CRT vs Modern TV: How to Make Retro Games Look (and Feel) Right

By · October 30, 2026 · 7 min read

Plug a Super Nintendo straight into a modern TV and the result can be disappointing: a soft, smeared picture, odd shimmering, and controls that feel a fraction late. The console isn't broken. Classic systems were designed for a completely different kind of screen, and modern TVs have to work hard to show their signal. Here's what's happening and how to fix it.

What's different about old consoles

Most consoles up to the PlayStation era output a low-resolution signal often called 240p: about 240 lines, drawn 60 times a second, with no interlacing. CRT televisions displayed that natively. Modern TVs don't expect it, so many of them treat it as an interlaced 480i signal and run it through processing meant for broadcast TV. That processing adds blur, can make sprites flicker or comb, and adds a delay between pressing a button and seeing the result.

The cable matters more than you'd think

From worst to best, the common ways to connect a classic console:

  • RF (through the aerial socket): the original NES-era connection. Noisy and soft.
  • Composite (the single yellow plug): better, but colours bleed into each other.
  • S-Video: sharper, with cleaner colour. Supported by several consoles, including the Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64 in many regions.
  • RGB and component: the sharpest signals these consoles can produce. In Europe, RGB SCART was common. The Super Nintendo outputs RGB from its standard multi-out port with the right cable.

One twist: some games were designed around composite's blur. Mega Drive and Genesis games often used dithering, a fine checkerboard of two colours, which composite smoothed into transparent waterfalls and extra shades. On a razor-sharp RGB picture you see the checkerboard instead.

Upscalers: the modern fix

A dedicated upscaler sits between the console and the TV. It understands 240p properly, converts it to a clean high-definition signal with very little delay, and can add optional scanlines. Well-known examples include the RetroTINK range and the OSSC. With a good cable and an upscaler, a classic console can look sharper on a modern TV than it ever did on a CRT.

Input lag

For fast games, lag matters more than looks. Two habits help a lot:

  • Turn on your TV's Game Mode. It switches off most of the picture processing that causes delay.
  • Avoid the TV's own scaling where you can, by feeding it an already-upscaled signal from an upscaler or a modern re-release.

The difference is very noticeable in precise games like Super Mario Bros. or Punch-Out!!, where timing windows are tiny.

Do you need a CRT?

Mostly not. A CRT is lovely if you have one and the space for it, and it's still the simplest way to get zero lag with original hardware. There's one case where it's essential: light gun games like Duck Hunt rely on the exact timing of a CRT's beam and don't work on flat screens at all. Our guide to why Duck Hunt doesn't work on your TV explains it and covers the modern alternatives.

Emulators and re-releases

If you play through an emulator or an official collection, the picture is already being drawn at a modern resolution, so most of these problems disappear. Many emulators, including RetroArch, include CRT and scanline filters (often called shaders) that recreate the soft glow of an old screen, if you miss it.

The short version

  • Use the best cable your console supports (RGB, component or S-Video over composite).
  • Add an upscaler if you play original hardware on a modern TV a lot.
  • Always switch on Game Mode.
  • Keep a CRT only if you want light gun games or the authentic look.

Not sure what to play? Let the Matrix pick

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