51
submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by CorrodedCranium@leminal.space to c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.world

I have a few consoles setup on my desk and I think it would be neat to be able forgo switching inputs on my monitor.

It could be useful for setting up a picture-in-picture system and using the inputs in EmuVR to play non-Retroarch consoles like my Xbox 360 and original Xbox.

Is this feasible? I would be fine playing at lower resolutions. I have attempted it with a cheap Ali Express HDMI to USB device but the latency threw a wrench into that idea. I am wondering if a more capable capture device could be the answer.

Also would my graphics card play a big factor? I have 1070ti so I feel like it should be fine.

top 25 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] doczombie@lemmy.world 29 points 8 months ago

If all you're looking to do is nicer input switching, a KVM switch would be a better solve.

Capture cards would be more useful if you wanted to record the gaming sessions. AFAIK they will always introduce latency as they are usually designed for a situation where that is fine.

[-] CorrodedCranium@leminal.space 6 points 8 months ago

What I am more so after is combining inputs rather than switching them.

EmuVR for example lets you add custom video files to the CRTs in your virtual bedroom and I think with some effort it would be possible to use the feed from a capture card in it. I would essentially be using the consoles' controller and playing on real hardware but in a virtual world.

It would also be nice to be able to simply add some kind of picture-in-picture mode to my monitor so I can watch Seinfeld in the corner of the screen while I play Elden Ring. So I would be fine with a device specifically for that purpose instead of a software solution.

[-] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 8 points 8 months ago

High end capture cards might be able to get a low res stream with minimal delay, but you will still notice the delay. Let alone the software side

And at that price? You are better off buying a tv that supports picture in picture. Or a tablet

[-] doczombie@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

Yeah.. tend to agree - it's doable but OP would be reaching for some fairly hectic gear to solve a pretty small problem. Consumer monitors with PIP definitely exist and would be cheaper.

[-] CorrodedCranium@leminal.space 1 points 8 months ago

Consumer monitors with PIP definitely exist and would be cheaper.

They seem pretty hard to come by from what I've seen during sporadic searching

[-] doczombie@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

Not really.. just a slightly higher end of gear, most of dells professional series will do it from memory, the gigabyte on my desk does it.

[-] PeachMan@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago
[-] CorrodedCranium@leminal.space 1 points 8 months ago

I don't think any of those solutions are dealing with video outputs though. They seem to be mostly talking about pop out windows,

[-] SolOrion@sh.itjust.works 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071DN62GW Here's an HDMI switch with PIP. Zero clue how good of an experience that would be, but that sort of thing exists.

[-] TechAdmin@lemmy.world 11 points 8 months ago

I have never seen a capture device with USB interface have any kind of usable latency, you'll want one with PCI Express interface.

Elgato makes a capture card with PCI Express interface, I had a friend who used one to play all of his consoles on big virtual screen in VR. I tried out Mario Kart 8 for the Switch and it played great.

[-] CorrodedCranium@leminal.space 1 points 8 months ago

Really? No major hiccups?

Someone else suggested the same thing and it sounds like it might be what I am looking for. I was only using my USB device because it's what I had on-hand. A PCI-E device would be fine

[-] ook_the_librarian@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I have a pci-e capture for composite. I do notice an input delay. I didn't really try to get a bleeding-edge configuration setup. Just wanted to mention that it might not be as simple as it sounds.

Have you seen the RetroTink project? I have no first-hand experience, but I've heard good things. Not sure if it fits your use-case. It's used to convert composite video to hdmi with minimal latency. You'd still have to switch monitor inputs, though.

[-] TechAdmin@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

Yep, I only played through couple races & was a few beers in, it felt acceptable for me at the time. Not sure how it would be with the latest gen Elgato cards & they are pricey so best to buy from store with a good return policy.

[-] Karlos_Cantana@sopuli.xyz 8 points 8 months ago

I hate to be the negative person, but I think you would be adding so much complications that it would necessarily cause delay at the very least. I'd be fascinated to see if you could prove me wrong, though.

[-] CorrodedCranium@leminal.space 3 points 8 months ago

No worries. I was wondering if anyone else has done it already so I wouldn't need to do some potentially expensive experimenting. I feel like I've seen devices specifically for splitting and sharing inputs somewhere before.

[-] Rexios@lemm.ee 6 points 8 months ago

It’s not cheap but I did this just fine with the Elgato 4K

[-] linearchaos@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

Yep, that's what we use at work.

[-] CorrodedCranium@leminal.space 1 points 8 months ago

The latency isn't too bad? At $200 that doesn't seem too bad compared to some alternatives I've seen suggested

[-] Rexios@lemm.ee 1 points 8 months ago

I used the PCIE card. The latency is imperceptible. It’s meant to be in between your GPU and monitor for streaming from a second PC.

[-] Num10ck@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

search for a video mixer.

[-] TowardsTheFuture@lemmy.zip 3 points 8 months ago

I feel like it’d have to be pretty expensive and you may as well just… buy a 2nd monitor?

[-] 0x4E4F@infosec.pub 3 points 8 months ago

If a DeckLink or an Aja card doesn't cut it, nothing will.

[-] Decipher0771@lemmy.ca -2 points 8 months ago
[-] vithigar@lemmy.ca 3 points 8 months ago

How does that help him play his 360 without swapping inputs around?

[-] Decipher0771@lemmy.ca 1 points 8 months ago

Sorry thought he wanted to play emulators from his 1070 rig.

this post was submitted on 23 Nov 2023
51 points (100.0% liked)

No Stupid Questions

34938 readers
1436 users here now

No such thing. Ask away!

!nostupidquestions is a community dedicated to being helpful and answering each others' questions on various topics.

The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

Rules (interactive)


Rule 1- All posts must be legitimate questions. All post titles must include a question.

All posts must be legitimate questions, and all post titles must include a question. Questions that are joke or trolling questions, memes, song lyrics as title, etc. are not allowed here. See Rule 6 for all exceptions.



Rule 2- Your question subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material.

Your question subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material. You will be warned first, banned second.



Rule 3- Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here.

Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here. Breaking this rule will not get you or your post removed, but it will put you at risk, and possibly in danger.



Rule 4- No self promotion or upvote-farming of any kind.

That's it.



Rule 5- No baiting or sealioning or promoting an agenda.

Questions which, instead of being of an innocuous nature, are specifically intended (based on reports and in the opinion of our crack moderation team) to bait users into ideological wars on charged political topics will be removed and the authors warned - or banned - depending on severity.



Rule 6- Regarding META posts and joke questions.

Provided it is about the community itself, you may post non-question posts using the [META] tag on your post title.

On fridays, you are allowed to post meme and troll questions, on the condition that it's in text format only, and conforms with our other rules. These posts MUST include the [NSQ Friday] tag in their title.

If you post a serious question on friday and are looking only for legitimate answers, then please include the [Serious] tag on your post. Irrelevant replies will then be removed by moderators.



Rule 7- You can't intentionally annoy, mock, or harass other members.

If you intentionally annoy, mock, harass, or discriminate against any individual member, you will be removed.

Likewise, if you are a member, sympathiser or a resemblant of a movement that is known to largely hate, mock, discriminate against, and/or want to take lives of a group of people, and you were provably vocal about your hate, then you will be banned on sight.



Rule 8- All comments should try to stay relevant to their parent content.



Rule 9- Reposts from other platforms are not allowed.

Let everyone have their own content.



Rule 10- Majority of bots aren't allowed to participate here.



Credits

Our breathtaking icon was bestowed upon us by @Cevilia!

The greatest banner of all time: by @TheOneWithTheHair!

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS