A new retro gaming monitor is currently being crowd-funded, and it’s designed to push the nostalgia buttons of anyone who remembers the days of CRT screens. Sadly, there isn’t an actual cathode ray tube inside the box, but the monitor is still designed to look as authentic as possible, with a 4:3 aspect ratio, as well as a curved screen.
With its 1,024 x 768 resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, and 8-inch screen, this Mizuki display isn’t going to threaten any of the latest displays on our guide to buying the best gaming monitor, but it does look ideal for playing a LucasArts point-and-click adventure with the right aspect ratio, and on a screen that looks the part. If you’re planning to build a retro gaming PC in a small box as part of your PC gaming hardware setup, then this little monitor could make a cute little companion.
Rather than filling the box with a heavy tube assembly, Mizuki instead proposes to simply install a 4:3 LCD panel behind a piece of curved acrylic to make it at least look like a CRT at first glance, even if it won’t have the quirks of a genuine analog display. The base also works like one on a traditional CRT monitor, offering the ability to rotate the screen to your preferred angle.
The new monitor is designed to accompany the Mizuki X68000 Z2 Super, a mini recreation of the 1987 Sharp X68000 computer from Japan, which ended up being a very capable gaming machine in its time, thanks to its graphical and music capabilities. Mizuki already has a 5-inch CRT-like monitor to go with its first mini X68000 recreation, but it has since made a larger model, the Z2, and customers are apparently demanding a larger 8-inch monitor to go with it.
According to the crowdfunding page in Japan, which was spotted by Tom’s Hardware, the finished product is expected to weigh 1.5kg and measure 222 x 200 x 257mm (W x D x H), offering an HDMI input, as well as a headphone jack, while power is provided by a USB 5V/3A input.
As someone who grew up playing PC games on a 14-inch monitor in the 1980s, I don’t think this little LCD in a curved box would really provide a particularly authentic experience, but at least it won’t give you a headache and fill your eyes with horrible curved moiré effects either. It kind of makes me want to play on a genuine mini CRT, though.
If you’re thinking of buying a little PC, you can also check out our full guide on how to buy the best mini gaming PC for your budget, all of which are massively more powerful than any machines from the CRT era.
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