Games played: Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts (0:01), Super Mario All-Stars (0:18), Rayman (0:28), Nights into Dreams (0:50), Mercs (via Capcom Generation 4) (1:05), Sonic the Hedgehog (2:39), Punch-Out!! (4:45), Super Mario Bros. (5:10), Sonic 3 (6:30), Time Crisis 2 (10:15), Bonk 3 (12:35). If you're interested in my other videos that cover CRTs, I have links to them in this video's description :)
Do a show where you discuss the difference between 4:3 vs 6:19 ratio aspect. Which is best for Retro Gaming. Two different gaming monitors one is 📺4:3 and the other is 6:19🖥
You need a liter of Jolt Cola, the reflexes of a gifted 14 year old athlete, and the patience of a Buddhist Monk to beat Mike Tyson on original NES Punch OUT. I know, I did it twice when I was a kid. I was literally the only kid who ever did it in my neighborhood/school/region/and possibly county.
also when playing NES : use a subwoofer mono-splitter, to split the mono composite output of the NES into a dual-mono-stereo and not have only 1 speaker work!
I got interested in CRT TVs after seeing the glowing, warm, and unique way they display older games. There's really nothing like it. Another thing that's always underappreciated is motion clarity! Things move so buttery smooth on CRTs, and high-octane action is never muddied like it is with a modern display (no matter the upscaling quality). I'd recommend one to anyone with the space!
CRT's have zero motion blur, since they're boasting a 1ms motion persistence. It's kind of a big deal. ;) Since No TV tech can make that claim nowadays....No OLED imo is as enjoyable to game on solely because of how backwards the tech is with motion. OLED's have a 16ms motion persistence.. In other words, too much motion blur slathered all over it's laughable 300p motion clarity. That's a far cry from 1080p native resolution and especially 4K. :P The trick is to use Black frame insertion on OLED, to boost motion clarity to 600p and reduce the blur by half(16ms to 8ms), but even then it still can't compete with CRT. Plus, BFI comes with a few compromises, like latency doubling or more, black crush, big brightness reduction and noticeable flicker. OLED's shouldn't have ANY motion blur to begin with, and should offer at least 1080p motion clarity and less film judder.
@@NintenPizzawhy don’t we still not have inorganic LED displays? VirtuaBoy had a row of diodes on a monolith. Maybe with photonics this could be spread onto two wide rows within a flat panel? If you accept a deep CRT, why not use a back projection laser scanner. A good screen with anti reflection coating ripples and a huge parabolic mirror behind it should give good black level even in a lit room.
I use a CRT for everything from NES to Wii and its because of 3 reasons. No LAG response time, Light gun games and those sweet 240P scanlines. Using my PVM dedicated to my SNES via RGB is even better. Happy to see your wife showed up just in time to get you that 2nd nanner.
I love the shots in your videos of you playing the games - just something aesthetically pleasing about seeing the controller and the screen in the same shot! And the lighting is perfect too.
The tube TV I got in 2009 got me collecting and adding to my childhood game collection and is still the center of my game room. Grandma bought it in the 90s for like $1,000 from Montgomery Ward. My older brother and me argued over who would get it eventually. By the time 2009 rolled around he didn't want it anymore because of flatscreens so I got it. By the way Grandma lived to 100 and got me Wall Street Kid for Christmas back in the 90s. Love you Mim!
if you're into dying from cringe overload within the first minute and like not getting any actual info out of 95% of the super drawn-out video, then yes
Yes!! We spend a lot of time worrying about nonsense like upscaling to HDMI with 20x lines or whatever it may be, but getting a nice RGB enabled CRT, or even one with S-Video, really gives a lot of peace of mind in that you really don't worry too much about the picture. It's a fairly accurate representation of what the developers were working with, and it looks really good a lot of the time. You just need the space for one, and ideally a CRT that doesn't look hideous destroying the"vibes" of your room.
Nah, composite's the way to go. Dithering is blended that way. Before I hear the argument from Snes players "well Kirby's Dreamland 3 is the only SNES game that had dithering" NO, Kirby's Dream Land 3 is the only game that used dithering for transparencies. Lots of SNES games used dithering to overcome the color limitation. Checkmate, atheists.
That CRT glow caused by the cathode ray where the pixel edges bleed into each other his hard to reproduce exactly. The phosphor glow that makes old pixel based games sooooo good. I have one and it's the best look for older games.
Thank you for this. My wife isn't the biggest fan of my CRT collecting but she still supports me lol. Retro Bird never fails to bring a laugh when I need it the most. Always informative and still entertaining. Thanks RB!
Yup been gaming on my CRT my whole life, since the early 90s. That thing is old as shit and the imagine quality is blurry as heck, but I just love it to death. It’s unexplainable. Just the glow of that screen in the dark, no HD TV can replicate it.
No motion blur, No input lag, 480i motion clarity which beats out OLED's 300p, AND CRT's are practically free. ;) I'm interested in getting a Sony trinitron CRT from the very late 90's solely for the black thinner bezel. I don't like gaming on those 2005 silver wega trinitron CRT's when it comes to the 8-16 bit consoles, just because it doesn't match or reflect the times of those systems. When i think of those Silver Sony Wega's(which i used to own, had a 32" in 2005) it takes me back to the end of the Gamecube era, and Wii.
First of all: I didn't expect your special guest in that vid and was very surprised to hear Miss Retro Bird😊👍. But back to topic: I have a simple answer, the reason I have my CRT (it's btw. that same Sony model that you have) is because, well I bought it back then when it was the newest sh... and it was my first TV I bought from. my own money I earned from my first job😁. The TV is a member of my videogames family so it is OK that it is still in my home and it just felt natural, even after buying newer TVs later the 3D Samsung TV and then my latest LG CX for the modern consoles I never got rid of them. So I build my small set up for some videogame generation. And as I mentioned above my CRT is a family member and I am still amazed how good this big boy is running. The benefits it has you mentioned are also a reason.
Quick little story for ya: My sister once spent over $3,000 on a TV and didn't want to have it professionally calibrated. I was at her house one day and noticed her colors were so wrong that yellow objects were tinted green. Every awful setting in the world was turned on. I actually did the secret settings changes like the nanner-lover in this video. It looked so much better. The next day, she asked why her TV image looked so bad. To this day, my poor nephew still doesn't know what his high-end videogames are supposed to look like!
