Genki Arcade Shadowcast Update: Does It Actually Work on Windows Now?

In this episode, we have an update regarding the Genki Shadowcast and its possible improvement thanks to a much-needed update to the Genki Arcade App on Windows.

Check out our original review of the Genki Shadowcast at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYXz845F3Z8

When we reviewed the Genki Shadowcast in early 2021, I was highly critical of the device. I did not feel that it delivered on its promise of being able to play HDMI feeds through your laptop as a monitor. At least on a Windows machine, there was a ton of lag, to the point where it was really unplayable. While many suggested using an HDMI splitter to capture on my computer and play on a TV, the whole premise behind this device was to do everything through the computer. It only seemed that this issue affected Windows users, as Genki admitted to me that their development was primarily on Apple devices.

In the fall of 2021, Genki released a new firmware for the Genki Arcade Shadowcast app. Designed to "fix bugs", one of the other benefits was reportedly to reduce the lag for Windows users. I downloaded and updated the Arcade app, & it was time to get playing.

Upon firing up Super Back to the Future 2 for the Super Famicom, I noticed that there was some blurriness when a game would initially load. Like if you want to a cutscene and came back out the first few seconds would be a little blurry, and then it would get pixel sharp. This was bizarre. I will say beyond this oddity, the overall performance was much improved and I could notice this immediately. Button presses, while still featuring some inherent lag, we're much more precise and accurate. Where before I felt games were unplayable, now I felt like I could go ahead and play somewhat competently.

Next up was a test to parallel capture between my Hauppauge PVR 60 Pro and the Shadowcast. The color capture between the two devices was different. You can see the flesh tones in Glass Joe are much more washed out on the Shadowcast, the backgrounds are not quite as accurate, and overall it was just different. There were some aspects that I did like better. The color of the mat, for example, I thought looked better on the Shadowcast. The round number indication I liked better on the Shadowcast. But overall, even with daisy-chaining two capture devices together, it was still pretty playable.

I went on to test several more games, including the just received Joy Mech Fight (see here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvaTg2-unSs). The experience was much different from my initial impressions. Would I use this as a daily driver? Absolutely not. If I'm traveling and I don't want to play my Switch and handheld mode, could I use something like the Brook Dockless Dock Cable? Absolutely. This is more in line with what I think they should have released initially and something I hope they build upon. There is still room for improvement here, there was still some odd leg and delay from time to time, and I'd like to see them add some features to their Genki Arcade App. Being able to add an external camera if I wanted to record footage natively would be terrific. I know I can do this through OBS, but using everything right through this one device would be a vast improvement. Since the update is software-related, if I tried to capture through OBS, I would still have many of the lag and delay issues from the initial release.

Should You Buy One Now?

A sub $50 capture device is hard to turn your nose at, but there's still room for this to improve. I'd like to see a hardware revision that utilizes USB 3.0 or USB-C protocols for improved data transfer. I realize they would increase cost, but in many ways, this doesn't do a whole lot more than those inexpensive USB 2.0 capture card sticks, outside of the specialized app. I think this may have been something that was beyond Genki's initial technical development skills, and that's not meant to be a slam simply an observation. I'm glad to see that they have not abandoned the project and continue to work to improve the overall experience. The work's not done and I'm interested to see what they do to improve performance next.

#GenkiArcade #Shadowcast #Kickstarter

The footage used in this review are used under the Fair Use laws, referenced below

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/107

Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.

The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of these factors.
(Pub. L. 94–553, title I, § 101, Oct. 19, 1976, 90 Stat. 2546; Pub. L. 101–650, title VI, § 607, Dec. 1, 1990, 104 Stat. 5132; Pub. L. 102–492, Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3145.)