If you are anything like me, there's a good chance that your TikTok is currently exploding with clips, tips, and guides in the wake of the launch of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. Perhaps my favourite little digital nugget to come out of my scrolling is one account dedicated to showing off new games through the retro screen of a CRT TV.
User, CRT Dream, posted their "Oblivion on a CRT" video this week, and it shows off part of the joy of using a CRT well. There are a few major reasons people still love CRTs. The first, because it's nostalgic, is definitely part of the vibe that CRT Dream is trying to conjure here.
Showing the TV in low light, with candles, and a copy of Morrowind on the original Xbox certainly evokes that vibe, but so too does the sound. Dark Fantasy Song Ambient Mix Slowed (Dorian Concept Hide CS01), yes that is the song's full title, is often used alongside retro dark fantasy stills, and an unfortunate amount of AI-generated art.
However, there are, if not practical then at least reasonable, reasons to hang on to that blocky old TV your parents haven't mustered the will to throw out. Modern gaming on a CRT gives you vibrant, clear colors, deep blacks, and great whites. It is also very responsive. Just look at the video and tell me it doesn't add to the fantasy set up by Oblivion's grimey prison walls or high castles. CRT TVs smooth edges in a way that works well for retro games that otherwise look overly sharp on LCDs.
Putting the technical reasons aside, it just has a look and feel that is distinct, and this is why some retro purists would never let their old NES touch anything else. CRT TVs do have a pretty low resolution across the board, and this means a modern TV will look better in a technical sense, but those using CRT TVS aren't doing it to get the highest, most cutting-edge resolutions.
@crtdream ♬ Dark Fantasy Song Ambient Mix Slowed (Dorian Concept Hide CS01) - Secret Potion & Lofi Beats To Chill Study Sleep
CRT Dream is less about playing retro games and more about playing new games in a retro way. Scrolling through their TikTok, you can see Oblivion Remastered, Bloodborne, and they even watched the trailer for The Duskbloods on it.
Watching Bioshock Infinite playing on a CRT with Higher by Creed playing the background sort of sounds like my nightmares, but there's something about watching it through the TikTok of a passionate fan that just makes me say 'Hell Yeah'.
This dedication to the bit is charming in the most geeky way. To get some of these games running on a CRT TV, not only do you need an adapter to go from HDMI or Display Port to VGA adapter, but you sometimes need to go into game files to get the game running on the 4:3 resolution necessary for the TV. Even then, further tinkering is often required to get the UI looking just right.
After all this work, the end result is worth it. Silent Hill 2 Remake looks fittingly blocky on it. I won't be letting go of my OLED monitor and all the modern trappings that come with it, but maybe there's room in my heart (or living room) for a secondary one.
I, unfortunately, had to get rid of a rather large CRT TV before leaving my home country, but I can't say CRT Dream hasn't tempted me to pick one up once more.
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