Shaders are the reason I fell in love with Retroarch. Btw for those searching for custom shaders, Retrocrisis provides the best CRT and other shaders in youtube
Shaders are one of the reasons I don't like using standalone emulators. Retroarch makes games look better, like _a lot_ better, and everything else feels like a big downgrade.
Omg I can't believe it, I was researching a lot of stuff yesterday about Shaders in retro games, it's fate my favorite channel is going to release a video about it soon.
Holy shit! I DID NOT KNOW about the motion blur shaders, mind blown. 10:01 Damn! Thank you! Ok.. now I got some adjustments to make lol! For the 40XXV I like to use XBR-LV3-Multipass smoothing upscale?/shader with the LCD3X for mostly all 16 bit consoles and CPS1-3. I use ScaleFX with LCD3X for my rp3+ and a color matching one tv border for my Odin Base, haven't used it in a while. Also tweaked each system to use powersave as needed but still get bout 10fps faster when fast forwarding, I want the best battery life out of these things. Great video, man! Thank you!
I wish I'd had guides like this back when I started using Retroarch lol. Thanks for helping out today's newbies. Here's the CRT setup I use for home consoles below N64 on 640x480 screens: 1. kawase_glow ('blurs' folder) 2. pixel_aa_fast 3. ossc ('scanlines' folder) 4. zfast_crt_geo_svideo ('crt' folder) Start with kawase and then append the rest in order. The zfast has scanlines, but they're too faint for my taste, that's what the OSSC is for. Despite being 4 shaders deep, each one is so lightweight that I can use this combo on PS1 games (native res at least) on my RG40XX-H with almost no performance hit. Note: from what I've seen, pixel_aa_fast doesn't come on most operatings systems' installs of Retroarch at this time. You can get it from Libretro's Github page, libretro/glsl-shaders in the pixel-art-scaling folder. Or just use sharp-bilinear-simple ('interpolation' folder) instead, which is almost as good and also super lightweight.
I have to make sure I'm not drinking anything while watching your videos. There are several spots that would have most certainly spit out or choked on my beverage. 🤣
Good time in your video. Over the last few days, I've actually been looking over shaders and figuring out how to use them. Thanks for the tips and walk through!
Thanks....now I fell a little less stupid when it comes to shaders. Gotta say I'm really enjoying the default shades that were installed on my RG40XXV. Really brings the nostalgia to these retro handhelds. I don't recall any shaders being unable on my RG35XX or Retroid. Love the cameo BTW.
Thank you for this. I'm quite new to this whole emulation thing and it can get stressful at times! Your videos have helped me loads. Keep them coming man, your channel is great!
I can't wait to try some of these shaders out now. I grew up with CRT tvs as well so I think I'm going to apply the one you recommend first. Amazing video as always!
Was watching your video on emulation VS original hardware and shaders are what pull me to emulation. Gaming since the late 80s I need those scanlines and crt artifacts on my games.
Techdweeb, you complete me. And by "me" I mean my knowledge of shaders. Been trying for a while now to get my Zazzbizzle to look its best. Got the LCD grid down, but haven't been able to access any scanline shaders so far. And don't get me started on my lack of effort with interpolation, smoothing, and blurring.
Definitely the best shaders video I've seen. I learned about some nice new ones to try. Would be cool to see more zoomed-in detail shots of some, and maybe some of the more impactful options available for CRT shaders in particular, but that would be a much longer video. You covered a lot of ground in a very informative manner, in just a few minutes.
No one ever talks about NTSC shaders. They look just like an old television. You can even choose what kind of connection: analog, composite, or that other one I can't think of right now. But you can also select any of those with or without scan lines. It has the flicker of the old TV as well.
Finally, TechDweeb talks stuff my parents never wanted to explain to me when I was young... about what happens when a man loves a woman... Shaders it is 😂
I was waiting for this video since I was a toddler... In those days I was asking myself: "How will I play the videogames I still don't know but I'll fall in love with in the future, when the consoles I still don't know will be a past thing and I will want to recreate that aesthetic?". Now I know, now I can be a happy 31 years old toddler.
