The Video Game Critic

I just can't win with these TVs. I like them so much, but they're getting harder and harder to find. That, combined with the fact that I have to lug it up to the third floor (They have a tendency to be mighty heavy) meant that I haven't had one in awhile. They're also getting to be in worse and worse shape, but today I ended up getting a new one off of Craigslist.

I like this 27 inch Panasonic that I picked up for 20 bucks, but the problem is a little scratch that I noticed that I can't get rid of. And it smells like curry. If there is one thing that I cannot stand it's when something smells, I am very sensitive to that. It's a shame because the picture is otherwise nice, and it really captures the nostalgic feeling that I had playing these games when I was younger.

With the rising popularity of retro gaming, I'm hoping one day someone will start making new CRTs just for this purpose.

Shapur wrote:With the rising popularity of retro gaming, I'm hoping one day someone will start making new CRTs just for this purpose.

Me too. Now I get to lug this stupid thing right back down the stairs. Pew, it stinks!

I tend to change my mind quite a bit. My mom had this older 13-inch 4:3 TV that she doesn't use, and so I decided to take it. Works well, and doesn't smell like any ethnic cooking.

Now this is the way classic games are meant to be played! Ever try to play N64 on an HDTV? Really isn't pretty. Plus, on these older TVs, it really takes you back to when you first played whatever game you're playing. Chances are we didn't play much of anything pre-360 on a flat-panel HDTV. And so when I do play an older game on one nowadays, I really don't get that same feeling I did when I played the game way back when. The pixels match up perfectly, and believe it or not, scanlines are key to getting that retro-feeling that we all crave.

The TV is rather small, but this is remedied by sitting closer to it.

Yeah, thought I'd bring this up again, since I recently figured out a ghetto-rigged way to get my CRT and surround sound all in one room. I like to have my cake and eat it too. Nothing beats a CRT for classic games. You can have all your converters, all your Framemeisters, but nothing beats a good old-fashioned CRT for bringing back the nostalgic feelings you had when you played the game.

I want to buy a bigger house so that I can have 2 video game rooms, a modern one, and a classic one, both with surround sound, and the classic one with a CRT.

Herschie wrote:Yeah, thought I'd bring this up again

Have you considered switching to RGB monitors? They are a little more expensive but are the ultimate in image quality if you ask me. I had a nice one that I had to leave behind in a move. In hindsight I wish I had offered it to someone on this forum for the price of shipping.

Anyway, I don't know if this is true now, but back in 2012 I was able to find one on eBay for $80 including shipping.

Herschie wrote:I want to buy a bigger house so that I can have 2 video game rooms, a modern one, and a classic one, both with surround sound, and the classic one with a CRT.

Also, I'm getting pretty jealous of you homeowners on this site. Our tiny downtown apartment only has room for one TV, and obviously just one gaming setup not counting my PC. I dream of someday having an actual room dedicated to gaming.

ptdebate wrote:Also, I'm getting pretty jealous of you homeowners on this site. Our tiny downtown apartment only has room for one TV, and obviously just one gaming setup not counting my PC. I dream of someday having an actual room dedicated to gaming.

I wouldn't get too down upon it. Back in 2016, my wife and I were looking for a house, but I just had to have that 3rd bedroom for my VGR (Video game room). We had 2 options, both in the good part of Evanston, Illinois, but they both had 2 bedrooms. But no, we bought a place in the city, and now I can't wait to get the hell out of this ghetto. Worse, our alderman seems to love bringing more and more public housing to the area.

At least I have my VGR.

I can't believe I actually found somebody in Chicago who works on these things. Starts pouring rain as soon as I pulled up at 3:55, but fortunately the spot in front wasn't a tow zone until 4.

I bring it in, it's the only CRT in the place, the guy barely speaks English, so I had a heck of a time trying to explain what was wrong. Apparently something was misaligned, causing a "smearing" effect on the image. Plus, I think there's a loose connection on the coaxial input because the screen goes blank for a few seconds.

In any case, this is certainly good news as I can have my old CRTs working like new again.

ptdebate wrote:

Herschie wrote:Yeah, thought I'd bring this up again

Have you considered switching to RGB monitors? They are a little more expensive but are the ultimate in image quality if you ask me. I had a nice one that I had to leave behind in a move. In hindsight I wish I had offered it to someone on this forum for the price of shipping.

Anyway, I don't know if this is true now, but back in 2012 I was able to find one on eBay for $80 including shipping.

I have one of those types of monitors as my main TV, (live in a small shared space) and while it is nice to have so many systems hooked up to it, it doesn't support light gun games. I would love to find an old, large CRT with RGB capability. My old gaming TV is just the standard AV ports. And I just love my saturn gun games too much not to play them.