Discussion: What shaders, if any, do you use, and why?

[PurpleTentacle]

I've mostly avoided them, partly due to the potential for performance issues (although my desktop PC has no issues with them), but mostly because they often don't *quite* look right to me. I'll turn them on now & again, but I usually prefer the unfiltered image.

Now that I've kind of slowed down to working on my collection & LaunchBox config, I'd kind of like to experiment with them a bit more, especially for things like the N64, Playstation, & Gamecube.

So far, for recreating that CRT look, I've kind of found that I like CRT-Royale & crtglow_gauss_ntsc_3phase (looks a bit more realistic to me, but it's also a bit harsher). I need to experiment a bit more with shaders for 3D games before I can really say what I like. I tend to prefer to not deviate too much from the original look, but I do like it when it makes things less jagged. 

 

Curious as to what others use (or don't use!). I'm also kind of trying to figure out my "philosophy", if you will, on using shaders. Part of me likes the idea behind CRT shaders since things like NES games do display slightly awkwardly on LED/LCD type screens, but it's not as if the lines on CRT screens was something we actually enjoyed, not to mention that some of the CRT shaders make it look less like the original than it originally did. Sort of like picking a palette for the NES - it makes you realize there never really was an official version of what things are supposed to look like. A lot of things we consider to be "accurate" are just byproducts of the equipment we used, and were never intended to be officially a part of the look (even if it was designed to be displayed on a CRT). In other words, just go for what looks best to you. 

And as far as "enhancements" on polygon based games, where the fact that they generated the images instead of using sprites allows use to use modern processing power & techniques, what are your thoughts on keeping it original vs. enhancing it? I find that the N64/Gamecube eras didn't age as well as the NES & SNES did as far as graphics are concerned (especially with the poor cameras in the N64/PS1 days, but that's another matter), so I really appreciate upscaling/anti-aliasing/shaders for these eras. 

 

You'll have to excuse my rambling, but getting into emulation really makes me consider some of these "philosophical" questions.