Is Your Retro Gaming Setup Actually Good? - Retro Bird 

Games played: Contra (0:01), Alien Soldier (0:15), Super Mario Sunshine (0:24), Sonic & Knuckles (0:51), Time Crisis 2 (1:25)

I just moved, and had a guy helping who was mocking the fact I had an old CRT for my non-HD systems. He kept saying everything looked better on a 4k TV. I tried to educate him on upscaling and lag, but he wouldn't budge. He needs our prayers, guys.

The reason we enjoy retro games is because it harks back to a simpler time where it was just about having fun. Just have a good time and if your setup is not 'optimal' so what!

For me, the #1 priority is day-to-day convenience. Meaning that it doesn’t matter how much of a hassle it is to set everything up in the first place, but once it’s set up, I don’t want to ever think about the set-up again. From that point on, it should work like in the good old days: pick up the controller and play. That includes things like proper cable management. It’s certainly a bit of an initial effort to wrap your cables and place them nicely, but once it’s done, there won’t be the ugly sight of dozens of loose cables distracting you while you’re playing.

Love that MyLifeInGaming shout-out. They're the real MVPs.

Hey thanks! I nearly spat my coffee all over myself when you stuck your head in the bin! 🤣

For me personally, i strive to use original hardware as much as possible and CRTs for the preHD consoles

Most important to me is having every console plugged in and ready to go. That means both to the CRTV and also to an audio receiver for awesome sound. Then it's just a matter of pressing the appropriate input selectors and turning on the console to play. This isn't as easy as it sounds when you have 16 retro consoles, but when it's set up, it's a beautiful thing!

My biggest priority I've found out is how close my setup is to my bedroom! We have a spare room perfect for gaming, and I have a HUGE trinitron in there with all the space I'd need for gaming... yet I find myself moving everything I can into my bedroom. Something about a cozy setup at my desk has made it much more accessible and enjoyable for me.

I always like this subject because my gaming set up has evolved quite a lot over the years and overtime as I get older, know more about stuff, new devolpments in the retro gaming sphere emerge, and I have access to more resources it gets better. Plus it's really cool to see other peoples rad setups and take ideas from them.

Using a CRT television is the single most important factor. However, having a hifi audio system is a great investment and really enhances the experience. Realistically, the buy in for an entry level hifi stereo set up new would be at least $500 but even decent vintage equipment can be great. It also instantly gives your gaming space the ability to also be a music space, throw in a record player and you'll really be rolling. I think most retro gamers with sophisticated setups might not even consider audio but they would be blown away by the upgrade and just how much it adds to the experience.

The days of plug in and play are done.. Took me forever to set up a new Xbox for my kid. No I'm not new tech savvy

Bird, you're so awesome, i really hope that we'll never lose you in youtube.

I hate to admit it but, even though we have many consoles hooked up in our house. I still have our NES, SNES and Genesis hooked up on a big ol 28' Zenith via RF cables. I just enjoy having them hooked up the way we all did back when I was a little gamer. Great vid bird!

All my retro stuff is played on a Sony Trinitron, using either s-video or component. I love the setup and the picture quality is awesome.

I used to have all of my consoles hooked up at once but quickly outgrew that with the advent of things like component and HDMI that didn't mix well with a more retro environment. It got to a point where I had multiple switch boxes and converters with sound routed through a receiver and half the time I couldn't even figure out how to turn a console on. Even though I set it up! Not to mention the cable mess and having multiple surge protectors to plug everything into. That messiness just made the whole thing unsatisfying for me. Nowadays I just have the three current systems hooked up (which already looks messy enough!) and everything else is boxed. That does mean I play the retro systems less but every once in a while I'll hook one up for a few days. Someday I'd love to have them all hooked up and finally organized on a big set of shelves, but I just haven't found good solutions for that yet. And it seems like it would take multiple solutions; the right furniture, dealing with the different output types, the cable management, power management, etc.

I connect all my mini systems (NES, Genesis, TG-16, SNES, Neo-Geo, PS1) to a 13in CRT with component via HDMI converter. Very happy with the results!

My set up was originally just a 13" that had RF and AV crt. Now I have a 28" older flat-screen with RF, AV, S-video, VGA, Component, and HDMI and a 20" CRT with RF, AV out and an audio in so I could hook up a stereo to my set up which would be a really nice addition. I do find it odd that not many people talk about audio as much as they talk about video

Composite video on a CRT is good enough. I think most can agree that hooking composite up to a modern LCD is not a great experience, though. The problem with most hobbyist communities is the "gatekeeping", and there is no shortage of it in gaming. That said, there are some amazing engineers out there breathing new life in to vintage consoles and it's fun nerding out on this stuff. Shout out to the Retro RGB website. Also, HD Retrovision for bringing component cables to most retro consoles...well, not the Dreamcast 🤣

After discovering that my TV's video chip supports S-Video, I plan on adding that in. But Composite looks perfectly nice to me, and anything pre-Dreamcast I plan on keeping connected through that. Who cares if it isn't optimal: most people with consoles in the 90s and early 00's didn't have high end equipment!

I went through a lot of trouble and some extra money to make sure that what ever console I turn on, is automatically recognized by the tv and if switches to it automatically. So I’d say that’s the most important thing to me. Consoles ready to play on the spot.

I'm happy with Composite so far. Got 2 8-way switch Boxes to hook All my Systems up and it works for me. For the Sound i connected an old Stereo System to my TV for games like Einhänder, the Final Fantasy Games and everything with amazing Soundtracks ^^

Great video! Great points made! Love how you always emphasize inclusion no gatekeeping and overall enjoyment.

I’m glad a larger RU-vidr finally said it. I’ve got the OSSC, mClassic and Retrotink. I almost always prefer the simplistic options that look pretty good. I do favor the mClassic but it has an added benefit of forcing the aspect ratio into 4:3.

Most important thing for me is having all my consoles ready to play. I have my retro consoles hooked up to a Trinitron (nes with composite, n64 with s-video, and soon snes in the remaining av port). Then I have a 50” plasma with my ps2 thru component (which i know is not ideal but my trinitron doesn’t have component) my PS3 thru hdmi (I use either the ps2 or ps3 to play ps1 games, again not ideal but convenient) my Wii with hd converter thru hdmi (use this to play GameCube as well) and all my mini consoles which unfortunately have to share an hdmi cord. Then my ps4 is on my 60” 4K tv in the living room. So not exactly ideal in all aspects, but everything is hooked up (apart from all the minis) and ready to play which is convenient and ultimately works well for me. So now all I need is a genesis, a Saturn, a Dreamcast, a tg16, neogeo, a switch and a series x and I should be good to go! 😅

Recently found your channel and been having so much fun watching through your backlog.

Love to see your view count growing, you deserve it! I literally watch and rewatch your videos all day lol. Your volume is incredible and every time the video is super entertaining. Thanks so much for sharing your passion with all of us. Excited to see your channel continue to grow!

The most important part for me personally is comfort. I want a nice place to sit or lay down and an easy pick up and play kind of expercience! Thats why most of my consoles are always connected.

The most important aspect of my gaming set up is comfortness, as in I need to be cozy and comfy while I'm playing my games with a comfy lounge chair, bean bag, or reclining gaming chair, maybe something to help me hang my feet in the air, that kind of thing.

Great content! Thanks for the inspo.

I remember using a converter on the two forks with screws to run RF on my tiny black and white tv. Didn’t matter, still played double dribble for hours with no complaints.

Such an underrated channel. Thanks for the great content my friend!

Retro gaming madness only proves how powerful nostalgia can feel. Great vid!

I love the little interstitials that you put in the video. The facial expressions are awesome!

Great video - once again! Most important quality for me is picture quality, followed by functionality, and then orderliness in that order 😊

I really really like your videos, please keep up the good work :D

Your dedication is remarkable and certainly doesn't go unnoticed. 🍌

Thank you for this video, it’s given me a lot too think about. I also need to go back and review the videos mentioned.

The most important part of my video game setup having all the consoles wired up to be played at a moment notice.

This is solid advice. Went down the rabbit hole myself and quickly got to the point where I spent more time fidgeting with cable upgrades than actually playing games.

I’m glad you mentioned controllers because for me, they play the biggest part of making the experience feel authentic. Since I use a MiSTer FPGA split between two CRTs via S-Video (one in tate mode), having the proper controller for each core is integral. Going down the SNAC rabbit hole with PSX accessories like all the various Namco controllers has been a real treat.

As always, terrific video mr. bird!

As a video game sound designer, it may seem obvious what my #1 priority is when gaming…sound!

Thanks for this. I moved recently and didn't bother setting up my old games bc I "didn't have the perfect display"

I am also strangely moved by the My Life In Gaming intro music. You are not alone.

You deserve way more subscribers. I love your videos.

My retro gaming experiencie has always been about recreating little Eddy's 90's gaming vibe so it's composite on a CRT all the way for me. Any '"better" display quality is different therefore not really better.

I use a variety of connections and we definitely have an RF setup for the Atari and Coleco that my son has. I loved the video.

As a kid, I played NES on an old POS console TV via RF. It was a blast.

As someone who knows absolutely nothing about technology I could not even tell you what the red white and yellow cables were called until this video. I plug all my consoles new and old into the only TV I have which is a flat screen and I’ve had people tell me how bad it is since all the old consoles get stretched to wide screen, but I feel like if you have fun playing your games then it doesn’t matter what TV or cables you have, that makes your set up good if you have fun with it.

My life in gaming is TV documentary quality, a lot of work for sure

I love these helpful videos. I have a CRT but I really need to upgrade from composite to S-video and see the difference. Maybe it'll send me down a rabbit hole.

You touched on my setup philosophy. It's mostly whatever works. To each their own, but I do find it funny how some people talk about how they like certain games for the nostalgia from playing them when they were younger, but have them running through all these special cables and filters when if they were really nostalgic, they'd be playing them on their old hand-me-down 12" CRT tv through coax cables while sipping on some Ecto Cooler flavored Hi-C and entering some cheat codes your buddy gave you on the bus ride home written down on a piece of paper ripped from their composition notebook.

Honestly, I just plug my games into a regular ol CRT TV via composite switchbox and I couldn't be happier.

Thanks for the vid! I have a medium sized CRT I use for my main three consoles…NES, SNES, and Genesis. I also have a PC running Recalbox (with custom CRT filter) for all the other consoles. I’ve invested quite a bit of time and money into getting all the controllers right. I have first party controllers and adapters for most of the consoles I play on Recalbox. Input lag is a priority, too. I love the CRT for zero lag, but I also like sitting back on the couch with a big modern screen. You’ll want to make sure your modern TV has a fast response time.

Thanks for your help; made me get multiple, different controllers so games play as they should (Saturn, GameCube, being prime examples)

I love my visuals, so I've been investing in nice SVideo and Component cables recently and they've made all the difference! I even got one of the fancy HD Retrovision cables for my Genesis and it was mind blowing.

I know a lot of gamers aren't fans but I love my Analogue consoles. They're so simple and they work great.

You make a great point about sound! I have my retro consoles connected to a pair of Edifier R1280DBs with a Polk Audio PSW10 10" Powered Subwoofer. Retro games never sounded so good!

Convenience is very important to me specifically. My games are always one step away from my recliner and tv. Nothing else usually matters as long as everything works.

My brother was helping me to replace a laser lens on my sega saturn so I could improve it and play reproduction games, such as the english translations of Scenario 2 and 3 for Shining Force 3. But instead we ended up breaking it entirely, but thankfully he's coming back next weekend so hopefully we'll get it figured out. Anyways, it's an extreme hassle, but I'm sure it'll be totally worth it once we get it fully fixed. I just have to keep buying pizza and beer to bribe my brother for his services is all.

Just upgraded to rgb for every console except wii and wiiu, and it's been a blast. For my setup, it's comfortableness that's important and also audio. I have my audio going thru a low lag Bluetooth 5.0 with battery and its great for playing games in bed, I can hear my audio and if it's too loud thru my headphones, then I can use the included ir Remote for my bt transmitter. I've got everything else done and my audio was the last thing I needed to improve

I feel like sound preservation is often overlooked and it's really good that you brought it up! Most pro monitors (and some consumer sets) have abysmal speakers; as audio is not the focus of video production! But as many are repurposing these monitors for use in their home gaming setups, it is important to pair these monitors with speakers that are safe to use around the tube (no electromagnetic interference), loud enough, and do the source material justice. I specifically use powered speakers (Audioengine a2) alongside my PVM and they are a great option. Unrelated, huge emphasis on making time a factopr in creating your gaming setup. Wait for things to fall in your lap. Maybe one day you find a Sony branded TV stand at the thrift for $3. Maybe years later you find a used Bandridge SCART switcher for $50... my point is that my setup took about 4 years to optimize and I'm happy that I didn't rush to do it all at once.

I don't even collect retro games but I watch every Retro Bird video.

Great video, both audio and visual performance were equally important to me. I went through a few different setups including 4k tvs, SD crts, lcds and even a plasma tv through various av cables and speaker setups until I found something that changed my gaming experience. Here's what worked for me Sony kv-36hs500 HD CRT Yamaha rxv383 5.1 channel reciever Yamaha 5.1 home theater speakers Retrotink 2x (480p) Component cables(snes, genesis, ps2) S Video cable (n64, gamecube) Component switch board I've never seen these consoles look better. What really blew my mind was playing PS1 titles through the PS2 at 480p. Absolutely gorgeous. As for sound, this goes untalked about a bit but there are a handful of older games that support licensed dolby digital audio formats like pro logic or generic "surround sound" on games like DK64 or Super Castlevania IV.

These days, the most important aspects to my gaming setup are convenience and physical minimalism. I used to have a huge collection of 100s of games across genesis, 32x, sega cd, dreamcast, n64, gamecube, wii, xbox. But that was easier when living alone as a bachelor. Now I'm two years into my marriage and have a 9-month-old baby. We don't own a house (yet), so there isn't a ton of space for that sort of setup in our living room and I wouldn't want to leave all of that out with the baby around. So what's my setup? A Retroid Pocket 2+ with all libraries for all the old consoles I want, along with a long HDMI cable so I can plug it into the TV when it's time to play. It's minimal, convenient, and out of the way. The only inconvenient thing so far is that I'm not sure what's the best way to configure extra controllers for when I want to game with a friend. This setup works well for now. One day however, I'd like to get back into physical collecting... as soon as we're more established and have the space for it again.

Cool vid, getting my setup straight has been a challenge since I'm trying to figure out getting a crt into mix. Outside of picture quality, sound quality, and getting everything hooked up at once is the priority. Sound is probably the hardest thing to figure out though.

The most important aspects of my setup is A: Picture quality, and B: Felling accomplished with it.

Inherited a 32in flat screen CRT recently, plugged my gamecube & N64 into it and the games look sooooo much better than the 48in HD TV they were hooked up to.

My setup priorities 1. Having everything always hooked up 2. TV Image quality 3. Surround sound quality 4. all wireless controllers 5. Room lighting

I feel satisfied and happy with my set up: gamecube kiosk, 2k 1ms TN gaming monitor, PC CRT 85hz for 480p and retro pc games and finally a 25 inch trinitron with composite/component or DVD inputs for ps3/blu ray disk with 3.1 surround sound! It took me 7 years but I need no more!

I was fortunate enough to find an entertainment center on wheels so I can easily access the cords. Very helpful.

Love mine and I hope everyone does the same for their setup I got it all my man from the 1980s to Now happy and blessed that I kept all

the best purchase I ever made for my retro set-up was a component input switcher. Was cheap and made my life so much easier !

Right now is a great time to get a Retro TV for free or cheap as everyone seems to be getting those Smart TVs. They are not so smart when it comes to hooking retro games! Anyway, the only thing I use is a cheap fold up table to hold my consoles on. That way I can get to all my cables easy & not struggle like when you couldn't get to your GGB to Component Video Converter. Don't want your cables to show, just buy a video game blanket & throw it on there to hang in the back hiding your cables. As blankets are easy enough to still get to your cables.

