Marseille's mClassic dongle promised a lot when it was released back in 2021. The company made a big deal about how the add-on device could improve the image quality of both modern and retro systems, but the end result was so subtle that our friends over at Nintendo Life couldn't quite give it a glowing recommendation.
Marseille recently returned to the concept with the RGB Collection, three new dongles which now have specific aims. The red version is effectively an update of the original mClassic, while the blue (Switch) and green (Retro) are ever-so-slightly different.
From day one, this seemed like an odd move, as surely it would make more sense to simply expand the functionality of the base mClassic and include all of the modes on that—and it would seem that the sceptics had reason to be doubtful about the venture, as the experts over at My Life in Gaming have delivered a damning verdict on the RGB Collection, going as far as to call them "perhaps the most bafflingly poor products we have ever reviewed."
There are plenty of issues here. The first is that some of the mClassic's modes make games appear washed out; My Life in Gaming initially assumed this was a bug, but it's actually intentional on Marseille's part. There are also problems with the Switch (blue) mClassic making colours look over-saturated and blacks too deep, removing detail and clarity.
The green mClassic, on the other hand, fails to perform as advertised almost entirely; while Marseille advertises it as being perfect for older consoles (when connected via an HDMI adapter or mod), My Life in Gaming found that, when feeding an analog signal to the mClassic via a converter like the OSSC, the mClassic simply drops into pass-thru mode and doesn't upscale the image in any way.
The green unit also has two retro modes, which are billed as making the games "look like you remember". This, unfortunately, means washing out the colours in a way that's "bad beyond belief", according to My Life in Gaming.
The channel did, however, answer one very important question about the RGB Collection—what happens when they're all connected together? The answer is rather underwhelming, if we're honest.
The full review is well worth watching, especially if you've been unsure about this particular product range.