Pixel AA or Sharp Bilinear filtering are my options; as long as there are no weird pixel effects I like to keep things are vanilla as possible but with the CRT effects
For GBA I like to use a crt shader in some games, eg. Metroid Zero Mission. It's basically NES Metroid which was played on a CRT, so I think it looks great with scanlines and crt bloom. Metroid Fusion looks great with it too, as do a lot of jrpgs and strategy games. Before you scoff at the idea, don't forget the GB Player attachment for the Gamecube did allow u to play GBA games on your CRT back in the day, and if you were one of the blessed few that owned one heck u might even like to throw on a geom shader as well. Personally, I don't need the CRT curve for GBA. Just the scanlines will do. Try it!
I had never really had an interest in shaders, but I always enjoy your videos so I thought I'd give it a watch. I tend to be a bit of a purist, but I found the SABR shader crazy cool looking! I don't think I'll use it often, but It does transform a pixelated screen into something that almost looks cell shaded. It's a bit of a resource hog, but pretty neat how it upscales and smooths a screen out. It can be a bit blasphemous for the purist in me, but it does offer an interesting reinterpretation of the original art. Thanks for adding another little tidbit of emulation information in my geeked-out brain! Peace.
For handheld consoles that can't do shaders, the Miyoo Mini Plus as a cool CRT overlay called Perfect CRT, just make sure bilinear is on and honestly, it looks good enough for me. Edit: the overlays comes with Onion OS
There are a few challenges with current shaders: 1) High Resolution Requirements: Shaders need a significant amount of resolution to look authentic, typically requiring 4K displays. At such high resolutions, the display must match the pixel count, and sufficient processing power is needed for optimal performance. This often limits their use to PCs, as handheld devices struggle to keep up. 2) Dependence on Integer Scaling: Shaders require integer scaling for correct rendering. Without it, issues such as lines, streaking, or shimmering can occur during screen scrolling. This becomes problematic when the original content isn't an integer multiple of the display's resolution. While interpolation shaders combined with CRT filters can mitigate this, it increases the demand for point 1. 3) Uneven Appearance on Small Screens: On smaller handheld screens, even with enough pixels, shaders can appear uneven due to the limited screen size (e.g., a 3-inch display). This compromises the look of the whole picture. Overall, I prefer using overlays instead of shaders. Overlays are simply images placed over the screen, requiring minimal processing and working adequately even at lower resolutions.
I wanted my retro games to look good on my phone and I dived into the rabbit hole for 2 days and I was still confused about some even though I watched the entire russ video guide (twice) and read his written guide and now this one too. I actually wanted to have borders or bezels around but learnt about so much more. And dweeb I still need an overlay video 👀. Also I found out that if you have a PC which has decent gpu then MEGA BEZELS and DUIMON'S ADD ONS are the greatest presets ever, however even the steam deck struggles so it's not applicable for retro handhelds.
My go-to for a nice non-integer-scaled and interpolated CRT effect on lower-end devices is using fakelottes for CRT and prepend gdapt for interpolation. It looks perfect to me, especially for transparent sections like the foreground waterfalls in Sonic. Can skip gdapt if performace is a problem.
"shaders" "shaders" "shaders" "trauma" "shaders" many a gamer's experience, myself included. luckily games can help us cope with trauma. love your vids man!
