Can we improve visuals on consoles - modern or retro alike - with an external graphics processor? Marseille's mClassic is a new and improved version of the mCable Gaming Edition we covered a couple of years ago. Advertised as a kind of external graphics card, many claims are made for this product, especially across social media where we've seen it described variously as a 4K upscaler, a 1440p upscaler, a means to improve retro gaming graphics and even as a Switch Pro-like upgrade. These are claims that demand testing.
At the nuts and bolts level, the mClassic is an HDMI dongle that attaches to the back of any console to administer post effects, tweaks and scaling. It relies on a micro USB cable to give it power, drawing just 1W of power at peak to drive an on-board ASIC processor. From there it interprets each flat, 2D frame as it arrives from the console, adding contextual anti-aliasing, colour boosts, intelligent sharpening, and then upscaling the result. This is all achieved with no perceptible input lag - something that holds true in my experience. But at a costs of $100, are the visual upgrades truly worth the outlay for modern games - notably for Switch?
You get three pieces in the box; the mClassic dongle itself, a USB cable to power it, and an HDMI extender. You'll need to track down a mains adapter for the USB, but any PC, TV or console will provide ample power for it to run. The HDMI extender is included as a way to support Switch while docked, since the big M shape on the mClassic casing makes it impossible to slot into the back otherwise. Plugging it into the Switch, Xbox One, or even an OSSC is a doddle with all these pieces in place. The mClassic unit itself has a stylish finish to it too, with a red protruding grip and a gold painted finish at the rear end - plus of course a new feature on its side: a processing mode toggle we didn't have on the mCable.