Retro gaming on HD tv

[landamo]

Just wondering what everyone else does when it comes to retro gaming on a HD tv. I've looked into up scaling but I'm not sure which way to go. I did invest in a Retron 5 which has helped with the older cartridge based games but I would really like to play my Sega Saturn and N64 on my new tv.

[Sean697]

I have an xrgb mini framemeister by xcom. It's expensive way to go but the best way to go for HDTV play. Just make sure you get the rift RGB cables for each system. Systems that don't support RGB may need to be midded like N64.

[DPsx7]

I forgot where I read about this but have been watching it on Amazon. Haven't gotten it yet. Maybe you'll want to look into it and let us know what you find.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I482KZI/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=V4ZGVVYF8J2G&coliid=I2EX82BJCU1MWV&psc=1

[bostonpops]

I haven't invested in a Framemeister, though I've heard good things.  My 7 year old Samsung HDTV does a decent job of inputing a composite signal without a huge amount of display lag with game mode turned on.  As for the N64 though (and PS2 for that matter), they look TERRIBLE through composite.  Thank Christ for Component cables on the PS2, but there is no such thing for an N64 and mine is not modded for RGB, so I just have to run Project64 if I want to enjoy my N64 games in HD resolution.

[Alex1]

Best signal possible without a mod on the N64 would be s-vhs I think.

I own a framemeister. If you want to use an LCD screen it will offer the best experience for 280p signals. But at a steep price.

Other signals differ as far as best picture solutions.

Check http://retrogaming.hazard-city.de for in depth info.

[twiztor]

i don't.

my retro systems are all on an old 1980s console TV.

from n64 (yes, it's a retro system as well) and newer are on my flatscreen, but they're all just hooked up thru RCAs. making them look their absolute best never really appealed to me. there's still only so many polygons.

[Alex1]

Best signal possible without a mod on the N64 would be s-vhs I think.

I own a framemeister. If you want to use an LCD screen it will offer the best experience for 280p signals. But at a steep price.

Other signals differ as far as best picture solutions.

Check http://retrogaming.hazard-city.de for in depth info.

Oops... I meant 240p signals.......

[Data]

How about an AMD RX 480 with Intel I7 6700K running Project 64.  Nothing upscales better.  It is in fact far better than the original.  When you encounter a game that doesnt run with this emulator you change the internal cpu from recompiler to interpreter.  With this setup you can brute force any game to play.  Some games look better depending on if they are Raster or Vector.

[vice350z]

I looked into all that but don't feel like spending the money and not completely sure how they all work and how to exactly use them or if I'd have to modify my consoles. So I just use EmulationStation on my Retropie'd pi2 with scanline overlay on...looks good enough to me.

[CombustoDragon]

i don't have problem with play retro games on my HDTV or my computer as well my tablet.

[giorgaras]

Really it is worth tracking down some old crt TV. I prefer sony trinitron.

[consumer]

I am a purest, I like to play the games in their original glory, even on HD.  The playstation ones graphics seemed excellent back in the 90s.  Today, it seems to me like a 3D NES when played on an HD TV.  I like that though.

[coolisami]

I used to wonder like you before and struggled to find the best way to play older games on HDTVs but I believe the best way to enjoy the old classics is with a CRT TVs. these older games are designed for and will look the best in them. try playing Resident Evil 2 on HDTV with composite and then switch to CRT. It looks so perfect on CRT while HDTV is blurry mess!

Good luck!

[E-Day]

48 minutes ago, coolisami said:

I used to wonder like you before and struggled to find the best way to play older games on HDTVs but I believe the best way to enjoy the old classics is with a CRT TVs. these older games are designed for and will look the best in them. try playing Resident Evil 2 on HDTV with composite and then switch to CRT. It looks so perfect on CRT while HDTV is blurry mess!

Good luck!

If you go to the My Life in Gaming channel on YouTube, they talk a lot about how to get the best picture quality fro old consoles on HDTVs. They get very detailed, and you pretty much have to be obsessed with picture quality to go through they lengths they do, but they cover just about every system out there in their RGB Master Class series. No blurry messes if you follow their suggestions...if you have the money for things like upscalers and such.

[coolisami]

Yeah I know about My Life in Gaming channel. they are amazing at what they do and get very detailed. And you can get pretty good quality if you're willing to spend money. However even they say that a CRT provides the best picture as it was designed for it. But I guess both choices work. If you feel nostalgia and want the exact feeling and quality you're used to then go with CRTs but if you don't have the space for it, which is understandable especially when some of these old TVs can be quite heavy like the Sony Wega that I own, then buying some good upscalers for HDTVs would work out too.

Even emulators work fine if you're desperate and you don't own the console or the game anymore.

[RetroDefense]

I still have a 28" CRT - which is beginning to fail, I believe, as I'm having light gun difficulties - as well as another stored away as a backup.  Call me old fashioned but I prefer scan lines, fuzzy pixels, and no screen lag.

The time, effort, and money involved to connect all my retro systems to a HDTV is also something I'd rather avoid.  Not that I don't often retro game in HD but I prefer other options for modern displays - classic game collections for modern systems, neo-retro systems, mini plug-n-plays, SBC emulation consoles, etc.