Thanks for watching! EDIT 12/2/2021: I made this guide when there were originally no other comprehensive guides out there, I think it still is mostly relevant but there are a few things I've learned over the subsequent year and a half that I would alter in the guide. 1) I would no longer recommend buying a Retro-Bit RES as an alternative console, although it is technically functional, there appear to be slight delay issues which negate some of the advantage of original equipment. Instead, buy a Retron 1 as a budget option and a Retron 1 HD or original NES for a higher tier option. 2) Just using OBS as standard recording/streaming software is fine. I would no longer recommend Streamlabs due to a whole host of issues and controversies. 3) EasyCap is still a usable budget option (it also doesn't require the CD software shown in the video to work, that is just capture software and you can use OBS instead), but cheap HDMI capture cards also do the job too. If you encounter interlacing in the input to OBS, turn on a deinterlacing filter. 4) Because I've had a few questions about it...Classic Score Attack in Tetris Effect: Connected is a nearly exact replica of NES Tetris and if you already have TEC, it's a serviceable introduction to the learning the mechanics of the game without having to deal with roms and emulators. However, you cannot use Classic Score Attack to play in NES Tetris tournaments and there will inevitably be a slight delay on the game feed due to your computer's processing time, so if you're serious about playing at a high level, original equipment is the best way to go.
Loved the video, all knowledge I think I’ve seemed out myself luckily but definitely glad there’s a place new players can find information now great job! Can’t wait till CTWC video, no rush but I’m super excited for it
No need to stress about the upload frequency. Do it when you have time and when you feel like it. There's no point in making videos unless you enjoy making them :)
You're doing the lord's work in making the community accessible to newcomers, my friend. Best case scenario we'll hopefully see a few great players who'll say you helped them in! Great stuff.
Modern Tetris player here. I've been playing on emulator and assumed buying an NES just for this was too much money to play one game on. I might have to reconsider that.
JESUS died for our sins on the cross, HE shed HIS holy, innocent , precious blood for us (HIS blood washes away ALL sins) HE was buried but on the third day GOD raised HIM from the dead. All you have to do to be saved is: Believe in JESUS, trust in HIS blood. JESUS did everything for you, no works are required for salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9)!…
Got mine for free! Had a friend in a tough spot finance wise and their only TV was a CRT and I had an LCD for gaming so obviously a switch was a total win win
when I first got into the game I used an emulator, then after I realized I wanted to become a lot better at the game I got the original stuff. I never thought id be buying stuff older than me for gaming
Gosh thank you so much, I'm so glad I watched this before trying to participate in CTM or visit the CTWC in person. This seriously cleared up a lot of questions I had about it. You're awesome! :) Really hope to meet you at a tournament one of these days my friend! -Trent
I've watched a half a dozen of your videos over the months and i follow speedruns, world records, games, and tetris. However, this video is one of the best I've seen that explains hardware, software, need, etc for all types of games etc. I love this video. It applies to a lot of things, not just tetris. You should change the title to match that.
What I recommend is to not stress over the Crt an insane amount, as long as it is standard definition you will be fine. As well as having a better connection than RF. I found my self stressing so much over getting the crt when I could've just gotten a free one and been playing tetris while improving my skill. This is not like other retro games where they are slow and you have time to appreciate the graphics a lot. As long as it is decent you will be fine, your main issue is latency so get a standard definition tv
For the mic, Monoprice has a really good 'podcasting/streaming' bundle which has a surprisingly good USB mic, a table-clamp boom mount, a pop filter, and a few other things, all for $60. For the console, I'd suggest that a "the works" category could include the Analogue Nt Mini or similar, especially handy if you're using it with a modern HDMI TV. And not all LCD TVs add substantial lag; look for one which supports 'game mode' or the like (which will generally reduce the lag to 1 frame or less), and OLED and the upcoming micro-LED TVs are basically lag-free.
Thank you for all these precious informations. I've been wanting to play 1989 Tetris since I first saw a CTWC video. As of today I ordered an original NES controller and a USB adapter to start and try the game in emulation. I'm always on the lookout for a good deal for an original NES and if I tumble upon one I will definitely take it. Again, thank you for all the good work, you've become essential to the CT community :)
A really good longterm starting setup that I recommend is an original nes controller with an oem to usb adapter($8 on ebay) with a really good emulator like mesen and it feels eerily similar and sometimes better compared to my original nes with an lcd
thanks for the insight! ive been trying to find a console to use after my nes console stopped working. so im glad i can get back into playing again after a year.
im really thankful for the video, i watched alot of tetris world championship videos and just wanna start, i didnt knew anything about the setup before your video, thanks from a tetris fan from germany ^^
so i got me that NES again,found a working copy of tetris in good condition and it still had its instruction manual in it too... ofc this is what i wanted in the first place and i was already really happy to be able to play again on original hardware. however i hadnt known that its so easy and cheap to capture and stream gameplay,this is great news. great video! have a sub good sir :)
I'm actually pretty lucky for the setup I currently have for NES Tetris. I use a Phillips CRT TV that has composite video out that I use for capturing video. What's really cool about this video out is that it can also record RF and S-Video sources but only in composite. Right now I play on an original NES but I'm considering moving to playing on the Famicom as it's smaller size fits my setup more than the big grey box although that would require getting a cartridge converter and a controller adapter if I ended up switching. The capture card I use is a Roxio EasyVHS card which I found at Goodwill of all places for $3 and it works perfectly and has S-Video support. I have my own custom NES OBS stream layout with a fullscreen webcam. The webcam I use is a Logitech 720p camera, it's not the best webcam but it gets the job done. All I need now is to just get better at NES Tetris.
