i rekon 100% guaranteed youll have lag with the ossc too and the majority of that would be from the monittor not the conversion. but sure, show me numbers with the ossc and the dongle with the same monitor and ill be more inclined to spend $300 on one
I'm detecting a condescending tone... I hope this is not the case, since you are a moderator. Anyway, keep in mind that my intention is only helping, that I am deep into the retro gaming scene and that I have a degree in this field since several years ago.
Anyway, if you know how this works, it is easy to understand.
Any device that converts YPbPr (analogue) into HDMI (digital) will need a complex system in order to do this. Conventional adapters usually add 2-4 frames. It depends a lot on the components, the logic of the PCB it uses, etc. But in general, keep in mind you are adding 2-4 frames of input lag unless you are using a high-quality converter.
Also, there is a problem with resolution. These common adapters do not upscale the signal, neither do they upconvert it. Instead, they rely on your screen. Many LCDs handle 480p, but they have a fix set of 1080p. Since these resolution standards are not compatible (i.e., the latter is not a multiple of the former), any upscaling will have delay. Depending on your screen, this can be quite low, even zero, but in many cases it can be quite high, even if you use the "Game Mode", since it has to be upscaled. Of course, we are assuming the screen does not add any lag to the one caused by the transformation and the upscaling.
In the specific case of Wii2HDMI, it works on a frame-buffer basis, so it does add input lag. Probably just 1-2 frames, or probably more. However, it does not upscale/upconvert, so it will need image processing by your screen in any circumstance, which can add a couple of frames depending on what screen you have. Some add a lot, many doesn't even have lag for a 480p signal.
Anyway, playing casually with 4-7 frames can be a bit uncomfortable... But playing competitively a game like
Project M is painful. Same with many fighting games, shmups, competitive FPS, and some other super competitive genres in video gaming.
However, the OSSC is not a simple dongle. It has quite an advanced PCB that converts analogue to digital incredibly fast, in way less than 1/60 of a second. And also, it ensures that the original signal is multiplied by natural numbers, no decimals. This avoids upscaling, since this is upconversion. Thus, the OSSC outputs a 1080p signal in which there is a 480p image multiplied by 2. This way, it has no input lag, and if you use the aboved mentioned "Game Mode", assuming you have a decent screen, the lag would be zero frames.
Since the transformation from analogue to digital is not based on a frame buffer, and there is upconversion instead of upscaling, you won't have any lag. Unless you have such a crappy screen that even in "Game Mode" gives you lag, which is not that common.
Nevertheless, this is only in regards to frame delay (input lag). If you talk about colors, pixel sharpness, blur, etc., using an OSSC is again a perfect solution, since there is no deformation. However, using a cheap converter from analogue to digital can mess the image, as well as the terrible upscaling algorithm most screens have.
If a dongle like that, the one you can buy for $20 in Amazon, were an acceptable option for these consoles as well as for any arcade board hooked to a Super Gun, nobody would be developing, selling and buying lots of devices such as the OSSC. If you ask me, I plan to hook up to an OSSC several consoles, namely Atari 2600, Top-Loader Famicom, PC Engine, MegaDrive, SNES, NeoGeo, Saturn, PSX, GameGear, N64, Dreamcast, PS2 and Xbox. So trust me, I have done my homework and a looooot of research about the best options for image and gameplay.
Furthermore, many people are competing right now for providing the best solution in terms of image for the GameCube.
Here you have BadAss Consoles, which is one of the most relevant retro shops for such thing. Then you have one of the most ambitious mods for the Wii, that has been in the making for years in the
Shmups Forums.
As I said, if $20 could give you a perfect image, with no distortion, no lag, no ghosting, etc., nobody would be doing these things, neither Smashers would have been playing in CRTs for the last decade. Nobody.
Nonetheless, hundreds of people spend hundreds of dollars/euros in upgrading their consoles, in buying good-quality cables and upscalers/upconverters as well as high-quality SCART switches, such as the
Gscartsw. This is due to a scientifical fact: cheap converters add lag, blur, distortion and asimetry, among other issues. High-quality equipment is more expensive, but has not got these issues.
Last but not least, £135 are $183, not $300. Even if you had to pay duties, it wouldn't go that high. But anyway, if I recall correctly, the creator of the OSSC is considering mass production, which would reduce costs significantly. I am wating for that moment, for instance. The moment it has a mass production, costs will be reduced, so I could buy one of these for some €120.
