The Best Game Console EVER just got even BETTER!

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Күн бұрын

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The PixelFX Retro GEM is a PS2 HDMI mod that FINALLY gives us digital video out of the Playstation 2. There's a lot of drama around the company, and the pricing isn't ideal, but this mod is amazing, and I love seeing my favorite game console getting such an upgrade.
Here's my review and things you might want to consider.
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Retro GEM - www.pixelfx.co/product-page/r...
2.5" to 3.5" SSD adapter for PS2 geni.us/rA8pb3 (Amazon affiliate)
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TIMECODES:
00:00 The best gaming console just got better!
00:45 PixelFX Retro GEM HDMI Mod & Why it Matters
01:18 Settings Menu Magic
02:05 Deinterlacing Comparisons
03:15 CRT Emulation
03:50 Output Resolution & 1440p Issues
06:30 My favorite niche features of Retro G.E.M.
07:22 The GREEN CAST is GONE!
08:09 Preset Management & Bonus Features
09:29 My Complaints & Requests
10:00 Pricing & "DLC"
10:40 My big Request
11:34 This has been a LONG time coming! (Also re: drama)
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Пікірлер: 129

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

Something important I failed to mention in the video: A valid use case of the "Basic Edition" of the mod would be for use with the upcoming RetroTINK 4K or PixelFX Morph 4K scalers to take it the rest of the way to 4K. IMO using multiple steps to do your scaling seems wasteful and silly, but I think that's what was being aimed for and what people have been coming up with as the plan.

@muhammadsaadcheema1253 10 ай бұрын

Link ??

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

@@muhammadsaadcheema1253I mean, neither of those scalers have released yet. You have the ability to leave a comment, you can type them into Google or Bing and find out. :)

@Mave-rick 10 ай бұрын

That's basically my take on why PixelFX didn't charge full price like their previous digital mods. I get why some call it DLC and I have no issue with the backlash on that, but keep in mind, if enough people complain, then the basic price might disappear and EVERYONE will have to pay full price for something they might not need. I like the option to choose, so I personally got basic. Why pay more if you know you're getting a 4k scaler in the future from either Mike or PixelFX?

@OwtDaftUK 10 ай бұрын

I think the advantage of using both scalers is that you get a better end result as the HDMI mod elimates noise. Personally i'd rather just have the one scaler that works with all systems and if the console breaks your not as buggered.

@mrmii6596 10 ай бұрын

Very glad that you addressed the Mike Chi situation. Great review.

@izekg5820 10 ай бұрын

Yep I was like 🙌 at that part.

@ThunderTHR 10 ай бұрын

I'm glad you addressed the recent controversy around the team and the needless banter against Mike Chi (and now Voultar, though opinion on him in particular is more divided.) I've been really wanting this myself for a very long time, and it looks fantastic from what's been shown here in your video.. but its hard for me to morally support the product if this is how PixelFX is choosing to act.. that alongside the "Shiny" edition locking out certain features that people would really want. (Though I've come to 'understand' their reasoning.)

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

It’s a tough spot for sure

@Decenium 10 ай бұрын

RetroTINK-4k then?

@bricewgilbert 10 ай бұрын

Voultar is not a nice person so that part tracks.

@Voultar 10 ай бұрын

Exactly right, @@bricewgilbert. PS: Say hi to your mom for me.

@beanburritobike 10 ай бұрын

@@bricewgilbert I've personally had a bad experience and totally agree, he thinks he's hot shit.

@ripmowt 10 ай бұрын

Very nice to see my favorite console getting more love. This is the 2nd video I have seen about this mod . I would like to see the anti aliasing feature please. Upscaling and smoothing really brings the 'old boy' into a modern feel. Well in my opinion .

@Zortec 10 ай бұрын

Pretty cool stuff. Kinda would like to see them do installation service for it. but i think i will stick to PCSX2.

@AvalancheReviews 10 ай бұрын

PS2 Comp definitely has a nasty shift to green. Both my NTSC and NTSCJ consoles do it to different degrees.

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

Glad it’s not just me!!!

@Celician83 10 ай бұрын

For what it's worth, with my NES setup (NES-retrotinik2x Pro-EVGA XR-1 lite) the capture side has a shift to yellow, but the pass through looks fine. And, that shift is absolutely impossible to get out of the game without introducing a ton of video lag/audio desync. I've narrowed that down to the EVGA Capture card, but since all I have is basic Windows Camera controls to try and correct it without filters in OBS, I've pretty much learned to live with it, and just hate it.

