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Mcable "Classic" dongle

GearDraxon

GearDraxon

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,786
Designed by a team of scientists and engineers in Silicon Valley,
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Ok that sounds about-
plus a founding member of the N.W.A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame rap group
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giphy.gif
 

FantaSoda

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,992
I've always wondered how successful external video processing could be to console graphics. Like a lot of Nintendo games don't have an internal AA solution. How effective would an external tool be at identifying aliasing and applying AA on the fly. I doubt it could ever work as well as internally output AA, but would it be better than native output?
 
Pizzamigo

Pizzamigo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,440
jred250 said:
I've always wondered how successful external video processing could be to console graphics. Like a lot of Nintendo games don't have an internal AA solution. How effective would an external tool be at identifying aliasing and applying AA on the fly. I doubt it could ever work as well as internally output AA, but would it be better than native output?
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Yes it helps a decent amount, it helps lower the shimmering effect that games with no anti-aliasing (Nintendo games) have, but it's not magic either. Jaggies are still there, this just helps smooth them out some. It's not better than built in anti-aliasing, but it's better than nothing!

Many of us have been using the prior version of this cable for a while now, specifically for Switch. I can't go back without it now. It just helps Switch games look a tad more refined and polished while smoothing out jaggies a little. It's nice.

This new version is supposed to be slightly better with new processing algorithms and able to bump up the upscaling to 1440p if your TV/monitor supports it.
 

FantaSoda

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,992
aka Bueno said:
Yes it helps a decent amount, it helps lower the shimmering effect that games with no anti-aliasing (Nintendo games) have, but it's not magic either. Jaggies are still there, this just helps smooth them out some. It's not better than built in anti-aliasing, but it's better than nothing!

Many of us have been using the prior version of this cable for a while now, specifically for Switch. I can't go back without it now. It just helps Switch games look a tad more refined and polished while smoothing out jaggies a little. It's nice.

This new version is supposed to be slightly better with new processing algorithms and able to bump up the upscaling to 1440p if your TV/monitor supports it.
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Hmm..this is a pretty good endorsement. The only thing that is a dealbreaker in IQ is stair-stepping. You say that it does help, just that it doesn't magically fix it. The 100+ dollar price tag is pretty expensive though.
 

Mad_Rhetoric

Banned
May 7, 2019
3,466
Very cool. I have HDMI adapters for my N64 and Gamecube already, and this will make them look amazing. You can still get one for $70 now on Indiegog, or 2 for $125.
 
NewDust

NewDust

Visited by Knack
Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,596
Theoretically couldn't you also daisy chain the current cables with an hdmi coupler?
 
WarpSpeedMolasses

WarpSpeedMolasses

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,396
Don't the games have to individually be developed to utilize said additional power? Isn't this why only specific games take advantage of the extra power from things like PS4pro, N64Exapansion Pack, New 3DS, etc?
 
Velocity:Design:Comfort

Velocity:Design:Comfort

Banned
Nov 23, 2017
4,302
WarpSpeedMolasses said:
Don't the games have to individually be developed to utilize said additional power? Isn't this why only specific games take advantage of the extra power from things like PS4pro, N64Exapansion Pack, New 3DS, etc?
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Yeah, feel like there is some level of misrepresentation going on here as well. Im sure it works to smooth out edges a little, but they're talking about it as if it actually somehow adds graphical processing aka outputs more pixels (which it cannot make the console do). For that price I wanna see someone reliable like John from DF Retro talk about it first. I have an open mind though. Id rather it be real and work than it be snake oil, since its a good idea.
 

Mad_Rhetoric

Banned
May 7, 2019
3,466
WarpSpeedMolasses said:
Don't the games have to individually be developed to utilize said additional power? Isn't this why only specific games take advantage of the extra power from things like PS4pro, N64Exapansion Pack, New 3DS, etc?
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It doesnt work that way with this. The dongle has a processor chip built in to it that will improve and smooth out any HDMI signal going into it. Console/game dont have to do anything at all. It doesnt make the graphics better, its pretty much adds better color and extra anti-aliasing. But it really works best with older consoles.
 
AllEchse

AllEchse

Member
Oct 29, 2017
4,125
jred250 said:
Hmm..this is a pretty good endorsement. The only thing that is a dealbreaker in IQ is stair-stepping. You say that it does help, just that it doesn't magically fix it. The 100+ dollar price tag is pretty expensive though.
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The biggest problem is that its just post processing AA applied to the final image.
It doesnt get any of the information that a dedicated internal AA solution would have and is obviously also applied to HUD and other stuff that would normally would be excluded cause the AA would be applied before.
I think these solutions are still too expensive and I guess that mostly because they pretzy niche.
 
