Do we all agree that retro consoles quirks and limitations add flavor to nostalgia?

I think it's what makes those consoles special.

The most obvious example is chiptune music. From SID and NES chips, to Genesis Yamaha YM2612 they had that special sound that we love. You know, as kids we all probably wanted our consoles to sound like real music instruments but later we all started to appreciate that sound. Chiptune music even became mainstream. The thing that is flawed and limited at it's core is loved by many.

Other examples are my personal favorites:

NES color palette is very limited but I really love the look of later NES games that work around this limit by having some nice gradients and highlights. Like these examples:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._%28NES%29.png http://vekonline.ru/wp-content/uploa...-of-Doom-1.png

I kinda feel nostalgic for SNES mosaic effect that was used in like every SNES game ever. I dunno why, it's a silly effect but it adds a flavor to SNES games.

I love how some Genesis games, like Sonic games or Phantasy Star II make the fade out effect for screens with blue hues. I am pretty sure it was made this way due to a limited color pallette, but it looks very cool.

I love how many PS1 games use pastel colored gradients in their graphics:
Attachment 14170

I think starting with N64 and into the 6th generarion, consoles started losing these special flavours. They all started to have standard PC 3D accelerated looking graphics with various degrees of compromise - things like blurry textures and bilinear/trilinear-with-no-anisotropy filtering I have zero nostalgia about. 7th gen consoles had yellowish bloom which might be a special thing of that era, but it is also horrible.

What do you think? Do you have any examples too?

Not limited to retro. We have limitations today, they’re just different. Limitation breeds creativity.

I was thinking about this before whilst considering jailbars on the MD. I get that folks want rid of them, but to me they add to the console's flavour.

Of course. Another example is the colors on the Sega Saturn.

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Originally Posted by Thief

Of course. Another example is the colors on the Sega Saturn.

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Hey, I've just started my Saturn collection and never had my own back then. I remember only playing VF2 and SF Alpha 2 and my friends house. What do you mean by "Saturn colors"? Any nice example? Do you mean Sega 90's trademark style with prominent blue skies in their games, that started with Model 1 and continued into Dreamcast era?

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Originally Posted by Orchid87

I think it's what makes those consoles special.

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That's part of it, but also one needs to look at growing up with the consoles or old systems, will makes them seem a lot more special too; I love the ZX Spectrum is was my 1st gaming machine, but no way you I put up with its dreadful load times.
But I look back with complete fondness of the Spectrum loading screens and the rubbish music from Manic Minner.


I do really miss that lovely shimmer effect one got from Arcade and Home games when games were using Hardware Scaling and Rotation effects and I also miss that lovely shimmer effect for Saturn games using the Saturns High Res mode. Virtual On title screen used to burns one eye's. Nothing to do with GFX or sound, but I also miss how special it was when you saw and heard a game for the 1st time too. Now with the internet and youtube one can see and hear how good a game is, long before it ships... Not ammount of screen shots could ever perpare one for how good Sonic looked and moved on the MD or how bloody amazing Panzer Dragoon looked and sounded back in the day.

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Originally Posted by Thief

Of course. Another example is the colors on the Sega Saturn.

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what's weird about them?

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Originally Posted by Team Andromeda

I love the ZX Spectrum is was my 1st gaming machine, but no way you I put up with its dreadful load times.
But I look back with complete fondness of the Spectrum loading screens and the rubbish music from Manic Minner.

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Oh yeah, Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy!
I am too nostalgic for Spectrum loading screens and sounds, also I kinda like color clash and overall Speccy palette. Although I hate when any color, other than black, is used for the backgrounds.

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Originally Posted by Orchid87

Oh yeah, Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy!
I am too nostalgic for Spectrum loading screens and sounds, also I kinda like color clash and overall Speccy palette. Although I hate when any color, other than black, is used for the backgrounds.

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Yeah, fab. When I hear that loading screen sound, it brings back so many happy memories and a ton of nostalgia. I also love the colour clash and that vivid crisp display of the Spectrum 2D art. Love the system. Gift from the Gods is one of my all time fav games to this very day, so many Happy memories of playing that game in Chrismas 84 and Manic Minner music is so good is on my phone as of my ringtones lol

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Originally Posted by Orchid87

Hey, I've just started my Saturn collection and never had my own back then. I remember only playing VF2 and SF Alpha 2 and my friends house. What do you mean by "Saturn colors"? Any nice example? Do you mean Sega 90's trademark style with prominent blue skies in their games, that started with Model 1 and continued into Dreamcast era?

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Meant textures on polygons. Can easily start spotting this when comparing ports on both PS1 and Saturn, you'll notice the texture colors don't match. Anyway, when graphics where done right on the Saturn, this quirk really added to a more unique and pleasant graphical look on exclusives or games that debuted on the Saturn.

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Originally Posted by Blades

Not limited to retro. We have limitations today, they’re just different. Limitation breeds creativity.

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I agree for the most part. PS4/XBO are pretty much the same. You may see a difference in frame rate or resolution but not much else. Back then it was sound and color palette size of sprites and such. Devs had to be more creative with the hardware and made for some really unique experiences. People still debate Aladdin SNES vs Aladdin Genesis. I love the PS4 and realize were are not in the 90s anymore. Only 1 of the 3 systems is truly different but it's still kinda the same thing. Oh, a port of Doom. Mainly lower resolution game with a different framerate. Although yes it does make them more creative to fit the game on the limited hardware. In one sense I'm glad everyone gets relatively the same game but in another yeah maybe it is nostalgia missing when each version was unique and kinda made me want to own more systems even for 3rd party games, not just exclusives.


SNES, Genesis, and TurboGrax16 all offered a unique library form one another. Genesis was largely the Action Games and Sports games system. SNES was largely your RPG and Platformer system. TG16 Was mostly Hudson games and smaller lesser known stuff. I guess that's sorta the case this gen but not to the same extent. Xbox One doesn't get the Japanese support Switch and PS4 get, PS4 has the extra benefit of getting the larger Japanese games as well Xbox One and Switch don't get. Western 3rd party PS4 and Xbox One get pretty much the same games and Switch will only get a trickle of them. The Switch is getting the kind of games Vita was getting.

So I guess it's sorta there but not the same. I don't think in 25 years people will be debating sound chips or graphics of PS4 and Xbox like we still see of SNES Vs Genesis.

I think we should separate the idea of developers creatively working within the design limitations of a console, and bad/inexperienced developers who did a half-assed job. I have little-to-no nostalgia for the poorly done 16-bit ports, for example, since they were often not done with the limitations of the console in mind, but rather as if the limitations couldn't or didn't need to be considered (at least in terms of things like color).

^This.

Classic consoles and portables stand apart from most other gaming, because their unique limitations led to a variety of results in games which overall create a distinct artist voice. As console hardware began advancing beyond 240p and the pixelart/chip sound era, the charm of those results saw diminishing returns.

This is why classic arcade hardware which saw enough game releases is more endearing than one-offs. System-16, CPS and Neo Geo gain additional charm and nostalgia from libraries which provide a range of aesthetics that overall form a signature feel.

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Originally Posted by Orchid87

I think it's what makes those consoles special.

The most obvious example is chiptune music. From SID and NES chips, to Genesis Yamaha YM2612 they had that special sound that we love. You know, as kids we all probably wanted our consoles to sound like real music instruments but later we all started to appreciate that sound. Chiptune music even became mainstream. The thing that is flawed and limited at it's core is loved by many.

Other examples are my personal favorites:

NES color palette is very limited but I really love the look of later NES games that work around this limit by having some nice gradients and highlights. Like these examples:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._%28NES%29.png http://vekonline.ru/wp-content/uploa...-of-Doom-1.png

I kinda feel nostalgic for SNES mosaic effect that was used in like every SNES game ever. I dunno why, it's a silly effect but it adds a flavor to SNES games.

I love how some Genesis games, like Sonic games or Phantasy Star II make the fade out effect for screens with blue hues. I am pretty sure it was made this way due to a limited color pallette, but it looks very cool.

I love how many PS1 games use pastel colored gradients in their graphics:
Attachment 14170

I think starting with N64 and into the 6th generarion, consoles started losing these special flavours. They all started to have standard PC 3D accelerated looking graphics with various degrees of compromise - things like blurry textures and bilinear/trilinear-with-no-anisotropy filtering I have zero nostalgia about. 7th gen consoles had yellowish bloom which might be a special thing of that era, but it is also horrible.

What do you think? Do you have any examples too?

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Exactly! When people who grew up with the blurred textures, or yellowish bloom, as artifacts of their gaming era, they will appreciate them. But, is the appreciation justified? Like say, the Speccy. Having not grown up with it, it has zero appeal to me in its style, unlike some other systems that I didn’t grow up with like the NES. What sorts of distinctive limitations will stand the test of time, and which ones will not?