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"Why don't my old games look as good as I remember?!"
Don't worry, it's not nostalgia playing tricks on you. Retro games genuinely don't look as good as they used to.
And it's due to the HD screens we're now playing them on.
A THREAD ABOUT CRT TELEVISIONS
Don't worry, it's not nostalgia playing tricks on you. Retro games genuinely don't look as good as they used to.
And it's due to the HD screens we're now playing them on.
A THREAD ABOUT CRT TELEVISIONS
There was a time when a 21" screen would have been considered big, and the pin sharp 8K resolution of today's wall filling displays were science fiction.
There was a time when TV's had curved plastic fronts, so it looked like you were watching everything through a goldfish bowl.
There was a time when TV's had curved plastic fronts, so it looked like you were watching everything through a goldfish bowl.
This was the era of the CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) television.
Before flat screen plasmas and OLEDs, TVs used electron beams to fire images across the screen.
Cool, right?
Well, yeah... But there were limitations in the size and picture quality these TVs could display.
Before flat screen plasmas and OLEDs, TVs used electron beams to fire images across the screen.
Cool, right?
Well, yeah... But there were limitations in the size and picture quality these TVs could display.
If you got real close to one (like this fan of Sonic The Hedgehog) you could see the horizontal lines of little red, green and blue dots that made up the picture.
In fact, you didn't even need to be this close.
You could see them from miles away.
In fact, you didn't even need to be this close.
You could see them from miles away.
But games were made to take advantage of these blurry and distorted displays.
Developers used the imperfections of CRTs to create visual effects and cover the limitations of early graphics hardware.
That's why your old retro games don't look as good on your 40" flat screen!
Developers used the imperfections of CRTs to create visual effects and cover the limitations of early graphics hardware.
That's why your old retro games don't look as good on your 40" flat screen!
One good example for this is Enduro for the Atari 2600.
On a modern screen, it looks like you car has spikes instead of tyres. But on a CRT, the spikes *magically* transform into spinning wheels.
See below for a comparison.
(This was realistic for the time, okay!)
On a modern screen, it looks like you car has spikes instead of tyres. But on a CRT, the spikes *magically* transform into spinning wheels.
See below for a comparison.
(This was realistic for the time, okay!)
CRTs are, sadly, a dying breed. The last one sold in the UK was in 2006.
But there are whispers of a CRT revival. No doubt due to its unparalleled latency times - they're lightning fast!
In the meantime, you can check out some of our lovingly looked after CRTs at the NVM.
But there are whispers of a CRT revival. No doubt due to its unparalleled latency times - they're lightning fast!
In the meantime, you can check out some of our lovingly looked after CRTs at the NVM.
