CRT television and console in retro gaming corner

Retro Gaming Setup Ideas: Build It From the Screen Out

The best retro gaming setup starts at the back of the TV and works forward. Choose the screen, work out which cable your consoles and that screen both support, then add furniture, lighting and decor. Do it in that order and the room looks good and plays well. Do it the other way round and you end up with a lovely shelf of consoles that look blurry and feel laggy.

This guide covers the whole build, from a single shelf in a corner to a dedicated game room. It also covers the legal question people keep asking and the small details that make a space feel personal.

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TL;DR

  • Pick your display first. A CRT or a good upscaler matters more than any piece of decor.
  • Modern TVs often handle the 240p signal from old consoles badly, which causes input lag and poor image quality.
  • Bias lighting behind the screen is a cheap upgrade that reduces eye strain in evening sessions.
  • Plan storage and power before you buy more consoles.
  • Original cartridges and discs are the safe route. Nintendo says downloading ROMs is illegal even if you own the game.

Table of Contents

Why retro setups are everywhere right now

Part of the pull is nostalgia, and part is a wish to switch off. In a 2025 survey of UK Gen Z gamers, 24% owned a classic gaming system. Of those polled, 89% said offline retro games give them a break from the internet, and 74% found vintage games more relaxing. That is a UK figure, but the habit is easy to recognize on this side of the Atlantic too. As Fast Company reports, retro play is often described as an escape.

That matters for how you design the space. A retro setup is a place to unplug. It should be comfortable, a little cozy, and quick to start: press power, pick a game, play.

Why retro setups are everywhere right now — overview diagram

Step 1: Decide how big the setup should be

Be honest about the space and your habits before you buy anything. Three common scales:

Scale Typical space What it holds Best for
Corner A wall or alcove in a living room or bedroom One screen, 3 to 5 consoles, a small shelf Casual players, shared rooms
Zone Half a room or a den Screen, seating, shelving, lighting, wall display Collectors with a favorite era
Dedicated room Spare bedroom, basement, garage corner Several screens, a full wall of games, lounge seating Serious collectors, multiplayer nights

The Retro Game Room Ideas guide from Online Home Mag starts planning with the room itself. It looks at natural light first, since glare on a screen is a problem you can’t fix with decor. Take that advice. Stand in the space at the time of day you will actually play and see where the light lands.

Step 2: Choose the screen

This is the decision everything else hangs on. You have three realistic routes.

A CRT television

Old consoles were designed for tube TVs. Colors, motion and scanlines look the way the developers intended, and the signal needs no conversion. The trade-offs are weight, size and finding a working unit. If you go this route, plan for a sturdy, deep stand. A heavy tube on a flimsy shelf is a hazard.

A modern TV with an upscaler

Most people use a flat panel, and that can look great, but not by plugging an old console straight in. According to RetroMemory, modern TVs can misread the 240p signal from many retro consoles as 480i, which causes heavy input lag and a poor picture. A dedicated upscaler fixes this by converting the signal properly before the TV sees it.

Lag differs a lot between devices. In one upscaler comparison, the OSSC measured about half a frame of lag on a manual test and roughly one frame on a video lag test. That is close to imperceptible. Budget converters can add several frames, and that delay is what makes a platformer feel mushy.

A modern TV with an upscaler — overview diagram

A hybrid

Many collectors keep a small CRT for the 8-bit and 16-bit era and a flat panel with an upscaler for everything else. It is more work, but it covers more ground.

Step 3: Sort out cables and signal

This is the dull part that saves the most frustration. For each console, decide which video output you will use, buy that cable once, and label it.

  • Composite is the simplest and the softest.
  • S-Video and component, where a console supports them, give a cleaner image.
  • RGB output, on consoles that offer it, is the sharpest analog option and is what many enthusiasts aim for.

The CRT Database’s AV equipment guide makes a useful point about transcoders: they convert the type of signal but not the resolution. They won’t turn an HD source into something a standard-definition CRT can display. Know what each box does before you buy it.

If you want to test lag rather than guess, enthusiasts use test software such as the 240p Test Suite to measure it, as RetroMemory describes. It takes ten minutes and tells you whether your chain is fast enough.

Finally, count your outlets. A wall of consoles needs a power strip with surge protection, and every console you add means one more power brick. Plan for that before the shelf goes up.

Step 4: Furniture and storage that carry the weight

Once the signal chain works, build the furniture around it.

  • Deep, sturdy media stand. Tube TVs need depth and strength, and consoles need airflow.
  • Cube shelving. Square cubby units are popular because a console, its controllers and a few games fit neatly in each cube. Be careful to check the weight rating.
  • Cartridge and disc display. Games stored spine-out on a shelf look good and are easy to browse. Keep them out of direct sunlight, which fades labels and cases.
  • Controller storage. A wall hook or small tray stops cables from tangling and keeps controllers off the floor.
  • Seating at the right distance. Sit back far enough that scanlines blend, whatever screen you use.

Leave about a third of every shelf empty. Collections grow, and a shelf with room to breathe looks intentional rather than crowded.

Step 5: Lighting that makes the screen look better

Lighting is where a retro corner starts to feel like a place rather than a pile of hardware.

Bias lighting

LED strips behind the display are one of the highest-impact upgrades. Online Home Mag says they reduce eye strain during evening sessions, and it notes they make blacks on a CRT look deeper. Choose a neutral or soft white so the colors on screen don’t shift.

Accent lighting

Once the screen is sorted, add personality with a lamp or two. Pixel-art lights, glowing blocks and small desk lamps give the room its theme without cluttering the walls. Keep the room dim enough that the screen is the brightest thing in it.

Control glare

Blackout curtains or blinds help if you play in the day. Put lamps to the side of the screen, never behind you facing it.

Step 6: Make it look like yours

This is the part people remember. A few directions to pick from:

  1. Era-specific. Commit to one decade: wood-grain 1980s, bright 1990s, early-2000s silver and translucent plastic.
  2. Pixel art theme. Framed sprites, pixel wall stickers and block-style lights. It reads as retro even if the hardware is mixed.
  3. Arcade corner. Dark walls, neon-style lighting and a few posters.
  4. Cozy den. Warm lamps, a throw blanket, a rug and a bowl of snacks. This one suits the “unplug” appeal best.
  5. Handheld nook. Not every setup needs a TV. A comfortable chair, a good lamp and a handheld can be the whole room.

For wall art, favor pieces tied to games you actually play. A poster for a game you’ve never touched is decoration; a print of your favorite level is part of the story.

Perspective: what we’ve learned from gamers and gift-givers

We run a store built on discovering fun, unusual things, so we spend a lot of time thinking about why people buy playful objects. The pattern is clear. People rarely regret the screen or the cable, but they remember the small things: the lamp that makes the corner glow, the pixel-art piece on the wall, the handheld in a drawer for a quick session.

Our advice is to treat the technical part as a foundation and the personality as the point. Get the signal right once, then spend your attention on the objects that make you smile when you walk in. A retro room that is a bit quirky and entirely yours beats a perfect museum nobody wants to sit in.

If you’re buying for someone else, the same logic applies. A gamer who already owns the consoles usually appreciates lighting, display pieces and small accessories more than another piece of hardware.

— Lukas

Shop the finishing touches

Once your screen and shelves are sorted, the details are the fun part. Our Pixel Gaming collection gathers gaming-inspired finds for a retro corner. For the room itself, browse decorations and accessories.

If you want a quick-start option that needs no TV, the Retro Pixel Pro handheld gaming console is built for portable play. For atmosphere, take a look at the Levitating Grass Block LED Lamp or the Rechargeable LED Torch Lamp. They suit a shelf, a desk or a gift for a gamer who has everything.

Retro Pixel Pro Handheld Gaming Console

Buying games and hardware without trouble

A few habits protect your budget and your collection.

  • Inspect before you pay. Check the condition of cases, labels and cartridge contacts. A survey cited by PR Times suggests about 60% of Gen Z retro gamers prefer buying in physical stores so they can examine hardware first.
  • Watch for counterfeits. Nintendo’s guidance on detecting counterfeit products includes using caution with used games and looking closely at the print on cartridges and packaging.
  • Buy what you’ll play. Collections of consoles you never turn on gather dust. Start with one or two systems and a handful of games you love.
  • Test on arrival. Plug in used hardware and play for a while before the return window closes.

Frequently asked questions

Playing original cartridges and discs you bought is fine. Downloading ROMs is a different matter: Nintendo’s legal guidance says it is illegal even if you own the original game, because it doesn’t count as a valid backup copy under U.S. copyright law. If you have legal questions about a specific situation, ask a copyright attorney.

How do I make retro games look good on a modern TV?

Use a proper upscaler instead of plugging the console straight in, because many TVs mishandle 240p signals. Use the best video output your console supports, and add bias lighting behind the screen. If you prefer authentic scanlines and motion, a CRT avoids the conversion altogether.

Which console is best for retro gaming?

There is no single answer, because it depends on the era you love. Pick the games you want to play first, then buy the system they run on. If you want something simple and portable, a handheld is the easiest way in.

Does Gen Z like retro games?

Surveys say yes. In a 2025 UK poll, 74% of Gen Z gamers said retro games are more relaxing, and 77% valued the nostalgia of old technology. Many see them as a break from always-online play.

Sources

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