If you ran out of stuff to spend money on, here are some other items that would be a step up even from "The Works" options mentioned here: Distribution amplifier: If you use the y-cable splitters like the ones shown in the video, you will notice the image on the TV is noticeably darker than when you don't have them in and the cable just goes from the console to the TV. That's because dividing the signal makes it so that neither the capture card nor the TV gets the full strength signal. A distribution amplifier fixes that problem by using electronics to bring both the output streams up to the original strength. At around $20 on eBay, I'd say it's a really worthwhile step up. PVM: These are the fancy TV's he showed at 9:50. Being professional grade, they display colors A LOT brighter and clearer than a normal TV. Downside is you will most likely need some BNC to RCA converters to hook up to it. And that they can be pretty expensive/hard to find. If you're looking for a CRT, I would recommend E-waste recyclers or contacting your local Super Smash Bros. Melee community in addition to the sources from the video. Capture card: A noticeably better capture card than the EZ cap will run around $50-100. There is a difference in quality, but whether it's enough to warrant spending that kind of money is a matter of debate. If you're satisfied with what you have now, I'd say to save your money. If you are interested in looking for more, search for The Thrillness's reviews, which go into a lot of detail about the picture quality and other features various models offer.
I'm happy you made this. I really want to start playing Tetris and I didn't know where to start. I'm probably starting with an emulator (after buying the cartridge so it isn't illegal haha) and I'll get other stuff if I really like Tetris
My CRT is too F@%$)(# heavy! But obtaining one was the best decision I made to advance my Tetris game. Playing on CTWC TVs felt no different than what I do at home. Great vid. Hope to see another one soon.
Thanks for this - especially the info about AV to USB and how to participate in tetris monthly! Just sent my first qualification score yesterday with a stream of my original NES and am looking forward to the event :)
Hey David, I previously asked when this video released if it were possible to get and use an NTSC console in a PAL region, in my case UK, and you were a great help to me in the comments beyond the video itself, I was wondering if you knew if it is possible (and safe) to use a UK (or any non american) power supply directly on an NTSC NES, or if you could point me to someone or community that would know for sure and I couldn't find a 100% sure answer, which I would like to have to assure I don't waste my money buying an NTSC console i can't use
Other options for "The Works" would include the slightly rarer top-loader NES, which will allow you to play both the NTSC and PAL versions of Tetris, and if you're looking to be a right-handed hypertapper: a Goofyfoot controller from TotalRadNES. Goofyfoot controllers are tournament legal at the CTWC.
It's definitely harder than normal, which sucks because quarantines an ideal time to grind away getting better at a game. When I started my final push to finish up this video 10 days ago it hadn't even gotten that bad yet. Definitely everyone's safety is a priority first and foremost. Fortunately, the virus seems to not be able to survive for several days in a package, so most gear ordered online should be safe. Wanted to get this video up anyways in case people already have most of the stuff and are missing just one or two things, and also as a resource for when things have cleared up.
Great video. Really appreciate the effort you put into it. However, you're bit about streaming software is kinda wrong. Streamlabs OBS (SLOBS) should be the "in a pinch" while OBS should be considered the essentials/works. Everything you can do in SLOBS you can do and more in OBS. All the Trey stuff you talked about can be done in OBS. OBS is way more flexible than SLOBS and gets encoder features faster. SLOBS is an easier to use but less customisable version of OBS. Its great for most people but it has its issues and I would highly recommend that if you can learn to use OBS you'd be better of with it.
I personally highly recommend the Retron HD console because it comes with an HDMI output along with the RCA. No need for all those cables, only the hdmi for my capture card and RCA for my CRT.
@@DanQZ Hi Dan. Thanks for the advice. I've got a few questions about the Retron HD. 1. Can I use a classic NES controller on it? 2. Is playing with the RETRON controllers tournament legal? 3. Have you ever played Tetris on a genuine NES and how does it compare to the RETRON?
If you have the original nes there is both composite and rf, so you don’t need a splitter to record video, in addition on some modern lcd TVs if you hook it up through rf it automatically goes to 4:3 mode.
I feel blessed because a few years ago I got an NES, Tetris, and game genie for free from my mom’s colleague who was giving away a bunch of old stuff. I’m already most of the way there! I do feel like the CRT will help a lot though!
Amazing work bro. I really needed all the info. You're the best. Three questions I hope you could answer me: All this using an emulator with a ROM in a PC is legal to do it: - Can I record just the screen of the videogame (me playing it, but myself not appearing in the video, but my voice talking on the background about the gameplay yes) and upload the video to RUclips? - Can I record the screen of the videogame and also myself appearing in the video playing (me in a corner of the video) and upload the video to RUclips? - Can I stream live a game ? Also, i dont understand too much about copyright in these cases. Could I get a copyright claim in any of this situations?
No worries,you will not encounter any copyright claims by uploading tetris game footage! I have never heard of anyone encountering issues like this in the community.
Notes on the audio section. Any condenser microphone has bass drop off over distance (actually any microphone at all), This is called Proximity effect. The further you get from it, the more hollow it will sound, The blue yeti is multipattern meaning The usable range of distance and angle isn't set in stone like more professional microphones (Professional as in music studio gear I should say "more expensive specialty microphones" because the Blue Yeti is professional enough in broadcasting). There's a trade off in quality as well that the blue yeti has some weird compression that happens that some microphones don't have (streaming that's actually an upside as it means vocal quality may reduce over distance but the volume falloff is not proportional, volume fall off is every time you double the distance to the microphone the physical sound pressure, the actual energy hitting the microphone is halved. so from 3 inches away to 6" the pressure moving the mic is halves, at 12" it's half again, compression helps combat that a lot) Using a high end microphone also comes with needing an interface that can take XLR connections from the microphone and turn that into a usable digital signal. So using something higher end comes with needing more gear, more time, it's can be a lot more annoying. The take away here, Higher quality in audio may work against you unless you have a specific reason for needing better, the blue Yeti is the standard for streaming for a reason, it's a good compromise between quality and just being able to use it without having to gain stage your inputs worry about compression and noise gating everything.
hmm, that makes sense that you theoretically could. You'd have to finesse it very precisely though, and redo it if the webcam ever changes positions or is bumped.
You could also use WoMic to connect your phone via USB/Bluetooth/wifi to use it as a mic. It really works well for me as a budget option and paring it with audacity (a great free audio recorder) is great.
Hey! I play on of and recently just passed 600,000 XD! I play on a laptop using an emulator but I was wondering if there is anyway I could connect a NES controller to my computer using some converter or something. I tried researching about controlled with usb but they all don’t match the original design of the NES controller. The reason I can’t buy anything more than a controller is because my parents won’t let me spend a lot of money on video games, and that seems kind of fair considering I spend an hour a day on Tetris already. Thanks!
