NES to VGA?

[crux]

The easiest method for RGB, bar none, is to go with the Famicom Titler. It has S-Video by default, so it's a pretty simple mod to get RGB out of it. You'd just need a 60 to 72 pin converter to get NES games working on it. Not pretty, but it's easier than swapping the PPU out of a Vs. game or Playchoice-10 system. The end result of a modded NES is a lot more esthetically and nostalgically pleasing than the Titler, though.

That said, VGA RGB is ~31.5khz and SCART RGB and its equivalent (the RGB of every retro console, effectively) is ~15.7khz. You can use a scan doubler on TOP of the RGB mod to get it to display on a VGA monitor, but it's still upscaling, so you're still not going to get the equivalent image of true 15khz RGB on a CRT. If the VGA monitor is part and parcel to your setup, however, RGB mod (or Titler, but if you already have a Vs. game, I'd go the mod route) + a good scan doubler is your best option and will get you a pretty good picture, but it's definitely a non-trivial process.

XRGB-2/2+ is a good solution to get most retro consoles on a VGA monitor with very little lag, even if it's a little pricey (as most line doublers will be, since it's a niche market). Still going to need RGB to get a good picture out of this method with most consoles though.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Except that Famicom Titlers are EXTREMELY rare - It's actually easier to get ahold of a Nintendo Vs or PlayChoic 10 board and do all the work of modding RGB into the system than it is to find a Titler, and THAT's saying something. Also titler's often sell in the $800-1000 range - not exactly economical.

[crux]

Not even close. They can be found for $200 (for the patient, anyway) - just don't look on eBay. Edit, edit: It seems Yahoo prices have gone up in the last few years too, but still far shy of even $800. Point taken, anyway.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Really? I was looking for a titler and couldn't find a non-broken one for less than $900. If you happen to know where I might find a reasonably priced Titler, for sure let me know!

[fastbilly1]

Satoshi, the last titler I saw went for $500 with shipping from a US seller in California. It was "broken" in that he could not check it because he did not have any famicom carts.

In looking around the internet, since this topic is quickly becoming one of the first if you google NES VGA - right after the game grading folk, apparently the some of the famiclones can technically be modded so they can output RGB. The FC Twin has a Sony CXA1145M that can be modded for RGB (unknown if it will work for NES games) and the Generation NEX has a PPU that can be modded.

[Hobie-wan]

and the Generation NEX has a PPU that can be modded.

Oh reeeeeeally now? I recently acquired a second one. They are actually different revisions, though I haven't looked at the insides together to compare. One doesn't have the charging port and the cases are slightly different, but I wonder how different the guts are.

[fastbilly1]

and the Generation NEX has a PPU that can be modded.

Oh reeeeeeally now? I recently acquired a second one. They are actually different revisions, though I haven't looked at the insides together to compare. One doesn't have the charging port and the cases are slightly different, but I wonder how different the guts are.

It is my understanding that the Generation NEX (in one form or another), uses a VT03 PPU, which can output RGB. Now whether it is Analog or Digital RGB, I do not know.

RetroUSB has a shot of the PCB with the VT03 printed on it:
/www.retrousb.com/NEX/NEX-Pages/Image1.html

[Satoshi_Matrix]

The FC Twin has a Sony CXA1145M that can be modded for RGB (unknown if it will work for NES games) and the Generation NEX has a PPU that can be modded.

I don't mean to sound rude, you are completely wrong and I have to call bullsh*t on both statements.

The CXA1145M is for S-video output on the SNES side of the FC Twin, not the NES side. The CXA1145M is completely independent of the NOAC. The chip is for S-video on the SNES side and that's all it does.

As for the Generation NEX, yes it's NOAC IS indeed a VT03 (an enhanced Famiclone) and yes, the VT03 IS encoded for RGB, but the RGB it produces is digital RGB for handheld LCD displays - not television screens. Add to that, VT03s are to my knowledge exclusively globtops, which are of course impossible to mod. So yes, while in a rudimentary way the NEX IS capable of producing RGB, its the wrong kind of RGB, and its RGB doesn't come out of the globtop, you're SOL either way.

There's no such thing as a Famiclone that can run on RGB. Even The Retro Duo which DOES allow you to play NES games through S-video does so by feeding a composite video through the Y (Luma) pin. If the tv is smart enough, it will produce a normal composite picture; if the tv is dumb, then you'll get black and white. Thats the closest you'll get to RGB from clones.

[fastbilly1]

Thank you for clarifying that Satoshi. You just proved everyone from about ten different sites wrong. I read about 100 different sites about this, and even people on the Benheck forum, stated that the Nex could get RGB out. Offhand I cannot tell you where the FC twin data came from, but I can find the site Monday when I am at the office again.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Happy to help. I'm surprised so many people would think you could get RGB from the NEX.I mean, just rationally thinking about it, even if the VT03 on the NEX DID IN FACT produce the useful analog RGB, how would anyone go about extracting it from the globtop? Idiots!

For a Famiclone to produce analog RGB, you can't use either a standard NOAC or even the enhanced NOAC that the VT03 provides. Until Famiclone makers decide to roll out the cash (lol) it'll never happen.