For more on input lag/ signal latency; see Bob at Retro RGB. Good simple guide's. If you would like to test your own TV their are devices like the time sleuth that are cheap & easy to use.
It's a matter of authenticity. Even if a scaler is functionally 99% the same, that remaining 1% is where the soul lives. When you interact with something you're crafting a memory, so it's important to keep that in mind. People call this nostalgia, but there's more than a fondness for CRTs there I feel. It's more about how you experience something than the end result. I may not speak for everyone, but I'd rather Play Ghouls n' Ghosts on a Black & White baby monitor than in 4K on a retrotink because it's the more fun way to experience the medium. TLDR: I am OLD & I will NEVER throw away my CRT. It's a part of me.
Outstanding comparison and great comment. Without any judginess, you’ve highlighted the magic that does exist with the crt experience. I personally grew up with a crt that was so fuzzy, that I love being able to see individual pixels on a computer monitor. But your point stands
I feel CRT is the equivalent to watching movies in theaters or listening to music on vinyl It's not necessary to experience the medium but you're missing out on the full experience. 99% of the time a simple 10 to 20 inch basic CRT from Facebook marketplace will do just fine to get hooked and appreciate "true" retro gaming Reddit and purist are going to try and make you believe you need a Sony KVF Trinitron but truth is most of us grew up on what our parents could afford and most times it was a small cheap CRT that got the job done and nothing more
My OLED tv + RetroTink 5X shits all over my consumer CRTs. I hate the buzzing and flicker (I just recently heard CRTs aren’t supposed to flicker so.. idk what that is). That all being said: my CRTs are here to stay
Especially if you're looking at 8 or 16 bit generation, I think a cheap CRT often looks BETTER than a nice flat glass with progressive display. Really just boils down to hardware being made for the displays of the time. You could say the same thing with music using your example - I'll always prefer a CD or lossless audio from my iPod Classic. If I'm rocking out in the car or listening to music with friends, streaming is fine, but if I want to sit with headphones on or in front of my stereo and actually listen to music to relax (you know, like we used to back in the day lol), I'll absolutely notice the compression of modern streaming.
@@hhectorlectorFlicker is more noticeable on a CRT because of how it draws the entire screen 60 times a second. LCDs also flicker at low refresh rates but it's less noticeable because the whole screen is already lit up for every frame instead of scanning top to bottom. That's why footage from a camera will look different on a CRT VS. LCD. You can see more of a rolling flicker from CRTs and just a strobing effect from LCDs when the frame rates from the camera don't sync exactly with the screens refresh rates.
I'm playing both versions of Super Mario RPG and the prerended graphics of the original definitely were made with a more "faded CRT" in mind. If the image is too clear, you will notice a lot of little imperfections in the sprites and textures, but with a basic CRT everything is so smooth that it really can fool you and make the graphics look like actual CGI, closer to the Switch remake
I haven't seen a CRT tv in at least a decade and I know exactly what you are talking about in regards to the image not being flat! I have been wanting one again, and I'm almost worried this video is going to make it harder. This is good motivation, as I remember playing these games on small 14 inch tvs just fine.
Its the basics for me. The sound when u turn it on. The glow. The high pitch noise! The scan lines. Remembering eating cereal in front of it on Saturday mornings!!!! I'm 40 and still got one for my old systems.
I would say yes. I have an OLED for modern day gaming but the nostalgia I get from playing on my Trinitron is amazing. Those of us who have a CRT are holding on to history. Something that's quickly disappearing.
But it's not essential, it's the whole point of the video. Is saying that yes it's a unique different and cool experience. But we shouldn't gatekeep or tell people that they need thousands of dollars and tons of space to get into this hobby. Being a retrogamer is about enjoying retro games and being passionate about them. It's not about what you own or what is optimal to play with. Someone who only has played retro games through emulation is equally as valid of a retrogamer as someone who plays all these games on a CRT with all original hardware. As long as both people love the game
@@the7569 I don't think essential is to be taken in the strict literal sense but you of course can. You could play retro gaming on an old phone using the touchscreen as controls so it's not literally essential to use a joypad but many would consider it's essential for them to do so. So to me it's more a matter of personal preferences and expressing what is our bare minimum to start enjoying our retro games. I have no issue playing my games through emulation on a laptop but I also understand that some can only take pleasure when using original hardware including CRTs.
I recently moved and have a 27" Trinitron in super clean condition but don't have room for it anymore. I live in RI and it's for sale! Original remote and it's the gun metal gray model (forgot model #)
My 27” trinitron is one of the greatest things I’ve ever gotten for free. Heaven forbid anything ever happened to it because I would be searching high and low to replace it. There’s no going back to anything else for me at this point. I love my CRT ❤
Trinitrons are one of the best TVs that were ever made. That being said, I do expect that over time the ability to emulate the effects of a CRT will improve to the point where one isn't needed in the same way that emulators in general have gotten better and now you've got FPGA based systems like Mister doing an amazing job of making old games look good on newer TVs. NES games are a particularly good example as SMB looks almost like it did originally, except bigger. (And admittedly a bit stretched on some settings)
@@stannisthemannis5535 what made trinitrons so good was they used 3 chips, but after sonys patent wore off and other companies where able to use the same tech, most cheaper crt models where using the chips. so most of the later model crts are just as good as trinitron. alot of people prefer jvc d series as well. also in case you want to use light guns on the crt dont make the mistake i did. bought a 40" trinitron which weighs 350 lbs only to find out light guns dont work on hd crt tvs. might want to look into pvm, they are very expensive but you might get lucky.
Yeah (Sony) Trinitron is/was the best CRT TV ever made until 1998-99 or so when the patent expired. Other companies could make and sell their own Trinitron TVs but with other branding because Trinitron was still a trademark owned by Sony. But since flat panel TVs was the future we never saw so many Tritnitron products by other companies. Apple released the 17" and 21" Studio Display in early 1999 with "Diamondtron" that is the same as Trinitron. Apple probably got a better deal with that other company than Sony. Trinitron was "100x better" than all other CRT TVs. Amazing! That's why all media companies used Sony's Trinitron reference monitors. Simply the best on the market. When I grew up I was lucky to play NES and SNES on Trinitron TVs! But I prefer a modern flat panel TV now. Much bigger! So 55 or 65", that is really nice! I love large displays! Wish that these Classic Mini consoles got HDMI v2.1! I wouldn't say no to a large Trinitron and the original consoles and the cartridges. That would be so crazy nice!
I have a 24" Sony Trinitron for retro gaming. It takes me back to the 80's and 90's playing on my original hardware. You can never get that feeling with emulation. I also use it to watch VHS and laserdiscs. It is so awesome!
@@randybobandy9828 Yes, you just have to buy a flash cart/everdrive/power pak type thing. A Cartridge that holds a SD card that you put the game roms on, which is especially handy for the expensive ass games like Ducktales 2, Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers 2, Power Blade 2, etc on NES.
nothing can beat the magic of an Atari 2700 played in a CRT at night. the feeling is so unique how it reflects light in to the room, with a digital screen it just doesn't feel the same way.
I recently got a CRT (a 14" Toshiba AF for those curious) and it's really motivated me to finally start chipping away at my backlog of retro titles. HDTV's are wonderful, but CRTs are king when it comes to older stuff.
I bought my first house this year and I finally have room to put whatever I want in my living room. I have a 65" OLED but I just bought a 36" Sony trinitron with the original stand at an estate sale and got it set up tonight with my snes, n64, ps2 & dreamcast. My parents had a very similar trinitron when I was a teenager so it's nostalgic for me as well.
I think anyone who is into retro gaming should consider getting one. I suggest getting a 9" up to 14" CRT since they're lighter and don't take up a lot of space so they're easier to store. I also wouldn't go too crazy about inputs since composite looks fine on a CRT in my opinion but it's up to you if you want to go down the road of RGB modding.
