mClassic, the external GPU that makes classic console games look better, is on sale

[Shawn Knight]

In brief: Remember mClassic, the plug-and-play graphics processor that promised to upgrade the graphical experience when playing older console games? The Indiegogo campaign smashed its funding goal in the summer of 2019 but what you may not know is that the add-oh hardware is now shipping worldwide.

The mClassic is an inline graphics adapter designed to plug directly into your game console of choice (either directly or via an HMDI adapter). From there, you’ll need to run another HDMI cable from the mClassic to your television and power the device via USB.

mClassic has three modes of operation: scaling off, scaling on and retro. With scaling off, your console’s original signal will pass right through, completely unaltered. With scaling on, mClassic will redraw every pixel, add an antialiasing layer and output at a higher resolution. Retro mode will add in the other processing effects but maintain the original aspect ratio.

The mClassic is available to purchase from writing at a 15 percent discount, yours for only $84.99. You can also score an extra five percent off when you sign up for their mailing list.

It’s no PS5 or Xbox Series, but with those consoles being so hard to track down right now, perhaps dusting off your old systems, boosting the visuals and revisiting some classics will be enough to hold you over until the inventory / bot issues get worked out.

Image credit Nintendo Life

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https://www.techspot.com/news/92738-mclassic-external-gpu-makes-classic-console-games-look.html

 

[sac39507]

Cool! I purchased the Super Nintendo classic a couple of years ago and have not played on it much due to the pixelated graphics but this would be a game changer.

 

[Sausagemeat]

A friend of mine had one of these for his Xbox One. I couldn’t tell the difference if im honest. Just seems like an overpriced cable.

 

[phenomx8]

Cool! I purchased the Super Nintendo classic a couple of years ago and have not played on it much due to the pixelated graphics but this would be a game changer.

Maybe what you mean pixelated is blurry upscaling done by the television itself, because this peripheral will only make it sharper pixelated graphic as far as I know

 

[herpaderp]

A friend of mine had one of these for his Xbox One. I couldn’t tell the difference if im honest. Just seems like an overpriced cable.

Yeah, this really isn't meant to be used on modern consoles (even though they advertise it as such). You're just not going to see much of a difference from a machine outputting 720p/1080p, compared to one that's only doing 256x244, 320x240, 480p, etc. I'm guessing they just don't bother dropping the marketing for enhancing modern console visuals since they don't want to push away that potential customer base, compared to the smaller one that would use it just for retro hardware.

 

[pcnthuziast]

100% a worthless piece of scamware that does nothing. Prove me wrong.

 

[Fearghast]

100% a worthless piece of scamware that does nothing. Prove me wrong.

There are a ton of videos, you can watch them ... and maybe, if you feel like a champ, come to your own educated conclusion.

 

[Watzupken]

100% a worthless piece of scamware that does nothing. Prove me wrong.

I think there are reviews out in the wild for this device, and many claimed that this works. However, I won't be buying it for my Nintendo Switch. In the first place when I decided for a Nintendo Switch, I was fine with the lower resolution graphics. Anyway, the main issue with the likes of the Nintendo Switch is the VRS that often goes to 720p or even lower, depending on the game title. So even if the device is able to perform some level of upscaling, the very low resolution is still going to affect the image quality, especially when you have it on a big screen. In addition, existing smart TVs are already upscaling low resolution images.

 

[gamerk2]

So...just a HQ2x filter then? That's done on the raw image rather then being done during graphics generation? No thank you.

 

[ZackL04]

Cool! I purchased the Super Nintendo classic a couple of years ago and have not played on it much due to the pixelated graphics but this would be a game changer.

Ur doing yourself a dis-service

And the SNES classic looks amazing on a cheap or expensive hd TV. The pixels are razor sharp. What you dont get are the natural scan line tricks games were able to use on a crt back then.

 

[sac39507]

Ur doing yourself a dis-service

And the SNES classic looks amazing on a cheap or expensive hd TV. The pixels are razor sharp. What you dont get are the natural scan line tricks games were able to use on a crt back then.

Doesn't look amazing on my 1080p TV. Looks even worse on a 4K TV.

 

[ZackL04]

Doesn't look amazing on my 1080p TV. Looks even worse on a 4K TV.

You probably need your eyes checked or lower your expectations of what 16bit graphics are.

SNES classic looks amazing on any 1080p or 4k tv in my house. Now the original SNES….that is a different story. Shes a muddy old mess on a 1080p and my 4k’s, but Turtles in time with my 5yr old is still a blast on it.