I've wanted a crt for so long and one day there was a 30" T.V. sitting by the dumpster. I couldn't believe it actually worked. Very nice for retro gaming and watching VHS
A view, thumbs up and a comment for the animated thumbnail. When even a great content creator like Scotty Kilmer constantly uses misleading BS thumbnails I can not tell you how much I appreciate some simple clarity. 10/10👍
I play my retro games on a crt for many reasons. Most notably, they just look best on them. There is also the nostalgic element. I have 2 crts and I got one for free and the other for $20. Besides the one annoying hour of getting it and setting it up, the weight is not really a problem, and the size helps it function as a centerpiece in a retro gameroom. It also helps the game feel like a real event. We use flat panels constantly. I enjoy having something that looks different and gets me in the right mood
I need my CRT to play my Sega Genesis , Snes , Sega CD and my N64 . I gave my CRT a hug after watching this video never getting rid of it even though the channel button turns down the volume and vice versa
Another good reason to have a CRT TV is your sensor bar for the Wii, as it can just sit perfect on top of the TV!!! No need to balance it on top of a flat screen TV or tape it on if that didn't work! That Wii Sensor Bar sits perfect on a CRT TV like a Bird Nest! Also I love the, I know what you did last summer reference! So hilarious! :)
I have 3 CRTs in my house. One large 32' JVC I'Art and two small Trinitrons. I gave my small Toshiba CRT to my grandmother. I have my CRTs because I love vintage technology and I'm a purist when it comes to gaming. I want the original experience as if the system and games were just released for the first time. I also still have a VHS player from my childhood and it still looks and plays great! P.S: Thank you for the content you produce. Its nice to be reminded of the joy video games would bring me. The industry as a whole has jaded my view of gaming. But seeing people like you online reminds me why I loved it in the first place. Thanks!
It was your channel and gaming off the grid that put me back onto the CRT greatness about a year and a half ago. I had quite a few retro consoles that I grew up with but as I got interested in playing them again, about 10-12 years ago, we only had flat screens. So that was what I used, I never had an issue with that set up but a CRT is like icing on the retro gaming cake. For me, it’s what I gamed on as a kid and that’s why I enjoy them so much now. It brings me back to simpler times and it’s very nostalgic. I also had quite a few light gun games from my youth, so it felt great to be able to play those again. I was able to get a nice 24 inch trinitron off Craigslists like 45 mins away for $50 and I haven’t regretted that decision in the slightest. Great work as always, and looking forward to the next one.
I got my current CRT floor model at a goodwill for $5.00. From what I can tell, it's an '87 RCA model, and it still works fairly well. Currently have it as the centerpiece for my entertainment center, with my LCD TV directly above it, and all of my consoles, pcs and video players hooked into both with a variety of RCA and HDMI switches. Cable management was a nightmare, but I came up with using adjustable wire shelving, which gave me the ability to zip-tie surge protectors under the back of the shelves for neat and convenient power supply organization, as well as run all of the cables down the rear right and left supports instead of just letting them hang down. Best solution for a home theater setup I've ever had.
I never used to care about input lag, I couldn’t even tell if it was happening, but I will say that once I switched to a CRT I started doing better in the games I was playing. I still can’t say I notice a difference, but the proof was in the pudding for me.
Here's what you do to notice a difference. Master a couple of video games like Super Mario 3, Punchout, Contra etc. Take the easier game Super Mario 3. Master level 1-4. Get all the coins you can for that level. Once you master that on a CRT play that same level on a HD tv. You'll notice a difference in it.
This is the first video I've seen of yours and just fantastic. I recently picked up a nice CRT on the side of the road and the "We are!" part killed me. I'm looking forward to checking out your channel. Thank you.
My reasons for having numerous CRT TVs: I love the colours, especially the way they show black as really black, and they give the authentic experience I value so much when playing pong consoles and 8-bit consoles.
6:28 this is my #1 reason for playing on a CRT TV. To the point I sometimes run the output from my computer into it to play *modern* games with scanlines. Not every game works with this, but Sonic Mania for example, is excellent.
I lucked into a CRT a littler over a year ago. Got it from a family member's house. Not sure I would have gotten one otherwise. I don't know how much more I have to add other than what you've already said. The best reason I can think of is if you have a console that's over 20 years old chances are it'll look better on that than a flat panel. One other thing though is that when you have friends over, and say they're over 25 the nostalgia definitely hits different when you play 2-player with a CRT.
My 32" CRT does not look good with 240p. Not because it's a bad CRT, but 240p with scan lines at 32" is like sitting with your faceright in front of blinds. It's awesome for light gun games though.
Awesome video! I love CRTs for several reasons. First, they have a really cool look to them. Besides the reasons you mentioned, their black levels are near perfect - near perfect because even a completely black screen usually has a soft glow to it. Also, I feel nostalgic towards them and it makes me sad they don't make them anymore.
crt component on my ps2/ gamecube is an incredible experience! Hard to find older crts with component but if you can, i think the experience is about as good as it gets.
Hey there! It's been a while since I've watched a video of yours, but a video about CRT TVs was one I definitely couldn't miss. I love those things! I don't own one myself anymore, but I can definitely still appreciate the way they look. I even use virtual CRT filters to simulate that look when playing certain retro games. Your videos are still as informative and funny as always! Keep up the great work!
Just found another CRT TV! This is the 4th Sony Trinitron I've found this year. A 24inch 'flat screen' and it works perfectly! Time to make some space in the living room.
Fun vid, this is been something I keep going back and forth on. I really want a crt for hooking up my classic consoles, it's just that the set take up so much space. Had I thought it through I would never just tossed that nice flat tube that my wife and I were given some years ago. I'm pretty sure I'll stop waffling and pick one up, it's just finding the right set now.
Yes they are. For me they’re required because that was how my old consoles were meant to be displayed. Since I love my old consoles, I want to respect their image and latency requirements with the correct display. 😌
I got a CRT and a PVM. The CRT came first. I had a 27 inch which was massive then I got a 20 inch which was much more reasonable and has a headphone jack in the front. Now that I have a dedicated room I bought retro furniture to put it on and it looks fantastic. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for the retro experience and aesthetic.
I've gone through 6 crt TV'S within the past two years and I always end up selling them. I find them on the side of the road and they've always worked. After the novelty wears out, I get rid of them. They do make for a great gaming experience whenever I feel like playing any of my retro consoles.
@@thesmallscout9810 Precisely. I figure whenever the mood strikes for some retro videos games, I always end up finding another CRT on the side of the road. I'll just keep up the same pattern until I make a permanent space for a CRT.
I have 3 CRTs. 32” Sony trinitron in a 90’s entertainment center for gaming duty (7 consoles, OG Xbox back to the NES) next to my LG C1. 20” Sanyo trinitron clone in my bedroom and a 32” JVC in storage. I use them not only to play older consoles but one of my favorite things is to watch old VHS movies on them too. I wouldn’t play older systems or watch VHS movies on anything else.
