3 HN users recommended this explainer3 months2025–2026score 3.5
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
HN recommends it as an entertaining deep dive on CRT versus LCD rendering of retro games and the case for CRT shaders.
Noodle explores how retro pixel art was designed for CRT displays and why games look different on LCDs, with input from pixel artists and CRT researchers.
“This is an excellent deep dive on the issues I spoke of” (HN, 2026)
I've been getting more and more into retro gaming lately, and something that really made it click for me is leveraging shaders (or overlays) to simulate period-accurate displays. For a Sega Saturn, that'd be some kind of CRT. The art direction in these games are designed to take advantage of the quirks of the CRT, and often look significantly better on a CRT. Noodle just did a decent video on it: [this video] I strongly recommend anyone getting into retro gaming, try some CRT shaders (or lcd ones for portables)!
Decent video on CRT display simulation for retro games.
Interesting article. I hope their engine gets to the point where it actually looks like CRT instead of the blocky filters we see nowadays. Here’s an entertaining video showing the difference in retro games on crt and lcd screens. It’s pretty incredible if you aren’t aware. Games back then were designed on CRTs and can look awful on LCDs in comparison. [this video]
Entertaining comparison of retro games on CRT versus LCD.
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