Thanks for bringing up computer monitors. With my tv and the SNES Classic, I simply cannot consistently wall jump in Super Metroid. I was pretty upset with myself. But I hooked it up to a computer monitor I had and suddenly I could wall jump 90% of the time just as intended. I switched back and forth and still cannot consistently wall jump with the system hooked up to my big tv. Im confident it’s lag. What a big difference
Ya that delay makes games feel less controllable, not only is your action delayed before you see it, but you're responding to something on the screen that actually happened 0.2 seconds ago. It really does impact how the game play itself feels. Even on modern games like, Try playing a game on the Switch at 30 FPS and try it on PC at 60 or 120 fps, it'll feel easier, it will be easier, you're giving your brain more information to work with.
It could be, many modern TVs add lag by processing what you're seeing. If you turn off all the processing that the TV is doing it should get better. But, it's a TV, it's not intended to have the same refresh rate as a monitor. There's also the issue of USB devices having their own latency. With the original hardware, the latency was practically zero, it was typically at most one frame and only if you missed the cutoff.
@@SmallSpoonBrigade Many modern TV's don't really add much lag... assuming you actually have a good one. The best ones are on the same level as the best monitors. Compared to a CRT there is definitely a slight noticable difference, but the difference in response time is relatively small. While the CRT's response time is technically faster, it is much slower in actually drawing the image. When you take that into account, the difference is pretty minimal and less than a handful of milliseconds. CRT's are still better at motion so it may still result in an image that's more pleasant to the eyes.
@@thenonexistinghero The redraw on a CRT is so much faster than persistence of vision that it's not even a factor in lag time. CRTs are simply the best when it comes to twitch games.
@@Nebulous6 That's a complete lie. No, the redraw on CRT's is not faster at all. It 'starts sooner', but it's still significantly slower to finish compared to modern displays (including good gaming LEDs).
i have 2 "Modern" Flat TVs and 5 Crt TVs. Until the last one dies i will use em:-) The Sound when switched on or off, the "glow" in the Room... Fantastic. Love Crts. Modern Display with Retrotink looks fine but its not the same feeling you get from old hardware.
Good video! I'd honestly consider adding a CRT to my household if I could find one in my area. They seem to be just getting more and more scarce as time goes on. That said, I currently play both modern and retro games on an older computer monitor. It does the job perfectly, so a CRT is more of a "nice to have" instead of an essential for me. My biggest concern is input latency of which it has never been an issue on my gaming monitor. I agree that however you play your retro games is fine as long as you are just enjoying them! 😄
My wife picked me up a crt for my birthday last year and you can definitely tell the difference. The inputs just feel more responsive and crisp with retro games on the crt.
A few years back I bought a 17" JVC pvm, just to play Symphony of the Night for PS1 again, and it is probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. Initially I wanted to buy a board with rgb support, but after seeing the quality of s-video on the crt, it really isn't necessary. Now I have great blacks, superb scanlines and instant response. And the pvm is also great for watching anime 😀
Happy belated Birthday to your CRT 🥳! My CRT lived in the garage for months until I was able to get a good friend and a dolly over to get it up the stairs and into my game room.
Yeah, laser scan mirrors are just too slow. How do they even work? I imagine that at every corner you need to hit the mirror with a huge electro magnetic pulse from a big cascade of MOSFETs without inducing resonance within the mirror itself.
Great video as always. And one I’m particularly interested in because I bought a CRT from marketplace and I just have to go pick it up from my friends place a city over. It’s a 13” with a dvd player and it’s from 2006 or 2007. I haven’t had a crt in maybe 16 years. Super excited to try it out again and I think it will look nice on my video game cart beside my desk. 😂
Most games do fall under the CRT bandwagon of never missing a button press, but there are some games that take the CPU opponent's button command's before yours. This doesn't happen often, but there are some games where the game either blocks commands at a certain point (Fighting games), or there are specific times where no matter what, your button press (for that fraction of a second or so) will not register.
3:55 I've totally been the friend for this. Also one time we tweaked the tv to make Red Dead Redemption 2 have more film-like colors. I think we got it pretty close.
In my opinion CRTs are absolutely necessary for lightgun games. I also noticed that there's more depth to the image. The same game on a modern display looks kinda flat. I never worried too much about input lag but when I transitioned to a CRT all the problematic moments in my NES games felt much easier. Turns out I never realised how big of a difference input lag can make 😅
One of the best things about old tv’s was hearing your friend scream in pain during a Smash Bros session because he forgets to blink enough and the refresh rate was so bad he had to pause the game due to eye strain. Honestly though, CRT’s can be super hard to find and cost prohibitive, so as long as you are enjoying the games and spreading the love, power to everyone.
My thrift store has a bunch for sale for $5. The sony crt tv's cost alot if you buy them from someone who knows what they have but any brand crt tv is better than retro gaming on a hdtv
@@princessnodak they're still out there. I got a Sony Wega for free because a elementary school near me was upgrading their gym tv cart to a hdtv and i got another Sony Trinitron at a yardsale for $10. They're worth looking for and picking up if you like retro gaming
Getting a 40inch Sony Bravia LCD tv today. These 1080p tvs are the absolute best and were the trinitrons of their day back in 2008. Sure it isnt the most retro, but theyre the best for ps3 and 360 gaming. Also, component ps2 looks great on them too. Also if you use upscalers or use the nintendo switch, mini consoles, or anything that isnt 4k native like the ps5, then this tv or ones like it are the best you can get. Dont be surprised if you see these become in demand once again in the future. 4 hdmi, 3 composite, 2 component, vga, s video, analog and digital audio, plus 120hz refresh.
I absolutely dig this. I, too, don’t want to be a gatekeeper and tell someone how to enjoy playing games. The new RetroTink 4K looks to solve a lot of problems with retro gaming; that said, I have 17 CRTs so I get the appeal
ok you seem like a good person to ask then, do you have any advice for how to locate someone who can repair a crt? (if you happen to know anyone near Austin, TX that would be especially helpful)
@@scottmasin741 locally, I host retro video game nights, free gaming nights in my community. I gathered a few CRTs but suddenly people just kept unloading them on me knowing I could use them. I finally had to start declining offers 😅
As someone who was born in the late 80’s and grew up in the 90’s, I’m a total sucker for my CRT. Just brings back a lot of great memories for me. Can’t wait to bring it back out of storage when we have a place with more room for it! I think I’d be a bit more open to the idea of getting myself set up with everything I need to upscale on a modern display but the price of admission is a bit high unfortunately. Game on!
I do have a Sony Trinatron. Both LCD and CRT are good technologies for Retro-gaming. Most of the displays I use come from thrift-stores or are bought from other people who give them up for cheap. I really like my 4:3 20-Inch Sharp Aquos that came from a thrift store.
I plugged in my SNES classic into my OLED and it was amazing. The colors were vibrant and the contrast was better than any CRT i played on when i was a kid. Having no backlight also added to the contrast.
I had a 36in RCA Proscan in the living room as a kid and 2D and 3D games looked really great on it. I also had a 27in 720p/1080i Zenith CRT in my 20s but I dont remember that set being all that great. I remember a lot of image retention and banding. Although my next set was a plasma and that thing took image retention to the next level. Lol
Still run a Panasonic Viera plasma I got for free (couple of bad caps). Definite image retention when sitting for any length of time, but the composite input is quite useful when I pull out my Wii!
I'm 40 and grew up playing all the retro systems on CRTs. I still have most of my original consoles and now play them on LCD TVs and honestly, I don't notice that much of a difference...and that's without using the Game mode on TVs (which I never realized reduced button lag so thanks for that)! The only time I've really experienced a real issue with button lag that prevented me from beating a game I'm great at is when I was playing Punch-Out at my buddy's house on his NES mini. I'm not sure though if that had to do with the NES Mini itself, the fact he didn't have Game mode turned on his LCD TV or a combination of both. All that being said, I do get the nostalgia part of playing those old systems on CRTs but personally, I don't wish to own one of those monstrosities again.