…start with experimenting with shaders for black n white game boy games…build your own opinion and try to feel…not think…what you like…when you got the feel for it and confidence in your self…start to collect and dive into the wonderful nerdy world of shaders…and as mentioned here…inside the frontend retroarch is the easiest way to handle shaders for older retro games…shaders actually make all the difference…
I could make a mean joke about TechDweeb never being a father (spoiler: it goes around the word "retrograde"), but it wouldn't be a nice thing to say about a cool retro fella that bring so nice content to all of us and our cats... Anyway... I'm used to avoid shaders as a platform players avoid spikes! Just gimme a big and nice screen and smooth my pixels, so i can keep my blind sight at a less unconfortable distance to enjoy my stuff, BUTT... "sgenpt-mix" turned to be almost essential for me to play MegaDrive/Genesis games since it mash very nicely stuff that otherwise would be a grid (it do wonders in the Sonic games). Now i guess i'll also give a try to this "mix-frames" blur too since now someone explained that it can deflicker some flickering things!
Thank you for the list. Such a big topic that I've read guides and watched videos and it's just there are so many. I just want a one size fits all group of them that covers the various types for my Retroid Pocket 4 Pro. Probably should mention how to actually download the shaders. :P'
Retro shader for the GBA is very nice. I need to try it out on the GB/C. Also I hates the smoothing ones, lol. My brother can't play without them. He thinks the pixels look jank...he's a modern gamer. 🙂
![30 ชั่วโมงคนเดียว บนรถไฟชั้น 3 โซเวียต [Around The World Ep. 2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/MlE9boAVqDA/mqdefault.jpg)
Hey, TechDweeb. I knew a little bit about shaders, but now I know a little bit more about shaders. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, I love you.
😘
"Trauma" that's exactly what keeps me coming back to your channel 😃
Ya good?
I'm scared to watch. I didn't want to cry again.
why would you cry?
@@alekseilongshore watch his older videos in full you will understand.
It's okay bro, you can cry on my shoulder
TL:DW His aunt deleted his shaders.
😂@@DJDanceClassic
Shaders are the reason I fell in love with Retroarch.
Btw for those searching for custom shaders, Retrocrisis provides the best CRT and other shaders in youtube
I've tried theirs, takes a bit of power to get most of them working. Great shaders but needs power.
Shaders are one of the reasons I don't like using standalone emulators. Retroarch makes games look better, like _a lot_ better, and everything else feels like a big downgrade.
That Russ creeping in was awesome!
13:50 hey russ 😂
I had to self teach myself how to use shaders, im glad a video like this exist to teach others
Crt-Mattias is awesome, great recommendation.
Omg I can't believe it, I was researching a lot of stuff yesterday about Shaders in retro games, it's fate my favorite channel is going to release a video about it soon.
Holy shit! I DID NOT KNOW about the motion blur shaders, mind blown. 10:01 Damn! Thank you! Ok.. now I got some adjustments to make lol!
For the 40XXV I like to use XBR-LV3-Multipass smoothing upscale?/shader with the LCD3X for mostly all 16 bit consoles and CPS1-3. I use ScaleFX with LCD3X for my rp3+ and a color matching one tv border for my Odin Base, haven't used it in a while. Also tweaked each system to use powersave as needed but still get bout 10fps faster when fast forwarding, I want the best battery life out of these things.
Great video, man! Thank you!
Thanks! Perfect timing for me, I was grappling with this last night and scratching my head
I appreciated Russ' deep dive into shades but this video is a lot easier for me to digest. I feel like I actually understand them now.
Thanks Tech Dweeb 3 years on retro handhelds and this video is the first time I've bothered with Shaders
I wish I'd had guides like this back when I started using Retroarch lol. Thanks for helping out today's newbies. Here's the CRT setup I use for home consoles below N64 on 640x480 screens:
1. kawase_glow ('blurs' folder)
2. pixel_aa_fast
3. ossc ('scanlines' folder)
4. zfast_crt_geo_svideo ('crt' folder)
Start with kawase and then append the rest in order. The zfast has scanlines, but they're too faint for my taste, that's what the OSSC is for. Despite being 4 shaders deep, each one is so lightweight that I can use this combo on PS1 games (native res at least) on my RG40XX-H with almost no performance hit.