You can hook up an XBox 360/One or PlayStation 3/4 controller. It's obviously not the same as an NES controller, but imo still better than playing on a keyboard.
It's also possible to use a 'NES' USB controller. You should be able to find some for less than 10 $ on amazon or other trading platforms. For the same price you can also get a Controller Adapter and then use original nes controllers with the adapter on your pc.
I was a bit surprised at the statement that PC players will mostly be playing with mouse and keyboard. You can get imitation USB NES controllers, adapters for the real thing, or you can use practically any other controller (often with some sort of cheap adapter). My guess is that a lot more PC players would be using controllers if only they knew that they can use the ones they already have lying around.
Just a small, awkward note: despite the PAL-M name, Brazil's analog television standard is based on the same 525 lines, 30 frames per second CCIR System M that NTSC is based off, it's just the chroma signal that is encoded in a way that's similar to PAL, but it's not a 625 lines, 25 fps System B style that PAL is known for. I believe most consoles and games sold in Brazil were based on the NTSC versions because of that. You can get a black and white picture using a NTSC signal in a PAL-M TV and vice-versa, the luma and sync signals are essentially the same... well, except that PAL-M is still 60 fields per second IIRC, not 59.94-ish fields per second like NTSC, so there may be some audio pitch issues? IDK.
StreamLabs OBS is way worse than OBS Studio, it's super wonky and OBS can use the StreamLabs widgets as well. I'm starting to think about trying to get into it, I just need some stuff like a CRT and easycap (and a USB Disk Drive) and maybe a new controller
If anyone finds it truly impossible to find a working CRT, you should know that not all LCDs are created equally. CRTs are superior because of their low input lag and motion blur. Some LCDs have an order of magnitude less input lag than others, and many have features to reduce motion blur. TVs generally have the worst input lag because they’re optimized for viewing rather than interacting, usually in the hundreds of milliseconds. Computer monitors are usually better with input lag in the tens of milliseconds. High end “gaming” monitors and super high end TVs can have input lag under ten milliseconds. This still isn’t as good as a CRT(input lag can be as low as 1 or 0.1 milliseconds) , but it can make a big difference. If you have a spare monitor, or have already bought a monitor for PC gaming, I’d try those before buying a CRT. If CRT screens are truly unavailable to you, look for a gaming monitor with a high refresh rate and a feature called “backlight strobing”. This imitates CRT display technology to reduce motion blur.
Some streamers have proven that a fast gaming monitor (1 frame slower than CRT) plus an emulator with "runahead" (1 frame faster than NES) can all sum to an experience that is measurably the same as a CRT and NES. That said, ive only seen one such setup and it's a lot more expensive than the CRT option.
Hey, I really appreciate this video, up until now I've only ever played on PC using an emulator and I've not really been sure about where I might find better equipment, especially a CRT TV where I am located to play tetris on and discovering there are consoles besides the original NES that can run original cartridges and facebook marketplace being somewhere I'd never thought of for buying CRT's of which there are many from a quick check I had is amazingly helpful. One thing I would love to know if you have an answer would be that in my region I know that PAL is the type we use rather than NTSC, does this mean that should I ever be interested in competing in NTSC play or even just practicing on that type for fun that my only option to do so would be using an emulator or is there a way around this, is it possible for NTSC consoles and cartrides to work in PAL regions or vice versa for example or even something else I might be missing? If you do end up seeing and replying to this thank you so much, it'd be really appreciated! Amazing Video!
Hey Danno! Yes, you can get NTSC consoles and cartridges to work in PAL areas. I'm not sure exactly what would work where you are, but my friend Lars from Belgium says that "As far as I know most CRTs manufactured in Europe after a certain year (early 2000s and maybe even older) support both PAL and NTSC. And for the NES itself, you can use the power supply of a PAL NES on an NTSC NES." If you run into further technical issues, there's facebook groups and discords that can help out.
If you are just starting out playing NES Tetris, I recommend playing it through Classic Score Attack in Tetris Effect: Connected. It's a good way to find out if you like the game without investing too much money in it.
Hi :) If you don’t fill the well, what ends a level to progress you to the next one? I could watch gameplay, but is there a better guide to the actual workings of the game for NES? And no I don’t mean the data about kill screens… just basic workings like scoring.
I want to know how the youtubers and streamers do the layout on their screen. I would like to be able to do the same. Also, really great video. It motivated me to go back to my roots and dust off my old NES and Tetris cartrige!
In your video, at the start when you show all the different things that you need, you list the nes controller at three dollars on GameStop but in the google doc it refers me to dkoldies which sells controllers at 15 dollars. Which one is the correct one? It seems that they must be different controllers, as the price difference is dramatic. Could you please clarify?
After putting the video up I removed links to GameStop because they were being crappy in their response to CoVid. It looks like they've now marked up their NES controllers on their website to $8. I don't remember DKOldies initially being that expensive, they must have marked up their controllers as well. Unfortunately everywhere you can buy online seems to have their prices dramatically been affected by CoVid.
I remember there being an entire shipping container of CRT monitors at the tip a couple of years ago. Now they're worth more than $100 on ebay where I live. They were sitting on a gold mine.
Yeah, it's crazy how one person's trash can be another person's treasure. You have to know the market exists though to take advantage. There's probably some old stuff I have that someone would pay a lot for but I just have no idea!
I thank for your videos I started recently to watch it and really wanted to start play Tetris on a original NES but I have a problem and could’t find nothing. I live in Japan and here NES does t exist but there is the Famicom (that I don’t like) so I was wondering if I can use an NTSC NES in Japan and if I can use Famicom cartridges on NES. Hope you can reply me. Thank you and and have good Tetris.
A much better option for a microphone in my experience is the AT2020 (XLR NOT USB) and the Focusrite Scarlett Solo for your audio interface (the USB version has a pretty substantial hum coming from the passive power in the USB not being suited properly to the microphone, the XLR version with the interface is much better because it provides exactly the power it needs and no excess along with giving you better control of audio levels. the microphone + interface + cables and stand is around $200 so its a little more than conventional USB microphones like the YETI pictures in the video, but the quality in return is more than worth the price.