@TeysindsGamingSpot 10 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for this video, EposVox. It was really informative and helpful. I just have one question regarding disc-based region unlocking. The PS1Digital made by the same team has built in PSNEE support to also make the ps1 consoles region free for disc-based games, removing the need to also install a separate modchip in ps1 consoles with the ps1digital. Does the retrogem similarly have PSNEE support or equivalent to also make any ps2 it's installed in region free for pal and ntsc disc games? Thank you again for the fantastic video!

@TH3BACKLOG 10 ай бұрын

I definitely could understand why someone would want this. But the quality only seems slightly better than running it through a retrotink. Which is more cost effective if you have multiple consoles. But if you can a CRT is the best way to exspirence retro gaming.

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

Yeah I mean the choice has always been between HDMI modding one or two consoles or just getting a scaler

@grantyale 10 ай бұрын

PS2 was my first exposure to a proper gaming console - I had a knockoff Famicom and nothing afterwards until a game store nearby was showcasing PS2 with all the glorious 3D graphics on their counter. Never had it, though.

@SG-17 10 ай бұрын

From what I understand the color shift and noise in the component video is due to failing capacitors in the PSU. Replace the PSU with RePS2 and it looks perfect.

@maxbreaker888 7 ай бұрын

My PAL fat PS2 had a little noise on CRT with HD retrovision cable and some color shift. You can notice it with character eyes and white color text. I cleaned it, replaced the PSU with RePS2, got a decent 12V 5A external PSU and the results were amazing.

@crestofhonor2349 10 ай бұрын

I'm curious to see what it looks like on a VGA CRT with the motion adaptive deinterlacing

@Celician83 10 ай бұрын

You answered the 1 question I had: can the composite out still work with the HDMI mini plugged in, so that I can Capture from the HDMI while playing on my CRT. Yes, yes it does. Thank You!

@OwtDaftUK 10 ай бұрын

3 of the 4 games that are 1080i are really good games. You just need the NTSC versions. So you totally are missing something. They are not true 1080i but they look better than 480p. There is also games that can be forced into higher resolutions, but that's a very messy subject.

@mandibiedermann2246 5 ай бұрын

Only two, Valkyrie Profile doesn't have 1080i, is just a urban legend

@AVX512 10 ай бұрын

5:40 Question: If you're downscaling the post-*re*-squished 4:3 source (to record @1080p) is the quality loss still very noticable?

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

Most likely not

@fearless_tr 10 ай бұрын

Hey 1 question, can u change on obs configure video sharpness on magewell ?? its possible ? and can u recomended magewell 4k+ or elgato hd60x ?

@samuraispiritsx 10 ай бұрын

I wish y'all would get more PS1 footage and some more colorful PS2 games to show this off, interested in this

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

That’s what future coverage is for! I captured like 500GB of footage, could only fit so much in a video. I’ll be streaming trying different games throughout the week

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

(But also PS1 HDMI already existed so this is just focused primarily on PS2 heh)

@samuraispiritsx 9 ай бұрын

@@EposVox can't wait to see it

@beatsbykrrios5198 2 ай бұрын

When you bought this retro gem - universal hdmi upscaler kit on the website are you buying the console with the kit or is it just the kit no console

@TheSCHICKSALSHELD 3 ай бұрын

I bought the upgrade to shiny. but how do you get it onto the console? There were no instructions?

@Simsonlover222 10 ай бұрын

is a hdmi mod equal in output video quality then emulation with the same resolution?

@sneakingelephant 10 ай бұрын

It looks and sounds great. I don’t mind the tiered structure of their pricing. However, I’m skipping it due to their internet drama. They are being extremely immature about it all. If they can’t see that and want to keep doubling down they can, but that’s just pushing me away from all their products whereas before I was just going to skip the morph. I’d rather not support people who ridicule their peers.

@inderjeetuppal6462 Ай бұрын

I have got a 24” Hisense roku tv and I want to play Svr 2006 but do I need a converter or upscaler since it’s a small modern oled tv? Because I want to play full widescreen that is why.

@JohnSmith-qn3ob 10 ай бұрын

FYI 2:20 is wrong. That's not Bob that's Weave. Weave has combing, Bob has flicker.

@Yade132 10 ай бұрын

Yeah imma need this 😁

@Keullo-eFIN 10 ай бұрын

My man. When someone calls PS2 the best console, I absolutely agree.

@WololoWololo2 8 ай бұрын

PS3 is best console it can run PS2 games.

@EposVox 8 ай бұрын

Some PS3s can run some PS2 games, and mostly poorly.

@Keullo-eFIN 8 ай бұрын

@@EposVox not mine. Fat 80GB PAL model where they removed the emulation. Luckily I got my (probably fifth) fat PS2 cheap and I have a HDD on it as well.

@TheDarkPreacher65 10 ай бұрын

First purchase I made with my first paycheck in the USMC? Tattoo? Nope. Car? Nope. Sword? Nope. Cellphone? Nope. PS2, brand new, first release. That and a DVD of Final Fantasy Spirits Within.

