The "Yellow" Mistake Ruining Your Retro Games

CRT color temperature is the most overlooked setting in retro gaming, and using the standard D65 calibration is likely making your games look yellow. While modern screens target 6500K, Japanese developers in the 90s designed pixel art on CRT monitors set to a cooler 9300K. This video explains why switching your Sony PVM or RetroTINK 5X to this "Japanese White" standard is the only way to remove that muddy warm tint and see the graphics exactly as they were intended.

I am comparing 9300K vs 6500K side-by-side to prove why accurate CRT settings matter more than you think for consoles like the SNES and Sega Genesis. If you want the authentic arcade look on your OLED or professional monitor, you need to stop using the movie industry standard and start using the developer standard.

Subscribe to CRT GANG

0:00 Intro
0:20 Why Color Accuracy Matters
1:48 D65 vs 9300K: The White Point War
3:56 Helmholtz-Kohlrausch Effect (Brightness Tricks)
5:51 The Blue Focus Paradox
6:53 Did Developers Intend D65?
7:56 Metamerism Failure Explained
9:10 Judd-Vos Correction (CIE 170-2)
9:45 Impact on Retro Gaming
11:03 Seeing the Art as Intended
11:40 Calibrating Your Specific Setup
13:17 Conclusion

Note: While I’ve researched this thoroughly, errors can happen. If you find any inaccuracies or have additional information, please share your feedback in the comments.

#retrogaming #crtgang #gamedesign