I took that score of the previous owner of your Tetris copy as a challenge. Hadn't played the game in 30 years and managed to get 75.000 points on my first try managing to get up to level 8 lol
For anyone who wants to start on emulator with keyboard, just remap your controls to use WASD instead of arrow keys, and something like JK for A and B. This will save you a ton of trouble when transitioning to controller. It's even better if you can use some kind of gamepad; Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch (pro) controllers all work perfectly well on PC and can be set up with your emulator of choice. You could also get an OEM NES controller and a USB adapter and use that, but of course that can cost some money so might not be preferable. Regardless of your circumstances, there's no reason to use arrow keys on emulator if you're ever planning on playing console.
Actually, although the video was a little long, it's a good guide to start play tetris. I have tetris ntsc and the original nes and really it's the perfect setup (oldschool feeling). About emulators, Retroarch (for example) with gpu hard sync and run ahead options AND using a gamer monitor has very good results about input lag, and the experience can be the same as the original hardware, if you know to configure. I'm testing because I put tetris on my original nes mini with retroarch, so I avoid wireless controller and I can play with nes mini controller. I recorded videos with tetris, testing many options and analysing frame by frame. It was hard work, but to training like the original hardware, it was necessary. And It's a good way to play tetris too, if you don't have the option or don't want to buy the original setup (heavy crts, av cables, audio frequency noise...I know, I know, old stuff). About imitation hardware, one point that we need to remember: Is the imitation a built-in emulator or is a imitation of the hardware itself? If it's an emulator, the probably of incoming lag is equally on pc without proper configuration and you probably want to avoid this. That said, try to find an imitation of the hardware itself.
if you do use an LCD, if there's a game mode, you're doing yourself a severe dis-service by ignoring the option. of course some TVs still lag too much, but if you're waiting on a CRT, then this workaround should allow you to be a tad bit better. also make sure to get a CRT that has no digital circuitry, the fancier and newer and larger TVs might have some delay because they pass everything through the digital circuitry. make sure to find one that has no HDMI, no component(some might be digital), no widescreens, and no features other than displaying a composite signal and/or RF. thankfully most CRTs are analog but you have to be careful.
Another "the works" option is an everdrive cartridge that allows you to play your rom backups of your games on real NES hardware. This allows for access to a myriad of training, competitive, and just fun community game patches and hacks.
I play NES Tetris with my original NES and cartridge from 1989. I use the RCA jacks instead of the RF output with my HDTV. The furthest I ever got was the building taking off like a rocket.
maybe its cause it got more popular now with blue scutti's record but i can't find any of those for cheap, the game now costs like 60 euros on ebay and amazon. the console is priced like 100-300 in greek sites and i found it on ebay for 20 but with vat and shipping it comes to 60..
Thanks for watching! EDIT 12/2/2021: I made this guide when there were originally no other comprehensive guides out there, I think it still is mostly relevant but there are a few things I've learned over the subsequent year and a half that I would alter in the guide.
1) I would no longer recommend buying a Retro-Bit RES as an alternative console, although it is technically functional, there appear to be slight delay issues which negate some of the advantage of original equipment. Instead, buy a Retron 1 as a budget option and a Retron 1 HD or original NES for a higher tier option.
2) Just using OBS as standard recording/streaming software is fine. I would no longer recommend Streamlabs due to a whole host of issues and controversies.
3) EasyCap is still a usable budget option (it also doesn't require the CD software shown in the video to work, that is just capture software and you can use OBS instead), but cheap HDMI capture cards also do the job too. If you encounter interlacing in the input to OBS, turn on a deinterlacing filter.
4) Because I've had a few questions about it...Classic Score Attack in Tetris Effect: Connected is a nearly exact replica of NES Tetris and if you already have TEC, it's a serviceable introduction to the learning the mechanics of the game without having to deal with roms and emulators. However, you cannot use Classic Score Attack to play in NES Tetris tournaments and there will inevitably be a slight delay on the game feed due to your computer's processing time, so if you're serious about playing at a high level, original equipment is the best way to go.
wanna know about ctwc 2019, how was it?
@@neo6411 it was epic. lots of stories and animations to share about it. working hard to get the enormous recap video finished
Loved the video, all knowledge I think I’ve seemed out myself luckily but definitely glad there’s a place new players can find information now great job! Can’t wait till CTWC video, no rush but I’m super excited for it
No need to stress about the upload frequency. Do it when you have time and when you feel like it. There's no point in making videos unless you enjoy making them :)
@@aGameScout thanks for creating high quality content for a community that doesn't have many video makers. Hope to see your next video once its out!
You're doing the lord's work in making the community accessible to newcomers, my friend. Best case scenario we'll hopefully see a few great players who'll say you helped them in! Great stuff.
Joseph has inspired people and now he's making them a part of the community.
Modern Tetris player here. I've been playing on emulator and assumed buying an NES just for this was too much money to play one game on.
I might have to reconsider that.
JESUS died for our sins on the cross, HE shed HIS holy, innocent , precious blood for us (HIS blood washes away ALL sins) HE was buried but on the third day GOD raised HIM from the dead. All you have to do to be saved is: Believe in JESUS, trust in HIS blood. JESUS did everything for you, no works are required for salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9)!…
he did it guys he pressed the upload button
Sanjay the gamer yes, he did it finally!! lol
i got a crt at a yard sale for $5 just for this and now my parents are concerned for my well being. Thanks!
@Phoenix Downer just ingnore them XD
Got mine for free! Had a friend in a tough spot finance wise and their only TV was a CRT and I had an LCD for gaming so obviously a switch was a total win win
@@Peat030 Who needs "friends" when you have TETORISU!
when I first got into the game I used an emulator, then after I realized I wanted to become a lot better at the game I got the original stuff. I never thought id be buying stuff older than me for gaming
ok
lol
The story for many of us :) what an unlikely esport
" I never thought id be buying stuff older than me for gaming"
And down the rabbit hole the journey goes. You are "one of us" now. ;)
can you tell me which emulator you used? and is it a big difference in comparison with the original game?
So I guess now the tour on all the online events? CTB, CTE, CTG, CTL, CTM, CTP... That may be a good topic for next video. :D
definitely in the works!
CBT, you say?
