this post was submitted on 24 Dec 2025
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Along with "CRT filter" in some retro-style games. I am okay with them being optional, I just wish they were off by default.
That's actually the one I'm entirely on board with
Many retro games were designed to be viewed on a composite (or worse) signal CRT (particularly 8/16-bit consoles). They take advantage of the characteristics of those technologies to act as a final expected phase of image "processing". (It's a physical effect so not actually processing)
The games were never meant to be played with sharp, hard pixels. The lines were supposed to blur a bit to create a sum greater than the parts and create additional chroma and luma resolution that isn't possible with the console hardware in isolation.
OTOH it actually has to be a good filter that mimics these characteristics correctly, if it's just basic 1px scanlines and nothing else I'm probably not gonna use it
CRT filters are just fake scanlines for nostalgia. Blurring the screen does not accurately recreate the way the games were meant to be viewed. This is because CRTs are analog and don't have discrete pixels at all, the color posphors can be partially lit, resulting in a better looking image. That just can't be recreated with a filter.
Bad ones are yes, I addressed that at the end
The good ones make use of the higher resolution screens we have today to render the lower resolution images using the real pixels as subpixels to mimic the effect.
1080p is possibly not enough resolution to be convincing if that's what you last looked at; but at 4K, every 240i/480i console output pixel gets something like 8-16 real subpixels to work with
If you want 1 to 1 accuracy, yes you'll only get that with an actual CRT. But the modern high quality filters are much, much more than just fake scanlines, and can be pretty effective for the games that need them. You can usually choose the signal path to emulate, choose to use an aperture grille or different kinds of shadow mask, and often even deeper tweaks.
If you've not looked at them in a while and you've got appropriate hardware to run them well, have another look.
I last looked at a real CRT because it is my only screen 😂
Well fair play then! You're probably not gonna get much out of them then haha
I like it on Raccoin because it stylizes the game more than anything, and can give it a lower-res feel without making the UI elements painful.
Ooh a roguelite I've not heard of
Thanks for the Christmas gift, I think I'll buy it
Edit: wait it's not out? wat
It's not yet released but there have been several open demos. Not sure if the latest demo is still available today. It's really good though.
Okay wishlisted, seems like I missed the demo by 4 days unfortunately
I wonder if you could create a shader that would do the job?
Yes.
https://forums.libretro.com/t/sony-megatron-colour-video-monitor/36109
I grew up with the CRT scan lines and honestly I prefer the hard pixels. Don’t know I think it just triggers the nostalgia better than the muddied lines that look like a bad attempt at upscaling.
Fair play, people's preferences are ultimately a subjective thing
I would say when it's done properly it genuinely looks like the devs have found resolution that doesn't exist in the image
Here's a good example that I think demonstrates it clearly (though this is a real deal CRT in this image versus the kind of filters I'm talking about in this thread, though the goal is the same effect)
(Via https://mastodon.social/@ponysmasher/111025666005999438)
Oh, don’t get me wrong. I give them credit for being able to make the pixel art look much better than was intended, but I think my brain fills in the detail without wanting a filter to do it. Or I have yet to see a filter that is as good as a CRT and I’m not about to go out and buy one to get that experience.
You and me both. I remember thinking our TV was cheap or shitty because the images never looked like this:
I went to Radio Shack a handful of times when I was 12 or so trying to buy better coaxial or component cables to “fix the problem,” not really understanding the fundamental issue.
I don’t care how it was intended to look- seeing those blocks pop in HD is so much more satisfying than muddy pixels smeared across a CRT.