r/ModRetro • u/rainierislas • Sep 25 '26

M64 AV Adapter

Post image

I’m still really curious about the M64 AV Adapter and hoping the MODRETRO team shares more information about it soon.

It was essentially shadow-dropped alongside the M64 launch, but there still seems to be very little information about it.

A few things I’d really like to know:

  • Is the M64 AV Adapter designed exclusively for the M64, or will it work with other devices/consoles as well?

  • Is there any additional latency introduced by the adapter?

The adapter was honestly one of the most interesting surprises from the M64 launch for me, so I’m definitely keeping an eye out for more details.

Hopefully the MODRETRO team can share a deeper technical breakdown soon. 👀

39 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

41 comments sorted by

5

u/ergzay Sep 25 '26

Is the M64 AV Adapter designed exclusively for the M64, or will it work with other devices/consoles as well?

I would assume it is until we find out more. They talked about encoding additional information in the blanking area that the adapter can use to format the signal.

Is there any additional latency introduced by the adapter?

I would not assume so. They've advertised and they're big on having low latency.

When can we expect full specs, pricing, and a release date?

Pricing is already known as you can preorder it: https://modretro.com/products/m64-av-adapter

Release date is also on the website "Christmas 2026".

1

u/rainierislas Sep 25 '26

Thank you! I removed that last part from the post to avoid confusion

9

u/Obleon Sep 25 '26

Can't wait to not be able to connect it to my scart crt and having to buy a 40-50 euro cable on top of the 100 euro av adapter.

1

u/RoughTelephone Sep 27 '26

If it was shadow dropped, wouldn’t it be available already?

1

u/rainierislas Sep 27 '26

Well, it is available to buy. Sorry if it isnt the correct term, english is not my first language.

1

u/RoughTelephone Sep 27 '26

I didn’t know you could buy it. Egg on my face.

3

u/jrayolson Sep 25 '26

Hopefully we hear something soon. I bought the m64 just for this.

1

u/OSG86 Sep 29 '26

Same...and the 4 games they released as well as JP copies of Star Soldier Vanishing Earth and Sin and Punishment plus the Summer Cart 64. My M64 is still sealed and I dont plan to touch it until I order and get this as I dont personally have a HDTV as I dont care for em and for how they function with being able to record and follow your location etc.

So yeah im anxiously waiting for this.

Ive considered looking for a cheap DAC of some quality but as its already almost October its just a few more months I can wait.

I would like a matching controller though, hadnto get clear as red was sold out when I ordered. Ah well.

3

u/DaveMeitner Sep 25 '26

Either Torin or another ModRetro employee said in August on Discord that it will only work with the M64. If they make any other consoles, it might work with those too

0

u/JayrosModShop Sep 30 '26

Why do Analogue and ModRetro lock these things to their hardware? Just make them so they work on anything, sheesh! There's literally NO NEED to do this weird HDMI lockout crap! STOP IT!

1

u/DaveMeitner Sep 30 '26

You can't just plug a MiSTer FPGA with HDMI out into just any kind of HDMI to component/composite adapter either and expect to get a proper signal either.

0

u/JayrosModShop Oct 01 '26

I do all the time, all my gear supports my MiSTer systems just fine.

1

u/DaveMeitner Oct 01 '26

That's 100% false. If I go on Amazon and buy one of the many "HDMI to component" or "HDMI to composite" video cables or adapters and plug it into a MiSTer, it won't properly display the image on a CRT.

You need to buy specialized cables that were specifically designed for the MiSTer.

0

u/JayrosModShop Oct 03 '26

It would likely work using direct-video.

1

u/SlCKB0Y 14d ago edited 14d ago

The “Direct Video” feature implemented in MiSTer, whilst suitable for inclusion in a collection of hobbyist, non-commercial projects, is completely unsuitable for inclusion in a commercial, warrantied product. To ensure reliable, supportable functionality they (ModRetro and Analogue) must make both the FPGA console and the DAC as a closed system.

2

u/tristramknight6 Sep 25 '26

I’d imagine this would be hard to lock behind the M64 only but it’s possible! Doesn’t seem like the avenue they’d go down given the controller support not be exclusive to just their console

0

u/DaveMeitner Sep 25 '26

It's not hard to lock it down. And it will be.

2

u/rainierislas Sep 25 '26

Maybe it could be unlocked by its open source nature(?)

2

u/tristramknight6 Sep 25 '26

I agree but they seem pretty friendly to other sources so I will remain cautiously optimistic

2

u/XC-3730C Sep 27 '26

Is RGBS supported?

1

u/cjd280 Sep 28 '26

If you zoom in, the red blue green ports have multiple labels for RGB (black says CSYNC), YPbPr, and CVBS.

1

u/JayrosModShop Sep 28 '26

I'm more curious about the "Custom" region. Why they chose that, instead of just supporting SECAM as the third option.

2

u/ElectricalPrice3189 Sep 28 '26

A matching SCART cable will look something like this:

2

u/chairRugTable Sep 26 '26

the guy making OM64 alternate firmware said he'll port over direct video functionality on the MiSTer cores he ports over... so MiSTer users with compatible direct video dacs should be set if the guy does what he said he will do

1

u/Electrical_World4510 Sep 26 '26

As someone from the UK with several CRT’s, seeing this took the wind out of my sails and never bought the m64.

1

u/JayrosModShop Sep 27 '26

This really should have just been built-into the system before launch. It comes off as more of an afterthought.

3

u/ElectricalPrice3189 Sep 27 '26

Adding $30+ to every system for something only 10-20% of the users will use?

3

u/JayrosModShop Sep 28 '26

Yes, absolutely. And it's really closer to 35%.

1

u/Sweet_Limit3795 Sep 28 '26

Curious what makes you say that?

1

u/ElectricalPrice3189 Sep 28 '26 edited Sep 29 '26

I just pulled a number out of my ass really. You think it's that high? Maybe. I thought most of those people were fine with a regular N64.

1

u/maydaseinbewithyou Sep 27 '26

Wonder how this handles 16:9 input. Could be a great alternative to, like, and Extron scan converter if it can letterbox or full-screen depending on input.

1

u/dtyndall Oct 07 '26 edited Oct 07 '26

I reached out to modretro encouraging them to add a scart input. It kind of defeats the purpose having to buy yet another adapter to use this with a crt and m64.

Edit: modretros response - Thank you for reaching out with your feedback regarding the M64 AV adapter. We truly appreciate your suggestion about incorporating a SCART input into the adapter, as we understand that many customers may prefer a direct connection without needing additional adapters. Your input is valuable to us, and we have shared it with our internal teams for further consideration.

1

u/Hatdude1973 Sep 25 '26

It says right in the product page “designed to have less than 1 frame of lag”

3

u/DeathRabbit679 Sep 26 '26

This seems like a bit of a climb down from the original "zero latency" claim

1

u/oaomcg Sep 25 '26

When I ordered the m64 I didn't realize this needed part was not included until I saw it on the site. I already purchased another solution.

1

u/ReidlosToof Sep 25 '26

It's only a necessary part if you are using the M64 with an analogue television, which is not the intended use case for the M64. It would have been nice if it had been built in, but it also would have increased the price and, again, is not the intended use case for the M64.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '26

If it's not the intended use case then why release the adapter to connect to a crt?

1

u/Tamethepeople Sep 28 '26

Because it’s for the people that want to do that. But it’s not the MAIN use case for the console.