Pizzamigo

Pizzamigo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,440
Velocity:Design:Comfort said:
Yeah, feel like there is some level of misrepresentation going on here as well. Im sure it works to smooth out edges a little, but they're talking about it as if it actually somehow adds graphical processing aka outputs more pixels (which it cannot make the console do). For that price I wanna see someone reliable like John from DF Retro talk about it first. I have an open mind though. Id rather it be real and work than it be snake oil, since its a good idea.
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It's not snake oil, it's a really high quality upscaler, with post processing (and a tiny bit of anti-aliasing) to go with it. A lot of us here have the previous cable and use it every day, there's a 2 year old thread on here where we discuss it and have comparison pics in.

It doesn't match running a game at a higher resolution, but it is upscaling the image and with the post processing algorithms and AA, it actually does help bring out some of the finer details of an image while also smoothing out edges. But it's not magic, it's not gonna look like you're running the game at a higher resolution natively or anything.

It's a small noticeable improvement, works better on lower spec hardware like Switch and older consoles. But it's not like you're gonna see a jump in graphics, it's just helping it what's already there, look a little better, sharper and smooth out the jaggies.
 
Pizzamigo

Pizzamigo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,440
If you haven't been able to tell, I'm a huge fan of this product. I have the Gaming Edition cable for 2 years now and love what it does for my Switch. Again, it's a small but noticeable improvement in picture quality and imho, the Switch is the best device to use this for since so many Switch games lack anti aliasing.

Here's my comparison pics I made 2 years ago with the Gaming Edition (which cost more at the time than what this new mClassic version costs while being better and newer).

Check it out for yourself and see if it's worth it, for me it is. I even bought this new version (couldn't pass up on the cheap $69 early adopter price)

 
MAX PAYMENT

MAX PAYMENT

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
4,246
I dont understand. Why would you need to set your switch to output 720p?

And this wont do anything for a pro set to 4k, right? A 4k picture just passes through, so I'd have to set my ps4 pro to a lower resolution than my tv?
 
Lazybob

Lazybob

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
6,710
I remember seeing a video a while ago about the old cable and that the video maker was suprised it actually worked and wasn't snake oil. I think I'll get one of these for my switch. I play on my computer monitor when docked but it's 1440p. This upscaler seems like a good solution to get the image looking better on it.
 
CrazyAznKT

CrazyAznKT

Member
Nov 8, 2017
868
B E T T E R _ P I X E L S

Joking aside this seems neat. Still need a RGB to HDMI converter of some sort for retro consoles though right?
 
Eoin

Eoin

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,103
MAX PAYMENT said:
I dont understand. Why would you need to set your switch to output 720p?
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You don't need to, it says that's the optimal setting. What's probably happening is that one of the first things the cable does to the incoming video is upscale it to 1440p, and 720p is an easier resolution to scale to 1440p than 1080p is.
 
Pizzamigo

Pizzamigo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,440
Eoin said:
You don't need to, it says that's the optimal setting. What's probably happening is that one of the first things the cable does to the incoming video is upscale it to 1440p, and 720p is an easier resolution to scale to 1440p than 1080p is.
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It's actually more because the mClassic creators think most of the Switch games run natively at 720p. (They've mentioned this a few times incorrectly). They said something like "the Switch's native resolution is actually 720p" oopsies guys.

In cases where the game is in fact 720p native, then setting the console to 720p is ideal so you can let the mClassic do the upscaling instead of the Switch doing the upscaling up to 1080p. Especially with this new version being able to upscale to 1440p.

But in reality, I think most games on Switch are running at 900-1080p natively these days no? So it's probably best to set it to 1080p so you don't downgrade native 1080p games. 720p native Switch games will still get the processing from the mClassic, it just wont benefit from the mClassic upscaling it from 720p to 1080/1440p (since the console would be handling that if set to 1080p in the settings).
 
MAX PAYMENT

MAX PAYMENT

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
4,246
So what happens if you connect a pro or 1x and output at 4k? Does it just pass through?

Also what happens to a switch if its output at 1080 to a 4k tv?
 
