CRT Emudriver - Non emulated compatible games

[Recapnation]

So what am I missing here, how do I create a "4:3 from 16:9" modeline correctly? Thanks in advance!

Honestly man, some of the language used in this thread is a bit nonsensical.

854x480 is a 16:9 resolution, assuming square pixels

The problem is that Blasphemous' design resolution is 640 * 360 despite the information in this thread, which I'm seeing still persists to this day in the idea that out-of-spec graphics should be scaled to *fit* into 15 kHz progressive no matter what.

[tisurame]

So what am I missing here, how do I create a "4:3 from 16:9" modeline correctly? Thanks in advance!

Honestly man, some of the language used in this thread is a bit nonsensical.

854x480 is a 16:9 resolution, assuming square pixels (which you should always assume square pixels unless you know the game doesn't use square pixels, as is the case with NES,SNES,Genesis, etc).

So the only way to make it display 16:9 is to physically squeeze your CRT's raster. This can be done in 2 ways: if you're lucky, your TV has a "16:9" or "widescreen" mode that does this. Or, if you're unlucky, you just have to learn how to get in and out of your service menu quickly to reduce V-size.

In this world of playing modern pixel art games on CRT, you have to be cognizant of two things: the game's native pixel resolution, and the aspect ratio.

An easy example: Celeste. It's 320x180 16:9. Well that just so happens to be exactly the 16:9 area of a 4:3 320x240 image. So you simply have your desktop at 320x240 when you launch the game.

a bit more complex example: Blazing Chrome is 427x240 16:9. To play that, you have to have your desktop at 427x240 and then trigger your CRT's 16:9 mode.

This is really the only way to have games look like they're supposed to.

In your example of Blasphemous, that game is really too-high resolution for a CRT TV. It's 640x360p 16:9. You can technically play it just by running 640x480i, and you will essentially have an integer scaled 360i in the middle of that. But that's going to look odd, because A) no scanlines and B) because of interlacing you're only seeing half of the pixels in any given frame. So that game is best played on a PC CRT monitor, which can support 480p. Some HD CRT TV's could theoretically display it well too

The truth is that PC CRT monitors are the best for reproducing all these games. In games that run only at 60Hz, you can take any low resolution, scale it to twice the original resolution, and insert black scanlines. The loss of contrast caused by the scanlines can be compensated by using an external amplifier or simply increasing the monitor’s color gain.

If the game supports frequencies above 60Hz, you can display the original resolution at a higher frequency and get natural scanlines.

PC monitors also store geometry settings based on frequency. Whenever I switch resolutions to accommodate a widescreen game, my monitor automatically reduces the vertical size of the image as well.

[CRTFTW]

The truth is that PC CRT monitors are the best for reproducing all these games. In games that run only at 60Hz, you can take any low resolution, scale it to twice the original resolution, and insert black scanlines. The loss of contrast caused by the scanlines can be compensated by using an external amplifier or simply increasing the monitor’s color gain.

If the game supports frequencies above 60Hz, you can display the original resolution at a higher frequency and get natural scanlines.

PC monitors also store geometry settings based on frequency. Whenever I switch resolutions to accommodate a widescreen game, my monitor automatically reduces the vertical size of the image as well.

Yep, essentially this is how it breaks down for me:

640x360p games: play letterboxed in 640x480 on my PC monitor.

270p games: if the framerate is unlocked, play at 55hz on my 15kHz CRT. But if they're 60fps locked, they usually stutter at 55hz, so I'll have to play them on my PC CRT at some mulitiple of 270 with a Reshade scanline overlay

240p and 180p: play on the 15kHz CRT

[Rion]

So what am I missing here, how do I create a "4:3 from 16:9" modeline correctly? Thanks in advance!

Honestly man, some of the language used in this thread is a bit nonsensical.

854x480 is a 16:9 resolution, assuming square pixels (which you should always assume square pixels unless you know the game doesn't use square pixels, as is the case with NES,SNES,Genesis, etc).

