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Recreating CRT Nostalgia with a Custom Shader

Don't Get Caught!
A downloadable game for Windows and Linux

I recently received my Analogue 3D, a hardware emulator for the Nintendo 64. One of its standout features is its ability to simulate a classic CRT display, complete with chromatic aberration, glow, edge distortion, and other quirks typical of old monitors. While these effects might seem excessive at first, they actually add a surprising amount of charm to retro graphics.

For my game, I want to evoke the same sense of nostalgia as playing old games on a real CRT screen. With that in mind, I decided to implement a CRT filter of my own.

The current version of the filter is intentionally subtle. It includes two toggleable options:

Disabling the CRT effects (distortion, glow, etc.)

Disabling the scanlines

Both options can be turned off independently, but my goal is to continue refining the sprites with the filter enabled in mind, so they look their best in that mode.

Below is a small comparison of the shader in action: disabled on the left, enabled on the right.

Open image

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