Marseille mClassic Upscaler (Hardware)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
Imagine if you could mix the modernization of upscaled visuals you get from emulators, with the satisfaction of actually physically playing those games on original hardware. Marseille claims that they can do exactly just that, with the mClassic "4K upscaler". Touting 4K visuals for all your beloved old games, it's an ambitious promise, so, of course, we have to see if they deliver.
The mClassic markets itself first and foremost as a way to make Nintendo Switch games look better; "Switch" is headlined right after the product name, and most of the marketing goes towards showing screenshots of Switch ports, presumably running at 4K resolution. One of the selling points Marseille goes out of its way to state is "4K no lag enhancer". A curious choice, as right out of the gate, you should eliminate the dream of playing Switch, or any games for that matter, at upscaled 4K via the mClassic. The only way you can get the mClassic to output 4K is if the source is running 30Hz--a complete rarity. Add onto that with the fact that the mClassic also touts 1440p support, but specifically only when you're playing your games on a monitor, not on a TV, even if your TV supports 1440p. That bit of devious advertising isn't a great look.
(Pokemon Scarlet: mClassic ON)
(Pokemon Scarlet: mClassic OFF)
Once you have an expectation of most likely only getting 1080p (at least it can do 120fps at that resolution, but again, what console, especially retro ones, display that?) out of the mClassic, you can get to work setting it up. The upscaler comes in the form of a compact dongle with an HDMI in and out on either side. You're meant to plug the HDMI side into the source that you want to upscale, which can be a little tricky. The mClassic does not at all fit into the Switch dock's HDMI port, but fortunately, Marseille does include an HDMI female-to-male cable--not the most elegant solution, but it gets the job done.
There are three modes that the mClassic can toggle between: passthrough, enhancer, and retro. The last of which supports 4:3 aspect ratios and are designed for older games that can't display in widescreen. Using passthrough is good if you're running an HDMI switcher and you don't want a specific console to use the mClassic's upscaling. Regardless of any of the modes, the device introduces absolutely no noticeable lag, which is an incredibly important feature to have.
(BOTW: mClassic off)
(BOTW: mClassic ON)
Setting the mClassic to upscale actually does show a difference in picture quality. Jaggies are smoothed out, and there's a slight increase in definition on characters' faces. Whether or not this is a $100-worthy improvement will come down to how dated you find Switch games to look blown up on massive 4K TVs. The smoothing does help quite a lot in making some titles like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and Tears of the Kingdom not appear to be as jarring as I found them to look without the mClassic, but it's also not a magical cure-all for making Switch games look even close to current gen graphics. Cartoon-y 3D games like Animal Crossings: New Horizons saw less improvements, so you'll mostly notice the visual fidelity changes with bigger titles like Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, or The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. 2D games like Dead Cells or Hollow Knight have a subtly cleaner display thanks to the filtering, but you'll need to either be highly particular to notice it, or zoom in on the picture to catch some of the changes. Just don't expect anything from 2D pixel art games.
Left: off, right: on
Consoles outside of the Nintendo Switch also work with the mClassic; component to HDMI cables will let you use it with consoles like the Nintendo Wii, original Xbox, and PlayStation 1. Your mileage may vary, though, because anything that displays at 480i upsets the mClassic, resulting in either zero upscaling support, or no signal at all. Given the PlayStation 2 frequently outputs at 480i, you might want to look elsewhere if that's something you want the mClassic for.
A nice inclusion with the mClassic is that you don't have to buy a whole bucket of them to use on each of your consoles; if you plug it into an HDMI switcher, it'll upscale everything connected to the switcher, e.g. having a PS TV, PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii U, and N64 all hooked up together. You will have to get to the mClassic to manually change it from upscale to 4:3 mode, which can get annoying if you've got it carefully routed behind your TV as I do.
Left: off, right: on
The mClassic is a curious little dongle, and one that adequately makes your games look a little bit better. The improvements you get aren't going to blow you away, but if you're looking for something that might make your older games look a tad more bearable on your 4K TV, then it gets the job done. Obviously, if you're really invested in making your games look as great as they can, you'll want to look towards getting a RetroTink or OSSC. If you're more casual about your retro gaming experience, or are seeking what is effectively a smoothing filter for less jaggies on anything from the seventh gen onwards, the mClassic is a solution, albeit an expensive one.
Verdict
- It makes small text in older games a lot more readable
- Switch and 7th gen games do get a nice, if subtle, boost
- Works with an HDMI switcher box
- Sneakily only upscales 30hz content to 4K, not 60hz
- 1440p mode is only usable on monitors
- Doesn't work well with the PS2's 480i output
