy certainly and will really transcode between analog and optical audio (wow!). However in the end I used to be received over by the still-fancy however barely extra modest Affect Acoustics Deluxe Element Video / Digital Audio 6 In / 2 Out Matrix Change, aka the “40697″. You’ll be able to see it above. Not solely can it route these six inputs to both display, it could actually output to each screens concurrently…the identical supply, or two completely different sources. Oh expensive, am I blushing?
After every week or two I managed to search out a NOS (new previous inventory) one, and it proved simply as performant as hoped: Any console on any show is now only a button-push away. The cart undertaking remains to be in progress as I search a working Xbox, look into applicable Wii hax, and transition to a brand new show up prime (kinda wishing I had gone with RGB now, really!) however I’ve already been having fun with having all my beloved previous video games in a single, self-contained, no-compromises tower of energy. Even received a beanbag! Hell yeah.
Alexandra Corridor, Senior Editor
