Enthusiast sets world record with 444 consoles connected to a single TV
The collection spans over 50 years of game hardware.
An avid retro games collector has claimed a Guinness World Record after creating a system where his collection of 444 consoles can be simultaneously connected to a single TV. Ibrahim Al-Nasser from Saudi Arabia rigged up the machines using a complex multiple KVM switch system (with supporting PC), explaining that he got fed up with plugging and unplugging consoles and adaptors so that he could enjoy his massive collection.
A typical Smart TV in 2024 will come with three or four HDMI ports, an RF-in, and some USB support. Many users will only use the physical ports for consoles and similar, as mainstream entertainment typically reaches our screens via the internet, making Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections standard essentials. It isn't great for game console collectors who want to dip into their extensive game libraries more than occasionally. In Al-Nasser's case, he embraced the challenge of getting his 444 consoles 'on tap' whenever he felt the whim to play something.
The issue facing the new world record holder wasn't only the number of consoles in his collection but also the question of the range of sometimes obscure video-out connections they supported. He proudly boasts that his KVM switching system supports many gaming-capable machines, spanning the Magnavox Odyssey (released in 1972) to the PlayStation 5 Slim (released in Q4 2023). Between those extremes, the video gaming collector said he had a wide range of consoles, home computers, plug-and-play games, HDMI game sticks, android games, and more. Some of the hardware would need custom cabling and adaptors for the abundant array of HDMI and RCA switchers employed by Al-Nasser.
The console collector seems quite proud of his cable management in the video. He explains that he used "all the tools available in the market" to minimize wiring and reckons the room looks like a museum rather than a typical tech enthusiast's den.
Al-Nasser provided a brief tour of the room where these 444 consoles were connected to a single TV. We see multiple HDMI and RCA switchers around the room, grouped into categories like home computing and mini-consoles. Accompanying the consoles is a PC with what looks like a 57-inch widescreen and a spreadsheet interface populated with the various consoles/systems that can be piped to the big TV.
The seamless use of his KVM system was demonstrated in the video, where Al-Nasser switched on a small selection of the more modern consoles in his collection, and their boot screens appeared on the big TV without any physical un/plugging or configuration tweaking. For older consoles, it seemed necessary to flick a selector switch on one of the RCA input switches before powering up the system. Before this manual switching, he checked the computer screen for the RCA switch number/reference. Where available, employing some SCART video adaptors could have helped make some mid-age consoles and computers conveniently auto-switch to their output.
Out of all the gaming devices old and new, the Sega Genesis (AKA MegaDrive) has a special place in Al-Nasser's heart. He appeared to have several consoles with expansions like the 32X and MegaCD available for gaming fun. How many of you agree that this 16-bit Motorola 68000 machine is the ultimate retro console?
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One area of console usage we think didn't get enough attention in the Guinness video is how game controllers were handled. Some parts of the video showed a construction that looked like a rotating tower of controllers. We guess some of the older hardware would need the extra step of getting a wired controller plugged in to do anything other than enjoy the nostalgic moment delivered by the boot screen/sound.
Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.
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boju https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_game_consolesReply
I see 29 console generations, not including the mini remakes which are only few of, what are the rest? 444, come on... -
Dantte WHAT THE....? This is so misleading on so many levels its not even funny! The consoles are not connected to the TV, they are connected to "KVM switches". I have far surpassed this, not with consoles, but really what does the video source matter? I have created an matrixed AVoIP system using Crestron NVX, much more complicated "KVM switch" with 1000s of sources (they could be consoles) all routable to a single display, or projector, or videowall, take your pick.Reply -
newtechldtech boju said:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_game_consoles
I see 29 console generations, not including the mini remakes which are only few of, what are the rest? 444, come on...
It is not only these consoles , there are tons of one game only consoles with TV out ... Japan is full of them ... -
boju newtechldtech said:It is not only these consoles , there are tons of one game only consoles with TV out ... Japan is full of them ...
Nope. Not practical. -
stonecarver Actually quite impressive of a mind scape of how he put this all together.Reply
I can see where he got the numbers by adding in those one off game consoles where the game is in the joystick. Not all the of them the main players we can count on our fingers. Sony, Nintendo, Sega. Xbox , Steam deck, Atari, Colecovision.
Maybe not what we all consider a true console, But he does look like he has hundreds of gaming devices hooked up through a well thought out and mental Olympics brain drain project that seem to actually work. -
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