Ah yes, CTE. Great band. Love me some Crown The Empire :p
Everyone has wanted a consolidated/holistic setup video like this for so long, thank you ;-;
Gosh thank you so much, I'm so glad I watched this before trying to participate in CTM or visit the CTWC in person. This seriously cleared up a lot of questions I had about it. You're awesome! :)
Really hope to meet you at a tournament one of these days my friend!
-Trent
I've watched a half a dozen of your videos over the months and i follow speedruns, world records, games, and tetris. However, this video is one of the best I've seen that explains hardware, software, need, etc for all types of games etc. I love this video. It applies to a lot of things, not just tetris. You should change the title to match that.
What I recommend is to not stress over the Crt an insane amount, as long as it is standard definition you will be fine. As well as having a better connection than RF. I found my self stressing so much over getting the crt when I could've just gotten a free one and been playing tetris while improving my skill. This is not like other retro games where they are slow and you have time to appreciate the graphics a lot. As long as it is decent you will be fine, your main issue is latency so get a standard definition tv
I've seen alot of cheap/,free crt monitors. VGA to RCA adapter and you're 👍
You are so chill, I don't even care for Tetris but I love watching your videos.
This is so helpful! As someone who just bought their first original NES not even a couple days ago, I’m going to keep coming back to this video!
For the mic, Monoprice has a really good 'podcasting/streaming' bundle which has a surprisingly good USB mic, a table-clamp boom mount, a pop filter, and a few other things, all for $60.
For the console, I'd suggest that a "the works" category could include the Analogue Nt Mini or similar, especially handy if you're using it with a modern HDMI TV. And not all LCD TVs add substantial lag; look for one which supports 'game mode' or the like (which will generally reduce the lag to 1 frame or less), and OLED and the upcoming micro-LED TVs are basically lag-free.
11:52 Ayy I saw MuseScore down there. Respect.
A=1,000,000
B=1,100,000
C=1,200,000
D=Joseph Saelee
Lol that was great
Edit: Ermm well times have certainly changed... (in the era of a 15 mil)
E = Cheez
F = TAS
@@normal_rthjk
f: jounce_
0 : jounce_
the record now is 1.6m by jounce_, he skipped 1.5m!
@@Joshy- yea I’m aware
Rollover(10) = AlexT
Thank you for all these precious informations. I've been wanting to play 1989 Tetris since I first saw a CTWC video. As of today I ordered an original NES controller and a USB adapter to start and try the game in emulation. I'm always on the lookout for a good deal for an original NES and if I tumble upon one I will definitely take it. Again, thank you for all the good work, you've become essential to the CT community :)
A really good longterm starting setup that I recommend is an original nes controller with an oem to usb adapter($8 on ebay) with a really good emulator like mesen and it feels eerily similar and sometimes better compared to my original nes with an lcd
thanks for the insight! ive been trying to find a console to use after my nes console stopped working. so im glad i can get back into playing again after a year.
14:00 someone meme this Joseph clip and send it to him
Who is that handsome guy at 8:17?!?! Hehe thanks David! Another great video :)
How is your content free man? You go so hard for your viewers.
Awesome and helpful video, this is going to help a lot of people get into NES Tetris for years to come I expect
Best content that sprung up when tetris resurfaced in Popularity.
Thanks man
im really thankful for the video, i watched alot of tetris world championship videos and just wanna start, i didnt knew anything about the setup before your video, thanks from a tetris fan from germany ^^
so i got me that NES again,found a working copy of tetris in good condition and it still had its instruction manual in it too...
ofc this is what i wanted in the first place and i was already really happy to be able to play again on original hardware. however i hadnt known that its so easy and cheap to capture and stream gameplay,this is great news. great video! have a sub good sir :)
I literally just rewatched all your videos yesterday. Super excited to see this in my sub box this morning.
The TV shown at 9:23 isn't actually a CRT, it's a rear projection TV and those have more input lag on them than a CRT.
Great video! Definitely great for newcomers
for sure!
I'm actually pretty lucky for the setup I currently have for NES Tetris. I use a Phillips CRT TV that has composite video out that I use for capturing video. What's really cool about this video out is that it can also record RF and S-Video sources but only in composite. Right now I play on an original NES but I'm considering moving to playing on the Famicom as it's smaller size fits my setup more than the big grey box although that would require getting a cartridge converter and a controller adapter if I ended up switching. The capture card I use is a Roxio EasyVHS card which I found at Goodwill of all places for $3 and it works perfectly and has S-Video support. I have my own custom NES OBS stream layout with a fullscreen webcam. The webcam I use is a Logitech 720p camera, it's not the best webcam but it gets the job done. All I need now is to just get better at NES Tetris.
Nice! Sounds like a rock solid setup. Hope to see you in a future tournament!
So happy to see you make a video after that long. Keep at it my friend I wish you a good quarantine and I hope you have a good time editing :)
If you ran out of stuff to spend money on, here are some other items that would be a step up even from "The Works" options mentioned here:
Distribution amplifier: If you use the y-cable splitters like the ones shown in the video, you will notice the image on the TV is noticeably darker than when you don't have them in and the cable just goes from the console to the TV. That's because dividing the signal makes it so that neither the capture card nor the TV gets the full strength signal. A distribution amplifier fixes that problem by using electronics to bring both the output streams up to the original strength. At around $20 on eBay, I'd say it's a really worthwhile step up.
PVM: These are the fancy TV's he showed at 9:50. Being professional grade, they display colors A LOT brighter and clearer than a normal TV. Downside is you will most likely need some BNC to RCA converters to hook up to it. And that they can be pretty expensive/hard to find. If you're looking for a CRT, I would recommend E-waste recyclers or contacting your local Super Smash Bros. Melee community in addition to the sources from the video.
Capture card: A noticeably better capture card than the EZ cap will run around $50-100. There is a difference in quality, but whether it's enough to warrant spending that kind of money is a matter of debate. If you're satisfied with what you have now, I'd say to save your money. If you are interested in looking for more, search for The Thrillness's reviews, which go into a lot of detail about the picture quality and other features various models offer.
I'm happy you made this. I really want to start playing Tetris and I didn't know where to start. I'm probably starting with an emulator (after buying the cartridge so it isn't illegal haha) and I'll get other stuff if I really like Tetris
My CRT is too F@%$)(# heavy! But obtaining one was the best decision I made to advance my Tetris game. Playing on CTWC TVs felt no different than what I do at home.