Note: from what I've seen, pixel_aa_fast doesn't come on most operatings systems' installs of Retroarch at this time. You can get it from Libretro's Github page, libretro/glsl-shaders in the pixel-art-scaling folder. Or just use sharp-bilinear-simple ('interpolation' folder) instead, which is almost as good and also super lightweight.
I never knew about the transparency thing. You are amazing
I have to make sure I'm not drinking anything while watching your videos. There are several spots that would have most certainly spit out or choked on my beverage. 🤣
For the best. I can't be trusted. I'm sneaky 🤓
After watching many many retro handheld videos, I just ordered my very own rg40xx h, I can't wait to start messing around with this stuff 😋
Good time in your video. Over the last few days, I've actually been looking over shaders and figuring out how to use them. Thanks for the tips and walk through!
My Guy. Thanks for the great videos and long live "retro" gaming.
Thanks....now I fell a little less stupid when it comes to shaders. Gotta say I'm really enjoying the default shades that were installed on my RG40XXV. Really brings the nostalgia to these retro handhelds. I don't recall any shaders being unable on my RG35XX or Retroid. Love the cameo BTW.
This video is a public service, thank you so much ❤
Thank you for this. I'm quite new to this whole emulation thing and it can get stressful at times! Your videos have helped me loads. Keep them coming man, your channel is great!
Thanks techDweeb. I learned something. Not sure what it was, but i feel better having seen this video.
The shade being thrown in a video about shaders.. i love it haha
Feel better bud!
I am not into retro video games but your sense of humor makes my day 😂
That table on your favorites section is great! thanks!
That was totally wicked!! now going back to the "when adults like each other.." part.. PG rating lol you crack me up. and great info.
I can't wait to try some of these shaders out now. I grew up with CRT tvs as well so I think I'm going to apply the one you recommend first. Amazing video as always!
As always great video! Thank you very much!
YES!!! That was awesome thank you for this ❤
Very informative, thank you!
Applying a shader for any retro games is great, I love to see classic video games in CRT effects. 🙂
Fulfilled my video request and can't wait for the overlays video next!
Might be worth showing how easy they are to apply in Retrobat!
Thank you, Mr Dweeb 🙏
Was watching your video on emulation VS original hardware and shaders are what pull me to emulation. Gaming since the late 80s I need those scanlines and crt artifacts on my games.
This video was a game changer
Techdweeb, you complete me. And by "me" I mean my knowledge of shaders.
Been trying for a while now to get my Zazzbizzle to look its best. Got the LCD grid down, but haven't been able to access any scanline shaders so far. And don't get me started on my lack of effort with interpolation, smoothing, and blurring.
I'm particularly fond of the blargg NTSC composite filter for Genesis and NES games.
Definitely the best shaders video I've seen. I learned about some nice new ones to try. Would be cool to see more zoomed-in detail shots of some, and maybe some of the more impactful options available for CRT shaders in particular, but that would be a much longer video. You covered a lot of ground in a very informative manner, in just a few minutes.
I didn't realise I wanted this video until you made it. I ❤ you !
What a great video :)
I'm pretty new to this retro emulation stuff, and I had no idea about how motion blur was used as a trick back in the day!
Russ cameo!
I like to add Retro Crisis shaders to Retroarch. You can find previews of his shaders on his TH-cam channel of the same name.
We live in a beautiful time where retro gaming is accessible on almost every device. And the best of all is this Tech Dweeb living the dream.
No one ever talks about NTSC shaders. They look just like an old television. You can even choose what kind of connection: analog, composite, or that other one I can't think of right now. But you can also select any of those with or without scan lines. It has the flicker of the old TV as well.
Here's the weird thing, some emulators (RetroArch cores) themselves come with this filter in the core options menu.
