I’ve bought a whole lot of stuff for my Nintendo Switch OLED. And like an idiot, I purchased most of said stuff when it wasn’t Black Friday season. So don’t be stupid like me. If there’s a particular Switch peripheral or accessory you’ve been thirsting after, now is the time to get it.
Which leads me onto my all-time favorite Nintendo Switch device: an awesome HDMI upscaler that makes games look soooo much better on large TVs.
Right now, the Marseille mClassic 1440p/4K Upscaler is on sale for $79 at Amazon. That’s 20 bucks off its normal $99 list price. The deal is even better in the UK, where the Marseille mClassic Upscaler is down to £72 at Amazon. Normally it retails for £99 on these frigid shores.
Though I’ve primarily used this gizmo on my Switch, it works on any console with an HDMI socket — though I wouldn’t recommend using Marseille’s gadget on PS5 or Xbox Series X. Simply put, the 4K output of those high-end consoles don’t need this upscaler’s help to produce crystal clear Ultra HD images.
Nintendo’s handheld hybrid most definitely does need the mClassic's assistance, though. Don’t forget, this is a console that’s maximum resolution is 1080p (1920 x 1080) in Docked mode. If you’re regularly playing Switch games on one of the best 75-inch TVs, like I do, they can look downright ugly.
That’s down to a couple of factors. First, unless you own a really high-end TV, most modern 4K sets don’t do all that great a job of upscaling 1080p signals. This isn’t hugely obvious if you’re playing on, say, a 55-inch TV or smaller. Yet it becomes a real issue when you’re staring at screens north of 65-inches, which more and more people are buying thanks to the best Black Friday TV deals.
The other big problem with playing Switch games on a really big TV is that many Nintendo games lack any form of anti-aliasing. Ironically, Nintendo is pretty much the worst offender for this and it’s rare to see the company’s first-party titles exhibit image-smoothing features to help eradicate in-game ‘jaggies’.
This is where the mClassic really shines. The clever gizmo immediately upscales your the Switch's picture to 4K"
This is where the mClassic really shines, as soon as you plug the HDMI cable from your Switch dock into its adapter, then switch the device into Enhanced mode, the clever gizmo will immediately upscale your palm-friendly console’s picture.
Now, while the company claims this is a 4K upscaler, I’d say the effect you get on most of the best Switch games looks more like 1440p territory. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a lovely boost over what the Switch in Docked mode is capable of reaching out of the box.
The other big weapon the Marseille mClassic has up its sleeve is that it applies a form of anti-aliasing to games, while also sharpening the image. This leaves you with titles that look both smoother and more detailed at the same time. I’d say the difference with the mClassic in its default mode — where it doesn't fiddle with the image signal at all — and Enhanced mode can produce night and day improvements in certain games.
No Tears here
For me, the best experiences I’ve had using the mClassic have been with Metroid Prime Remastered, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Odyssey. The latter two games in particular really benefit from whatever in-house version of anti-aliasing Marseille is using, as its device really smooths these games out without smudging environmental details.
Mario’s hat-chucking adventure benefits the most from the mClassic, and in my case it took the game from being unplayable without the upscaler to enjoyable to experience on my 77-inch C2 OLED TV.
Of course, being the television, ahem, ‘enthusiast’ that I am, I’ve since ditched that screen for the 77-inch LG G3 OLED. In my book, it's the best OLED TV in the world, and the likes of Tears, Odyssey and the more recent Super Mario Bros. Wonder all look exceptional on it.
Granted, the LG G3 does a phenomenal job of upscaling 1080p content on its own. But hey, not everyone can afford a TV that often retails for $4,000. So if you’re dealing with an older TV or even a relatively new mid-range LCD panel, the mClassic can have a transformative effect on improving how good your favorite Switch games look.
While I’ve got you here, make sure to check out our best Black Friday Nintendo Switch deals.
Happy splurging!