Great vid. Hope to see another one soon.
When it comes to watching your videos, I appreciate every single second while watching. Keep it up, the vids are great!
I loved seeing you go from a guy who made a nice video about the world of tetris, to a full blown tetris guy
This is a fantastic video. Finally a clear and concise foolproof source to direct people towards when I get asked this stuff ;) Thank you sir!
Thanks for this - especially the info about AV to USB and how to participate in tetris monthly! Just sent my first qualification score yesterday with a stream of my original NES and am looking forward to the event :)
This helped A LOT! Not only for Tetris purposes. Thanks!!
Cheers from Brazil.
Hey David, I previously asked when this video released if it were possible to get and use an NTSC console in a PAL region, in my case UK, and you were a great help to me in the comments beyond the video itself, I was wondering if you knew if it is possible (and safe) to use a UK (or any non american) power supply directly on an NTSC NES, or if you could point me to someone or community that would know for sure and I couldn't find a 100% sure answer, which I would like to have to assure I don't waste my money buying an NTSC console i can't use
You know, when i originally watched this video over 4 years ago, i never could've dreamt that one day i would possess an actual console.
i hope it's the same for me someday
Other options for "The Works" would include the slightly rarer top-loader NES, which will allow you to play both the NTSC and PAL versions of Tetris, and if you're looking to be a right-handed hypertapper: a Goofyfoot controller from TotalRadNES. Goofyfoot controllers are tournament legal at the CTWC.
great additional info!
Are dogbones allowed in tournaments?
PAL Tetris at the wrong speed.
@@mirabilis Entirely true. It'll run at 60hz when an authentic PAL system would run it at 50.
@@rileyk5228 yep, they're are allowed, also there is some guys that make controllers that are allowed, they have an image that says CTWC approved.
KORYANSUU TETORISUUU
I’ve been watching ctwc forever and i saw this video and got an emulator and it’s super fun thank you for making this video
i play on an xbox controller so when i get nintendo controller it won’t be much different and i got 100k on level 18 start
dang i wonder how hard it is to get into it now with all this stuff going on
It's definitely harder than normal, which sucks because quarantines an ideal time to grind away getting better at a game. When I started my final push to finish up this video 10 days ago it hadn't even gotten that bad yet. Definitely everyone's safety is a priority first and foremost. Fortunately, the virus seems to not be able to survive for several days in a package, so most gear ordered online should be safe. Wanted to get this video up anyways in case people already have most of the stuff and are missing just one or two things, and also as a resource for when things have cleared up.
In my opinion "the works" console would be the NT Mini from Analogue Interactive, that console is a thing of beauty.
Why? The point is to create a setup as close as possible to the one used in actual competition. What purpose does spending $500+ on a nt serve?
14:30 that's some inception level composition right there, I was shocked for a second
Great video. Really appreciate the effort you put into it. However, you're bit about streaming software is kinda wrong. Streamlabs OBS (SLOBS) should be the "in a pinch" while OBS should be considered the essentials/works. Everything you can do in SLOBS you can do and more in OBS. All the Trey stuff you talked about can be done in OBS. OBS is way more flexible than SLOBS and gets encoder features faster. SLOBS is an easier to use but less customisable version of OBS. Its great for most people but it has its issues and I would highly recommend that if you can learn to use OBS you'd be better of with it.
Thanks. This is really useful information. Only been playing Tetris on gameboy up until now but really want to start on NES.
I personally highly recommend the Retron HD console because it comes with an HDMI output along with the RCA.
No need for all those cables, only the hdmi for my capture card and RCA for my CRT.
oh, thanks for the recommendation! which capture card do you use?
@@aGameScout this piece of junk called "SSEDEW High-Definition Monitor USB2.0 HDMI Capture Card" but it's cheap and it works
@@DanQZ Hi Dan. Thanks for the advice.
I've got a few questions about the Retron HD.
1. Can I use a classic NES controller on it?
2. Is playing with the RETRON controllers tournament legal?
3. Have you ever played Tetris on a genuine NES and how does it compare to the RETRON?
@@Bogard2312
1. Yes
2. Not sure but I’d bet on yes
3. I have and I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference
@@DanQZ Perfect. Thanks Dan.
You do very good videos! You're bound to get more subs. Great content. Keep up the great work!
straight up ur gonna bring tetris closer to where it deserves to be in esports!!
Hi, I'm from Italy and thanks to your video I'm starting the long journey ti prof tetris ...I loved this game since I was Child
This is absolutely EXACTLY what I needed. Thank you for this video!
had to say thank you so much Ive wanted to try tetris for years and this guide helped me out
If you have the original nes there is both composite and rf, so you don’t need a splitter to record video, in addition on some modern lcd TVs if you hook it up through rf it automatically goes to 4:3 mode.
I feel blessed because a few years ago I got an NES, Tetris, and game genie for free from my mom’s colleague who was giving away a bunch of old stuff. I’m already most of the way there! I do feel like the CRT will help a lot though!
UPDATE: Picked up a CRT and it's a blessing!
Your channel is so good. Thank you for the detailed information.
Amazing work bro. I really needed all the info. You're the best.
Three questions I hope you could answer me:
All this using an emulator with a ROM in a PC is legal to do it:
- Can I record just the screen of the videogame (me playing it, but myself not appearing in the video, but my voice talking on the background about the gameplay yes) and upload the video to RUclips?
- Can I record the screen of the videogame and also myself appearing in the video playing (me in a corner of the video) and upload the video to RUclips?
- Can I stream live a game ?
Also, i dont understand too much about copyright in these cases. Could I get a copyright claim in any of this situations?
No worries,you will not encounter any copyright claims by uploading tetris game footage! I have never heard of anyone encountering issues like this in the community.
