Why CRT Monitors Are Making a Comeback
By RetroDisplayTech • April 28, 2026 • 7 min read
It seems counterintuitive. In an age of 4K OLED televisions and HDR displays, why are serious retro gamers spending hundreds of dollars and significant effort to track down old CRT monitors? The answer lies in a fundamental mismatch between how retro games were made and how modern displays work.
Retro games were designed for CRT displays. Every pixel was drawn with a specific display technology in mind. The soft edges, the color bleeding, the scanlines — these weren't bugs or limitations. They were the aesthetic foundation of classic gaming.
Modern displays present several problems for retro gaming. First, they upscale poorly. When you take a 240p signal from an NES and stretch it to fill a 1080p screen, the scaling algorithms introduce artifacts. Edge pixels blur, fine details disappear, and the image loses its crispness.
Second, modern displays introduce input lag. Even a few frames of delay can destroy the precision timing that many retro games require. A frame-perfect jump in Super Mario Bros. becomes impossible when your display is buffering.
Third, the colors are wrong. CRT displays had a specific color response that flatter and more accurate than most modern displays. The deep blacks, the glowing whites — they created a visual warmth that modern displays struggle to replicate.
The rise of retro gaming communities has brought renewed attention to CRT technology. People who grew up with these displays are now in their 40s and 50s, with disposable income and nostalgia. They're willing to pay premium prices for the authentic experience.
PVM (Professional Video Monitor) units from Sony, which were once considered industrial waste, now sell for hundreds of dollars. BVM monitors that once cost thousands in the 1990s are now collector items. Even consumer CRTs from the late 90s are being sought after.
The irony is complete: technology we threw away as obsolete is now considered essential for the authentic retro gaming experience. Perhaps this teaches us to value what we have while we have it — because someday, it might be valuable again.