Pizzamigo

Pizzamigo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,440
MAX PAYMENT said:
So what happens if you connect a pro or 1x and output at 4k? Does it just pass through?

Also what happens to a switch if its output at 1080 to a 4k tv?
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Passthrough for 4k.

Switch at output 1080p will take that 1080p image coming from Switch and upscale to 1440p if your 4K display supports 1440p. Also, you will get the post processing with anti aliasing.

However if your Switch is set to 1080p, any native 720p games will not benefit from the mClassic scaling at all or as much because your Switch will be doing the scaling for those 720p games if set to 1080p. They will still receive the post processing and AA, but again, ideally you'd want the console set to 720p for 720p games if you wanted the best outcome for 720p native games. For 1080p games leave console at 1080p in console settings.
 
MAX PAYMENT

MAX PAYMENT

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
4,246
aka Bueno said:
Passthrough for 4k.

Switch at output 1080p will take that 1080p image coming from Switch and upscale to 1440p if your 4K display supports 1440p. Also, you will get the post processing with anti aliasing.

However if your Switch is set to 1080p, any native 720p games will not benefit from the mClassic scaling at all or as much because your Switch will be doing the scaling for those 720p games if set to 1080p. They will still receive the post processing and AA, but again, ideally you'd want the console set to 720p for 720p games if you wanted the best outcome for 720p native games. For 1080p games leave console at 1080p in console settings.
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So a 4k game will still get anti aliasing, just no upscale?
 
Mr. Pointy

Mr. Pointy

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,141


So this is a good example of what the mClassic can do for retro consoles with HDMI and Switch.
 
Irikan

Irikan

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
2,391
Always wanted the cable for my switch but never wanted to pay full price, looks like it's a good time to jump in since it's pretty much better in every way than the cable, MSRP is lower and the 30% off is pretty hard to refuse
 
OP
OP
T002 Tyrant

T002 Tyrant

Member
Nov 8, 2018
8,965
Blayde said:
So if you back something in indiegogo and change your mind before the campaign ends can you cancel?
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Yeah you can, although they've already met their goal, so I'm hoping that my perk will be valid.

Irikan said:
Always wanted the cable for my switch but never wanted to pay full price, looks like it's a good time to jump in since it's pretty much better in every way than the cable, MSRP is lower and the 30% off is pretty hard to refuse
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I went for the perk that came with two mcables, I'm selling the cinema one and connecting my gaming edition to my HDMI router (the main cable). Then connecting the dongle to the Switch Dock directly. :D

Mr. Pointy said:


So this is a good example of what the mClassic can do for retro consoles with HDMI and Switch.
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That's the video that drew my attention to this :D
 
Leo-Tyrant

Leo-Tyrant

Member
Jan 14, 2019
5,088
San Jose, Costa Rica
MAX PAYMENT said:
I dont understand. Why would you need to set your switch to output 720p?

And this wont do anything for a pro set to 4k, right? A 4k picture just passes through, so I'd have to set my ps4 pro to a lower resolution than my tv?
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I'm another fan of the original mCable gaming edition. I have 2, one for the Switch and one for the previous gen consoles (PS3, 360, Wii U).

Everything below is considering the previous cable:

Setting your console to 720p if your game renders at 720 (like previous gen or Switch) is optimal, as the algorithm will perform the best there.

Scenarios:

  • Zelda renders at 900p so you would keep the Switch at 1080p for it.
  • Xenoblade 2 is 720p so you would check 720p for it
  • 1080p games: leave it at 1080p.
Summary:
  • It REALLY works for your sub-optimal HD consoles, connected to your new 1080 or 4k tvs.
  • It DOES NOT add anything to PS4 Pro or Xbox One X, as its incapable to run 4K - HDR
  • Its perfect for your Switch in Docked Mode, connected to a 1080 or 4K screen (as it will only run on SDR - 1080 at most)
 
Poison Jam

Poison Jam

Member
Nov 6, 2017
2,984
This is interesting, but two things bother me.

First, having to output 720p for "best results" on Switch, when many games render at higher resolutions. If you need to sacrifice resolution in the name of better IQ, something isn't adding up.

Secondly, DOF effect. I can't help but be sceptical of this working right.

Edit: Thank you Leo-Tyrant above, for clarifying regarding resolution. But I'd hate having to change output resolution for every game I play. Does it still do okay with 720p content when output at full HD?
 