Notes on the audio section. Any condenser microphone has bass drop off over distance (actually any microphone at all), This is called Proximity effect. The further you get from it, the more hollow it will sound, The blue yeti is multipattern meaning The usable range of distance and angle isn't set in stone like more professional microphones (Professional as in music studio gear I should say "more expensive specialty microphones" because the Blue Yeti is professional enough in broadcasting). There's a trade off in quality as well that the blue yeti has some weird compression that happens that some microphones don't have (streaming that's actually an upside as it means vocal quality may reduce over distance but the volume falloff is not proportional, volume fall off is every time you double the distance to the microphone the physical sound pressure, the actual energy hitting the microphone is halved. so from 3 inches away to 6" the pressure moving the mic is halves, at 12" it's half again, compression helps combat that a lot)
Using a high end microphone also comes with needing an interface that can take XLR connections from the microphone and turn that into a usable digital signal. So using something higher end comes with needing more gear, more time, it's can be a lot more annoying.
The take away here, Higher quality in audio may work against you unless you have a specific reason for needing better, the blue Yeti is the standard for streaming for a reason, it's a good compromise between quality and just being able to use it without having to gain stage your inputs worry about compression and noise gating everything.
My old ass was like, "Just plug my NES in.... Oh, wait. Record my play? What is this magic?" 😂
10:40 never tried it by myself, but I've heard that you can 3d transform the input from webcam and fit it to the stencil
hmm, that makes sense that you theoretically could. You'd have to finesse it very precisely though, and redo it if the webcam ever changes positions or is bumped.
@@aGameScout yeah it's gonna be tricky, but at least you can go cheap with the method :)
Yep - that's an option!
Great thanks. This is the information I needed for the set up I’m working on
Could you do a video about a nes tetris layout like Josephs?
You could also use WoMic to connect your phone via USB/Bluetooth/wifi to use it as a mic. It really works well for me as a budget option and paring it with audacity (a great free audio recorder) is great.
Hey! I play on of and recently just passed 600,000 XD! I play on a laptop using an emulator but I was wondering if there is anyway I could connect a NES controller to my computer using some converter or something. I tried researching about controlled with usb but they all don’t match the original design of the NES controller. The reason I can’t buy anything more than a controller is because my parents won’t let me spend a lot of money on video games, and that seems kind of fair considering I spend an hour a day on Tetris already. Thanks!
You can hook up an XBox 360/One or PlayStation 3/4 controller. It's obviously not the same as an NES controller, but imo still better than playing on a keyboard.
It's also possible to use a 'NES' USB controller. You should be able to find some for less than 10 $ on amazon or other trading platforms. For the same price you can also get a Controller Adapter and then use original nes controllers with the adapter on your pc.
I was a bit surprised at the statement that PC players will mostly be playing with mouse and keyboard. You can get imitation USB NES controllers, adapters for the real thing, or you can use practically any other controller (often with some sort of cheap adapter). My guess is that a lot more PC players would be using controllers if only they knew that they can use the ones they already have lying around.
Finally a video on the subject, thank you.
Just a small, awkward note: despite the PAL-M name, Brazil's analog television standard is based on the same 525 lines, 30 frames per second CCIR System M that NTSC is based off, it's just the chroma signal that is encoded in a way that's similar to PAL, but it's not a 625 lines, 25 fps System B style that PAL is known for. I believe most consoles and games sold in Brazil were based on the NTSC versions because of that.
You can get a black and white picture using a NTSC signal in a PAL-M TV and vice-versa, the luma and sync signals are essentially the same... well, except that PAL-M is still 60 fields per second IIRC, not 59.94-ish fields per second like NTSC, so there may be some audio pitch issues? IDK.
Hell yeah thank you dude.I've always wanted to know the kind of stuff you need. I currently just have my NES favorite controllers and the cartridge.
StreamLabs OBS is way worse than OBS Studio, it's super wonky and OBS can use the StreamLabs widgets as well. I'm starting to think about trying to get into it, I just need some stuff like a CRT and easycap (and a USB Disk Drive) and maybe a new controller
Question? that NES clone only has HDMI
I got one and only has HDMI old TVs don’t have HDMI
If anyone finds it truly impossible to find a working CRT, you should know that not all LCDs are created equally. CRTs are superior because of their low input lag and motion blur. Some LCDs have an order of magnitude less input lag than others, and many have features to reduce motion blur. TVs generally have the worst input lag because they’re optimized for viewing rather than interacting, usually in the hundreds of milliseconds. Computer monitors are usually better with input lag in the tens of milliseconds. High end “gaming” monitors and super high end TVs can have input lag under ten milliseconds. This still isn’t as good as a CRT(input lag can be as low as 1 or 0.1 milliseconds) , but it can make a big difference. If you have a spare monitor, or have already bought a monitor for PC gaming, I’d try those before buying a CRT. If CRT screens are truly unavailable to you, look for a gaming monitor with a high refresh rate and a feature called “backlight strobing”. This imitates CRT display technology to reduce motion blur.
Thanks for all the added in-depth info Alan!
aGameScout 👍🏽
Some streamers have proven that a fast gaming monitor (1 frame slower than CRT) plus an emulator with "runahead" (1 frame faster than NES) can all sum to an experience that is measurably the same as a CRT and NES. That said, ive only seen one such setup and it's a lot more expensive than the CRT option.
Hey, I really appreciate this video, up until now I've only ever played on PC using an emulator and I've not really been sure about where I might find better equipment, especially a CRT TV where I am located to play tetris on and discovering there are consoles besides the original NES that can run original cartridges and facebook marketplace being somewhere I'd never thought of for buying CRT's of which there are many from a quick check I had is amazingly helpful.
One thing I would love to know if you have an answer would be that in my region I know that PAL is the type we use rather than NTSC, does this mean that should I ever be interested in competing in NTSC play or even just practicing on that type for fun that my only option to do so would be using an emulator or is there a way around this, is it possible for NTSC consoles and cartrides to work in PAL regions or vice versa for example or even something else I might be missing?
If you do end up seeing and replying to this thank you so much, it'd be really appreciated! Amazing Video!
Hey Danno! Yes, you can get NTSC consoles and cartridges to work in PAL areas. I'm not sure exactly what would work where you are, but my friend Lars from Belgium says that "As far as I know most CRTs manufactured in Europe after a certain year (early 2000s and maybe even older) support both PAL and NTSC. And for the NES itself, you can use the power supply of a PAL NES on an NTSC NES." If you run into further technical issues, there's facebook groups and discords that can help out.
@@aGameScout That's great to hear and very helpful thanks so much for the reply!
