Modretro had hinted it was working on audio out over USB for its Chromatic handheld for a little while now. Up until this point, to record audio along with video, you had to use the headphone output, and connecting an audio line to a PC required a ground loop isolator to clean up the interference of the Chromatic’s power draw. While this approach worked to record audio and video in apps like OBS, the setup was less than ideal, which is why the promise of audio output over USB was so enticing.

Well, the madlads and lasses over at Modretro have done it; they’ve delivered on their promise with the latest Chromatic firmware release, 4.0. And that’s not all. Not only is audio output over USB working a treat once you update your device, but you can now change palette colors on the fly from the device’s settings.

Chromatic’s latest firmware update is here

If you couldn’t tell, audio output over USB is a bit of a big deal. While I’ve already recorded a few videos for the site, not having to deal with an extra cable connected to a ground loop isolator is undoubtedly a significant improvement. Up until this point, I also couldn’t get the sound out over the headphone jack to record on Linux with OBS. However, having tested the new USB sound out, I can say with great enthusiasm that recording on Windows and Linux both work equally well.

The new palette selection screen remembers your choice

Another great feature added with today’s v4.0 firmware is the ability to choose your palette for Game Boy titles. Before today’s update, you would have to use a button and d-pad shortcut to choose your palette, and the device would not remember your choice after you turned it off, requiring the shortcut to be used on every game boot.

Well, now that you can choose your palette in the Chromatic menu, not only is it easier to jump from one to another without having to reboot the game each time, but your selection will be remembered across games. For instance, if you enjoy the grayscale palette, once you set it from the device’s menu, it’ll stick for all supported games until you change it. Nice.

Bug fixes are also in the mix

Beyond the new palettes and audio over USB, a few bugfixes also made the cut with today’s 4.0 firmware update. Frame blending is now more accurate, which is particularly important when recording video, ensuring the games look as pixel-perfect as possible. Apparently, v3.0 of the Chromatic’s firmware introduced an issue with the video capture quality, thanks to a change to ensure compliance with the USB specification for a camera streaming device (this is why the Chromatic works so well with OBS, it’s read as a camera), and now v4.0 is here to address this regression.

Modrero has also inverted the audio output polarity to match GBC, which likely has something to do with the fact that we can now output audio over USB. You can find the full changelog here.

v4.0

• Support for streaming audio to PCs over USB.
• A tab in the Chromatic menu to change the palette colors for compatible titles.
• Menu navigation wraps from bottom to top, and vice-versa.
• Frame blending is now more accurate.
• Inverted the audio output polarity to match GBC.

Modretro is on a roll

Modretro has been absolutely on a tear over the past few weeks. We recently received an update to its Chromatic Firmware Update Utility, which can easily back up, restore, and erase your Chromatic game saves. The company also just dropped a physical re-release of Ubisoft’s Game Boy Color title, Rayman, breathing new life into the game with a fresh soundtrack. And then today, Modretro comes out swinging with a fresh firmware bringing along one of my most-awaited features: sound out over USB.

To say Modretro has its finger on the pulse of what its fans want is an understatement. Here’s hoping the good times keep rolling, as I’m incredibly excited to see what the company has in store for its next announcement. Perhaps we’ll see more Ubisoft games brought back from the grave. Fingers crossed.

Firmware Update Utility

Download at Modrero