I remember playing the PlayStation 1, Nintendo GameCube and Nintendo 64 on a crt tv and those were great times. I still love playing those wonderful gaming consoles and games. I don't think you need to have a crt whatever gamers feel more comfortable with is what matters. Cool video. ^_^
32/64 bit systems look so much better on the CRT TV format they were designed for that the difference can be astounding if you've only played these games on a modern TV.
@@Blas4ublasphemy The performance is very great and I love that also. The PlayStation 1 and Nintendo GameCube comes to my mind whenever I think of crt retro gaming those were some amazing times back then. ^_^
@Obviousthrowawayaccount Good point, I recently played Tokyo Extreme Racer on DC on my CRT and was amazed at how decent it looked for something so old. I've also played TTYD on my HD TV in 480P and thought it looked nearly modern. Funny of all the games that could've gotten away without a graphical overhaul TTYD needed it least IMO.
@@MoneyHoneyBunnyYup, there's barely a few thousand people who're purposefully using CRTs, those that have multiple displays in their home (like me). Anyone else will upgrade to a LCD/OLed in a jiffy of given for free or a cheap price. People don't care unfortunately. I'm on r/crtgaming and usually see a lot of posts from US where people just pick up CRTs that were dropped on crubs or in trash. Completely working with Component inputs.
CRTs were a must-have for rhythm games running on PS1/PS2 era hardware. The changeover around 2009-2010 from CRT to LCD was fraught with tons of input lag for those games and systems. You had to keep a CRT around back then because HD TVs were just unplayable then due to the upscaling that happened from Composite/S-Video. Even now, this is the main (and probably only) reason I'd want a CRT, as much as I liked them. But that being said, I've gone the other way now. For me, the mobility and the lightness of the modern panel TV is more useful to me. But I ran emulation on a PC CRT monitor back in 2001 and loved the crispness compared to a CRT TV. And when the move to LCD HD displays happened, I didn't bat an eye so I'm very acclimated to the "too sharp" pixel look. I might use a little bit of a filter to soften it up but that's about all I need.
I had one of those nice Sony CRTs years ago, but I gave it to a buddy after I got my first HD TV, and he probably threw it away years ago. Funny how stuff that's considered worthless back then is now quite a commodity. Personally I do love my Analogue consoles. I like the convenience of hooking them up to the modern TV in my living room. Also I have a decent sound bar that makes the music and sound effects enhanced. I haven't played on a CRT in a while but I've tried the blurring effect on some games and it gave me a headache. I do get why some people don't like the Analogue consoles, but my brothers and I appreciate them. It feels nice having a new retro console that wasn't mistreated by a child lol.
i have 2 CRT's, a sony trinitron 32" and a Phillips 27" and both works flawlessly, i connect my atari 2600, nes, snes, genesis, ps1, n64, game cube,ps2, xbox, saturn and dreamcast, in my 32'' LCD LG TV y use it for ps3, xbox360, wii and wiiU and my 55 '" 4k UHD y use it for ps4, xbox one, ps5 and pc, this is the way i keep playing retro and modern games in my game room. i agree, everyone has to find they own experience playing videogames specially in a retro enviroment.
I would definitely recommend a CRT for 5th generation and below. Once you hit the 6th generation you start to get consoles with much better video quality, so a CRT is helpful, but you can fudge the results a lot easier if you just wanna hook it up to a regular tv.
Down to my last CRT TV at my house. Also I remember finding the Game Mode on my TV for the 1st time & I've been putting that into all my TVs on that mode ever since! This has been a huge topic 4 Retro Gamers lately & one thing I've come to realize is Hand Helds. They ALL come with a screen made 4 that game & for that time period, no need for Bibity Bobity Boo to your screen!
I haven't had a CRT in over a decade and have needed to rely on modern consoles with rereleases or emulation. Last month I finally got a CRT again and man I felt like a kid again I beat Star Fox right then and there trying to test it. It opened my eyes once more on why retro gaming on CRTs are so integral to the experience but after having gone so long without one I now don't mind what I play these old games on. I'll be playing on both the CRT and newer displays from now on
I use a CRT for my retro games, and I use it for a variety of reasons touched on in this video. Yeah, input lag is a big one. I've been playing retro games on LCD TVs for years, usually not through original hardware. But when I finally played a real SNES with a wired controller on a CRT, it felt like those scenes in Dragon Ball Z where somebody takes off the heavy weighted training gear and were suddenly much better at everything. I also love scanlines, and yeah a lot of emulators can try to make good scanlines, but they still don't look quite right blown up all huge on an LCD TV to me no matter how much I tweak the settings, it just feels fake to me, even if I can replicate the blending effects you see in the portraits of Earthworm Jim. It just looks much nicer on the real deal. My SNES was left to me by my Grandma, and the CRT was given to me by my Grandpa So there's some sentimentality there. I've taken to giving it an extra nostalgic feel by decorating it with a bunch of stickers that feel like they evoke the 80's, 90's, and early 2000's. Etsy has been a wonderful help in finding the exact vibe I'm going for. Blockbusters logos, Nina Turtles, Pizza slices, the nickelodeon splat, Ghostbusters logo, an green alien head, a Tamagotchi, just to name a few It's like the underside of a skateboard. I love my big screen, but there's not exactly much room for personalization with the super thin black frame. Not unless I do the back, but i'm probably never going to see it.
Input lag is only due to the television itself. It's buffering and up-scaling the image. This wouldn't matter if you were playing from a VCR or some other legacy video system. This wouldn't happen on a modern monitor, and it wouldn't happen with a video game simulator.
playing retro games through nintendo switch online has been pretty cool at college since i didn’t want to take all of the original consoles and games, but man do i miss the setup i have at home
I just bought a HDMI to component converter so I can use my 20" PVM as a 3rd PC monitor! It's amazing watching crisp TH-cam music videos in 4:3 480i. Also my first time ever watching Neon Genesis Evangelion and it's stunning on 4:3 bluray on my 27" FV310. It's magical stuff. Don't know why people get so offended when others enjoy CRTs like "how dare you like to watch on a crt!! it's not even the shitty one you grew up with, what's the point?" as if we're doing it for nostalgia. No this stuff just has a completely different style of viewing compared to OLED (which I have and also love). Videos and games specifically built to be played on this technology being projected on a shinny curved thick glass screen with a physical 4:3 border around it and having a vibrant glow is just something a retrotink can't compare too, FOR MY LIKING. Good for people who want to play 90s games with a dry flat sterile 4K "perfect" look. No one is hating if that's your preference. Stop being offended you fellow nerds.
I'm not opposed to playing on a CRT, I just don't have the space for one. I'm very happy with my Retrotink 5X, I don't know how I ever played retro games without it.
Lots of good info here. I keep a CRT specifically for retro stuff. Some years back, I watched an older movie on a modern high def tv. The movie itself was remastered and all that. There's a sequence where the sky was being shown, and the clouds were VERY obviously just pieces of cotton. You'd never see that if you watched it in the original low res as the edges would blur and they would make pretty convincing clouds. That convinced me to try when I can to watch and play things how they were intended to be seen.
I used crt since the late 80's until my last one died around 2015. Since then I've packed all my consoles to stoarge and went on to using RetroArch and the various crt shaders it has to get the crt feeling.
For me when it came to getting back into the hobby of retro games and playing on original hardware, owning a CRT was a no-brainer. You just plug in a console and boom, you're playing with optimal picture quality and zero input delay. Usually with a good set of speakers too! Space isn't REALLY an issue unless you live in a studio imo. A 20 something inch would probably take up as much space as a small set of drawers. Compare that to all the expensive alternatives, scanline generators and retrotinks, and it makes even more sense... Unfortunately currently moving country so gaming on an IPS monitor via emulation on my laptop, but I still love using the crt-pi scaler and retro achievements feel like a nice bonus too.
For my CRT I use a Scart to component converter. The brand is called Shinybow. It’s really nice and the colors pop. Although it ruins the dithering on the Saturn.
Sony WEGA KS-27FS100L FROM 2003. I had the 2005 120 model and the difference was so stark I was shocked. Stick with the 100 and have a 1999 KV-127V42 with S-Video as backup.
Great vid, I still want a CRT, but the Retrotink option just seems so much more convenient. I haven't pulled the trigger on either yet, so who knows what will happen. Honestly, all that matters imo is that people keep enjoying classic games.
I went from CRT to plasma back in the day, and I recently got a second (used, obviously) plasma TV for my game room--you get the deep blacks and still have the RCA connectors for older hardware. Whenever these eventually die I'll switch to OLED, but I am tempted now and then to re-acquire a CRT for my VHS and laserdisc media just for the full experience. I agree with others that emulation is great, but nothing can every fully replace the original.
Basically I always thought I need a CRT TV to play retro games ,but not anymore I just got use to using the classic DVD player or VCR for my retro games because if you see the obvious cable screw on the TV now a days it is possible
Playing on a CRT is something different, finally my muscle memory fits the timing again. But that's something hard to unlearn, when you put hundreds of hours into a specific game. And also the CRT glow I missed so much, the image produced by a cathode ray with its self illuminating phosphors is something those titles were designed around - couldn't replicate that with an Shader so far. But for someone who hasn't grown up with those games or not having a muscle memory in their way, use any TV you like. Games are still fun to play anyway, Sonic 3 & Knuckles still the best game ever made so go for it and have a blast.
Yo I absolutely love your positive attitude towards retro games! Ive come across a lot of hidden gems of games watching your channel, Canon Dancer looks awesome, especially since I rly liked Strider. This is easily my favorite channel that discusses retro games!
I'm a bit of a CRT junkie, I currently have 12 CRT's! (had more, but scaled back). My favorite is my 27" Sony Wega TV, a KV-27FS12 I found free! It looks incredible for vintage gaming! Far better than my 27" Sony Trinitron TV from 1989. Also have Apple II, Apple III, Atari, Amiga CRT's. Or unique CRT's, like my NEC MultiSync 3D or the CRT's built-in my Vectrex and Mac 128. Can't imagine video gaming without them!
My favourite is a 16 inch Trinitron with stereo speakers and wireless headphones. Tiny, but not the tiniest, and as clean as a BVM. I also have a green monochrome CRT from Philips that looks awesome, and an original 13" 640x480 Macintosh RGB Trinitron. And a massive B&O Beovision Avant 32 DVD MKIII, not the best for gaming, but it does work as marvelous working doorstopper with awesome sounding CD player inside.
for years now i plug in all my consoles into an onkyo av-receiver wich has an build in upscaler. worked everytime going trough different modern tvs and different onkyos as well
I feel like I could write my life story just talking about CRTs. I've never really been without one since getting my first very own bedroom TV in 1988 to keep me from hogging up one of the other TVs in the house for NES games, and I was an HDTV early adopter with a Philips 1080i CRT behemoth, and I've had some amazing CRTs thanks to my known interest and people wanting to get rid of them (I was once given an SGI monitor that took two UPS drivers to move, not to mention the PVMs). I just think they're great. I still have plenty of LCD displays (and miss my dear Panasonic plasma), and sometimes I even play retro games on a 4k just because I can, but CRTs are as important to me as the games I play them on. And TV shows, for that matter. Old TV just feels better from the glow of a 15kHz tube.
Have a sony CRT and a few consoles but nothing beats HDR 1440p monitor with CRT shaders on retroarch with SN30 pro 8bitdo controller.... Its so nice. I need the screen and controller to feel authentic everything else is not as important, with CRT shaders this can be done on your PC. Love it
I have an 48 inch Oled now. Good to know there is minimal lag on that. So because there is still lag it still effects the gameplay a lot when you play Mike Tyson's Punch out. Until they figure out a way to have 0 lag on the 4K tv's I will still be playing my retro games on a CRT. I do not care if the graphics are a lot better on HD or 4K. I care about 0 lag.
Do you have an upscaler? The RT5X adds a tiny bit of lag but you wouldn’t notice it unless you A/B’d with a CRT. The RT2X I had was the same thing (the lag comes from the TV itself processing and upscaling the image)
Are OPEDs pulse width modulated or could they be? I think that LEDs generally like low current, but wouldn’t the transistor waste the power anyway? Unlike in an LCD.
I have been playing a little more with Retroarch’s CRT shaders recently and I am considering selling one of my shadow mask CRT’s because the aperture grille shaders look nuts. I’m sure a PVM is probably better but count me impressed.
Games played: Splatterhouse (0:00), Cannon Dancer (0:10), Final Fight CD (0:25), Catrap (1:15), Mario Golf (2:18), Gradius Gaiden (3:10), Duck Hunt (7:35), Battletoads (10:00)
Happy birthday!
Underrated pinned comment!
For more on input lag/ signal latency; see Bob at Retro RGB. Good simple guide's.
If you would like to test your own TV their are devices like the time sleuth that are cheap & easy to use.
I'm with you Retro Bird, I gotta have a CRT. Been using a really cheap one for years and dammit, I need one of those Trinitrons. LOL
This was entirely more wholesome than I expected.
This man must be protected.
This comment is on too many TH-cam videos
It's a matter of authenticity. Even if a scaler is functionally 99% the same, that remaining 1% is where the soul lives. When you interact with something you're crafting a memory, so it's important to keep that in mind. People call this nostalgia, but there's more than a fondness for CRTs there I feel. It's more about how you experience something than the end result. I may not speak for everyone, but I'd rather Play Ghouls n' Ghosts on a Black & White baby monitor than in 4K on a retrotink because it's the more fun way to experience the medium. TLDR: I am OLD & I will NEVER throw away my CRT. It's a part of me.
You can feel the difference - it’s like a campfire vs a gas lit fireplace - there is a certain magic in original hardware -
Outstanding comparison and great comment. Without any judginess, you’ve highlighted the magic that does exist with the crt experience. I personally grew up with a crt that was so fuzzy, that I love being able to see individual pixels on a computer monitor. But your point stands
That's a good way to explain it. I can say it definitely feels diferent
I grew up with CRTs. I am glad I don’t have one anymore. CRTs suck on so many levels.
@@leeartlee915good more crt tvs out in the wild for me!
@@JBird401 Good, enjoy
Cold calling people to ask if their game mode is turned on is one of the funniest bits ive heard from you. Keep up the great work!
I feel CRT is the equivalent to watching movies in theaters or listening to music on vinyl
It's not necessary to experience the medium but you're missing out on the full experience.
99% of the time a simple 10 to 20 inch basic CRT from Facebook marketplace will do just fine to get hooked and appreciate "true" retro gaming
Reddit and purist are going to try and make you believe you need a Sony KVF Trinitron but truth is most of us grew up on what our parents could afford and most times it was a small cheap CRT that got the job done and nothing more
My OLED tv + RetroTink 5X shits all over my consumer CRTs. I hate the buzzing and flicker (I just recently heard CRTs aren’t supposed to flicker so.. idk what that is). That all being said: my CRTs are here to stay
Especially if you're looking at 8 or 16 bit generation, I think a cheap CRT often looks BETTER than a nice flat glass with progressive display. Really just boils down to hardware being made for the displays of the time. You could say the same thing with music using your example - I'll always prefer a CD or lossless audio from my iPod Classic. If I'm rocking out in the car or listening to music with friends, streaming is fine, but if I want to sit with headphones on or in front of my stereo and actually listen to music to relax (you know, like we used to back in the day lol), I'll absolutely notice the compression of modern streaming.
@@hhectorlectorWhen I look away I see flicker in my peripheral vision from the CRT
@@hhectorlectorFlicker is more noticeable on a CRT because of how it draws the entire screen 60 times a second. LCDs also flicker at low refresh rates but it's less noticeable because the whole screen is already lit up for every frame instead of scanning top to bottom.
That's why footage from a camera will look different on a CRT VS. LCD. You can see more of a rolling flicker from CRTs and just a strobing effect from LCDs when the frame rates from the camera don't sync exactly with the screens refresh rates.
I'm playing both versions of Super Mario RPG and the prerended graphics of the original definitely were made with a more "faded CRT" in mind. If the image is too clear, you will notice a lot of little imperfections in the sprites and textures, but with a basic CRT everything is so smooth that it really can fool you and make the graphics look like actual CGI, closer to the Switch remake
I haven't seen a CRT tv in at least a decade and I know exactly what you are talking about in regards to the image not being flat! I have been wanting one again, and I'm almost worried this video is going to make it harder. This is good motivation, as I remember playing these games on small 14 inch tvs just fine.
Check recycling centers. Some have them.
Peddler's malls have them, that's where I got mine.
I am very happy to see continued CRT related content. They are one of my main hobbies. Thanks
Its the basics for me. The sound when u turn it on. The glow. The high pitch noise! The scan lines. Remembering eating cereal in front of it on Saturday mornings!!!! I'm 40 and still got one for my old systems.
I got 2 CRT TV's. 27 inch Samsung Stereo tv. It has components to. A 13 inch Toshiba Mono tv.
Nice! I got a Sharp 32c241. I use the component for my genesis hd retrovision, and composite for nes.@@tonyp9313
I got a 1702 commodore and 32 inch tosihbs crt tv
I would say yes. I have an OLED for modern day gaming but the nostalgia I get from playing on my Trinitron is amazing. Those of us who have a CRT are holding on to history. Something that's quickly disappearing.
But it's not essential, it's the whole point of the video. Is saying that yes it's a unique different and cool experience. But we shouldn't gatekeep or tell people that they need thousands of dollars and tons of space to get into this hobby. Being a retrogamer is about enjoying retro games and being passionate about them.
It's not about what you own or what is optimal to play with. Someone who only has played retro games through emulation is equally as valid of a retrogamer as someone who plays all these games on a CRT with all original hardware. As long as both people love the game
@@the7569I agree with you 💯 mate
I agree it's not always just about being able to display your retro games with a CRT-like picture, the bulky CRT TV adds to the nostalgia too.
@@the7569 I don't think essential is to be taken in the strict literal sense but you of course can. You could play retro gaming on an old phone using the touchscreen as controls so it's not literally essential to use a joypad but many would consider it's essential for them to do so. So to me it's more a matter of personal preferences and expressing what is our bare minimum to start enjoying our retro games. I have no issue playing my games through emulation on a laptop but I also understand that some can only take pleasure when using original hardware including CRTs.
I recently moved and have a 27" Trinitron in super clean condition but don't have room for it anymore. I live in RI and it's for sale! Original remote and it's the gun metal gray model (forgot model #)
My 27” trinitron is one of the greatest things I’ve ever gotten for free. Heaven forbid anything ever happened to it because I would be searching high and low to replace it. There’s no going back to anything else for me at this point. I love my CRT ❤
Trinitrons are one of the best TVs that were ever made. That being said, I do expect that over time the ability to emulate the effects of a CRT will improve to the point where one isn't needed in the same way that emulators in general have gotten better and now you've got FPGA based systems like Mister doing an amazing job of making old games look good on newer TVs. NES games are a particularly good example as SMB looks almost like it did originally, except bigger. (And admittedly a bit stretched on some settings)
I also want to get one. Mostly for PS1 and PS2. Is there a certain model that would be best?
@@stannisthemannis5535 most people like the wega, but I have the XBR and I think it’s great. Probably can’t go wrong with either honestly
@@stannisthemannis5535 what made trinitrons so good was they used 3 chips, but after sonys patent wore off and other companies where able to use the same tech, most cheaper crt models where using the chips. so most of the later model crts are just as good as trinitron. alot of people prefer jvc d series as well. also in case you want to use light guns on the crt dont make the mistake i did. bought a 40" trinitron which weighs 350 lbs only to find out light guns dont work on hd crt tvs.
might want to look into pvm, they are very expensive but you might get lucky.
Yeah (Sony) Trinitron is/was the best CRT TV ever made until 1998-99 or so when the patent expired. Other companies could make and sell their own Trinitron TVs but with other branding because Trinitron was still a trademark owned by Sony. But since flat panel TVs was the future we never saw so many Tritnitron products by other companies. Apple released the 17" and 21" Studio Display in early 1999 with "Diamondtron" that is the same as Trinitron. Apple probably got a better deal with that other company than Sony.
Trinitron was "100x better" than all other CRT TVs. Amazing! That's why all media companies used Sony's Trinitron reference monitors. Simply the best on the market.
When I grew up I was lucky to play NES and SNES on Trinitron TVs!
But I prefer a modern flat panel TV now. Much bigger! So 55 or 65", that is really nice! I love large displays!
Wish that these Classic Mini consoles got HDMI v2.1!
I wouldn't say no to a large Trinitron and the original consoles and the cartridges. That would be so crazy nice!
I have a 24" Sony Trinitron for retro gaming. It takes me back to the 80's and 90's playing on my original hardware. You can never get that feeling with emulation. I also use it to watch VHS and laserdiscs. It is so awesome!
But you can play emulation on a crt TV 😂
@@randybobandy9828 Yes, you just have to buy a flash cart/everdrive/power pak type thing. A Cartridge that holds a SD card that you put the game roms on, which is especially handy for the expensive ass games like Ducktales 2, Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers 2, Power Blade 2, etc on NES.
your delivery of the jokes is always spot on. and they feel so original.
nothing can beat the magic of an Atari 2700 played in a CRT at night.
the feeling is so unique how it reflects light in to the room, with a digital screen it just doesn't feel the same way.
I recently got a CRT (a 14" Toshiba AF for those curious) and it's really motivated me to finally start chipping away at my backlog of retro titles. HDTV's are wonderful, but CRTs are king when it comes to older stuff.
I bought my first house this year and I finally have room to put whatever I want in my living room. I have a 65" OLED but I just bought a 36" Sony trinitron with the original stand at an estate sale and got it set up tonight with my snes, n64, ps2 & dreamcast. My parents had a very similar trinitron when I was a teenager so it's nostalgic for me as well.
Hey, I run the exact same console setup! Just waiting to find my own house so I can stop using this Retrotink Mini, which is…meh
Anyone else look forward to Fridays @ 7PM PST like tuning in to your favorite show back in the days of cable? Retro Bird never misses!
I think anyone who is into retro gaming should consider getting one. I suggest getting a 9" up to 14" CRT since they're lighter and don't take up a lot of space so they're easier to store. I also wouldn't go too crazy about inputs since composite looks fine on a CRT in my opinion but it's up to you if you want to go down the road of RGB modding.
That weight of the CRT was hilarious
Thanks for bringing up computer monitors. With my tv and the SNES Classic, I simply cannot consistently wall jump in Super Metroid. I was pretty upset with myself. But I hooked it up to a computer monitor I had and suddenly I could wall jump 90% of the time just as intended. I switched back and forth and still cannot consistently wall jump with the system hooked up to my big tv. Im confident it’s lag. What a big difference
Ya that delay makes games feel less controllable, not only is your action delayed before you see it, but you're responding to something on the screen that actually happened 0.2 seconds ago. It really does impact how the game play itself feels. Even on modern games like, Try playing a game on the Switch at 30 FPS and try it on PC at 60 or 120 fps, it'll feel easier, it will be easier, you're giving your brain more information to work with.
It could be, many modern TVs add lag by processing what you're seeing. If you turn off all the processing that the TV is doing it should get better. But, it's a TV, it's not intended to have the same refresh rate as a monitor. There's also the issue of USB devices having their own latency. With the original hardware, the latency was practically zero, it was typically at most one frame and only if you missed the cutoff.
@@SmallSpoonBrigade Many modern TV's don't really add much lag... assuming you actually have a good one. The best ones are on the same level as the best monitors. Compared to a CRT there is definitely a slight noticable difference, but the difference in response time is relatively small. While the CRT's response time is technically faster, it is much slower in actually drawing the image. When you take that into account, the difference is pretty minimal and less than a handful of milliseconds. CRT's are still better at motion so it may still result in an image that's more pleasant to the eyes.
@@thenonexistinghero The redraw on a CRT is so much faster than persistence of vision that it's not even a factor in lag time. CRTs are simply the best when it comes to twitch games.
@@Nebulous6 That's a complete lie. No, the redraw on CRT's is not faster at all. It 'starts sooner', but it's still significantly slower to finish compared to modern displays (including good gaming LEDs).
perfect video to watch after moving my 32 inch CRT
i have 2 "Modern" Flat TVs and 5 Crt TVs. Until the last one dies i will use em:-) The Sound when switched on or off, the "glow" in the Room... Fantastic. Love Crts. Modern Display with Retrotink looks fine but its not the same feeling you get from old hardware.
Good video! I'd honestly consider adding a CRT to my household if I could find one in my area. They seem to be just getting more and more scarce as time goes on. That said, I currently play both modern and retro games on an older computer monitor. It does the job perfectly, so a CRT is more of a "nice to have" instead of an essential for me. My biggest concern is input latency of which it has never been an issue on my gaming monitor. I agree that however you play your retro games is fine as long as you are just enjoying them! 😄
I absolutely love my CRT TV mine has both DVD and VHS player built into it. Use it for SNES, PS2, N64, Wii
My wife picked me up a crt for my birthday last year and you can definitely tell the difference. The inputs just feel more responsive and crisp with retro games on the crt.
She must be strong...
@@WayanJig 😂 yeah the thing weighs a ton.
A few years back I bought a 17" JVC pvm, just to play Symphony of the Night for PS1 again, and it is probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. Initially I wanted to buy a board with rgb support, but after seeing the quality of s-video on the crt, it really isn't necessary. Now I have great blacks, superb scanlines and instant response. And the pvm is also great for watching anime 😀
Happy belated Birthday to your CRT 🥳!
My CRT lived in the garage for months until I was able to get a good friend and a dolly over to get it up the stairs and into my game room.
It says "Thank You!"
Nothing looks quite like a Vectrex. Holy heck those things are bright. The contrast is capable of going way beyond what is comfortable.
Yeah, laser scan mirrors are just too slow. How do they even work? I imagine that at every corner you need to hit the mirror with a huge electro magnetic pulse from a big cascade of MOSFETs without inducing resonance within the mirror itself.
I play on a crt/original hardware and have old speakers and furniture from the 80s for my setup. It is a time portal and I Iove it.
I still have my faux wood grain entertainment center from when I was a kid... bought it with my own money at Hills around 1987 or 88, haha.
Always look forward to your new video drops. Very inspiring for what I continue to do in the retro field. Keep up the great work!
Thank you and much luck to you and your channel!
Great video as always. And one I’m particularly interested in because I bought a CRT from marketplace and I just have to go pick it up from my friends place a city over. It’s a 13” with a dvd player and it’s from 2006 or 2007. I haven’t had a crt in maybe 16 years. Super excited to try it out again and I think it will look nice on my video game cart beside my desk. 😂
Most games do fall under the CRT bandwagon of never missing a button press, but there are some games that take the CPU opponent's button command's before yours. This doesn't happen often, but there are some games where the game either blocks commands at a certain point (Fighting games), or there are specific times where no matter what, your button press (for that fraction of a second or so) will not register.
3:55 I've totally been the friend for this.
Also one time we tweaked the tv to make Red Dead Redemption 2 have more film-like colors. I think we got it pretty close.
I like how your voice keeps going up and down just like your spaceship from Gradius. Total emersion.
In my opinion CRTs are absolutely necessary for lightgun games.
I also noticed that there's more depth to the image. The same game on a modern display looks kinda flat.
I never worried too much about input lag but when I transitioned to a CRT all the problematic moments in my NES games felt much easier. Turns out I never realised how big of a difference input lag can make 😅
One of the best things about old tv’s was hearing your friend scream in pain during a Smash Bros session because he forgets to blink enough and the refresh rate was so bad he had to pause the game due to eye strain. Honestly though, CRT’s can be super hard to find and cost prohibitive, so as long as you are enjoying the games and spreading the love, power to everyone.
I got all of my CRT's for free, except my 13" that I bought when I was in 7th grade(1993)
My thrift store has a bunch for sale for $5. The sony crt tv's cost alot if you buy them from someone who knows what they have but any brand crt tv is better than retro gaming on a hdtv
@@JBird401 none of the thrift stores here will take them anymore
@@princessnodak they're still out there. I got a Sony Wega for free because a elementary school near me was upgrading their gym tv cart to a hdtv and i got another Sony Trinitron at a yardsale for $10. They're worth looking for and picking up if you like retro gaming
Definitely not necessary, but from my perspective they enhance the experience.
Getting a 40inch Sony Bravia LCD tv today. These 1080p tvs are the absolute best and were the trinitrons of their day back in 2008. Sure it isnt the most retro, but theyre the best for ps3 and 360 gaming. Also, component ps2 looks great on them too. Also if you use upscalers or use the nintendo switch, mini consoles, or anything that isnt 4k native like the ps5, then this tv or ones like it are the best you can get. Dont be surprised if you see these become in demand once again in the future. 4 hdmi, 3 composite, 2 component, vga, s video, analog and digital audio, plus 120hz refresh.
I absolutely dig this. I, too, don’t want to be a gatekeeper and tell someone how to enjoy playing games. The new RetroTink 4K looks to solve a lot of problems with retro gaming; that said, I have 17 CRTs so I get the appeal
Just out of curiosity, why would you need 17 crt's? Not knocking it. Simply curious.
Thank you for understanding my message :)
Wow! 17! Nice! I only have 2 CRTs myself.
ok you seem like a good person to ask then, do you have any advice for how to locate someone who can repair a crt? (if you happen to know anyone near Austin, TX that would be especially helpful)
@@scottmasin741 locally, I host retro video game nights, free gaming nights in my community. I gathered a few CRTs but suddenly people just kept unloading them on me knowing I could use them. I finally had to start declining offers 😅
As someone who was born in the late 80’s and grew up in the 90’s, I’m a total sucker for my CRT. Just brings back a lot of great memories for me. Can’t wait to bring it back out of storage when we have a place with more room for it! I think I’d be a bit more open to the idea of getting myself set up with everything I need to upscale on a modern display but the price of admission is a bit high unfortunately. Game on!
crt is my personal favorite way to play vintage games. like you said, it just feels the most natural.
I do have a Sony Trinatron. Both LCD and CRT are good technologies for Retro-gaming. Most of the displays I use come from thrift-stores or are bought from other people who give them up for cheap. I really like my 4:3 20-Inch Sharp Aquos that came from a thrift store.
I plugged in my SNES classic into my OLED and it was amazing. The colors were vibrant and the contrast was better than any CRT i played on when i was a kid. Having no backlight also added to the contrast.
SNES classic as in the actual original SNES or the SNES classic the mini console?
WRGB OLED isn't capable of producing colors as good as a decent CRT or Plasma, you need quantum dot OLED to compete.
This is a lie.
I had a 36in RCA Proscan in the living room as a kid and 2D and 3D games looked really great on it. I also had a 27in 720p/1080i Zenith CRT in my 20s but I dont remember that set being all that great. I remember a lot of image retention and banding. Although my next set was a plasma and that thing took image retention to the next level. Lol
Still run a Panasonic Viera plasma I got for free (couple of bad caps). Definite image retention when sitting for any length of time, but the composite input is quite useful when I pull out my Wii!
I'm 40 and grew up playing all the retro systems on CRTs. I still have most of my original consoles and now play them on LCD TVs and honestly, I don't notice that much of a difference...and that's without using the Game mode on TVs (which I never realized reduced button lag so thanks for that)! The only time I've really experienced a real issue with button lag that prevented me from beating a game I'm great at is when I was playing Punch-Out at my buddy's house on his NES mini. I'm not sure though if that had to do with the NES Mini itself, the fact he didn't have Game mode turned on his LCD TV or a combination of both. All that being said, I do get the nostalgia part of playing those old systems on CRTs but personally, I don't wish to own one of those monstrosities again.
