When everything works fine (especially on PC), Elden Ring is one of the best-looking games out there. It looks good even on last-gen consoles, which is a testament to FromSoftware's dedication to ensure that not a lot of players will be left behind.
But imagine if this game was displayed not on a modern LCD or even OLED TV for a moment. Rather, imagine it displayed on something old enough to drink beer: a 23-year-old handheld portable TV from 1999. And that's what TikToker @YourOldPalJosh did, as reported by GameRant.
Taking his copy of Elden Ring, his PS4 Pro, a surge protector, and a few other doodads, he managed to connect the modern console onto the portable TV by using something called a downscaler. That device was then connected to a set of mustard, white, and red analog composite cables so the tiny, old screen can make sense of the digital video signals coming from the console.
Here is the TikTok video where he shares the steps that allowed him to do this feat of technological experimentation. So far, the video has earned 323K likes, over 1600 comments, and around 12.5K shares as of this writing:
@youroldpaljosh Believe it or not, this is what Elden Ring looked like in 1999 #videogames #90s #2000s #nostalgia #90skids #foryou ♬ lofi and minimalist BGM(325514) - Kazuhi
As you can see there, the mass of cables and adapters actually worked like a charm to put a signal out. The PS4 Pro booted up as it would on a far newer TV, and Elden Ring showed up on the tiny screen in all its pixelated glory.
The commenters were mostly amused by the amount of work required to put digital and analog technologies together. However, one commenter basically said that this is just going to make Elden Ring more difficult, and many folks would be inclined to agree. After all, how else are you going to try to dodge Malenia or Godrick's attacks with that kind of super low resolution display?
Some were even asking YourOldPalJosh to do a full playthrough of the new FromSoftware game on the 23-year-old screen, though that might be asking a bit too much.
Read also: The Best Games Like Elden Ring To Play Next
'De-Making' Modern Games Like Elden Ring
It seems to be that the 2020s is the age of "demakes" of modern games. It is the practice of reimagining modern video game graphics as they would've appeared if they were released for older systems, like the original PlayStation. But while this Elden Ring experiment is far from an actual demake, it is more or less in the same vein.
Here is a compilation of the best demakes of modern games courtesy of the YouTube channel MojoPlays, which includes masterpieces like The Last Of Us, Resident Evil 7, and even Halo: But as amazingly curious as YourPalJosh's project is, it wasn't actually the first time he did the same thing. In an earlier video, he tried the 2011 classic Skyrim on the same handheld portable TV using the iconic opening scene:
@youroldpaljosh Reply to @simplesheepherder just how I remember Skyrim looking in 1999 #90s #2000s #nostalgia #videogames #foryou ♬ original sound - YourOldPalJosh
It's things like this that just goes to show how far technology has come during the last two decades.
Related: This Elden Ring Player Was Stalked By An Invader FOR HOURS
Story posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce
