Why You Need a CRT for Retro Gaming 

My Dad bought me an S-Video cable for my PS2 when I was growing up. Thanks Dad :)

Loved the little CRT 3D animation at the beginning, that was amazing haha. Also I definitely agree, CRT gives the pixels a more softer and natural look, like in the emulated version the stick looks very pixelated to my eyes. Also because CRT gives it that rounder and blurrier look, you can't really tell the jarring difference between the models and the pre-rendered backgrounds, like the one where Link is laying down on the bed.

Congrats on realizing how amazing S-Video is! I heard about it growing up but I never realized how much better it was. Just switched all my consoles over a few months ago. 🙂

CRT is life for retro gaming !!

Been digging into CRTs and how color works on older displays with 'crappy' cables. I've gained a newfound appreciation for games that look ugly when displayed on a modern flatpanel display with blocky pixels or blurry splotches. Turns out these pixel sprites and blurry textures actually contain a lot more detail that is basically not there on modern displays or emulator output. They will look bland, dull or just weird and give older games that 'dated' look and feel. CRTs are a lot brighter and more vibrant by nature, so any dull visuals would likely look a lot more pretty. Also, artifacts and color blending on composite and S-video created more colors and pixel artists would use clever tricks to pack as much detail into tiny sprites and tiles that just isn't there when simply playing through and emulator. They're literally not intended for anything others than CRTs, which a lot of people for some reason fail to grasp... First time I really noticed this was when I played the NES Battletoads on XB ONE via Rare Replay. When I turned on the CRT simulation filter, the 8-but visuals instantly looked a lot prettier, albeit blurrier. It felt like the boring, grid-aligned four-color tiles suddenly displayed a lot more color and visual variety. When you look at the tiles with the filter turned off, you can notice that there is something 'off' about these tiles. Like "why would they place that pixel there?" "How is this supposed to resemble a rock wall?" "These colors seem arbitrarily picked and clash." Then you see it on a CRT the way it was intended and everything just clicks.

I love CRT's so much. I have a LG HD CRT that goes up to 1080i and a 480i toshiba, they are such great displays. I really dont understand why the first thing someone asks when I show it off is "how are you going to get rid of it?" No im keeping these for life (or until they break)!

It's not just the rounded pixels and scan-lines, even the saturation and colour display of retro games looks way better on a CRT TV, I wish a company somewhere in this world would start manufacturing CRT TVs once again.

this reeks of nostalgia ...i love it

I also got that lucky moment! Me my dad and my grandpa was helping my grandpas friend and I ended up coming home with two windows xp pcs, a screen, a keyboard and a small CRT tv

Wow! That's a staggering difference between cables. You don't realize how soft or how much sharper it could be until you see it.

Your bed setup is a dream! Love it!

I actually like the regular cables over the S-Video for my Saturn. On my CRT the transparencies actually appear transparent! They look horrendous on an HDTV

0:30 the high pitch shriek starts lol. that's a CRT for you.

Glad you found that little crt. I've got a 32 inch Sony Trinitron myself. My Sega Saturn is hooked up to the s-video. I bought mine with retro gaming in mind and have not been disappointed 😁👍

s video makes a noticeable difference even watching a dvd

OOT is my all-time favorite as well. Great video!

Looks like there's slightly less "bloom" with s-video.

Nice, pretty good quality and you got this free! I picked out a couple toshiba CRTs 14" and 27" recently and they have some slight convergence issues.

I’m in a phase where I like old games better than new games and they look poopy on an hdtv. Picking up a crt soon

Can definitely tell a noticeable difference between the two! CRT’s for your retro consoles are the way to go in my opinion if you have the space. I would love to see someone with an RGB modded N64 + HD Retrovision component cables into a CRT that supports component. As for me I’m going with Voultars RGB mod and the rad 2x. Just got the mod chip soldered in. Now I’m just patiently waiting for the Rad 2x. I was split between the rad 2x or the retro rink + hd Retrovision cables with my RGB modded N64. The route I went was a little cheaper. The Ultra HDMI mod is obviously the best but it’s super expensive, complicated to get the kit and looks to be a moderately difficult install for most people. I’ll end with this. CRT is KING! Great video by the way 👍

I mainly use them via TV/VCR combos. Whenever I want to record fighting game matches I just use the built in VCR and video tapes with a recording security tab each. Also, no lag is perfect. However, playing beatmania IIDX can be funky unless widescreen displays are used, as the games were originally designed for 16:9 displays instead.

I have a 13 inch CRT on my table. They had it in the basement of my day program. When they were in the process of moving to their current building, they said that if no one takes it, it is being put out for bulk trash. So, I took it.

I will be collecting a few monsters this week.

its insane how smooth the gameplay is

I remember playing all my N64 games on a white kitchen CRT TV. (Obviously a small one.) I also did this for a lot of Wii games actually.

Any chance we could see some more CRT footage. I find it fascinating how good it looks. I paid a pretty penny to have my N64 HD modded for modern tvs and the results ,though better than before, are really disapointing to me. My TV still does funny things with the signal which results in strange pixelated mess and distortions no matter what setting I use on the ultra64 mod or my LG OLED telly.

Love it love it love it I love it! more videos please and thank you

Welcome to the wonderful world of CRTs! Try getting a PC CRT next, you'll be surprised by how great they can look

Have 2 21" flat,(one of them is a SONY TRINITRON, the second one is a Philips that looks exactly like yours!), one 40" that is really heavy..they are the best for retro! Awesome video my friend!

No lag mostly is my most important reason :) bought a vhs/dvd combo Sony for for $10 from Goodwill like in 2012 I think composite looks like crap on my 4K tv

I actually still use one of these, though I think mine is a Magnavox. Cool find.

Its hard to look at my LED monitor again after a couple of hour gaming on my CRT. Color contrast are so darn good on CRT.

I just got mine for free too in my neighbourhood! It baffles and saddens me how people just toss these things out... oh well, more for me.

N64 really looks fantastic on this CRT

Are you me?? I literally found a 20-inch flatscreen tv which looks identical to yours and did a double-take to grab it. Was looking into buying an S-video N64 cable to improve upon the trash composite quality 😂. Also loved your analyses of everything. Instant sub.

what are the settings on that set? i have a Daewoo as well

i find it funny and kinda frustrating how in America u can pick up a decent tube TV at a yard sale but over here in Ireland for some reason u can only find obscure brands for double the price + postage that may or may not function

I'm so jealous. My CRT is composite only. Still looks good but I'd love S video and component support.

I do miss my N64 copy, but I've had that replaced with the GCN version for quite some time now. Using a computer crt via ossc

This was a great asmr video

I just picked up for free a throwaway CRT that looks similar but very large : 32”. It’s a similar offbrand Trinitron clone by a company called Apex. It has two S-Video and Component inputs on the back and a Side (Not front) A/V input, which is nice because you don’t have the cords sticking out the front. Has a very similar sharp and vibrant picture tube as the old Daewoo here. I feel if you acquired this one you would appreciate it

Seriously, crts are extremely smooth, even ocarina of time, wich ran at 20fps back in the day, looks completely smooth. Long live to crts!!

bro the intro looting a crt tv had me dying

Thanks bro great video , Im for sure bay n64 in future and CRT tv or monitor is must have!!!

Wow rly fricken good job describing this

When it comes to CRT brands how do Daewoo TVs compare to other brands? What is low end and what is high end? I live in Europe and I already have a JVC AV28T5SK 16:9 TV and I'm looking for something smaller and in 4:3 to replace it.

I have 2 old TVs, one of them is from 1983 and is used for my NES, and the other one is newer and has pretty much all of my other consoles hooked up to it. My Wii uses S-Video rather than my N64 though, since I don't have the money for another cable yet 😅

Were you getting any checkerboard like noise with your s-video? I'm getting some and I think we got the same s-video cable.

Some people do RGB mods and it's supposed to look amazing but I believe it's dangerous and it can't be done with any TV

Nice vidéo my friend, crt is life 🤗

I still have that daewoo tv but the front AV ports doesn't work too well & it seems loose on the inside, regardless it still works

So Good!

About 2 years ago I slung out a large top-of-range flat screen Panasonic TV which had a ton of different ways to connect devices (SCART, RCS, S-video). About 2 months ago I got into retro gaming and am now having serious pangs of regret as I struggle to get a decent image from my N64 on my modern flat screen TV

We need ocarina of time reboot and graphic update maintenance on your tvs is important to preserving their usefulness great vid

I played the emulator on my dad's CRT monitor PC back in 2004.

Whats that multicolor game boy on your shelf. That shit is dope

it's true. Olds games were designed to be played on old TVs.

Excellent video. Is that a fishing rod in a few pics? Never went fishing other than in a video game.

Bit late to the party here but what s-video cable are you using? And where did you get it

I still use a crt in my house. Never had the need to upgrade.

I really wish I could get a Working CRT for Free.

I love CRTs. I have a 32'' Sony Wega with 240p and I run all my retro consoles on it. I know people love OSSC and Emulation but nothing looks better to me then original hardware running on a TV at 240p or 480i

What camera are you using to film this video? It looks great!

Does this s-video cable work with all CRT TVs?

how many inch this tv is? do you try the s video with ps1?

Awesome sean..

I use CRT even outside of retro gaming. I use it every time to watch TV.

I have 6 crts in my arcade cabinets . Nothing better then old school

As I look at you video, I'm comparing with a Sharp LC-15S5U and I have to say it looks like a mix of your CRT and your LCD panel. (No scaling/interpolation, but brighter.) You see, the LC-15S5U has a native resolution of 640x480. It also line doubles the N64 video correctly and pretty much without adding any lag. (I can't perceive any lag.) I'm using composite right now, but I'll swap to S-Video as soon as possible.

today i revived my hd crt tv to play xbox 360 and xbox one at 1080i..look soooo beautiful

Very good video, Man. The advantage of the CRT Displays aren't only the Scanlines or how older consoles look on these TVs but also Motion Resolution. Zelda on the LCD looks very good to be honest but, try to compare them side by side while motion is on the screen... No matter the method the Emulator is using or the fps., even today, can't beat CRT TVs. Also the colors are more "natural" on a CRT. Anyway, the only HDTV which deserves to be compared to a CRT are Plasma.

The latest crt models that were made had hdmi ports and dp port

I wish I just drove past one on the street for free. I bought one but it didn’t have ACR so I couldn’t use it with my n64, and I ended up having to buy another for £60 lol. Nightmare scenario, but it was worth it to play these classic games as intended.

Prob '07 with that flat screen

Nice Find! S-video and component.

what tv model does he have?

If it had component option that would've been even better.

I use scanline generator, than scale my mame game,than pre scale it to match the scanline generator, at the same time blure it, than i use a second prescaler with filter to scale and blend in the shaders.Than i go to my fly back transforrrmer to focuse the game back to sharp.This rounds all the shades into that,3d,, thick shiny reflections perfect depth.than I adjust each game refresh to my tv so it sync beautifully, for that insane smooth, stopover effects that games has,with,smooth,bloom after glow like Parkman any other fast moving game.they had a very slight,m,tail.incates great syn.

We had one of these that lasted 11+ years.

I fallow on Instagram bro.📷✌ Always cool stuff.

Man fuck HD, all the letters we need are CRT and N64

Yeah I got my N64 RGB modded and it looks good, but for the money I don't think the value was justfied. I should have just stayed using s-video and saved the money. Wasn't a huge draw dropping difference IMO.

I just got my CRT TV from my cave and use it for ps2 and gamecube games. It feels amazing, like in the old times, and the games look great. I understand why we loved those games before, but played on an hd tv they look washed and tired. CRT forever.

Just finished Stone Temple on my CRT, did a sequence break so I looked up a guide to see how its properly done, seeing footage of it being emulated looks like a different game entirely and the games outright look worse.

Plot twist the tv walked outside to get fresh air

Nice.

Looks legit. But. While svideo is no slouch, IF this TV supports component, THAT is what you want to be using.

Awesome

I did not miss the high pitch hiss though

I have a tube TV, now I just need a nintendo 64 and Zelda game.

Gmes post 2007-08 started looking better on LCD. Else it was always the reverse.

childhood in 90s〜2000s.

Question is where can I get one? Goodwill stop selling CRT eBay sell Sony Trinitron CRT for $3000

I’ve been trying to find one for months

what if play emulators on a CRT TV? will the graphics look like in the original console?

I wish i had the space for one

Wow People have been yelling at me for years saying I've got massive nostalgia goggles for the old N64. Your video proves CRT is the way to play N64. I'm really excited cus I'm planning to pick one up tomoz. Thanks mate

go buy the retro bit 64 controller on eBay it’s $25. it’s a modern n74 controller you’ll love it especially now that you’re playing the n64 more with that crt

Back when the term flat-screen meant a flat piece of glass rather then curved, and not a paper thin, flat, TV screen like we have nowadays.

CRT's are made for retro gaming & modern hdtv's are made for modern gaming