Crt tvs are still worth for retro gaming, ps 2 and watching old DVDs or any kind of old SD videos becoz they looks amazing in CRT but definitely That CRT should have a component input
Game Rooms and Offices are my recommendations for placing a CRT. Stay away from particle board furniture, I use a metal shelf that looks like it belongs in the garage.
The only reason I am still a CRT owner in Q4 of 2022 is strictly input delay. A lot of people immediately jump onto the CRT bandwagon over superficial reasons such as trends or nostalgia and find out it wasn't worth the investment at the end of the day so the advantages go over their heads. Retro gaming should actually be done on a CRT because the games were designed and bug tested on a CRT. Input timings are tuned for CRTs which is why some people simply think they suck for some reason when in fact it's their modern display that needs to be used for modern gaming that's the problem.
I played Mike Tyson’s Punch Out for a year on an original Nintendo with a LCD tv and could barely get past Macho Man and then would get destroyed by Mike Tyson. One day I got fed up and bought a small CRT TV. The next day after some practice I beat Mike Tyson by decision and then by TKO. I still can’t get very far in the game on the Switch or a DS. I play all of my older systems on that small CRT now and the experience is so much better.
Older consoles and games were designed with CRT in mind. Some graphical effects won't even look right on anything other than a CRT. For authenticity and nostalgic purposes (for old people like me), CRT is a must!!!! Though I do enjoy emulating retro games on my Steam Deck... with a CRT filter. Not as good as the real thing but quite nice.
Brother! I have a CRT I took from the side of the road by a neighbor for free. And I am proud that I finally found a working VHS player I got for $8.00 with Terminator 2 and They live. I'm very happy with them.
I spent 20yrs gaming on crt's as a kid and all I ever wanted was something sharper and bigger. Now as an adult, I own those bigger, sharper displays. The other day, I fired up my Wii's virtual console on my OLED and was horrified! To play these old games you at least need an upscaler. But if you really want to drink in the nostalgia of your old favorite games do it in front of the glow of a crt! P.S. -Retrobird, thank you for getting me back into classic video games, they're still fun!
One thing to help with the space and weight is to use a 20" or so CRT and just sit closer to it. 20" is just about perfect for these lower resolution games and the weight is very manageable for a single person to move it around. Personally, even though I still have one, I don't find it that critical. I like HQ2X and similar filters on HD screens best. For some reason everyone seems to hate on them but I think they're as close as we can get to what the artists would've drawn if they weren't limited by the hardware. I also don't find lag to be that bad on a PC-based emulator running through HDMI into a properly setup TV with all filters turned off and in game mode. People over-estimate how much lag they can perceive, if you tap the stopwatch on your phone as fast as possible you'll get about .11 seconds, which people mistakenly think is 11 milliseconds, but it's actually 110 milliseconds. When TV and other latency is usually about a tenth to a fifth of that, there's no way you can legitimately tell. People are just deep in their placebo effect IMO or have something wrong in their setup increasing lag more than it should be. There was an argument during the early days of HDTVs as lag was downright awful and unbearable then, but nowadays it's just not significant enough to matter
This is very true. I use one that is like 19", but for me, it doesn't cut it for newer stuff like GameCube, PS2 or Wii. It's great for NES and SNES, but for games like Pikmin, Mario Galaxy or Kingdom Hearts, I'm longing for a bigger display. (the absolute worst part about this is I curbed a bigger one like a year or 2 ago, suddenly became obsessed with CRT's recently and have to find another again)
They sure are! I’ve been playing FF7 on PS1 lately on a cheap 13” and was just playing SotC on PS2 w/ my cousin last night on my 30” Sony in progressive scan. Pure bliss
Long time viewer, first time commenter! (I think, lol). I've been in the retro gaming UA-cam scene since 2008. There's not many gaming channels that I still watch, but yours is one of them! Your channel is quite refreshing. Your writing, humor and fun personality always keep me coming back, so thank you for the great videos! To answer your question, I think having a CRT (or in my case multiple CRTs) for retro gaming is practically essential. Whether it's retro console, PC or arcade gaming, I always prefer to use a CRT for the look and feel. Personally for me, the retro experience just isn't complete without one. People like to talk about what CRT models are the best for retro gaming, but honestly, I think the best CRT is the one that you have. So whether you game on a fully serviced Sony PVM monitor or an obscure CRT brand that you picked up off the street, it's all good.
0:11 - all four of my classic cars are nearly my age (youngest being 1985, oldest being 1987) and I absolutely LOVE using those carburetted, manual choke, points-ignition masterpieces. Hand waaaaaay up there :D But I don't care for CRTs for retro console gaming. Plasma is fine. For my 286 and 386 computers though, I do have a few smaller monitors.
I take the "fit your stuff to the life you have, not the other way around" approach to owning a CRT. If I came across 12-17" CRT I would definitely pick it up for those late night SNES-athons, anything bigger and I'm leaving it for the guy who hasn't thrown his back out yet.
For me, they were all FREE. And I have a small one I can bring to the work bench while fixing old consoles, and a large one in the garage to play. 2 reasons I wanted a CRT: 1) Light Gun games 2) Certain transparency and dithering effects don't work on LCD screens
I’ve got a 13” color Samsung TV from 1987 that I use to play retro games. Have to use an RF adapter for some consoles since it only has a coax jack on the back. Has the two dials for changing channels too 😎. Got it at a garage sale when I was a kid for less than 20 bucks. Used to play my PS2 and original Xbox on it all the time. The thing was never even used before I picked it up
Picture tubes have higher resolution of course man everything looks more phenomenal on a CRT and the reason why they don't make them no more because it cost a lot of money🤑📺
Great video as always. I was hoping you would talk about how CRTs blend color and blur pixels to make 2D games look more natural and also have an absence of motion blur. Playing sonic, for example, on a CRT is vastly superior from a motion clarity standpoint vs anything other than an OLED.
@@diydylana3151 Really I think the only things fixed with OLED are the black levels and brightness. You'll still cut yourself on the sharp serrated pixels and it still uses the sample and hold technique so motion still isn't as fluid. But if it's what you got it's better than not playing a game at all.
OLEDs are great for retro gaming, because they actually surpass the contrast ratios of CRTs by having better blacks (and that is saying something, but no matter how black, there is always that slight cathode glow). Since most OLEDs are 4k, you can emulate scanlines very nicely using CRT-Royale in retroarch too, and there are a LOT of configuration options to make it look like a huge variety of old TVs and PVMs. The real test of this is in the way the genesis used scanlines to create transparencies out of meshes (the saturn did this too), like sonic standing behind a waterfall, and the waterfall looking nice and transparent, where in sharp pixels it looks pretty bad.
