This object makes sense to me only if, even if there is a
display, which is fundamentally different than tracing line
with the CRT raster, at least that original process is simulated.
Yes to all of that, but also, I think a raster display of sufficiently high DPI can simulate a vector display very well, if and only if they pay attention to the right things. A vector display is visually unique for a few reasons.- The lines themselves which are honestly the easiest part to fake if the DPI is high enough, past the point of visual distinction.
- The "bloom" or "glow" (phosphor bleed, or whatever the right term is) around the lines
- The temporal effects caused by the screen phosphor continuing to glow even after the beam no longer hits them. The most obvious example is the "streak" left behind the ultra-bright moving bullets in Asteroids which looks absolutely awesome
I have seen incredible examples of vector/CRT emulation when people get creative with RetroArch (or whatever) GPU powered shaders.The only things that emulation can't match (for me) are input latency and the magic of knowing that the process of creating the image is "real" and not "faked."
I lived through the 70s and 80s and nothing is the same as CRTs and actual vector graphics the way they were meant to be: shooting electrons at your head, making your eyes red, probably increasing cancer rates, and looking fucking awesome. Nothing beats them. I miss TV snow and I miss real vector graphics.
Agreed. I'd add to your list the unique way vector displays are brighter and have more bloom at the intersections where two line endpoints overlap due to being double traced.
The games were nothing to write home about, but the rendering was fun.
You could emulate it with a slow rendering and fade (clear frame with black 99% opacity), but it would have to be perfect. Still, you'd never get the same glow on the drawing point.
built-in 5-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 800×600, delivering sharp and bright vector graphics
And my first thought was "but if it has a resolution of 800x600, then they're not vector graphics, are they"