I remember playing the PlayStation 1, Nintendo GameCube and Nintendo 64 on a crt tv and those were great times. I still love playing those wonderful gaming consoles and games. I don't think you need to have a crt whatever gamers feel more comfortable with is what matters. Cool video. ^_^
32/64 bit systems look so much better on the CRT TV format they were designed for that the difference can be astounding if you've only played these games on a modern TV.
@@Blas4ublasphemy The performance is very great and I love that also. The PlayStation 1 and Nintendo GameCube comes to my mind whenever I think of crt retro gaming those were some amazing times back then. ^_^
@Obviousthrowawayaccount Good point, I recently played Tokyo Extreme Racer on DC on my CRT and was amazed at how decent it looked for something so old. I've also played TTYD on my HD TV in 480P and thought it looked nearly modern. Funny of all the games that could've gotten away without a graphical overhaul TTYD needed it least IMO.
It seems insane to me that no company has made a modern CRT TV for Retro Gaming. It is a completely untapped Market.
Been saying this for a while now. Apparently a Chinese company has made one- but I hear mixed things.
Because there isn't enough of a market, and they honestly aren't healthy to use when you have modern options.
@@The_GenXennialThey're old tubes in New chassis that's it. They're trash.
@@MoneyHoneyBunnyYup, there's barely a few thousand people who're purposefully using CRTs, those that have multiple displays in their home (like me). Anyone else will upgrade to a LCD/OLed in a jiffy of given for free or a cheap price. People don't care unfortunately.
I'm on r/crtgaming and usually see a lot of posts from US where people just pick up CRTs that were dropped on crubs or in trash. Completely working with Component inputs.
@@FR4M3Sharma ahh Gotya
CRTs were a must-have for rhythm games running on PS1/PS2 era hardware. The changeover around 2009-2010 from CRT to LCD was fraught with tons of input lag for those games and systems. You had to keep a CRT around back then because HD TVs were just unplayable then due to the upscaling that happened from Composite/S-Video. Even now, this is the main (and probably only) reason I'd want a CRT, as much as I liked them.
But that being said, I've gone the other way now. For me, the mobility and the lightness of the modern panel TV is more useful to me. But I ran emulation on a PC CRT monitor back in 2001 and loved the crispness compared to a CRT TV. And when the move to LCD HD displays happened, I didn't bat an eye so I'm very acclimated to the "too sharp" pixel look. I might use a little bit of a filter to soften it up but that's about all I need.
Bird is one of the lights in my dark existence. I appreciate you buddy
He is the Retrooo Birddddd
I had one of those nice Sony CRTs years ago, but I gave it to a buddy after I got my first HD TV, and he probably threw it away years ago. Funny how stuff that's considered worthless back then is now quite a commodity. Personally I do love my Analogue consoles. I like the convenience of hooking them up to the modern TV in my living room. Also I have a decent sound bar that makes the music and sound effects enhanced. I haven't played on a CRT in a while but I've tried the blurring effect on some games and it gave me a headache. I do get why some people don't like the Analogue consoles, but my brothers and I appreciate them. It feels nice having a new retro console that wasn't mistreated by a child lol.
i have 2 CRT's, a sony trinitron 32" and a Phillips 27" and both works flawlessly, i connect my atari 2600, nes, snes, genesis, ps1, n64, game cube,ps2, xbox, saturn and dreamcast, in my 32'' LCD LG TV y use it for ps3, xbox360, wii and wiiU and my 55 '" 4k UHD y use it for ps4, xbox one, ps5 and pc, this is the way i keep playing retro and modern games in my game room. i agree, everyone has to find they own experience playing videogames specially in a retro enviroment.
This was a great video! And a great list of other videos to watch.
I like how mame appears closer to the actual arcade on a old tube computer monitor.
I dont know if I ever told you? Mannn i love ur videos sooo much 🎉
Thank you! That means a lot to hear from you :)
I have a 36” Sony Trinitron CRTtv from 1999. My retro games look gorgeous on this thing.
I would definitely recommend a CRT for 5th generation and below. Once you hit the 6th generation you start to get consoles with much better video quality, so a CRT is helpful, but you can fudge the results a lot easier if you just wanna hook it up to a regular tv.
Concise and informative video. I knew as much, but this is good confirmation.
Down to my last CRT TV at my house. Also I remember finding the Game Mode on my TV for the 1st time & I've been putting that into all my TVs on that mode ever since! This has been a huge topic 4 Retro Gamers lately & one thing I've come to realize is Hand Helds. They ALL come with a screen made 4 that game & for that time period, no need for Bibity Bobity Boo to your screen!
I haven't had a CRT in over a decade and have needed to rely on modern consoles with rereleases or emulation. Last month I finally got a CRT again and man I felt like a kid again I beat Star Fox right then and there trying to test it. It opened my eyes once more on why retro gaming on CRTs are so integral to the experience but after having gone so long without one I now don't mind what I play these old games on. I'll be playing on both the CRT and newer displays from now on
I use a CRT for my retro games, and I use it for a variety of reasons touched on in this video. Yeah, input lag is a big one. I've been playing retro games on LCD TVs for years, usually not through original hardware. But when I finally played a real SNES with a wired controller on a CRT, it felt like those scenes in Dragon Ball Z where somebody takes off the heavy weighted training gear and were suddenly much better at everything.
I also love scanlines, and yeah a lot of emulators can try to make good scanlines, but they still don't look quite right blown up all huge on an LCD TV to me no matter how much I tweak the settings, it just feels fake to me, even if I can replicate the blending effects you see in the portraits of Earthworm Jim. It just looks much nicer on the real deal.
My SNES was left to me by my Grandma, and the CRT was given to me by my Grandpa So there's some sentimentality there. I've taken to giving it an extra nostalgic feel by decorating it with a bunch of stickers that feel like they evoke the 80's, 90's, and early 2000's. Etsy has been a wonderful help in finding the exact vibe I'm going for. Blockbusters logos, Nina Turtles, Pizza slices, the nickelodeon splat, Ghostbusters logo, an green alien head, a Tamagotchi, just to name a few It's like the underside of a skateboard. I love my big screen, but there's not exactly much room for personalization with the super thin black frame. Not unless I do the back, but i'm probably never going to see it.
Input lag is only due to the television itself. It's buffering and up-scaling the image. This wouldn't matter if you were playing from a VCR or some other legacy video system. This wouldn't happen on a modern monitor, and it wouldn't happen with a video game simulator.
2:14 I played SO MANY games this way back in the 90s
playing retro games through nintendo switch online has been pretty cool at college since i didn’t want to take all of the original consoles and games, but man do i miss the setup i have at home
I just bought a HDMI to component converter so I can use my 20" PVM as a 3rd PC monitor! It's amazing watching crisp TH-cam music videos in 4:3 480i. Also my first time ever watching Neon Genesis Evangelion and it's stunning on 4:3 bluray on my 27" FV310. It's magical stuff. Don't know why people get so offended when others enjoy CRTs like "how dare you like to watch on a crt!! it's not even the shitty one you grew up with, what's the point?" as if we're doing it for nostalgia. No this stuff just has a completely different style of viewing compared to OLED (which I have and also love). Videos and games specifically built to be played on this technology being projected on a shinny curved thick glass screen with a physical 4:3 border around it and having a vibrant glow is just something a retrotink can't compare too, FOR MY LIKING. Good for people who want to play 90s games with a dry flat sterile 4K "perfect" look. No one is hating if that's your preference. Stop being offended you fellow nerds.
The dumbells attached to the flat monitor cracked me up and gelt so relatable lol. Might need two 100lbs dumbells for mine tho
Happy birthday dude! Thanks for sharing your love for gaming
I'm not opposed to playing on a CRT, I just don't have the space for one. I'm very happy with my Retrotink 5X, I don't know how I ever played retro games without it.