That's another thing I love about CRT. On a 27", the 480i resolution, combined with a composite connection(or even RF for an even softer picture) smooths out the pixels, and makes everything look more cartoon-like, Vs the razor sharp pixelated artificial image you get with HDTV's. Sure you can apply Scan lines & CRT filters, but it usually never looks right. And motion, another huge difference. CRT's don't have ANY motion blur, period. You get picture stability, unlike gaming on TV's nowadays which can, at times make it feel like you're gaming through the eyes of somebody who's drunk off their butt. BlurOVision for better words. lol
Retrobird, you put so much work into these videos. My god, I love your b-roll man! I can't believe you actually flipped your prized kv-27fs100 on top of yourself, have you gone banana's?
You look like a reverse order Shellcreeper from Mario Brothers having a giant turtle shell of a CRT TV on your tummy. If you are still creeper you could jump out of there kick it over and crawl back in.
Last week I went to my cousin's house and noticed that the TV seemed dim. So I put gaming mode on and it looked much better, I didn't realize that it also reduces input lag!
That may have just been the picture mode you changed. Typically TVs will have different picture calibrations called things like "sports", "movies", "games" and the like. That is actually different from "game mode" but I can see how the two would be easily mixed up.
I have a 20 inch screen Panasonic tau crt. I don't use it much these days as I mostly play ps4 nowadays but it's nice to have for pre ps3 era consoles especially ps2
I had a similar experience with a friend's TV at their cottage. I'd taken my Switch up to play some Fall Guys as I was up there through the week while working too & discovered that game mode didn't automatically turn on. Guess I'm used to CRT or high end OLED not, but it took some time to turn it on & I also had to fiddle with the adaptive brightness mode by turning that off too. Personally I don't always use my CRT, but I'm always glad to have it when I do. To justify why, it's easy. Games made from that era just feel right on a CRT & it brings back the feeling of being a kid rushing to my room to play my new games on Christmas morning each time I play it.
I say absolutely, if you frequently play games from the 6th gen and earlier. I found a perfectly sized and very affortable RCA TruFlat at a Goodwill just over a month ago now and it's reinvigorated my love for video games. Even stuff that doesn't benefit greatly from being played on the display it was designed for, still feels great. Space Channel 5 Part 2 and Guitar Hero 3 on PS2 feel fantastic on it, but even games that aren't rhythm games or light gun games, if they were made before the advent of widespread HD widescreen, just give off this feeling of authenticity, and purity. I will say though, one thing people don't think about is audio quality. If you get a CRT, you should be ready to have some CRUSTY sound from the built-in speakers. Some consoles have a direct audio out, PS2 is a godsend because it has a toslink optical out for audio so I can plug it directly into my sound bar and get perfect sound alongside the fantastic CRT visuals, but most consoles don't give you that option, so if you get a CRT, unless you KNOW the speakers are to your liking, make sure you can connect it to some sound hardware you already own or pick up a sound bar or decent speakers along with the CRT from the same curb
Our living room TV is still a 4:3 CRT, we never replaced it. Still has our Wii that I still regularly play hooked up to it exactly like it's been since I was very young and it's pretty great, the Wii honestly looks quite good on it. We also actually have a 16:9 720p CRT with HDMI support (because HDMI on a CRT was apparently a thing briefly) that I sometimes hook my Switch up to, but I usually just hook that up to a computer monitor. So I've basically grown up my whole life using a CRT for gaming, particularly with the Wii, and still do today.
Got myself a 32 inch beast of a crt the other month for $50 off of facebook marketplace. It was a pain the ass to get it home and into the house but i have it all set up now to play retro consoles on. I'm also looking into building a dedicated retro gaming pc to hook up to the crt to save wear and tear on my games and consoles.
Games played: Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts (0:01), Super Mario All-Stars (0:18), Rayman (0:28), Nights into Dreams (0:50), Mercs (via Capcom Generation 4) (1:05), Sonic the Hedgehog (2:39), Punch-Out!! (4:45), Super Mario Bros. (5:10), Sonic 3 (6:30), Time Crisis 2 (10:15), Bonk 3 (12:35). If you're interested in my other videos that cover CRTs, I have links to them in this video's description :)
Do a show where you discuss the difference between 4:3 vs 6:19 ratio aspect. Which is best for Retro Gaming.
Two different gaming monitors one is
📺4:3 and the other is 6:19🖥
You need a liter of Jolt Cola, the reflexes of a gifted 14 year old athlete, and the patience of a Buddhist Monk to beat Mike Tyson on original NES Punch OUT. I know, I did it twice when I was a kid. I was literally the only kid who ever did it in my neighborhood/school/region/and possibly county.
also when playing NES : use a subwoofer mono-splitter,
to split the mono composite output of the NES
into a dual-mono-stereo and not have only 1 speaker work!
"Don't drop the banana! It's good source of potassium!"
-The Doctor
[edit: @11:42 ! You didn't!! Bravo!! ]
I wasn't expecting this list. That's very helpful thank you Retro Bird 🙂👍
I like how Retro Bird posts a list of all the games played in the video.
Just got the list for this video up right after you said that!
@@RetroBirdGaming OCD be like..."see above"
I thought he just uses stock gameplay as it's mostly a podcast
@@64-Bit-Gamer either way, the games *were* played by someone
I’ve never noticed before.
Short Answer: Yes.
Long Answer: YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS
I got interested in CRT TVs after seeing the glowing, warm, and unique way they display older games. There's really nothing like it. Another thing that's always underappreciated is motion clarity! Things move so buttery smooth on CRTs, and high-octane action is never muddied like it is with a modern display (no matter the upscaling quality). I'd recommend one to anyone with the space!
My buddy was practically mocking my crt devotion until we got him one and he got it setup at his house. Once you experience it you understand.
I can't even tell a difference, not even a little bit. It all looks and feels the same to me
CRT's have zero motion blur, since they're boasting a 1ms motion persistence. It's kind of a big deal. ;) Since No TV tech can make that claim nowadays....No OLED imo is as enjoyable to game on solely because of how backwards the tech is with motion.
OLED's have a 16ms motion persistence.. In other words, too much motion blur slathered all over it's laughable 300p motion clarity. That's a far cry from 1080p native resolution and especially 4K. :P
The trick is to use Black frame insertion on OLED, to boost motion clarity to 600p and reduce the blur by half(16ms to 8ms), but even then it still can't compete with CRT. Plus, BFI comes with a few compromises, like latency doubling or more, black crush, big brightness reduction and noticeable flicker.
OLED's shouldn't have ANY motion blur to begin with, and should offer at least 1080p motion clarity and less film judder.
@@NintenPizzawhy don’t we still not have inorganic LED displays? VirtuaBoy had a row of diodes on a monolith. Maybe with photonics this could be spread onto two wide rows within a flat panel?
