CRT Pixels

Feeling burnt out lately after an insane amount of life change. Asked my partner for a weekend off so I could start the new year with a little retreat.

“Gonna spend some time with those games you bought on the Winter Sale?”

“Nah, I’ve got something else in mind.”

Very possible

Hey, all this stuff is ancient so who can say. I am using the cable that it came bundled in the box with, but I have no idea the quality of that cable. Fun console tho!

Donkey Kong (1982, Coleco) - Intellivision

I’m not saying any of this is preferable, but it’s a far cry from the blocky objects I’m used to seeing when I’ve played games from this era via emulation over the years.

But man… no wonder the NES felt like a revelation lol.

Centipede (1983, Atari) - Intellivision

What is striking to me is how in motion, through the haze, this truly does FEEL like playing Centipede. The player can make out just enough information to keep things playable, and the soundscape is mostly in tact as well.

Frogger (1983, Sega) - Intellivision

This isn’t standard RF noise either. It is definitely a few steps above the Famicom for example. Hard to believe this is the reality of how players saw the home versions of their favorite arcade games for many years.

Demon Attack (1982, Imagic) - Intellivision

I spent my morning testing out a Mattel Intellivision that a friend gave me and came to some pretty startling conclusions. The console’s (very) noisy RF signal goes some way to adding texture to its simplistic graphics.

Damn, they straight up fooled me. Excellent work

Gotta celebrate @noodleawesome.bsky.social’s work on this #scanlinesunday as well, because damn he included some genuinely well-shot examples

Revolution X stretched to 16:9 on a cold blue ass LCD with horrible viewing angles just as Eric intended

So glad I could contribute to this excellent video! Thank you Noodle for reaching out and for reminding me why I love this art and the humans to thank for it over the technical aspects it’s easy to get lost in.

You really, truly nailed it.

What a great day to be thankful for what you have! Once you start to see the value in “obsolete” technology, it’s impossible to justify just how short our upgrade cycles have become.

Call me crazy, but I think TVs, phones, computers, etc SHOULD last for decades.

Yup! This is what I use! It’s really changed the MiSTer for me and I use it all the time now on multiple TVs. Misteraddons sent me a newer updated version, but it was right when my wife got her cancer diagnosis this summer. It is at the top of my project list for this week.

I've been cutting down my collection lately (as we've been moving to a smaller home in a new city) and it's reminding me what drew me to the technology in the first place before I got a bit lost in the discourse.

Found this old test footage of Aliens vs. Predator (1994) running on a cheap Hitachi via the MiSTer Analog IO Board's composite.

After everything, CRTs are still so magical to me

oh my god

There just nothing else quite like it! Over the years I’ve found ways to break it down into the elements I love though and find other games that contain them, but no one has put them all together quite like FF9. Dragon Quest XI came close.

Final Fantasy IX marks the moment I fell in love with the craft of video games and the artists who bring them to life. That small, thoughtfully considered detail can outshine the broadest horizon.

Happy 25th anniversary to Final Fantasy IX, my favorite game of all time ❤️

Still chasing that high.

Oh my god where is my Gustavo

Yeahhhh 6.5 hour drive. I could do it but I’d really prefer not to lol

If you know someone who repairs CRT TVs within a few hours of Kansas City, you can save a life

Depends on your priorities

My full review of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is up in our most recent episode. I should have some more comparisons and thoughts on the game here soon. Thanks!

bsky.app/profile/pock...

Same Deneb, same.

I actually wasn’t aware of this because it’s been a while since I played War of the Lions (and the info is confusing) but I’ll have to wait for the community to compile all that.

It seems like the Enhanced version is translated from a new, modified, Japanese WotL script. Interesting.

Wow, I wasn’t even aware of this, but yes I think those look MUCH better. Maybe modders can implement them on the PC version.

I think if it’s bothering you that much it’s worth asking yourself how much the voice acting additions and QoL features matter to you. The original version is still a perfect video game in my eyes.

Thank you to @square-enix-games.com for the review code. All screenshots and video of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles taken from Nintendo Switch 2 console captures and copyright of Square Enix.

CRT photos of the PlayStation original taken by me on a 20” JVC D-Series.

So, there you have it for now.

I have more minor nitpicks, wishes (orchestrated soundtrack DLC PLEASE), and praises, but what matters is that The Ivalice Chronicles is a great way to experience Final Fantasy Tactics, for the first time, or another time.

And you absolutely should.