it is certainly a budget! i was somewhat considering both the Mega Sg and Duo, but seeing as i have no collection to speak of for either of those (and i'd rather not start now, even though i especially love the PC Engine, it's getting very pricey out there... anyways), it wouldn't really make sense vs getting a MiSTer (or just the dock for the Pocket i guess).

i'm sure the difference would be night and day for you, coming from composite, but you might already get great results simply with upgraded cables. iirc the 2X doesn't do SCART, but you could do component (could be pricey, depending on the console) or S-Video (usually a great step-up and in the same ballpark as composite)