I've observed that most members here tend to prefer playing their "retro" video games through the machines they were created for. I suppose that has it's advantages, namely having the ability to use the original controls as opposed to inexpensive knock-offs that can be plugged into our PC's for use with [illegal] console emulators (don't worry, I won't make too many mentions of those) But there is at least one clear cut advantage that a modern gaming system that can run old games has over it's aging counterparts: It's video quality. No, I am not referring to the Nintendo Wii's ability to display old software in progressive 480 line mode over component cables or the Xbox 360's and PS3's updated and high def cleansed renderings of old arcade games, I am highlighting a much less advertised and discussed observation, that being said machines' overall superior PQ versus the original gaming console.
I conducted a series of tests comparing the overall picture quality of identical software running on it's original platform and also the Wii's Virtual Console. Making use of both the composite and s-video (when available) outputs on both the classic consoles and the current gen Wii running on the same television set from a myriad of systems ranging from the Nintendo NES to the TurboGrafx-16, I can say unequivocally that the Wii's video quality was far superior in every way in terms of sharpness, [lack of] dot crawl and color bleeding, and clarity. Many people tend to dismiss this fact citing that current generation systems are inherently going to display a superior picture because "Old systems have aged in a way that would cause their video output to produce lower quality images than if they were brand new" I was a person that held this same misconception until I began investigating on my own and found out (in part thanks to this very forum) that just because a system is long in tooth doesn't mean it's going to produce video or audio that is lacking in fidelity compared to when it was brand new, it's fidelity is mostly dependent on it's DAC, or digital to analog converter that lives within the system. So this leads me to the longing question: Why would using the original gaming console and cartridge or CD be preferable over playing the same software on a machine that has superior capabilities?
I am sure there are several legitimate reasons, and I would like to hear them all. I would also like to hear your theories on why a modern system can generate such a vastly superior picture in comparison to it's defunct counterpart.
