How come the older consoles had a distinct pixel layout when played on my TV at close range?
All devices that display visuals use pixels. It’s just that the newer computers and video game consoles have video cards that are capable of displaying much smaller patterns of pixels than in the past. Game makers have also been able to cram much more information on today’s game discs and cartridges so they are able to code graphics that have these finer, less obvious pixel patterns. Many games today also have what they call edge smoothing that makes diagonal or rounded edges on objects actually look round by using many more and smaller pixels near the edges. In the past, the pixels were larger so the staggered stacks of similar colored pixels along the edges of objects were easier to see. If you use a magnifying glass, you can still see the pixels on a screen of even the newest PS3 or Xbox 360 game. That’s partly why they say you should buy a TV that fits your viewing distance. The closer you normally sit to the TV, the smaller it should be. Even the most expensive TV’s look bad if yo
