For over 10 years, Kingstec has collaborated with HD Retrovision, an innovative company in the retro gaming sector that produces specialized cables for classic video game consoles. HD Retrovision's mission is to preserve gaming history and improve the retro gaming experience by developing products that allow gamers to play older consoles on modern TVs without modifications to the original hardware.
The company's groundbreaking approach leverages integrated circuit boards built directly into cables that convert signals from vintage gaming systems such as Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo, providing superior visual quality on contemporary displays.
"We hand-built prototypes, ordered cables, assembled printed circuit boards, and created a working prototype that was completely new. Nothing like this existed on the market," said Nick Mueller, HD Retrovision's co-founder.
After successfully developing these initial prototypes, HD Retrovision needed to transition from concept to scalable manufacturing.
The primary challenge facing HD Retrovision was scaling from handmade prototypes to commercial production while maintaining quality and affordability. Their specialized cables required precision manufacturing, which proved difficult to source domestically at viable price points.
“We had originally planned to manufacture in the US, but we were struggling to find a domestic solution at a price point that would be financially viable,” Mueller said, explaining that HD Retrovision needed a manufacturing partner who could ensure their cables would be completely noise-free without causing visual distortions on modern televisions. Most importantly, they required someone who could deliver consistent quality while keeping the product affordable for the retro gaming community.
“We got a recommendation from a friend who had used Kingstec for their product. We talked to the Kingstec team, and they helped us rethink the manufacturing design and get it built in a scalable way.”
Drawing on decades of manufacturing experience, Kingstec identified three critical improvements that would make HD Retrovision's innovative cables both producible and profitable.
The first, and possibly most significant, improvement came from completely redesigning the housing approach. “Our original plan was to have the circuit board sitting inside a plastic box with cables coming in and out on either end, but Kingstec provided a better solution through overmolding,” Mueller said. This approach seamlessly integrated the PCB within the cable itself, creating a sleeker, more professional product with improved durability.
Signal quality was another critical concern. "We worked together to find the right type of cabling that would be noise-free and wouldn't produce distortions on the TV," said Mueller.
In a separate manufacturing challenge, early production revealed an issue with overmolding material occasionally seeping into the audio jack on the circuit boards. "Once we discovered the issue, the Kingstec team was quick to act and engineered a fix for future production," Mueller added.
“Once we discovered the issue, Kingstec engineered a fix for future production,” he said.
To prevent manufacturing waste, Kingstec then helped develop a testing protocol that could identify problems before the final assembly stage.
“If the circuit board wasn't built correctly, the whole cable would be ruined after overmolding. The test fixture prevented this by allowing technicians to test the boards before assembly,” Mueller explained.
Kingstec's manufacturing support created a pathway for HD Retrovision to successfully bring their innovative gaming cables to market. The overmolding process, quality material selection, and robust testing protocols resulted in a high-quality product that has become popular among retro gaming enthusiasts.
“Had we gone through our original plan of essentially having these hand-built in the US, it would have drained all of our resources, and the quality wouldn't have been something that people would have kept coming back for. Kingstec saved us from wasting a bunch of money and helped us build higher-quality products at a better price.” Mueller said, explaining that the partnership has continued to evolve, with ongoing production of cable lines for the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo, as well as development of new product SKUs.
"From price, quality, and ease of working with, Kingstec has been great, and I think without them, we wouldn't exist today,” he said.
In today's complex global manufacturing landscape, companies face numerous challenges when bringing innovative products to market, from design optimization and quality control to cost management and supply chain resilience. Partnering with an experienced manufacturing consultant can help you navigate these complexities and uncover new opportunities for growth and efficiency.
Working with Kingstec provides several key advantages:
Contact Kingstec today to discuss how we can help you optimize your manufacturing strategy.