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

Hell yeah!!!

@caivsivlivs 10 ай бұрын

do a lot of marines buy swords with their first check?

@Jaxxonian123 8 ай бұрын

@@caivsivlivs I didn't...Lol I purchased the Resident Evil 4 Red SteelBook edition for the GameCube, I still have sitting on my shelf! Also a bottle of Chrome Azzaro Cologne. The current version is watered down. It was much better 15-20 years ago. Oh, and always capitalize the "m" in Marines...Lol.

@gameondude726 9 ай бұрын

I use pcsx2 emulator on PC with ps2 controller, it emulated the games at 1440P which looks amazing..

@TheGrisbane 10 ай бұрын

Is having the PS2 output via Retro Gem or Retro Tink a better experience than using a backwards compatible PS3 fat?

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

Yes

@donhonk 10 ай бұрын

@@EposVoxWeird idea, could you do a ps3 BC lag test sometime? It feels jank to me but I don’t have equipment to test that

@WhatAboutZoidberg 10 ай бұрын

So wait, if you arent using a capture card does 1440p and the 1200p work fine?

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

If you have displays that support that, sure. 1920x1200 is 16:10 so it doesn’t make sense to use on 16:9 displays. Older TVs that are more rigid in standards probably won’t play nice with the 4:3 1920x1440, but newer 1440p monitors and most modern 4K TVs should handle it fine

@TremorBoria 10 ай бұрын

This is pretty cool. Hey I know your busy but can you tell Avermedia (or Elgato) *Internal Display-port Capture Card Question Mark Dot Dot Dot* I now emphasis sentence by writing out or saying the punctuation. Thanks man. You have a good day. 🐢

@banks3388 9 ай бұрын

This on a Playstation 2 Slim with the SSD mod would be epic...

@Heazytoohot 10 ай бұрын

locking 1440p behind a paywall is an absolute joke.

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

Spoilers: the whole product is locked behind a paywall

@joefuentes2977 7 ай бұрын

Should be cool to have a mod for your mod though. It'll come out soon

@GatchamanG4 4 ай бұрын

Yep

@destruxandexploze2552 3 ай бұрын

@@EposVoxYes and then it’s $70 extra for that 1440p $189 vs $119 just for a couple options is a lot

@joshsowers 10 ай бұрын

I think going the other way is better. Windows 7/ CRTEMU drivers and a compatable video card. VGA to Scart converter into component into a CRT tv. Basically my arcade machine setup. Native resolution 1 to 1. Best way to authentically replicate the good ole days!

@mrburns366 10 ай бұрын

I go that route for arcade and retro consoles pre PS1/N64. Everything N64 and newer looks better upscaled in the emulator. Pixel art looks best at native resolution but 3D graphics really shine with they're upscaled and output to modern display

@fandenivoldsk 10 ай бұрын

Where to buy that cool PlayStation neon sign?

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

Doubt you can. This was in the window of the game shop I went to as a kid, got it at a liquidation auction when they went under

@jeremyzeeky3024 10 ай бұрын

Wait, can someone tell me what game was at 3:00? That clip just unlocked a core memory of playing at the dentist office as a kid lol

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

ATV Off-road Fury!

@jeremyzeeky3024 10 ай бұрын

@@EposVox Thank you!

@symphony137 10 ай бұрын

Your dentist office had a PS2? That's crazy!

@MrBlank0 10 ай бұрын

What is that HDD mount and adaptor @ 12:19 ?? :-)

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

Just a basic 2.5" to 3.5" adapter. $12 on Amazon - geni.us/rA8pb3

@MrBlank0 10 ай бұрын

Ah... SATA -> SATA. Was hoping for an IDE adaptor so I can get my network connection back. Thanks! @@EposVox

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

Oh! Sorry, yeah you can grab these converter kits for your network adapter geni.us/reVz11

@scatchef 9 ай бұрын

What's the difference wbetween this an a backwards compatrible PS3?

@ShinryuZensen 8 ай бұрын

For that price, I'll stay with my component cables on my 4k Tv. It looks quite good on my Tv. :P

@bjordan429 10 ай бұрын

Ouch...at the cost of the optical out...thats a hard sale. If it replaced the AV port that its...replacing, It'd be an instant buy...but I like and use the optical port. Does the Dolby setting support the HDMI mini? Id hate to think I have to sacrifice sound for image. That plus needing to replace my stereo to support hdmi sound, the mini adapters..... ....naw, Ill wait for the next version and suffer 480i/p. Also I agree with the forced progressive mode.

