There’s been some interesting updates regarding the existing OSSC, as well as the upcoming OSSC Pro!: The Pro should be available this year and there’s a new v1.8 motherboard revision of the original OSSC, with a new v1.6 firmware to go with it. Tons more info below the link and I’ll post again when either are up for sale:
Original OSSC: https://retrorgb.link/ossc
Press Release: https://videogameperfection.com/2023/10/03/ossc-newsletter-issue/
First, the Pro: It’s expected to ship next month, for around $330. The max resolution it can support is 1440p60, or 1080p120, with true 4K60 not being possible. That said, the price is great and it’s an excellent alternative to the RT5x for people looking to use certain arcade boards and retro PC’s that aren’t compatible with the RT5x. It won’t have composite or S-Video ports, so there’s absolutely room for the OSSC Pro next to the TINK 5x and 4K. I’m also really interested to test BFI at 1080p120, as this might be a great alternative for people on a budget who can’t get the RetroTINK 4K. I hope to have a video ready for launch.
There’s also tons of good news regarding the original OSSC…with one bit of bad news: A mod. Please allow me to explain…
Markus has just finished a new motherboard revision of the OSSC, now at v1.8. This version has some slight changes that allow it to be more compatible with certain input devices. So, if you have an arcade board that won’t sync with the current OSSC, this will likely help. On the flip side, if your display wasn’t compatible with certain output modes like 1080p5x, this probably won’t help.
Along with the new board revision, Markus also released a new firmware. This adds shadow mask CRT emulation, HDR mode, 1440p pixel repetition mode (good for native 1440p monitors!) and that improved sync support I just mentioned. The one catch: This v1.6 firmware revision isn’t compatible with the older motherboards, unless you perform a mod.
The mod itself is simply removing a surface-mount resistor and soldering a wire between that pad and the main chip. Unfortunately, the pin & pad are really small – This is NOT a mod for beginners. While I’m by no means an “expert modder”, I’m pretty decent and ended up breaking the pad on my OSSC. It’s fixable, but that’s a bit out of my league. So, don’t be stubborn like me and try it anyway, unless you regularly perform similar mods.
A bit of good news, is if you accidentally flash the new firmware to your older OSSC, you can just flash it right back; Your video output might be kinda crazy with the new firmware & no mod, but you won’t hurt anything and you can always just use the front LCD display to flash it back to v0.90.
So, there’s two ways to look at the OSSC update: Complain that you have to mod your old OSSC to get the new firmware, or be grateful Markus is still supporting this awesome product – COMPLETELY FREE – long after he could have just moved on to the Pro. I think you all know where I stand with stuff like this…
I’ll post again as soon as either the OSSC v1.8 or OSSC Pro is up for sale!