So the only way to make it display 16:9 is to physically squeeze your CRT's raster. This can be done in 2 ways: if you're lucky, your TV has a "16:9" or "widescreen" mode that does this. Or, if you're unlucky, you just have to learn how to get in and out of your service menu quickly to reduce V-size.

In this world of playing modern pixel art games on CRT, you have to be cognizant of two things: the game's native pixel resolution, and the aspect ratio.

An easy example: Celeste. It's 320x180 16:9. Well that just so happens to be exactly the 16:9 area of a 4:3 320x240 image. So you simply have your desktop at 320x240 when you launch the game.

a bit more complex example: Blazing Chrome is 427x240 16:9. To play that, you have to have your desktop at 427x240 and then trigger your CRT's 16:9 mode.

This is really the only way to have games look like they're supposed to.

In your example of Blasphemous, that game is really too-high resolution for a CRT TV. It's 640x360p 16:9. You can technically play it just by running 640x480i, and you will essentially have an integer scaled 360i in the middle of that. But that's going to look odd, because A) no scanlines and B) because of interlacing you're only seeing half of the pixels in any given frame. So that game is best played on a PC CRT monitor, which can support 480p. Some HD CRT TV's could theoretically display it well too

So what am I missing here, how do I create a "4:3 from 16:9" modeline correctly? Thanks in advance!

Honestly man, some of the language used in this thread is a bit nonsensical.

854x480 is a 16:9 resolution, assuming square pixels

The problem is that Blasphemous' design resolution is 640 * 360 despite the information in this thread, which I'm seeing still persists to this day in the idea that out-of-spec graphics should be scaled to *fit* into 15 kHz progressive no matter what.

So what am I missing here, how do I create a "4:3 from 16:9" modeline correctly? Thanks in advance!

Honestly man, some of the language used in this thread is a bit nonsensical.

854x480 is a 16:9 resolution, assuming square pixels (which you should always assume square pixels unless you know the game doesn't use square pixels, as is the case with NES,SNES,Genesis, etc).

So the only way to make it display 16:9 is to physically squeeze your CRT's raster. This can be done in 2 ways: if you're lucky, your TV has a "16:9" or "widescreen" mode that does this. Or, if you're unlucky, you just have to learn how to get in and out of your service menu quickly to reduce V-size.

In this world of playing modern pixel art games on CRT, you have to be cognizant of two things: the game's native pixel resolution, and the aspect ratio.

An easy example: Celeste. It's 320x180 16:9. Well that just so happens to be exactly the 16:9 area of a 4:3 320x240 image. So you simply have your desktop at 320x240 when you launch the game.

a bit more complex example: Blazing Chrome is 427x240 16:9. To play that, you have to have your desktop at 427x240 and then trigger your CRT's 16:9 mode.

This is really the only way to have games look like they're supposed to.

In your example of Blasphemous, that game is really too-high resolution for a CRT TV. It's 640x360p 16:9. You can technically play it just by running 640x480i, and you will essentially have an integer scaled 360i in the middle of that. But that's going to look odd, because A) no scanlines and B) because of interlacing you're only seeing half of the pixels in any given frame. So that game is best played on a PC CRT monitor, which can support 480p. Some HD CRT TV's could theoretically display it well too

The truth is that PC CRT monitors are the best for reproducing all these games. In games that run only at 60Hz, you can take any low resolution, scale it to twice the original resolution, and insert black scanlines. The loss of contrast caused by the scanlines can be compensated by using an external amplifier or simply increasing the monitor’s color gain.

If the game supports frequencies above 60Hz, you can display the original resolution at a higher frequency and get natural scanlines.

PC monitors also store geometry settings based on frequency. Whenever I switch resolutions to accommodate a widescreen game, my monitor automatically reduces the vertical size of the image as well.