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

You can apparently put it wherever if you’re doing the mod yourself

@bjordan429 10 ай бұрын

@@EposVox So i could drill another hole if I'm comfortable with it? That changes things. Thanks for the reply!!

@gpbear4 10 ай бұрын

9:17 you’re able to output analog and digital simultaneously??

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

Yep

@gpbear4 10 ай бұрын

@@EposVox thats incredible. thanks, i havent seen this mentioned anywhere else. have you tried the GEM with GSM for games without deinterlaced modes? i have seen anyone mentioning that either. GSM also displays the game in its native resolution. afaik no PS2 game has a native resolution of 640x480. most ive seen are either 512x448 or 640x448

@seethruhead7119 10 ай бұрын

have no interest in shiny edition when i can run the base model through the retrotink 4k when that arrives

@moontecker 10 ай бұрын

I am thinking instead just get Retrotink 4K

@deathwishsquish9142 10 ай бұрын

i want composite dithering filter.

@EricDittmar 10 ай бұрын

Loved the video, but the camera auto focus was killing me.

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

Yeah, switched lenses and had aperture open too wide. Won’t be that way in the next one

@BKDDY 10 ай бұрын

The NES?

@CSIG1001 4 ай бұрын

wouldnt component and tink 4k be a better solution?

@EposVox 4 ай бұрын

In just about every way! But at 7x the cost

@GigaBoots 10 ай бұрын

Worth noting that @ 2:14 you're showing Weave and not Bob deinterlacing.

@shaneneyome 10 ай бұрын

Great video but now I have to get a ps2 again.

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

That’s a good thing

@shaneneyome 10 ай бұрын

@EposVox ya you right haha.

@SXOPE3 9 ай бұрын

Try using the mclassic with thus

@woozle64 10 ай бұрын

❤

@caivsivlivs 10 ай бұрын

dam premodded dchdmi dreamcast for 375 in 2019 lol nice

@cesarsilva2282 10 ай бұрын

This or Retrotink 5x?

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

If you only care about PS2, this. If you want other systems? RetroTINK 5X or wait for the RetroTINK 4K/Morph 4K.

@jangelelcangry 10 ай бұрын

Title: The Best Game Console EVER. My Brain: Better be the PS2.

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

Person of culture, I see

@kiyoshimatsutsuyu1931 9 ай бұрын

*LG DUAL UP monitor's 2560x2880 enters the chat*

@EposVox 9 ай бұрын

I want it so bad

@kiyoshimatsutsuyu1931 9 ай бұрын

@@EposVox I have 2, trust me, get it!

@NinjaRunningWild 10 ай бұрын

*by accident. 😉

@IsaacGarciaFilms 8 ай бұрын

Hey, i am willing to PAY someone pretty well to let me ship my PS2 to them with a retro gem, and they can install it for me and ship it back. I love the PS2 so much, but i am so technologically inept I know I will mess up the installation process. If anyone reading this comment is interested lmk. Thank you :)

@SianaGearz 10 ай бұрын

The best game console is OBVIOUSLY the Dreamcast.

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

hah

@cesarsilva2282 10 ай бұрын

I like the Wii

@SianaGearz 10 ай бұрын

@@cesarsilva2282 Oh yeah it's a great system, with lots of weird titles on it. Especially since it natively plays Gamecube titles as well, so you just add those two libraries together.

@sonyx5332 4 ай бұрын

I don't think anything on the PS2 will make the game look any better besides running them on a good CRT/PVM monitor or from an emulator on the PC.

@EposVox 4 ай бұрын

This is about making it look better on modern displays...

@mrburns366 10 ай бұрын

I can't even imagine spending this kind of money and going to this much trouble just to get an ugly, low res image on a modern TV.. but hey, whatever tickles your pickle. lol

@derekv6479 9 ай бұрын

Came here to see what happened to the Sega Saturn and left disappointed. Shame.

@seethruhead7119 10 ай бұрын

by accident

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

It was definitely on purpose

@JosephLSSimpson 10 ай бұрын

This over fat PS3?

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

This by a long shot. PS3 PS2 emulation is blurry and meh, and maintaining those systems is messy

@MrBlank0 10 ай бұрын

I think a PS2 analog output using a sacaler does a way better job than the PS3 Phat.

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

Very true!

@Strey_tm 28 күн бұрын

this video in spanish please!!!!!

@caden3ds 4 ай бұрын

wayy too expensive

@dannyd4339 8 ай бұрын

Nah

@michaelbuddy 10 ай бұрын

mod a ps3 and play ps2 games.

@EposVox 10 ай бұрын

PS3's PS2 output is garbage.

@therealfartsupreme Ай бұрын

also when HDMI gets replaced by the next standard you’re going to regret deflowering a factory original console. just emulate if you must force the matter.