If you accept a deep CRT, why not use a back projection laser scanner. A good screen with anti reflection coating ripples and a huge parabolic mirror behind it should give good black level even in a lit room.
@@NintenPizza yea its because of flicker
I use a CRT for everything from NES to Wii and its because of 3 reasons. No LAG response time, Light gun games and those sweet 240P scanlines. Using my PVM dedicated to my SNES via RGB is even better. Happy to see your wife showed up just in time to get you that 2nd nanner.
I love the shots in your videos of you playing the games - just something aesthetically pleasing about seeing the controller and the screen in the same shot! And the lighting is perfect too.
Thank you!
I agree, the game footage looks very crisp as does the physical games themselves when he shows them
The tube TV I got in 2009 got me collecting and adding to my childhood game collection and is still the center of my game room. Grandma bought it in the 90s for like $1,000 from Montgomery Ward. My older brother and me argued over who would get it eventually. By the time 2009 rolled around he didn't want it anymore because of flatscreens so I got it. By the way Grandma lived to 100 and got me Wall Street Kid for Christmas back in the 90s. Love you Mim!
Love this story, I have my name on some old huge CRTs sitting in my friends parents basement. The things I do for smash bros melee 😂
Thats pretty wholesome
Everybody's favorite game Wall Street Kid 🤘
what kind of crt was it? brand and size..good old montgomery wards
Still the most underrated retro channel out there
Agreed.
if you're into dying from cringe overload within the first minute and like not getting any actual info out of 95% of the super drawn-out video, then yes
I thought I was the only one who secretly turned Game Mode on other's TVs...
Yes!! We spend a lot of time worrying about nonsense like upscaling to HDMI with 20x lines or whatever it may be, but getting a nice RGB enabled CRT, or even one with S-Video, really gives a lot of peace of mind in that you really don't worry too much about the picture. It's a fairly accurate representation of what the developers were working with, and it looks really good a lot of the time. You just need the space for one, and ideally a CRT that doesn't look hideous destroying the"vibes" of your room.
Nah, composite's the way to go. Dithering is blended that way.
Before I hear the argument from Snes players "well Kirby's Dreamland 3 is the only SNES game that had dithering" NO, Kirby's Dream Land 3 is the only game that used dithering for transparencies. Lots of SNES games used dithering to overcome the color limitation.
Checkmate, atheists.
@@OilFreak lmfao composite
@@RideRedRacer yup
@@OilFreak It makes sense back in those days composite was the norm.
@@OilFreak I love RF adapters lol
That CRT glow caused by the cathode ray where the pixel edges bleed into each other his hard to reproduce exactly. The phosphor glow that makes old pixel based games sooooo good. I have one and it's the best look for older games.
Thank you for this. My wife isn't the biggest fan of my CRT collecting but she still supports me lol. Retro Bird never fails to bring a laugh when I need it the most. Always informative and still entertaining. Thanks RB!
Yup been gaming on my CRT my whole life, since the early 90s. That thing is old as shit and the imagine quality is blurry as heck, but I just love it to death. It’s unexplainable. Just the glow of that screen in the dark, no HD TV can replicate it.
if it´s blurry maybe you need to adjust focus in the flyback transformer
No motion blur, No input lag, 480i motion clarity which beats out OLED's 300p, AND CRT's are practically free. ;)
I'm interested in getting a Sony trinitron CRT from the very late 90's solely for the black thinner bezel. I don't like gaming on those 2005 silver wega trinitron CRT's when it comes to the 8-16 bit consoles, just because it doesn't match or reflect the times of those systems.
When i think of those Silver Sony Wega's(which i used to own, had a 32" in 2005) it takes me back to the end of the Gamecube era, and Wii.
Until my arms fall off. Until my back breaks, until the tubs crumble to dust I’ll be playing my crt!
Why yes, yes they are! Literally, the sound when i turn it on & the slow fade in glow, is all part of the ritual for me.
Will forever love your "Get on my lawn" mentality of welcoming everyone no matter their preferences
The banana friend under the TV was perfect! Funny stuff man
First of all: I didn't expect your special guest in that vid and was very surprised to hear Miss Retro Bird😊👍.
But back to topic: I have a simple answer, the reason I have my CRT (it's btw. that same Sony model that you have) is because, well I bought it back then when it was the newest sh... and it was my first TV I bought from. my own money I earned from my first job😁. The TV is a member of my videogames family so it is OK that it is still in my home and it just felt natural, even after buying newer TVs later the 3D Samsung TV and then my latest LG CX for the modern consoles I never got rid of them. So I build my small set up for some videogame generation. And as I mentioned above my CRT is a family member and I am still amazed how good this big boy is running. The benefits it has you mentioned are also a reason.
Quick little story for ya: My sister once spent over $3,000 on a TV and didn't want to have it professionally calibrated. I was at her house one day and noticed her colors were so wrong that yellow objects were tinted green. Every awful setting in the world was turned on. I actually did the secret settings changes like the nanner-lover in this video. It looked so much better. The next day, she asked why her TV image looked so bad. To this day, my poor nephew still doesn't know what his high-end videogames are supposed to look like!
That poor kid.
She perhaps need to check her eyesight, color-blindness etc.
I've wanted a crt for so long and one day there was a 30" T.V. sitting by the dumpster. I couldn't believe it actually worked. Very nice for retro gaming and watching VHS
Living in UK and country literally going from crisis to crisis. Your videos take me back to a happier place!
Finally. A channel that speaks my language. Subbed.
Welcome to the channel. Glad to have ya :)
A view, thumbs up and a comment for the animated thumbnail.
When even a great content creator like Scotty Kilmer constantly uses misleading BS thumbnails I can not tell you how much I appreciate some simple clarity. 10/10👍
I just found one on my neighbors front lawn. I love it!!
I play my retro games on a crt for many reasons. Most notably, they just look best on them. There is also the nostalgic element. I have 2 crts and I got one for free and the other for $20. Besides the one annoying hour of getting it and setting it up, the weight is not really a problem, and the size helps it function as a centerpiece in a retro gameroom. It also helps the game feel like a real event. We use flat panels constantly. I enjoy having something that looks different and gets me in the right mood
I loved the end of the video when your wife's walked in and saw you trapped 😄. Keep up the good work buddy from England
I need my CRT to play my Sega Genesis , Snes , Sega CD and my N64 . I gave my CRT a hug after watching this video never getting rid of it even though the channel button turns down the volume and vice versa
Okay that end skit was absolutely golden. Excellent video my friend :)
Another good reason to have a CRT TV is your sensor bar for the Wii, as it can just sit perfect on top of the TV!!! No need to balance it on top of a flat screen TV or tape it on if that didn't work! That Wii Sensor Bar sits perfect on a CRT TV like a Bird Nest! Also I love the, I know what you did last summer reference! So hilarious! :)
I have a Sony Trinitron for my retro gaming, and the picture quality is beautiful. A Super Nintendo or Genesis hooked up with S-Video is gorgeous man.
I have 3 CRTs in my house. One large 32' JVC I'Art and two small Trinitrons. I gave my small Toshiba CRT to my grandmother. I have my CRTs because I love vintage technology and I'm a purist when it comes to gaming. I want the original experience as if the system and games were just released for the first time. I also still have a VHS player from my childhood and it still looks and plays great!
P.S: Thank you for the content you produce. Its nice to be reminded of the joy video games would bring me. The industry as a whole has jaded my view of gaming. But seeing people like you online reminds me why I loved it in the first place. Thanks!
Absolutely. Never forget the pure joy of gaming.
I absolutely love your videos! Your wit and humor are spot on! Thanks so much for everything you do!
Thank you for that. Means a lot.
It was your channel and gaming off the grid that put me back onto the CRT greatness about a year and a half ago. I had quite a few retro consoles that I grew up with but as I got interested in playing them again, about 10-12 years ago, we only had flat screens. So that was what I used, I never had an issue with that set up but a CRT is like icing on the retro gaming cake. For me, it’s what I gamed on as a kid and that’s why I enjoy them so much now. It brings me back to simpler times and it’s very nostalgic. I also had quite a few light gun games from my youth, so it felt great to be able to play those again.
I was able to get a nice 24 inch trinitron off Craigslists like 45 mins away for $50 and I haven’t regretted that decision in the slightest. Great work as always, and looking forward to the next one.
GOTG RULES
I got my current CRT floor model at a goodwill for $5.00. From what I can tell, it's an '87 RCA model, and it still works fairly well. Currently have it as the centerpiece for my entertainment center, with my LCD TV directly above it, and all of my consoles, pcs and video players hooked into both with a variety of RCA and HDMI switches. Cable management was a nightmare, but I came up with using adjustable wire shelving, which gave me the ability to zip-tie surge protectors under the back of the shelves for neat and convenient power supply organization, as well as run all of the cables down the rear right and left supports instead of just letting them hang down. Best solution for a home theater setup I've ever had.
Awesome.
I never used to care about input lag, I couldn’t even tell if it was happening, but I will say that once I switched to a CRT I started doing better in the games I was playing. I still can’t say I notice a difference, but the proof was in the pudding for me.
Here's what you do to notice a difference. Master a couple of video games like Super Mario 3, Punchout, Contra etc. Take the easier game Super Mario 3. Master level 1-4. Get all the coins you can for that level. Once you master that on a CRT play that same level on a HD tv. You'll notice a difference in it.
This is the first video I've seen of yours and just fantastic. I recently picked up a nice CRT on the side of the road and the "We are!" part killed me. I'm looking forward to checking out your channel. Thank you.
Glad to hear that and welcome to the channel!
I love your script writing and humor style and overall video content quality. I am stunned this channel doesnt have over a million subs.
Thank you. I really appreciate that and am glad you're enjoying the channel :)
My reasons for having numerous CRT TVs: I love the colours, especially the way they show black as really black, and they give the authentic experience I value so much when playing pong consoles and 8-bit consoles.
6:28 this is my #1 reason for playing on a CRT TV. To the point I sometimes run the output from my computer into it to play *modern* games with scanlines. Not every game works with this, but Sonic Mania for example, is excellent.
Oooo, I'd be curious to see how Sonic Mania looks that way.
I lucked into a CRT a littler over a year ago. Got it from a family member's house. Not sure I would have gotten one otherwise.
I don't know how much more I have to add other than what you've already said. The best reason I can think of is if you have a console that's over 20 years old chances are it'll look better on that than a flat panel. One other thing though is that when you have friends over, and say they're over 25 the nostalgia definitely hits different when you play 2-player with a CRT.
Love this topic!❤📺 I certainly do love, modern age, TVs, and how far they come, but there’s a certain special something about CRT TV’s still! 🙏🏻
Secret best gaming UA-cam channel. Hilarious dude!
My 32" CRT does not look good with 240p. Not because it's a bad CRT, but 240p with scan lines at 32" is like sitting with your faceright in front of blinds. It's awesome for light gun games though.
I've been watching retro gaming contents and this was my first time watching a video from you. It was pretty entertaining. Keep it up.
Hilarious ending.
This video explains why R4 seemed more difficult on a HDTV. Thanks 😁
Awesome video! I love CRTs for several reasons. First, they have a really cool look to them. Besides the reasons you mentioned, their black levels are near perfect - near perfect because even a completely black screen usually has a soft glow to it.
Also, I feel nostalgic towards them and it makes me sad they don't make them anymore.
crt component on my ps2/ gamecube is an incredible experience! Hard to find older crts with component but if you can, i think the experience is about as good as it gets.
I have it ... Component is super nice but composite even looks decent compared to playing ps2 era on HD
I love CRTs so much I started collecting them. Absolutely worth having at least one while you can still get them.
Hey there! It's been a while since I've watched a video of yours, but a video about CRT TVs was one I definitely couldn't miss. I love those things! I don't own one myself anymore, but I can definitely still appreciate the way they look. I even use virtual CRT filters to simulate that look when playing certain retro games.
Your videos are still as informative and funny as always! Keep up the great work!
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see you again soon :)
always look forward to your friday videos!
Just found another CRT TV! This is the 4th Sony Trinitron I've found this year. A 24inch 'flat screen' and it works perfectly! Time to make some space in the living room.
Fun vid, this is been something I keep going back and forth on. I really want a crt for hooking up my classic consoles, it's just that the set take up so much space. Had I thought it through I would never just tossed that nice flat tube that my wife and I were given some years ago. I'm pretty sure I'll stop waffling and pick one up, it's just finding the right set now.
Yes they are. For me they’re required because that was how my old consoles were meant to be displayed. Since I love my old consoles, I want to respect their image and latency requirements with the correct display. 😌
Thank you Bird for your content about these CRTs. How is your bread clip collection going?
It's coming along! Thank you for asking :)
I got a CRT and a PVM. The CRT came first. I had a 27 inch which was massive then I got a 20 inch which was much more reasonable and has a headphone jack in the front.
Now that I have a dedicated room I bought retro furniture to put it on and it looks fantastic. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for the retro experience and aesthetic.
I look forward to these videos whenever they come out. Keep up the great work!
I want the credits jingle as a full song on a 7“
I like nanners just as much as you do...every time you mention them in your videos, I find myself craving one lol
Glad to hear it!
I binge watch this channel its one of the best retro gaming ones out there
Time stamp 11:38 .Waa that a 32" crt laying on your chest?! Now that's dedication for your channel/viewers..
Simple answer: Yes!
They were made with CRT technology in mind.
I miss those CRT TV days :(
Get one some people give them for free or fine then at yard sales or goodwill
I've gone through 6 crt TV'S within the past two years and I always end up selling them. I find them on the side of the road and they've always worked. After the novelty wears out, I get rid of them. They do make for a great gaming experience whenever I feel like playing any of my retro consoles.
I mean do you even know what this channel is about? Lol
@@DominiqueDeMann For some people, they gotta be in the mood for certain things.
@@thesmallscout9810 Precisely. I figure whenever the mood strikes for some retro videos games, I always end up finding another CRT on the side of the road. I'll just keep up the same pattern until I make a permanent space for a CRT.
Doesn't the novelty of a HD or 4K tv also wear out if you had them for a while?
I have 3 CRTs. 32” Sony trinitron in a 90’s entertainment center for gaming duty (7 consoles, OG Xbox back to the NES) next to my LG C1.
20” Sanyo trinitron clone in my bedroom and a 32” JVC in storage. I use them not only to play older consoles but one of my favorite things is to watch old VHS movies on them too. I wouldn’t play older systems or watch VHS movies on anything else.
That Sanyo looks great when fully calibrated. Especially whe playing 2d Capcom fighting games.
Crt tvs are still worth for retro gaming, ps 2 and watching old DVDs or any kind of old SD videos becoz they looks amazing in CRT but definitely That CRT should have a component input
I’ve been wanting to get one for so long so that I can watch all my vhs tapes as they were intended
Game Rooms and Offices are my recommendations for placing a CRT. Stay away from particle board furniture, I use a metal shelf that looks like it belongs in the garage.
The only reason I am still a CRT owner in Q4 of 2022 is strictly input delay. A lot of people immediately jump onto the CRT bandwagon over superficial reasons such as trends or nostalgia and find out it wasn't worth the investment at the end of the day so the advantages go over their heads. Retro gaming should actually be done on a CRT because the games were designed and bug tested on a CRT. Input timings are tuned for CRTs which is why some people simply think they suck for some reason when in fact it's their modern display that needs to be used for modern gaming that's the problem.
I played Mike Tyson’s Punch Out for a year on an original Nintendo with a LCD tv and could barely get past Macho Man and then would get destroyed by Mike Tyson. One day I got fed up and bought a small CRT TV. The next day after some practice I beat Mike Tyson by decision and then by TKO. I still can’t get very far in the game on the Switch or a DS. I play all of my older systems on that small CRT now and the experience is so much better.
If you want your retro games to look and run the way they're supposed to you'll definitely get a CRT TV for them.
Older consoles and games were designed with CRT in mind. Some graphical effects won't even look right on anything other than a CRT. For authenticity and nostalgic purposes (for old people like me), CRT is a must!!!! Though I do enjoy emulating retro games on my Steam Deck... with a CRT filter. Not as good as the real thing but quite nice.
Brother! I have a CRT I took from the side of the road by a neighbor for free. And I am proud that I finally found a working VHS player I got for $8.00 with Terminator 2 and They live. I'm very happy with them.
my hand shot up during the first 20 seconds, yes i am the person who uses appliances as old or a little older than me, thanks RB awesome CRT video
Thank you and glad you enjoyed it!
I spent 20yrs gaming on crt's as a kid and all I ever wanted was something sharper and bigger. Now as an adult, I own those bigger, sharper displays. The other day, I fired up my Wii's virtual console on my OLED and was horrified! To play these old games you at least need an upscaler. But if you really want to drink in the nostalgia of your old favorite games do it in front of the glow of a crt!
P.S. -Retrobird, thank you for getting me back into classic video games, they're still fun!
One thing to help with the space and weight is to use a 20" or so CRT and just sit closer to it. 20" is just about perfect for these lower resolution games and the weight is very manageable for a single person to move it around.
Personally, even though I still have one, I don't find it that critical. I like HQ2X and similar filters on HD screens best. For some reason everyone seems to hate on them but I think they're as close as we can get to what the artists would've drawn if they weren't limited by the hardware.
I also don't find lag to be that bad on a PC-based emulator running through HDMI into a properly setup TV with all filters turned off and in game mode. People over-estimate how much lag they can perceive, if you tap the stopwatch on your phone as fast as possible you'll get about .11 seconds, which people mistakenly think is 11 milliseconds, but it's actually 110 milliseconds. When TV and other latency is usually about a tenth to a fifth of that, there's no way you can legitimately tell. People are just deep in their placebo effect IMO or have something wrong in their setup increasing lag more than it should be. There was an argument during the early days of HDTVs as lag was downright awful and unbearable then, but nowadays it's just not significant enough to matter
This is very true. I use one that is like 19", but for me, it doesn't cut it for newer stuff like GameCube, PS2 or Wii. It's great for NES and SNES, but for games like Pikmin, Mario Galaxy or Kingdom Hearts, I'm longing for a bigger display. (the absolute worst part about this is I curbed a bigger one like a year or 2 ago, suddenly became obsessed with CRT's recently and have to find another again)
Ha....found a trinitron on my local uhaul abandoned...
*Yoink!*
Dude I recently found your channel and im really digging your videos. You're really funny and i feel like i got a history lesson at tue same time.
Thank you! Glad to have ya on the channel :)
They sure are! I’ve been playing FF7 on PS1 lately on a cheap 13” and was just playing SotC on PS2 w/ my cousin last night on my 30” Sony in progressive scan. Pure bliss
I would set up a PS2 to a CRT and a HDTV at the same time, when the PS2 HDMI mod comes out.
Long time viewer, first time commenter! (I think, lol). I've been in the retro gaming UA-cam scene since 2008. There's not many gaming channels that I still watch, but yours is one of them! Your channel is quite refreshing. Your writing, humor and fun personality always keep me coming back, so thank you for the great videos! To answer your question, I think having a CRT (or in my case multiple CRTs) for retro gaming is practically essential. Whether it's retro console, PC or arcade gaming, I always prefer to use a CRT for the look and feel. Personally for me, the retro experience just isn't complete without one. People like to talk about what CRT models are the best for retro gaming, but honestly, I think the best CRT is the one that you have. So whether you game on a fully serviced Sony PVM monitor or an obscure CRT brand that you picked up off the street, it's all good.
Thank you. I appreciate you stopping by the comment section and your viewership is much appreciated.
0:11 - all four of my classic cars are nearly my age (youngest being 1985, oldest being 1987) and I absolutely LOVE using those carburetted, manual choke, points-ignition masterpieces.
Hand waaaaaay up there :D
But I don't care for CRTs for retro console gaming. Plasma is fine. For my 286 and 386 computers though, I do have a few smaller monitors.
I take the "fit your stuff to the life you have, not the other way around" approach to owning a CRT. If I came across 12-17" CRT I would definitely pick it up for those late night SNES-athons, anything bigger and I'm leaving it for the guy who hasn't thrown his back out yet.
For me, they were all FREE. And I have a small one I can bring to the work bench while fixing old consoles, and a large one in the garage to play.
2 reasons I wanted a CRT:
1) Light Gun games
2) Certain transparency and dithering effects don't work on LCD screens
I’ve got a 13” color Samsung TV from 1987 that I use to play retro games. Have to use an RF adapter for some consoles since it only has a coax jack on the back.
Has the two dials for changing channels too 😎. Got it at a garage sale when I was a kid for less than 20 bucks. Used to play my PS2 and original Xbox on it all the time. The thing was never even used before I picked it up
I only had to go as far as my attic to find our old crt from when I was a kid. Adds a bit of nostalgia
Picture tubes have higher resolution of course man everything looks more phenomenal on a CRT and the reason why they don't make them no more because it cost a lot of money🤑📺
Everybody needs a good CRT for classic games. I am only sorry that I gave so many away in the past. Thankfully, I still have a few that I kept.
I’m glad I watched this. I’d never even given a passing thought to game mode on my TV. After watching this... game mode activated.
Glad to hear!
Great video as always. I was hoping you would talk about how CRTs blend color and blur pixels to make 2D games look more natural and also have an absence of motion blur. Playing sonic, for example, on a CRT is vastly superior from a motion clarity standpoint vs anything other than an OLED.
I do touch on some of those points a bit in the other CRT videos I've done. Great points you bring up nonetheless!
@@diydylana3151 Really I think the only things fixed with OLED are the black levels and brightness. You'll still cut yourself on the sharp serrated pixels and it still uses the sample and hold technique so motion still isn't as fluid. But if it's what you got it's better than not playing a game at all.
OLEDs are great for retro gaming, because they actually surpass the contrast ratios of CRTs by having better blacks (and that is saying something, but no matter how black, there is always that slight cathode glow). Since most OLEDs are 4k, you can emulate scanlines very nicely using CRT-Royale in retroarch too, and there are a LOT of configuration options to make it look like a huge variety of old TVs and PVMs.
The real test of this is in the way the genesis used scanlines to create transparencies out of meshes (the saturn did this too), like sonic standing behind a waterfall, and the waterfall looking nice and transparent, where in sharp pixels it looks pretty bad.
Yeah CRTs and a good LCD (which can rival or exceed CRTs in some ways due to better geometry) are the way to go
That's another thing I love about CRT. On a 27", the 480i resolution, combined with a composite connection(or even RF for an even softer picture) smooths out the pixels, and makes everything look more cartoon-like, Vs the razor sharp pixelated artificial image you get with HDTV's. Sure you can apply Scan lines & CRT filters, but it usually never looks right.
And motion, another huge difference. CRT's don't have ANY motion blur, period. You get picture stability, unlike gaming on TV's nowadays which can, at times make it feel like you're gaming through the eyes of somebody who's drunk off their butt. BlurOVision for better words. lol
To me crt's are more worth it than original consoles, original controllers, fpga consoles.
They are the most crucial part to Retro Gaming authenticity
I got 5 crts, including a trinitron, but I use my Toshiba 30 inch the most
36 inch Trinitron, heavy and beautiful
Which Toshiba model? AF series?
Retrobird, you put so much work into these videos. My god, I love your b-roll man! I can't believe you actually flipped your prized kv-27fs100 on top of yourself, have you gone banana's?
I've learned how to be pretty delicate with that thing :)
You look like a reverse order Shellcreeper from Mario Brothers having a giant turtle shell of a CRT TV on your tummy. If you are still creeper you could jump out of there kick it over and crawl back in.
Last week I went to my cousin's house and noticed that the TV seemed dim. So I put gaming mode on and it looked much better, I didn't realize that it also reduces input lag!
That may have just been the picture mode you changed. Typically TVs will have different picture calibrations called things like "sports", "movies", "games" and the like. That is actually different from "game mode" but I can see how the two would be easily mixed up.
A good high resolution and refresh rate crt is priceless.
I have a 20 inch screen Panasonic tau crt. I don't use it much these days as I mostly play ps4 nowadays but it's nice to have for pre ps3 era consoles especially ps2
I had a similar experience with a friend's TV at their cottage. I'd taken my Switch up to play some Fall Guys as I was up there through the week while working too & discovered that game mode didn't automatically turn on. Guess I'm used to CRT or high end OLED not, but it took some time to turn it on & I also had to fiddle with the adaptive brightness mode by turning that off too.
Personally I don't always use my CRT, but I'm always glad to have it when I do. To justify why, it's easy. Games made from that era just feel right on a CRT & it brings back the feeling of being a kid rushing to my room to play my new games on Christmas morning each time I play it.
I say absolutely, if you frequently play games from the 6th gen and earlier. I found a perfectly sized and very affortable RCA TruFlat at a Goodwill just over a month ago now and it's reinvigorated my love for video games. Even stuff that doesn't benefit greatly from being played on the display it was designed for, still feels great. Space Channel 5 Part 2 and Guitar Hero 3 on PS2 feel fantastic on it, but even games that aren't rhythm games or light gun games, if they were made before the advent of widespread HD widescreen, just give off this feeling of authenticity, and purity.
I will say though, one thing people don't think about is audio quality. If you get a CRT, you should be ready to have some CRUSTY sound from the built-in speakers. Some consoles have a direct audio out, PS2 is a godsend because it has a toslink optical out for audio so I can plug it directly into my sound bar and get perfect sound alongside the fantastic CRT visuals, but most consoles don't give you that option, so if you get a CRT, unless you KNOW the speakers are to your liking, make sure you can connect it to some sound hardware you already own or pick up a sound bar or decent speakers along with the CRT from the same curb
Our living room TV is still a 4:3 CRT, we never replaced it. Still has our Wii that I still regularly play hooked up to it exactly like it's been since I was very young and it's pretty great, the Wii honestly looks quite good on it. We also actually have a 16:9 720p CRT with HDMI support (because HDMI on a CRT was apparently a thing briefly) that I sometimes hook my Switch up to, but I usually just hook that up to a computer monitor. So I've basically grown up my whole life using a CRT for gaming, particularly with the Wii, and still do today.
Got myself a 32 inch beast of a crt the other month for $50 off of facebook marketplace. It was a pain the ass to get it home and into the house but i have it all set up now to play retro consoles on. I'm also looking into building a dedicated retro gaming pc to hook up to the crt to save wear and tear on my games and consoles.
Hell yeah, tubes FTW!!