The truth is that PC CRT monitors are the best for reproducing all these games. In games that run only at 60Hz, you can take any low resolution, scale it to twice the original resolution, and insert black scanlines. The loss of contrast caused by the scanlines can be compensated by using an external amplifier or simply increasing the monitor’s color gain.

If the game supports frequencies above 60Hz, you can display the original resolution at a higher frequency and get natural scanlines.

PC monitors also store geometry settings based on frequency. Whenever I switch resolutions to accommodate a widescreen game, my monitor automatically reduces the vertical size of the image as well.

Yep, essentially this is how it breaks down for me:

640x360p games: play letterboxed in 640x480 on my PC monitor.

270p games: if the framerate is unlocked, play at 55hz on my 15kHz CRT. But if they're 60fps locked, they usually stutter at 55hz, so I'll have to play them on my PC CRT at some mulitiple of 270 with a Reshade scanline overlay

240p and 180p: play on the 15kHz CRT

I think there are a few different things being mixed together here, so I want to clarify my intention with the thread and with the entries I have added.

First, I do understand the technical points being made here.

Yes, a game’s native/design resolution matters.
Yes, aspect ratio matters.
Yes, 640x360, 427x240, 320x180, 270p, 240p, etc. all need to be treated differently if the goal is strict pixel accuracy.
And yes, in many cases a PC CRT monitor is technically the better display for modern pixel-art games that target resolutions above what a 15 kHz CRT TV can properly show in progressive scan.

I do not disagree with that.

But I also think it is important to remember what this thread was originally about.

Sergi / psakhis did not frame this only as a strict “native resolution or nothing” archive. He described it as a place to centralize PC games that can work well at 15 kHz, including cases where people may prefer practical 240p/progressive compromises over 480i, or where cropping/scaling can still produce a very nice result on a real CRT TV.

That is the spirit I have been trying to continue.

When I add a game here, I am not saying:

“This is the only correct way to play this game.”

I am saying:

“This is a game that can work and look good on a 15 kHz CRT setup, with these settings, for people who enjoy this kind of presentation.”

There is a difference between those two things.

For example, I fully understand that taking a higher-resolution game and fitting it into 15 kHz progressive can involve compromise. Sometimes that means losing some vertical information, sometimes it means scaling, sometimes it means accepting that it is not pixel-perfect. But for many of us using consumer CRT TVs, the goal is not always perfect preservation of the game’s internal design resolution. Sometimes the goal is simply to find games that still look good, feel good, and are enjoyable on 15 kHz hardware.

That was also why Sergi’s earlier reply to Recapnation was important to me. He clearly understood the technical trade-offs, but he still welcomed these kinds of contributions and personal preferences. He specifically appreciated people adding new titles and keeping the information alive.

So when parts of the thread are described as “nonsensical” or as if the whole approach is misinformation, I think that misses the point of what this thread was meant to be.

Technical corrections are always welcome. If a game’s true native/design resolution is wrong, then yes, absolutely, correct it. If a better modeline exists, post it. If a game is better suited for a PC CRT monitor than a 15 kHz TV, that is useful information too.

But I do not think practical 15 kHz experiments should be dismissed just because they are not the most technically perfect presentation possible.

A more useful way to document these games might be something like:

- Native/design resolution
- Intended aspect ratio
- Best “accurate” display option
- Possible 15 kHz progressive option
- Compromises involved
- Whether it is recommended for CRT TV, PC CRT monitor, or both

That way the information stays technically correct, but the thread also remains useful for people who are specifically looking for 15 kHz CRT TV options.

I have continued posting here because I wanted to keep Sergi’s work alive. That is also why I end my posts with:

“In loving memory of Sergi Clara (psakhis)”

This thread meant something to him, and it means something to me too.

So again, I am not against technical criticism.

I just hope we can keep the tone respectful and keep the purpose of the thread broad enough to include both strict accuracy and practical 15 kHz CRT experimentation.