52
Best way to hook too many old consoles to a TV? (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 3 months ago by to c/retrogaming@lemmy.world
25 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Howdy.

I set up all of my old game consoles for fun, and feel like there must be a better way. I have an NES on the antenna connector (RG6?), about eight consoles on composite (Y/R/W), and four or five on HDMI. I still have my old school Composite switch, but I need more inputs, and it would be nice to be able to use the TV remote instead of getting my old bones up. My TV has two or three HDMI ports but I need a few more.

Do I just need an RF adapter, a bigger Composite switch, and some kind of HDMI switch, or is there another option I'm not thinking of?

Thanks!

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 13 points 3 months ago (3 children)

As someone who briefly lived a similar dream, I wish someone had pointed out to me that you're still going to have to get your old bones up to get the wired controllers for those older consoles. I'd just keep the old school composite switch accessible so you can plug in whatever you want to play while you're grabbing the controllers and plugging in the cartridge. Then you just need an HDMI switcher, which could also be your surroud sound system (if you're spending money anyway...)

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 3 child comments
    •
  • [–] [S] 5 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    Yeah, it's not like I'll switch games that often anyway, but it's annoying having more cables than I have switch inputs. I guess just bigger switches. Maybe a tree set up. XBox, Playstation, Nintendo, Other, and each with a sub-switch for the consoles.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    Oh I get it completely, and I was banging my head against the wall looking for something that worked. Ultimately, some clean cable management and a few of those rubber cord grips were so much more functional than anything else I tried.

    Also remember that you'll need to automate those branching switches, and each one can add a bit of lag if they are digital.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •