andykara2003

@IceClimbersMain Can I ask what the second tv is? Is it a crt?

Wherever you enjoy them. I love them on a 90s CRT on real hardware - gives me the nostalgia hit I love.

@BulkSlash Wow, it looks like you have a serious setup - kudos for not subsituting LCDs, what a treat to have those monitors!

@BulkSlash I went down the OCD rabbit hole a few years back - went through some higher end sets, BVM, Ikegami etc. but didn't like the harsh scanlines and pixellation. It just didn't feel authentic. I like consumer Sony trinitrons & Loewe non-100Hz sets, but only if they havent had much use as they go soft & dull after a normal life. I picked up a new old stock 1992 Sony consumer set a couple of years ago - the plastic packaging had welded itself together with age but the TV was mint. The set should last a long time hopefully. Do you use a CRT?

@BulkSlash They are gorgeous looking, one of the prettiest CRT designs I think. And the 450 line count is the perfect sweet spot - not as sharp as a 600TVL PVM (too sharp & heavily scanlined for me re. 240p content), but cleaner and higher spec than a consumer Trinitron. It just has one feature that lets it down for me & makes it unusable - the black matrix aspect of the screen - a dark filter that lowers the black levels, but also lowers peak brightness. I want my retro game image to be vibrant. The gorgeous B&O MX4000/7000 does something similar, albeit a lower quality set, which also makes it unusable to me. Just a personal preference, though, and respect to anyone using this set, it's a beauty.

Gosh, you guys are doing some great articles in the retro section. Just love how that ancient 14" Toshiba monitor has maintained such great geometry all these years later (top image). I sense a skilled CRT enthusiast has had a hand in that..

Great for many people, I just personally can't feel it unless I'm playing original hardware on CRT - but I think my demographic is getting smaller and more niche every day. Power to whatever way people want to have fun, Polymega included.

@Serpenterror True, this is really for flat panel users where the console looks almost unplayably awful.

Amazing work, love how these old Mario games are getting so much love still, must have taken a lot of time.

I'll always prefer an old N64 on a small CRT but that's just for the warm fuzzy nostalgia if gives me. The console looks horrible on anything else, especially a flat panel. For non-CRT users, this is perfect.

Looks absolutely perfect for what it is - a value proposition for the more casual retro player. Of course it's not going to be as accurate or low-lag as a mister or real hardware, but that's not the point and casual players won't notice or care. These days most people love new hardware that emulates older games in software or better FPGA. One day in the not-so-distant future, CRTs will be so hard to get that original console + CRT will become a sought after experience that only the privileged will have access to.

@mattmanvsuperman Well said - Analogue's FPGA implementation is streets ahead of this.

Fantastic - these emulation consoles, FPGA or otherwise are a great new way for people to experience these classic games on a flat panel via HDMI.

As good as original hardware + CRT? Not on your nellie. Funny to think that we're trying to match 1990s hardware and are still not even close.

@GravyThief Love this! RF has it’s place too

These new emulation systems certainly have their place. I just love the original consoles plus CRT though - to me there’s nothing like dropping a cart into the original console & playing on original silicon - just gives it a sense of occasion. I love the way a CRT blends the graphics to give that cohesive feel. Super pixelated graphics on modern TVs have their place too - it’s all about enjoying the games after all.

@Gs69 love it!

@Gs69 Love that you still use yours regularly. What are your most played games?

Give me original hardware any day..

@Yorumi Yes, I see they've now removed this - it was going to be a feature. Still, it doesn't make a difference to what I was saying, FPGA or not, real hardware plus CRT can never be beaten for me - although I respect all (edit:most) options of course, which have their place.

@cleveland124 that would be great - he’s a prolific guy!

@KennyBania I’m aware l that this is a hybrid, of course. I’m really bunching this in with the FPGA systems when I say this - i.e. as opposed to the bottom of the barrel type emulation boxes.

Awesome article by Jeremy. I love the fact that these FPGA based systems will make consoles immortal in a sense, and respect the idea of playing them on HDTVs, but I’m one of those that love to play on a CRT with original hardware. I just can’t get on with the super pixelated or strongly scanlined look of games on a flat panel that these superb units by Analogue and others put out. The shadow mask/aperture grill of CRTs are much more complex than these machines are capable of reproducing and even the commendable PC efforts still can’t replicate the real feel of a good, low-use CRT, with its unique glow and vibrancy. As I say, I respect all methods to play these old games, but for me, putting that cartridge into a genuine original console on one of my CRTs gives the game session a genuine sense of occasion and excitement that I can’t get anywhere else.

@Galgomite I have to agree. I read the recent article at NL, and I always knew that all this stuff ultimately has a limited lifespan, but I have a comparatively large collection of retro game hardware and software and I’ve never had a single issue. Disks are said to be more prone to eventual disk rot if they already have scratches but mine are pristine. I know that all this stuff will eventually die, but I have a feeling that most of it will probably easily outlive me. I take care to keep it all at a low humidity (40-45%), which should help.

I keep all my consoles which aren’t in use at 13 degrees C and 50% humidity - doesn’t fluctuate all year round.

@Damo Not at all - in fact you're inferring a lot from people's comments here. You're entitled to your opinion of course, but I've noticed that your attitude on here can be a little abrasive and dogmatic rather than engaging in reasonable, friendly discussion. It depends on how much input was given by Miyamoto/Nintendo on the specifics of the design and gameplay. Miyamoto is credited on many Nintendo games but he wasn't necessarily programming the core code. He would fine tune the game by constantly suggesting changes to the nuances in gameplay and design but the programmers would do the donkey work. If Miyamoto/Nintendo had very little or no design/gameplay input then you're right. If they contributed the bulk of the input regarding design and gameplay then you aren't. I think more granular detail is needed before we make that call.

@VinylCreep Exactly this. Even if the underlying code wasn't done by Nintendo, the game design was and that's what really counts.