How did we ever play 4-player split screen on 480i TVs?

Thinking back to those days of 480i tube TVs and 4-player split screens… how did we even manage? Graphics and tech have come so far, but back then, we thought it was amazing.

Our imaginations filled in the gaps… what tech couldn’t show us, we made up in our heads.

Blair said:
Our imaginations filled in the gaps… what tech couldn’t show us, we made up in our heads.

I remember seeing PS2 graphics for the first time and thinking it was basically real life!

@Willow
When Gran Turismo came out on PS1… I remember thinking, “This is just like a real car video!”

Sloane said:
@Willow
When Gran Turismo came out on PS1… I remember thinking, “This is just like a real car video!”

Gran Turismo split screen was funny. The lap time display covered a huge chunk of the screen, which wasn’t ideal for such a small view.

@Willow
My dad used to tease me when I played Madden 2001, like, “Is this a real game on TV now?”

@Willow
I even thought Wolfenstein 3D looked real back then, which is pretty funny now.

@Willow
The Resident Evil 2 opening on PS1 blew my mind. I called my whole family in to see it… they didn’t care, but humored me!

Blair said:
Our imaginations filled in the gaps… what tech couldn’t show us, we made up in our heads.

Even an 8-bit guy was enough for our imaginations to make it something amazing.

Blair said:
Our imaginations filled in the gaps… what tech couldn’t show us, we made up in our heads.

If you’ve read a lot of books, it’s kind of the same… you can vividly picture scenes from just words on a page.

Blair said:
Our imaginations filled in the gaps… what tech couldn’t show us, we made up in our heads.

Our brains fill in gaps a lot. They don’t like missing information, so we add details subconsciously. It’s why we don’t notice small spelling mistakes.

@Hale
Haha, now would’ve been the perfect time to sneak in a spelling mistake and see who catches it!

Payton said:
@Hale
Haha, now would’ve been the perfect time to sneak in a spelling mistake and see who catches it!

Took me a few reads, but I caught that ‘tiimes’!

Those were the good old days.

Blaze said:
Those were the good old days.

Seen through a warm, golden haze of nostalgia.

Sage said:

Blaze said:
Those were the good old days.

Seen through a warm, golden haze of nostalgia.

I almost miss the old CRT ‘piss filter’ effect.

Blaze said:
Those were the good old days.

We were kings back then.

Our eyes are pretty great at catching movement, even if it’s just a pixel! Old games were pretty barebones, so you’d see enemies or details more easily. Try setting an old game to 640x480.

Cove said:
Our eyes are pretty great at catching movement, even if it’s just a pixel! Old games were pretty barebones, so you’d see enemies or details more easily. Try setting an old game to 640x480.

That’s exactly what I was doing with this screenshot! Getting the Wraith at the top of the bridge seemed impossible on an Xbox with a tube TV, but in 4K, it’s pretty clear, even with a controller.

Back then, my TV was a 30-inch CRT. My monitor now is 28 inches but it’s 4K, and obviously, I’m sitting much closer.

Life felt so simple back then.