ScOULaris

ScOULaris

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,601
Man, I'm really struggling with whether or not to give this a chance at the Early Backer Special price. In compressed YouTube comparisons and reviews the difference looks too minimal to be worthwhile, but I'd like to somehow see it in person before making my decision.

I'd be mainly using it to clean up Wii/Wii U/Switch games in terms of aliasing, but I'm wary of one-size-fits-all image processing like this as it doesn't always place nice with every art style. It also looks to be bumping up color saturation as a general rule, which is a bit annoying given that I always calibrate my TV's to be as color accurate as possible. I know I could just adjust my TV's color settings to compensate for the saturation boost, though.
 

Gitaroo

Member
Nov 3, 2017
7,995
This is the simple switch Pro that Nintendo can do themselves by just releasing a new official doc with it built in and works for all switch fat model.
 
cirr

cirr

Member
Oct 26, 2017
1,247
Northern VA
how should i pronounce it? is it like M'cable, as in the appropriate greeting, M'lady?

or McCable? like the mcdonalds of cabling
 
Dunban

Dunban

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,051
Lazybob said:
I remember seeing a video a while ago about the old cable and that the video maker was suprised it actually worked and wasn't snake oil. I think I'll get one of these for my switch. I play on my computer monitor when docked but it's 1440p. This upscaler seems like a good solution to get the image looking better on it.
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I too would like a solution to make playing the Switch on a 1440p display more tolerable; until now I've been keeping an otherwise-redundant 1080p television in my room alongside my X34p solely for the Switch, and I would love to be able to rid myself of It. I can't imagine why this wouldn't be the case, but can any current mCable owners attest that they work as well with 1440p displays as they would with 1080p/4K ones?
 
Pizzamigo

Pizzamigo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,440
Dunban said:
I too would like a solution to make playing the Switch on a 1440p display more tolerable; until now I've been keeping an otherwise-redundant 1080p television in my room alongside my X34p solely for the Switch, and I would love to be able to rid myself of It. I can't imagine why this wouldn't be the case, but can any current mCable owners attest that they work as well with 1440p displays as they would with 1080p/4K ones?
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The current Gaming Edition only goes up to 1080p for games, so your monitor would still be doing the rest of the upscaling to 1440p for the Switch with the current Gaming Edition cable. You'd still get the post processing and AA though so the image would still be better.

This new mClassic dongle upscales up to 1440p for displays that support 1440p however, so I imagine this new one would be even better for you.

Again though I have to stress this, these cables, while offering a nice noticeable improvement...are not magic and won't make your Switch graphics look like a PS4 or anything. It's just slightly better image quality with smoothed out jaggies (but doesn't remove them 100%). Imho it's soooo worth it for the Switch.
 
MAX PAYMENT

MAX PAYMENT

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
4,246
Leo-Tyrant said:
I'm another fan of the original mCable gaming edition. I have 2, one for the Switch and one for the previous gen consoles (PS3, 360, Wii U).

Everything below is considering the previous cable:

Setting your console to 720p if your game renders at 720 (like previous gen or Switch) is optimal, as the algorithm will perform the best there.

Scenarios:

  • Zelda renders at 900p so you would keep the Switch at 1080p for it.
  • Xenoblade 2 is 720p so you would check 720p for it
  • 1080p games: leave it at 1080p.
Summary:
  • It REALLY works for your sub-optimal HD consoles, connected to your new 1080 or 4k tvs.
  • It DOES NOT add anything to PS4 Pro or Xbox One X, as its incapable to run 4K - HDR
  • Its perfect for your Switch in Docked Mode, connected to a 1080 or 4K screen (as it will only run on SDR - 1080 at most)
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That's pretty disappointing. I dont care to learn and adjust the switch's resolution based on games.
And I was hoping it would at least apply anti aliasing on 4k passthrough.
 
Leo-Tyrant

Leo-Tyrant

Member
Jan 14, 2019
5,088
San Jose, Costa Rica
MAX PAYMENT said:
That's pretty disappointing. I dont care to learn and adjust the switch's resolution based on games.
And I was hoping it would at least apply anti aliasing on 4k passthrough.
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Well, considering that on the Switch is a real time adjustment that only takes 5 seconds (you don't need to get out of the game, just press, home, settings, video, 720-1080p) and everything switches (get it?) instantly, I don't see how its a disappointment.

Your 4k consoles already provide anti-aliasing, this is for less powerful hardware like the Switch and previous gen.
 
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