As I was tired of tinkering with PCSX2, getting random bugs here and there, and changing settings from game to game, to relive my best memories, I decided to get a real PS2.
I am well aware that the best solution to obtain a clear picture is to get a simple CRT television coupled with a decent component cable. With that being said, there is no way I would put a huge cube in my office, on top of my other devices. I had to find alternatives.
Here are the solutions I have tried (when technically feasible) on a TCL 4K 65" TV, a Samsung 40" 1080p TV and a Samsung CRG9 monitor.
- Stock RCA cable: forget about it + my displays don't support it.
- Wigearss PS2 to HDMI converter: cheap solution, roughly equivalent to a mediocre component cable. 480i, Terrible picture on modern TVs. Your best bet if you just want your PS2 to be usable, have an HDMI port only and less than 20 dollars in your pocket.
- LevelHike PS2 to HDMI converter and upscaler: slightly better, as it upscales to 720p (but without deinterlacing the original picture - it's essentially a 720p video feed of a 480i source). Blurry, still terrible, and a bit dark on top of it.
- TNP PS3 component cable: 480i, Super jagged, interlaced and aliased. A bit cleaner than the Wigearss PS2 to HDMI converter.
- HD Retrovision component cable: It may be more expensive and make big claims, but a component cable is a component cable. Same as the TNP component cable. Super jagged, interlaced and aliased.
- HD Retrovision component cable + Retroscaler 2x (Chinese Retrotink 2x clone): The Retrotink deinterlaces the picture (to a certain extent)... and outputs 480p instead of the original 480i. It still doesn't look "good" by any serious measure, it's shaky, but it's already something and is better than the previous solutions.
- HD Retrovision component cable + Retroscaler 2x + Marseille mClassic upscaler... this is getting expensive!!!: the mClassic takes the 480p output from the Retroscaler and upscales it to 1080p, adding a soft filter on top of it. The result is still pretty bad. The difference isn't huge, but it's the best picture out of all these setups. Honestly, for this usage scenario, the mClassic is NOT worth it. I know it can't work any magic with a 480p source, but it shouldn't be marketed as a good option for sub-HD consoles. Hey, at least, it doesn't add any lag.
I know reviews should be taken with a grain of salt, but honestly, I don't understand how anyone can find the output of any of these solutions "great". It's not great at all, and I'm warning prospective buyers not to spend this much money, especially on an mClassic. Just get yourself a CRT if you can deal with the actual thing being in your environment. If you have TRUCKLOADS of money to spend and want to stick with a modern TV or monitor, maybe try an OSSC. At this point, though, I won't go that far, and I hope this post helps people who are on the verge of buying one of these solutions.
I'm sticking with the HD Retrovision component cable + Retroscaler 2x + Marseille mClassic upscaler option for now.
Opinions welcome!
submitted by /u/Beaugosse_Riche
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