this post was submitted on 21 May 2026
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Best way to hook too many old consoles to a TV? (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 6 days ago by clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works to c/retrogaming@lemmy.world
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Howdy.

I set up all of my old game consoles for fun, and feel like there must be a better way. I have an NES on the antenna connector (RG6?), about eight consoles on composite (Y/R/W), and four or five on HDMI. I still have my old school Composite switch, but I need more inputs, and it would be nice to be able to use the TV remote instead of getting my old bones up. My TV has two or three HDMI ports but I need a few more.

Do I just need an RF adapter, a bigger Composite switch, and some kind of HDMI switch, or is there another option I'm not thinking of?

Thanks!

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[–] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 13 points 6 days ago (1 children)

As someone who briefly lived a similar dream, I wish someone had pointed out to me that you're still going to have to get your old bones up to get the wired controllers for those older consoles. I'd just keep the old school composite switch accessible so you can plug in whatever you want to play while you're grabbing the controllers and plugging in the cartridge. Then you just need an HDMI switcher, which could also be your surroud sound system (if you're spending money anyway...)

[–] clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Yeah, it's not like I'll switch games that often anyway, but it's annoying having more cables than I have switch inputs. I guess just bigger switches. Maybe a tree set up. XBox, Playstation, Nintendo, Other, and each with a sub-switch for the consoles.

[–] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Oh I get it completely, and I was banging my head against the wall looking for something that worked. Ultimately, some clean cable management and a few of those rubber cord grips were so much more functional than anything else I tried.

Also remember that you'll need to automate those branching switches, and each one can add a bit of lag if they are digital.

[–] clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 days ago

Cable management is a good idea. It's a rats' nest back there.