So the most important part of my setup is the quick access to play what I want on a whim, Keeping the consoles safe, and the ability to record for RU-vid Videos.

My setup atm i use is a series x and a 55" cx. Switch and MiSTer used with a 24" LED low lag monitor 2ms. Very compact and dozens of consoles. All other hw like super NT and og retro hw is stored. I couldnt be happier.

I use to obsess over wanting to convert my PVM to RGB input but ever since I got all s-video cables for my consoles, I’ve been pretty content with it. Especially after finding out the inconvenience of obtaining decent RGB/SCART cables. The biggest piece of mind I can have is to at least get OEM s-video cables. I dodged a financial bullet and been pretty happy ever since. Now I can just focus on gaming it up because in the end that’s the goal.

It's funny to think about how much time and energy I've spent perfecting my retro gaming setup when, back in the day, I just used whatever we had in the house. I played my Xbox 360 on a Hitachi CRT from the 80's for a long time.

I use a 20'' Magnavox CRT and I'm running my Wii, PS2, and SNES through an accessory selector from Radioshack so I don't have to plug and unplug stuff whenever I want to switch consoles, and it's working just fine so I'm happy.

Love the My Life in Gaming music too! 😂

Back home in Brazil I used to have a Retropie, a PS2 and an N64 all hooked up to a 14" CRT through composite. To me that's the most nostalgic way of playing it. Now I'm living in Australia and relying only on the Retroid Pocket 2+

I have a 28" CRT (RGB SCART) for PS2 and older, 42" Plasma for PS3, PS4 and Switch, and a 21" LCD monitor with s-video and component inputs which can be rotated for games which benefit from that. Very happy with my setup.

When buying controllers, remember that it's not a truly authentic retro multiplayer experience unless somebody gets stuck with the terrible Mad Catz one that has slight drift, at least one loose button and a wire that's been chewed partway through by a dog.

I don't have the craziest TV, but I am pretty happy with all the stuff I have. I did go down that major, major technical rabbit hole and that was a trip. Dithering too. I played through Silent Hill 1 recently, with composite and man it is a different experience entirely than if I had a more clearer cable such as component.

I run a 20” PVM with SCART for all consoles and a switcher that allows me to easily change between them. However, this wasn’t how I used to play games so I guess it’s more important to me to have a certain picture quality these days. I love true scanlines, for example. And the artistry of graphics and pixels and sprite designs. I like to give them the space to breathe and admire what they look like. That’s a huge part of the gaming experience for me. But rightfully said in the video; that’s personal to me. There is no right or wrong way to play games. Only a fun way or not.

Biggest thing for me is that the things I bring into my retro room are able to be standalone items (TVs with multiple input types that have good visual quality for all devices, speakers that can hook up to everything & quality, etc.). I don't have much more space and find that if I wanted to add more I'd need to take something away, so whatever I bring in needs to be the complete package. I find it's also helped me be more discerning with what I choose to buy

I have my setup in my garage on my workbench. I’m a mechanic but my video game passion has taken over for the past 2 years now. I have the nes snes n64 tg16 mini Genesis GameCube neo geo mini Dreamcast and the 2600 all under the table and my 15 inch tv next to them under the table. I have a small 9 inch on the actual workbench but I have 4 other crts that I can use. All compostite going through a 3 switch and a bunch of Y cables so some systems share the connection. For me it’s versatility. I can swap cables and tvs with no problem at the drop of a hat. Last night I used a 20 inch flat screen crt. As long as I’m having fun I don’t mind at all.

After obsessing over getting perfect video quality for over almost 10 years in 2022 I'm now obsessing over sound. I've searching for the perfect magnetically shielded speakers and a vintage Marantz receiver.

This is one of my favorite topics! I’m a bit of a purist, so my setup consists of 6th Gen and down hooked up to my 36'' CRT. I use a Pelican component/S-Video switcher. Once I went down the rabbit hole of finding the best picture on my old consoles; I’ve never looked back! The first one I did was my Genesis with HD Retrovision’s component cables! I was so amazed that I had to do most of my other consoles this way! Although I still use some composite and RF. Consoles are hooked up as follows RF-Atari 2600, Colecovision Composite-NES front loader (I have a top loader to do a component or scart mod someday), GameCube (component maybe someday when cables are affordable), PC Engine w/CD rom2 (Briefcase unit, want to mod component/scart) S-Video-N64, Dreamcast, PlayStation (PS1), Saturn (HD Retrovision component someday) Component-Sega Genesis/CD/32x, Sega Master System, SNES, Xbox (original), PlayStation (PS2), Nintendo Wii Newer stuff is all HDMI-PS3 & PS4, Xbox 360 And my GameBoy ADV SP is an 001 model not modded. Sega GameGear, just added a clean screen setup from Retrosix and I couldn’t recommend it enough!!! I also have an old school Sansui receiver piped to some vintage nice Pioneer cabinet speakers for my sound!

My life in gaming are just awesome folks

My setup in regards to how they are connected to my TV is complicated since I am using a modern Sony 48" OLED TV with 11 consoles connected at once. The description of the details of my setup is going very long ,because there lot going on with it. The consoles connected to my TV: Analogue Super NT(SNES), Analogue Mega SG(Genesis), N64, Saturn, Gamecube, PS2, PS3, PS5, Wii U, Switch, and Xbox Series X. Retro Consoles HDMI Converters: Gamecube( GCHD HDMI Mod), XRGB Framemeister (N64 via S-Video, Sega Saturn via SCART), OSSC 1.6 (PS2 via Component). Connections to TV: Xbox Series X and PS5 in the first 2 HDMI 2.1 ports, in the third port is a Marantz SR 5013 with 8 HDMI INs and 2 HDMI Outs. Plugged into the Marantz is the Mega SG, Super NT, PS3, Switch, Wii U, Gamecube , OSSC 1.6, and Framemeister. There are upsides to having a setup like this, but I still recommend using a CRT if you have the space to put it. The cost of upscalers, HDMI Switches, and AVR make no sense fiscally speaking if you can spare the room for a CRT.

I originally bough a Framemeister for use with my gaming setup, but apart from one LCD that lacked a 4:3 mode I didn't like using it - never felt like it was worth it. Now swapped it out for a different screen with SCART inputs on it and I'm happier, just one less thing to fiddle around with.

After chasing RGB-only and hoarding CRTs for the last few years, i've come to the realization I prefer S-video for pre 360/PS3 if easily available on original hardware. For me, It's the best of both worlds on a consumer CRT and "feels right". Other factors are size and geometry, my 32" is S-video max with good geo (despite banging it around moving that beast by myself since 1999), my 20" can do RGB, and looks great for 240p but needs some geometry TLC (flat glass) that I can't unsee but I don't feel like doing.

I just have a CRT and I play my retro games via AV. They look great.

Having everything set up is most important to me. I have my retro consoles (SG-1000 through Dreamcast) hooked up to a CRT in my game room. Then I have a second Dreamcast, Wii, Wii U, Switch, PS4, and all Xbox/Mini consoles hooked up to an HD TV in my family room.

Retro Bird = most likeable dude on the entire world wide web

Great topic. I just got a PVM hooked up with an RGBS cable. I thought I was set... then I learned about geometry issues.

Funny you should mention sound because one of the man reasons for redoing my gaming setup recently was so that i could try out surround sound on N64 games such as Majora's Mask and Perfect dark. I also wanted all my consoles to output audio through both my TV and my Hi-Fi system if I wanted. That's bee a real challenge and required a big investment in new cables and switch boxes with separate audio outputs. Really loving it though, amazing how good surround sound is on Majora's mask and it's always better to listen to anything on my Hi-Fi system compared to my TV.

11:47 "If you're happy with [your setup], you're probably good to go...with maybe some minor tweaks here or there..." I've don't think I have ever seen Retro Bird so aggressive.