Will future strobing tech be suitable for retro gaming?
Posted: 08 May 2019, 12:01
Will future strobing tech be suitable for retro gaming?
I'm having a conversation with Umwelt on the Libretro Retroarch forums, and he had this to say:
EDIT: after doing some more reading, I'm now feeling pretty good about the future of display tech and it's suitability for retro gaming. My current understanding (correct me if I'm wrong) is that strobing and BFI are merely stopgap technologies on the road to 1000Hz displays, and that 480Hz without strobing or BFI is sufficient for blur-free 60fps. So in 5-10 years we'll have 480Hz displays, and in 10+ years we'll have 1000Hz displays. In the meantime, we'll make do with strobing and BFI at 120+ Hz.
I'm having a conversation with Umwelt on the Libretro Retroarch forums, and he had this to say:
Now I'm worried. We need a way to display retro games properly so that they can be properly preserved. What are some answers to this? I'm assuming 120Hz + BFI will still be a viable solution, going forward, but is that correct? Since CRTs won't last forever and no new ones will ever be manufactured, will we one day find ourselves in a situation where there is no suitable display device for retro gaming? Or are my fears unfounded? Could a niche market develop for custom panels with the right specs? I want retro gaming to live forever!While strobing tech can be expected to improve, I am less optimistic about its future suitability for retro gaming.
What we want to emulate CRT scan which helps clean up image retention from our eyes is strobing (distinct from BFI, which is an inferior solution) at 60Hz, to match the 60fps of most retro games. But it looks like manufacturers will instead be focusing on faster strobing, aimed at modern gaming, sports, movies, etc. Only a few older models did strobing at 60Hz (often only accessible through service menus or other unorthodox means). This may look too flickery for some people.
What we really want is a rolling scan strobe at 60Hz. I only know of a couple of earlier professional OLED monitors that have this feature, and I see no reason why manufacturers would have an incentive to develop and introduce such a feature on future consumer products. The “purist” (and by playing on non-CRT displays you would already not be much of a purist) retro gamer market is too small.
EDIT: after doing some more reading, I'm now feeling pretty good about the future of display tech and it's suitability for retro gaming. My current understanding (correct me if I'm wrong) is that strobing and BFI are merely stopgap technologies on the road to 1000Hz displays, and that 480Hz without strobing or BFI is sufficient for blur-free 60fps. So in 5-10 years we'll have 480Hz displays, and in 10+ years we'll have 1000Hz displays. In the meantime, we'll make do with strobing and BFI at 120+ Hz.