New Checkmate Display V2 makes connecting retro consoles and computers easier

Finding a decent display for an older computer isn’t as simple as plugging it into the nearest screen. Original CRT monitors are getting harder to find in good condition, while many modern TVs and monitors don’t handle low-resolution signals especially well. Add scalers, converters and switch boxes, and a supposedly simple setup can quickly become a pile of extra hardware. That’s the problem the Checkmate Display V2 is trying to simplify. Rather than starting again from scratch, the new version takes the existing Checkmate Display idea and trims away some of the complexity. The biggest change is straightforward: SCART is now built into the main board, while the standard five-way HDMI switch has been removed. Two HDMI inputs remain, so the monitor still works comfortably with newer hardware.

SCART now comes as standard

This is probably the change that will matter most to European retro computer users. On the original Checkmate Display, getting SCART meant buying the separate Appy’s retro scaler expansion. That worked, but it also meant paying for extra hardware and connections that some people simply didn’t need. If your main requirement was RGB through SCART, the original setup could become expensive quite quickly. V2 changes that.

SCART moves directly onto the standard board, so users won’t need the larger expansion just to connect machines that rely on the format. That’s particularly useful for systems from the 8-bit, 16-bit and early 32-bit eras, where RGB SCART remains one of the cleaner and more convenient ways to get video out of the machine.

The trade-off is the removal of the five-input HDMI switch from the basic model. For most buyers, that probably won’t be a serious loss. Two HDMI inputs remain, which should be enough for a modern computer, mini console, scaler or other contemporary source.

The goal is a lower price

The original Checkmate Display wasn’t cheap. The base monitor started at £379 before local taxes, while adding the retro scaler with SCART pushed the price up by another £199. The five-way HDMI switcher added a little more on top. That made sense for buyers who wanted every possible connection, but it wasn’t an ideal arrangement for someone who simply wanted SCART alongside the standard inputs.

The V2 is being redesigned with that in mind. By moving SCART onto the main board and stripping out some of the less essential hardware, the aim is to reduce the entry price without changing the basic concept of the monitor.

There’s another factor helping here. The expensive enclosure tooling already exists. Around $100,000 was invested in moulds and plastic tooling for the first-generation project, so V2 doesn’t need to absorb that same development cost again. Final pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but the structure is clearly intended to be simpler.

Expansion is still available

The Checkmate Display has always been more flexible than a normal flat-panel monitor, and that hasn’t disappeared. Users who want the full collection of inputs will still be able to add a Pro pack. That restores the complete Appy’s retro scaler package along with the five-way HDMI switcher.

It’s a sensible split. Someone running one or two older computers doesn’t have to pay for hardware they won’t use, while a collector with several systems can still build a more complicated setup. The standard model handles the common jobs. The Pro pack takes care of the rest.

The same basic Checkmate idea

Existing 19-inch Checkmate Display models use an IPS panel inside a case designed to look more at home beside classic computer hardware than a typical widescreen office monitor. The chassis is roughly 43 cm wide, 43 cm high and 18 cm deep, giving it proportions that are much closer to older desktop displays.

Previous versions have supported combinations of VGA, composite video, HDMI, built-in speakers, audio connections and optional legacy video hardware. That’s the main appeal of the platform. It isn’t pretending to be an original CRT, and it doesn’t need to. The idea is simply to provide a modern flat panel that can accept a wider range of old and new video sources without turning the desk into a converter workshop.

From the first Kickstarter to V2

The Checkmate Display first appeared on Kickstarter in late 2022 as a modular monitor aimed at both classic and modern systems. Almost 1,500 units from the first Kickstarter production run were allocated before finished monitors eventually reached customers. That first model also provided useful feedback about what buyers actually wanted.

SCART turned out to be one of the more important missing connections in the base specification. The larger scaler expansion solved that problem, but it also bundled several other functions into the same purchase. V2 separates those requirements more cleanly. If you need SCART and a couple of HDMI ports, they’re there. If you need a much larger collection of inputs, you can add them.

A simpler second version

There’s no dramatic reinvention here, and that’s probably the point. The Checkmate Display V2 keeps the same basic modular monitor concept but rearranges the hardware around a more typical retro setup. SCART moves into the standard specification, two HDMI ports remain, and the more elaborate switching and scaling hardware becomes optional. A Kickstarter campaign is planned, with final pricing still to be confirmed.

For anyone who looked at the original Checkmate Display but felt they were paying for more connectivity than they needed, V2 could be the more practical version. It keeps the useful flexibility, drops some of the excess hardware and puts SCART exactly where many buyers wanted it in the first place.

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