RGB Blaster run check
This article is translated using DeepL.
I got the RGB Blaster I've always wanted!
I missed the initial lot and was able to successfully obtain the second lot. The initial lot seemed to have some defects and as a result, it was an injury.
1.What is RGB Blaster?
The output functions in the current Famicom (NES) actual device environment are as follows.
original NES：RF
New-Style NES：RF(selling separately)、composite
Famicom TV：internal
Twin Famicom：composite
Famicom Titler：RF(selling separately)、composite、S-Video
If you want to get a better image without modification, you will have to obtain a NES TV or NES Titler and modify it using the PPU included in it. Another option is to add an output using an external board such as NESRGB, but this also requires modification. In addition to actual machines, hardware with emulators such as Retro Freak can also be used.
If you really want to create a beautiful NES environment without modifications... the "RGB Blaster" is what you need.
The RGB Blaster does not modify the main unit, instead, it interrupts between the cassette and the main unit to obtain the necessary information and output RGB. It is like a Genesis Tower, so to speak.
2.From purchase to arrival
The purchase was made on March 28 and arrived on April 17, so it took roughly 20 days to arrive. The manufacturer is in Ukraine, so I know it is a tough situation, but it arrived well.
3.Let's Play
I have a Retrotink 5X-Pro in my house, so I import the video to the PC side via that. This time, as usual, I connected to SCART and projected the images. The connection itself is as follows.
Naturally, the Famicom unit's output is also alive, so the same game can be viewed on both. We do not know if there is any advantage to this, but it can also serve to project images in two places at the same time. The standard configuration is shown in the image below.
4.Confirmation of images
Let's compare the actual output on the main unit side (composite) and the output on the RGB Blaster side (RGB). First, DONALD DUCK.
You can already see that the composite cable from the video output is not clean. Composite cables send sync, brightness, and color signals over a single cable, so it is difficult to separate the signals properly when actually projecting the image, and this is reflected as noise. This was not a problem in the past when it was mainstream, but in today's world, it can look quite messy. On the other hand, when the RGB Blaster uses a SCART cable from the RGB output, the three primary colors of light (red, green, and blue) and the sync signal are all sent separately, so each signal can be sent cleanly without the problems that occur with composite signals.
Where multiple colors are mixed, they look completely different.
What I noticed on the RGB Blaster side is that the colors seem to be a little darker. This is the same condition in other games, so I guess it is just a specification. Next is The Krion Conquest.
In situations where a single dot is used to write a character, the character will appear blurred with composite due to degradation, but with RGB Blaster, the character is clearly visible.
Doropy looks lovely thanks to the cleanliness.
Finally, I made a comparison video using the opening, but it's hard to tell the difference because of the encoding... It may not even be helpful, but I'm posting it here in case you'd like to see it.
The text portion in the video is in Japanese, but I don't think it affects it that much.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbeWkrtfPkU
5.Can it be played on a disk system?
Is it possible to clean the screen on a disk system? I was somewhat skeptical about this, but under certain circumstances, it was not a problem.
So if it is an external disk system, the information about the video will flow through the RAM adapter. Upa looks even prettier. The reason I say "specific environment" here is because the Twin Famicom cannot run by itself. The Twin NES cannot run both the cassette and the disk system due to its specifications, and even the cassette itself cannot be inserted, so the RGB Blaster cannot be used to interrupt the cassette. Therefore, an external disk system like the one described above is required.
RGB Blaster, but the screen is wavy and does not show a clean image.
The Twin Famicom also works if you attach it externally, but sometimes there was a battery error even though the power supply was plugged in, and sometimes it did not come out cleanly as described above. I think it probably depends on my environment, but I do not recommend it.
6.Can it be played in a NES environment?
It was mentioned beforehand by the official that it can work with NES by inserting a converter, but I checked if it can work here as well. In that case, it works like this.
NES cartridge between RGBBlaster and converter from NES.
A true Famicom tower. It's extending up so high. Then, does it work properly?
The RGB side works fine and the dots are clear as in other environments. If there is a problem, it is that the RGB Blaster extends too far up and is quite wobbly. This is because the RGB Blaster itself is much smaller than the mouth of the main unit, so it is not supported firmly.
7.Is it worth it to go this far?
It is completely self-serving. Even if it is used for delivery, it will change to some extent on the communication side, so it is necessary to consider carefully how far the effect will go. In addition, it is possible that the product was developed on the assumption that it would deteriorate to some extent, so it may not feel right to make it clear. If you have any requests to see it from this point of view, please contact us via Twitter or distribution, etc. I will try my best to do so.
9.Other Information
Official website : RGB Blaster
https://krikzz.com/our-products/cartridges/rgb-blaster.html
Krikzz's Twitter
0.Update Notes
2023/04/20 Published in English
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