Is DOSBox Staging better than real Retro PC? Part 1 Graphics

I tested the latest version of DOSBox Staging, one of many flavours of DOSBox. In this video we take a look at the graphics and find out of modern DOSBox has surpassed the real thing, the DOS Retro Gaming PC!

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[johnnovak]

Yo, DOSBox Staging dev here. That was a very nice and informative video, Phil, congrats! 🎉 As the author of many of the recent audio related improvements in Staging, I'm really looking forward to the next installment!

I agree with you, the usability needs to be improved. You might be delighted to hear that we're currently working on (vastly) improved documentation, plus a few more usability improvements that I'm not ready to reveal just yet... 😁

Keep up the great work! 😎

[carltonleboss]

Using an 8K monitor to play DOS games, that is the life.

[GabrielZ]

WHAT! Phil using a CRT? What a time to be alive!!!! 😆

[retropcscotland]

Let's face it. As older hardware get's more and more harder and expensive to find this is the way of the future. I have high hope for dosbox let's hope they get it right. Good video Phil.

[serpentza]

Excellent video mate, very well explained!

[alextirrellRI]

This has become a really big thing with retro console scalers and emulation, so it's nice to see it coming to PC emulation as well. One thing that's really cool with the RetroTink5x and MiSTer is that they're now starting to allow HDR displays to be able to 'bloom' a bit like a CRT would. You're totally right that higher resolution displays will be able to get much closer to a CRT look!

[ChrisRtro]

Very interesting comparison and good to know that support for variable refresh rate finally made it into a DOSBox fork. VRR is very applicable in emulation in general, imo! Thanks for the video!

[Machinationstudio]

Alley Cat in EGA with scan lines is what is in my memory. Thanks for that shot of nostalgia.

[mayw]

I have a CRT with two 90s retro PCs that I love, but its' clear they're aging, and finding replacement gear is not so easy. DOSbox or something like it is the future, so I'm glad it's progressing! Thanks for the roundup!

[RetroGamingNook]

I really like the CRT filters in Boxer on the Mac. But I saw that DOSBox Staging is available on Mac so I’ll be trying it this weekend. Great video!

[SprocketWalker]

I really enjoyed your retro video. Thanks for all the great info!

[CosmicEffect]

Phil, this is a great informative video (as usual). Didn't realize there was this "double scanning" going on on my VGAs back in the day, now I get it. And yes, I'm one of these guys that is waiting for 8 or even better 16k monitors to finally get REAL close to the CRT monitors. Once again, that was an awesome video. Can't wait for the next part about the sound cards (I'm a Soundblaster "collector" myself, still uses the SBLive resources to make music on a real Soundblaster). Now, going to install this new flavor of DOSBox, which I wasn't aware! See you soon, Phil. (I'm a long, longtime viewer but rarely comment).

[Forcecaster]

Crazy to think we had to wait 30 years to finally be able to catch up with the quality of the original DOS!

[retropuffer]

I still use vintage equipment but for a variety of reasons I may have to move to emulation in the future. Good to know how far emulation has gotten!

[Odorox]

Highly informative review as always 👍 What a legend you are Phil👏

[amberselectronics]

Been a while since I’ve been on YouTube but I always drop in to get caught up on your videos :) thanks as always

[jasonrichardson]

I started getting into CRT filters within the last couple years and I much prefer them to the chunky pixel look that I used to like. I lot of modern retro games like Steel Assault for example have very good built in filters that I really like.

[robbhays]

This is fantastic. I've been using shaders on console emulators in RetroArch for awhile now and I can't go back. Can't wait to try the same tech on PC games now.

[endreherczeg]

I'm totally with you on this Phil. Been using (tweaked) shaders for quite some time now with Dosbox ECE on my 775 setup and love every minute of it... It's not just convenient but looks better than my actual retro machines with LCD (sharp pixels).

[piratelechuck]

The man himself! I wish I had found your channel sooner. Your website has saved my bacon more than a handful of times, it's a fantastic resource. Better late than never, I suppose!