Have my crt hooked up with my PS2 & N64. Still look great on that baby.
Keeping an eye out for a Trinitron- grew up with a 70’s pull knob RF cabinet TV that’s still hooked up when kids visit the grandparents.
Yo Retrobird respect for actually benching that CRT in bed at the end 😂
Happy birthday, Retro Bird's TV 🎉🥳
If you feel that owning an original retro console with the original games is necessary, chances are a CRT TV's are necessary also
8:51 *shows lagless HDCRT
Loved the episode. Love the content. You mah mah mah make me happy :)
The softer picture and the lack of input lagg is why I love my old Crt Tv:s..
dux hunt
I see what you did there.. ;)@@nicktonic
Lots of good info here. I keep a CRT specifically for retro stuff. Some years back, I watched an older movie on a modern high def tv. The movie itself was remastered and all that. There's a sequence where the sky was being shown, and the clouds were VERY obviously just pieces of cotton. You'd never see that if you watched it in the original low res as the edges would blur and they would make pretty convincing clouds. That convinced me to try when I can to watch and play things how they were intended to be seen.
Dude you’re hilarious love it
I used crt since the late 80's until my last one died around 2015. Since then I've packed all my consoles to stoarge and went on to using RetroArch and the various crt shaders it has to get the crt feeling.
Black levels, scan lines, and that slight gaussian blur all combine to a picture you still can't get even on an oled.
I sit on both sides I have a Beautiful 30” Panasonic CRT w/ Y, Pb, Pr also use a flatscreen LCD with either OSSC , RetroTink 2x Pro or GBS - C
love the footage of "Osman"...that game is awesome!
For me when it came to getting back into the hobby of retro games and playing on original hardware, owning a CRT was a no-brainer. You just plug in a console and boom, you're playing with optimal picture quality and zero input delay. Usually with a good set of speakers too! Space isn't REALLY an issue unless you live in a studio imo. A 20 something inch would probably take up as much space as a small set of drawers.
Compare that to all the expensive alternatives, scanline generators and retrotinks, and it makes even more sense...
Unfortunately currently moving country so gaming on an IPS monitor via emulation on my laptop, but I still love using the crt-pi scaler and retro achievements feel like a nice bonus too.
For my CRT I use a Scart to component converter. The brand is called Shinybow. It’s really nice and the colors pop. Although it ruins the dithering on the Saturn.
Love my 14" Advent flat CRT! :)
Sony WEGA KS-27FS100L FROM 2003. I had the 2005 120 model and the difference was so stark I was shocked. Stick with the 100 and have a 1999 KV-127V42 with S-Video as backup.
Woooooooooh you're killing it on the Final Fight game!
Hahah thanks :)
@@RetroBirdGaming yeah man, Haggar is like "I don't need those other clowns to wipe out the streets"
I use crts and HD retrovision cables with n64 and snes. Absolutely love it!
still have my Sony Bravia (2013) with GAME mode... it works PERFECT for everything -- lion king on my sega through the coax- cable is perfection ❤
For anything PS2 and before, yes CRT. Later stuff just looks amazing in on modern TVs. I’ve got two or three CRT’s and that suits me just fine.
Great vid, I still want a CRT, but the Retrotink option just seems so much more convenient. I haven't pulled the trigger on either yet, so who knows what will happen. Honestly, all that matters imo is that people keep enjoying classic games.
Recently found your videos, and I'm hooked!
Welcome to the channel!
I went from CRT to plasma back in the day, and I recently got a second (used, obviously) plasma TV for my game room--you get the deep blacks and still have the RCA connectors for older hardware. Whenever these eventually die I'll switch to OLED, but I am tempted now and then to re-acquire a CRT for my VHS and laserdisc media just for the full experience. I agree with others that emulation is great, but nothing can every fully replace the original.
Basically I always thought I need a CRT TV to play retro games ,but not anymore I just got use to using the classic DVD player or VCR for my retro games because if you see the obvious cable screw on the TV now a days it is possible
Playing on a CRT is something different, finally my muscle memory fits the timing again. But that's something hard to unlearn, when you put hundreds of hours into a specific game.
And also the CRT glow I missed so much, the image produced by a cathode ray with its self illuminating phosphors is something those titles were designed around - couldn't replicate that with an Shader so far.
But for someone who hasn't grown up with those games or not having a muscle memory in their way, use any TV you like. Games are still fun to play anyway, Sonic 3 & Knuckles still the best game ever made so go for it and have a blast.
Yo I absolutely love your positive attitude towards retro games! Ive come across a lot of hidden gems of games watching your channel, Canon Dancer looks awesome, especially since I rly liked Strider. This is easily my favorite channel that discusses retro games!
I'm a bit of a CRT junkie, I currently have 12 CRT's! (had more, but scaled back). My favorite is my 27" Sony Wega TV, a KV-27FS12 I found free! It looks incredible for vintage gaming! Far better than my 27" Sony Trinitron TV from 1989. Also have Apple II, Apple III, Atari, Amiga CRT's. Or unique CRT's, like my NEC MultiSync 3D or the CRT's built-in my Vectrex and Mac 128. Can't imagine video gaming without them!
My favourite is a 16 inch Trinitron with stereo speakers and wireless headphones. Tiny, but not the tiniest, and as clean as a BVM. I also have a green monochrome CRT from Philips that looks awesome, and an original 13" 640x480 Macintosh RGB Trinitron. And a massive B&O Beovision Avant 32 DVD MKIII, not the best for gaming, but it does work as marvelous working doorstopper with awesome sounding CD player inside.
for years now i plug in all my consoles into an onkyo av-receiver wich has an build in upscaler. worked everytime going trough different modern tvs and different onkyos as well
got a panasonic crt tv with speakers on side and big speaker on top (forgot the model)
bought a component cable for ps2 and wii and its perfect
I feel like I could write my life story just talking about CRTs. I've never really been without one since getting my first very own bedroom TV in 1988 to keep me from hogging up one of the other TVs in the house for NES games, and I was an HDTV early adopter with a Philips 1080i CRT behemoth, and I've had some amazing CRTs thanks to my known interest and people wanting to get rid of them (I was once given an SGI monitor that took two UPS drivers to move, not to mention the PVMs). I just think they're great. I still have plenty of LCD displays (and miss my dear Panasonic plasma), and sometimes I even play retro games on a 4k just because I can, but CRTs are as important to me as the games I play them on. And TV shows, for that matter. Old TV just feels better from the glow of a 15kHz tube.
Have a sony CRT and a few consoles but nothing beats HDR 1440p monitor with CRT shaders on retroarch with SN30 pro 8bitdo controller.... Its so nice. I need the screen and controller to feel authentic everything else is not as important, with CRT shaders this can be done on your PC. Love it
I have an 48 inch Oled now. Good to know there is minimal lag on that. So because there is still lag it still effects the gameplay a lot when you play Mike Tyson's Punch out. Until they figure out a way to have 0 lag on the 4K tv's I will still be playing my retro games on a CRT. I do not care if the graphics are a lot better on HD or 4K. I care about 0 lag.
Do you have an upscaler? The RT5X adds a tiny bit of lag but you wouldn’t notice it unless you A/B’d with a CRT. The RT2X I had was the same thing (the lag comes from the TV itself processing and upscaling the image)
@@hhectorlector Yeah. Less lag on my 4K but it's noticeable still.
Are OPEDs pulse width modulated or could they be? I think that LEDs generally like low current, but wouldn’t the transistor waste the power anyway? Unlike in an LCD.
I have been playing a little more with Retroarch’s CRT shaders recently and I am considering selling one of my shadow mask CRT’s because the aperture grille shaders look nuts. I’m sure a PVM is probably better but count me impressed.
What are shaders?
@@veightrwd8828 They make an LCD TV look like a CRT television.
@@veightrwd8828 They emulate the look of scanlines and shadow/aperture/slot mask from CRTs.