5:55 that moment when you knew you fucked up 😂
If you are just starting out playing NES Tetris, I recommend playing it through Classic Score Attack in Tetris Effect: Connected.
It's a good way to find out if you like the game without investing too much money in it.
Hi :) If you don’t fill the well, what ends a level to progress you to the next one? I could watch gameplay, but is there a better guide to the actual workings of the game for NES? And no I don’t mean the data about kill screens… just basic workings like scoring.
4:27 Put Jake in there too....
So I have gotten myself a retro console and a copy of nes tetris.
Holy shit you people are insanely skilled!
Hey david thanks so much for the recommendation just got the game im waiting for the retro bit res can’t wait to practice
Ayyyyyyyyye i was watching ur channel yesterday because I missed these videos
Musescore in your taskbar? I want to see/hear what you've done with it, now!
I want to know how the youtubers and streamers do the layout on their screen. I would like to be able to do the same.
Also, really great video. It motivated me to go back to my roots and dust off my old NES and Tetris cartrige!
Lots of help needed bud. Keep playing, um, yeah, keep playing like that lol.
In your video, at the start when you show all the different things that you need, you list the nes controller at three dollars on GameStop but in the google doc it refers me to dkoldies which sells controllers at 15 dollars. Which one is the correct one? It seems that they must be different controllers, as the price difference is dramatic. Could you please clarify?
After putting the video up I removed links to GameStop because they were being crappy in their response to CoVid. It looks like they've now marked up their NES controllers on their website to $8. I don't remember DKOldies initially being that expensive, they must have marked up their controllers as well. Unfortunately everywhere you can buy online seems to have their prices dramatically been affected by CoVid.
aGameScout Thank you very much for the quick response! I will use this information when I start getting my items together.
This is sooo help full already bought the game and the retro bit nes can’t wait to go to the tournament
Boom, upload for David
I remember there being an entire shipping container of CRT monitors at the tip a couple of years ago. Now they're worth more than $100 on ebay where I live. They were sitting on a gold mine.
Yeah, it's crazy how one person's trash can be another person's treasure. You have to know the market exists though to take advantage. There's probably some old stuff I have that someone would pay a lot for but I just have no idea!
I thank for your videos I started recently to watch it and really wanted to start play Tetris on a original NES but I have a problem and could’t find nothing.
I live in Japan and here NES does t exist but there is the Famicom (that I don’t like) so I was wondering if I can use an NTSC NES in Japan and if I can use Famicom cartridges on NES.
Hope you can reply me. Thank you and and have good Tetris.
Hi Luca, I'm not sure, but you could ask on the discord server here: ctm.gg/discord
@@aGameScout thank you for the reply. Really appreciated :)
THANK YOU!! I feel so stupid recording my scores(check em out!) on my iphone 😂 I want to CTM so bad
A much better option for a microphone in my experience is the AT2020 (XLR NOT USB) and the Focusrite Scarlett Solo for your audio interface (the USB version has a pretty substantial hum coming from the passive power in the USB not being suited properly to the microphone, the XLR version with the interface is much better because it provides exactly the power it needs and no excess along with giving you better control of audio levels. the microphone + interface + cables and stand is around $200 so its a little more than conventional USB microphones like the YETI pictures in the video, but the quality in return is more than worth the price.
Long time no see, huh? Great to see a notification under your name c:
I took that score of the previous owner of your Tetris copy as a challenge. Hadn't played the game in 30 years and managed to get 75.000 points on my first try managing to get up to level 8 lol
For anyone who wants to start on emulator with keyboard, just remap your controls to use WASD instead of arrow keys, and something like JK for A and B. This will save you a ton of trouble when transitioning to controller. It's even better if you can use some kind of gamepad; Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch (pro) controllers all work perfectly well on PC and can be set up with your emulator of choice. You could also get an OEM NES controller and a USB adapter and use that, but of course that can cost some money so might not be preferable. Regardless of your circumstances, there's no reason to use arrow keys on emulator if you're ever planning on playing console.
Actually, although the video was a little long, it's a good guide to start play tetris. I have tetris ntsc and the original nes and really it's the perfect setup (oldschool feeling). About emulators, Retroarch (for example) with gpu hard sync and run ahead options AND using a gamer monitor has very good results about input lag, and the experience can be the same as the original hardware, if you know to configure. I'm testing because I put tetris on my original nes mini with retroarch, so I avoid wireless controller and I can play with nes mini controller. I recorded videos with tetris, testing many options and analysing frame by frame. It was hard work, but to training like the original hardware, it was necessary. And It's a good way to play tetris too, if you don't have the option or don't want to buy the original setup (heavy crts, av cables, audio frequency noise...I know, I know, old stuff).
About imitation hardware, one point that we need to remember: Is the imitation a built-in emulator or is a imitation of the hardware itself? If it's an emulator, the probably of incoming lag is equally on pc without proper configuration and you probably want to avoid this. That said, try to find an imitation of the hardware itself.
if you do use an LCD, if there's a game mode, you're doing yourself a severe dis-service by ignoring the option. of course some TVs still lag too much, but if you're waiting on a CRT, then this workaround should allow you to be a tad bit better.
also make sure to get a CRT that has no digital circuitry, the fancier and newer and larger TVs might have some delay because they pass everything through the digital circuitry. make sure to find one that has no HDMI, no component(some might be digital), no widescreens, and no features other than displaying a composite signal and/or RF. thankfully most CRTs are analog but you have to be careful.
Another "the works" option is an everdrive cartridge that allows you to play your rom backups of your games on real NES hardware. This allows for access to a myriad of training, competitive, and just fun community game patches and hacks.
Loved the shot of DKOldies! Definitely a great retro gaming company
I play NES Tetris with my original NES and cartridge from 1989. I use the RCA jacks instead of the RF output with my HDTV.
The furthest I ever got was the building taking off like a rocket.
maybe its cause it got more popular now with blue scutti's record but i can't find any of those for cheap, the game now costs like 60 euros on ebay and amazon. the console is priced like 100-300 in greek sites and i found it on ebay for 20 but with vat and shipping it comes to 60..
I just bought a 27" quasar(remember that brand?) for 5 bucks so my 3 year old can play Duck Hunt. There's plenty out there to be had.