Retro news too small for its own thread

[QualityChimp]

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.4902180

[briareos_kerensky]

Mike Chi announced the RetroTINK 4K CE, a cheaper version of the RT4K with less software features but the same inputs.

[briareos_kerensky]

Also: a VMU replacment that can emulate 8bit consoles.

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[wakka]

Nice to see a cheaper RetroTink 4K, but with shipping and tax running the cost up to about £530 still, it's still more than I'm really willing to pay for this type of thing if I'm totally honest. I almost feel like if I was going to spend that much I'd rather just go the whole hog and get the Pro for a couple of hundred more.

[Yakumo]

To be honest, if you have the Retrotink x5 Pro, you don't need the 4K. I run my x5 Pro in 1440p on a 4K screen and it looks great.

[wakka]

I have an OSSC so a step below the X5 Pro I think. I like the results it gives, though, with 240p at least. Haven't really used it much for 480i.

[wakka]

Following on the heels of the MiSTer Pi (which was basically a much cheaper MiSTer board), the same creator has unveiled an Analogue-style consolised version which takes its cues from the PSone:

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Notably it has PS1 SNAC controller ports built in, both analogue and digital video output, and it'll support PS1 discs via a planned peripheral.

Honestly seems really really cool. Hope it delivers. It's pretty much what I've been hoping Analogue would do - I was really disappointed that the Analogue 3D wouldn't support OpenFPGA. The design looks very nice too.

EDIT: To be clear as well, although it's got PS1 stylings and specific PS1-oriented features, the guy behind it is saying it will be compatible with all MiSTer cores.

[Baseley09]

That actually looks / sounds quite nice. Palatable price.

[speedlolita]

Looks okay but I already got a MiSTer Pi. Maybe we can convince fuse to buy one of these?

[wakka]

We all know fuse will get one

I actually might try and score one myself. $150 is such a good price and the unit looks so neat. I've recently been researching loosely around getting a PS1 and an ODE so I don't have to burn CDs for my chipped PS2, but this would be so much easier, cheaper, and would play all the other great stuff on MiSTer.

Really like that it does analogue video out-of-the-box too, since I've recently been kicking around the idea of getting a small CRT.

[wakka]

^ I didn't score one in the end. The price was great and the product looks great, but I decided to wait it out for the systems to drop and reviews to appear.

Here's another new and exciting thing, though - the MemCard Pro 2 for PS2 and similar competing product SD2PSX can now launch games. Yep, they've become full on ODEs that jack directly into the memory card slot:

https://www.timeextension.com/news/2025/02/you-can-now-run-your-entire-ps2-library-from-this-usd50-memory-card

I think this is actually awesome and I really need to pick up a MemCard Pro 2 for this. I recently got my PS2 out and tried to use my ancient PS2 network adapter + IDE HDD setup to install some games over USB and just got really frustrated. I'm not sure if it was that my USB stick wasn't right, the IDE drive is knackered, or the ISO was weird, or what, but I just hate spending time on this kind of frustrating tinkering.

The MemCard Pro 2 as an ODE seems like a way cleaner solution! Plus, it's cheap compared to how much these things can sometimes cost.

[Deuteros]

That's great, I have one of those!

[speedlolita]

This is just adding functionality that a $10 MX4SIO can achieve already.

USB doesn't have enough throughput for FMV (usually) so utilising the memory card slot gives you a slightly wider bus. I've had some good results. It is also nice that you can use OPL with an exFAT formatted drive and not have to extract disc images anymore. You just plonk them right on and go. You still run into the same compatibility issues that you'd usually find with OPL but its a decent enough solution for (basically) free.

[wakka]

That's awesome, I've never heard of MX4SIO. Just googled it. I'm surprised this isn't talked about more! Maybe I'll get one of those instead, first, as I don't massively need the memory card functions of the MemCard Pro 2 and it's currently backordered till April.

What I would really love to see solved, one day, is the problem of playing back PS1 games from an ODE on PS2 natively.

[speedlolita]

The issue with the MX4SIO by itself (and where these other devices excel) is that it is a one purpose device. So you'll need another device (memory card) for saving. And yes, a proper ODE for the PlayStation 2 is the dream. Some day.