Finally, TechDweeb talks stuff my parents never wanted to explain to me when I was young... about what happens when a man loves a woman... Shaders it is 😂
Hey bud I hope you're doing good. Glad too see a new video hope you're better
Thanks buddy. Nah not quite better yet. Still stuffed up and can't taste my food. Hopefully another few days and I'll feel like my old self 🤞
@TechDweeb I hope so bud appreciate all you're dedication and hard work
@@TechDweeb oh so that's why your voice is different!
techdweeb always throwing shade
Thanks for providing the latest rabbit hole for me to fall down 🙃
Thanks for another cool video!
You're TechDweeb so surely you know the best shaders.
I was waiting for this video since I was a toddler... In those days I was asking myself: "How will I play the videogames I still don't know but I'll fall in love with in the future, when the consoles I still don't know will be a past thing and I will want to recreate that aesthetic?". Now I know, now I can be a happy 31 years old toddler.
Perfect timing my 40xxv should be here soon. 🙂
Your videos give me many giggle bytes
That motion blur surprised me a bit. Must try it.
The googly eyes on that 406v are sending me places
Bro… them hands are looking vascular! You been lifting???!
I get 90% of my excercise from lifting big handheld PCs and yeeting word papers
You’re hilarious!🤣
Oh yeah 2 min after launch and I'm watching your video
Surely you have better things to do on a Sunday night!
Great info… great humor with a bit of trauma thrown in! Great info as usual.
I use zfast across the board, looks good enough to me on my LCD in my cabinet 😊
"Right after they f..."
Literally laughed out loud.
Pixel AA or Sharp Bilinear filtering are my options; as long as there are no weird pixel effects I like to keep things are vanilla as possible but with the CRT effects
For GBA I like to use a crt shader in some games, eg. Metroid Zero Mission. It's basically NES Metroid which was played on a CRT, so I think it looks great with scanlines and crt bloom. Metroid Fusion looks great with it too, as do a lot of jrpgs and strategy games. Before you scoff at the idea, don't forget the GB Player attachment for the Gamecube did allow u to play GBA games on your CRT back in the day, and if you were one of the blessed few that owned one heck u might even like to throw on a geom shader as well. Personally, I don't need the CRT curve for GBA. Just the scanlines will do. Try it!
I'm into it. I do the same on occasion.
I had never really had an interest in shaders, but I always enjoy your videos so I thought I'd give it a watch.
I tend to be a bit of a purist, but I found the SABR shader crazy cool looking! I don't think I'll use it often, but It does transform a pixelated screen into something that almost looks cell shaded. It's a bit of a resource hog, but pretty neat how it upscales and smooths a screen out. It can be a bit blasphemous for the purist in me, but it does offer an interesting reinterpretation of the original art. Thanks for adding another little tidbit of emulation information in my geeked-out brain!
Peace.
For handheld consoles that can't do shaders, the Miyoo Mini Plus as a cool CRT overlay called Perfect CRT, just make sure bilinear is on and honestly, it looks good enough for me.
Edit: the overlays comes with Onion OS
Another day with the Tech King
more comfortable view，learn more shader，very nice！
As we say in French " You are ZE best" 🎉
"trauma" that got me
Me too 😥
"Right after they f" CUT
Thanks for making my day with that comment. :D
There are a few challenges with current shaders:
1) High Resolution Requirements: Shaders need a significant amount of resolution to look authentic, typically requiring 4K displays. At such high resolutions, the display must match the pixel count, and sufficient processing power is needed for optimal performance. This often limits their use to PCs, as handheld devices struggle to keep up.
2) Dependence on Integer Scaling: Shaders require integer scaling for correct rendering. Without it, issues such as lines, streaking, or shimmering can occur during screen scrolling. This becomes problematic when the original content isn't an integer multiple of the display's resolution. While interpolation shaders combined with CRT filters can mitigate this, it increases the demand for point 1.
3) Uneven Appearance on Small Screens: On smaller handheld screens, even with enough pixels, shaders can appear uneven due to the limited screen size (e.g., a 3-inch display). This compromises the look of the whole picture.
Overall, I prefer using overlays instead of shaders. Overlays are simply images placed over the screen, requiring minimal processing and working adequately even at lower resolutions.
I like watching your paper puppets drama eating sandwiches
I wanted my retro games to look good on my phone and I dived into the rabbit hole for 2 days and I was still confused about some even though I watched the entire russ video guide (twice) and read his written guide and now this one too. I actually wanted to have borders or bezels around but learnt about so much more. And dweeb I still need an overlay video 👀. Also I found out that if you have a PC which has decent gpu then MEGA BEZELS and DUIMON'S ADD ONS are the greatest presets ever, however even the steam deck struggles so it's not applicable for retro handhelds.
My go-to for a nice non-integer-scaled and interpolated CRT effect on lower-end devices is using fakelottes for CRT and prepend gdapt for interpolation. It looks perfect to me, especially for transparent sections like the foreground waterfalls in Sonic. Can skip gdapt if performace is a problem.
Thanks a lot.
That RG406V joysticks look like eyes staring back at me the whole video 😂
"shaders" "shaders" "shaders" "trauma" "shaders" many a gamer's experience, myself included. luckily games can help us cope with trauma. love your vids man!
I love how you threw "trauma" in there lmfao
…start with experimenting with shaders for black n white game boy games…build your own opinion and try to feel…not think…what you like…when you got the feel for it and confidence in your self…start to collect and dive into the wonderful nerdy world of shaders…and as mentioned here…inside the frontend retroarch is the easiest way to handle shaders for older retro games…shaders actually make all the difference…
Very useful vid, I'll be saving this one (btw editing oops at 3:17)
If you make a overlays video could you please add a section about 16:9 devices 🙌🙏
2:55 i wasn't prepared to get insulted T_T
You should always be prepared around these parts.
Please do an overlay episode that covers 16:9 systems!
I could make a mean joke about TechDweeb never being a father (spoiler: it goes around the word "retrograde"), but it wouldn't be a nice thing to say about a cool retro fella that bring so nice content to all of us and our cats...
Anyway... I'm used to avoid shaders as a platform players avoid spikes! Just gimme a big and nice screen and smooth my pixels, so i can keep my blind sight at a less unconfortable distance to enjoy my stuff, BUTT... "sgenpt-mix" turned to be almost essential for me to play MegaDrive/Genesis games since it mash very nicely stuff that otherwise would be a grid (it do wonders in the Sonic games). Now i guess i'll also give a try to this "mix-frames" blur too since now someone explained that it can deflicker some flickering things!
Now we're all a bit more shader than before..... 😶🌫️
Buddy, that is so super generous, thank you so much! You inspire me to reach new dweeby heights!
I want that microwave 😊
Thank you for the list. Such a big topic that I've read guides and watched videos and it's just there are so many. I just want a one size fits all group of them that covers the various types for my Retroid Pocket 4 Pro. Probably should mention how to actually download the shaders. :P'
If you do overlays, I'm particularly interested in seeing how to setup ones for vectrex.
Oh Sorry techdwweb, i should have been more patient... Damn it your mind manipulation worked again on me
Would be great to have a gamelist for the video. Some of them looked great (TNMT GBa? And the topdown racing game).
the jokes this video are good
Can you make a video on shaders? I feel like that's a topic that's been lacking on your channel.
I love the crt grids!! Maybe good to mention this mostly only works with settings if you use retroarch, right?
I'd really like to know more about that sandwich topic. How do I apply shaders to it so it looks even more fancy?
WOW! it worked! and without having a custom OS! I love it so much! but everything runs a little bit slow, like input lag
Thanks to your testimony, I now worship at the Church of CRT Mattias.
It’s taken my Retroid Pocket Mini experience to a whole new retro level.
Useful video! But did you ever figure out the 'how to dance with girls' part?
Retro shader for the GBA is very nice. I need to try it out on the GB/C. Also I hates the smoothing ones, lol. My brother can't play without them. He thinks the pixels look jank...he's a modern gamer. 🙂
1:46 ok take my sub lol