Scaling pixel art tiles on modern consoles/computers with Morph4K

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Revision as of 22:11, 27 February 2024 by BuckoA51 (talk | contribs) (Recommended Settings: added VVVVVV)
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Overview

The Morph 4k has the ability to "pre-scale" video content by discarding some lines from the original image. Discarding lines results in a loss of resolution, while this may seem counter-intuitive it can be useful where pre-scaled pixel art assets are used on modern consoles or computers. Using the pre-scale modes can "fix" the original scaling applied and can result in a much better upscale with better looking scanlines and mask effects.

Basic prescaling

You can try prescaling on any pixel art games, the easiest way to try it out is to set your console/computer to 480p or 720p output, load your pixel art game and set the vertical pre scale (video->Scaler->Vert. Prescale:) to 3 (For 720p input) or 2 (for 480p input). This will work on many titles, though many more will require further fine tuning or experimentation.

Remember that just because a title has a pixel art style of graphics, does not mean that it is necessarily using true 240p base assets. Many pixel art style games merely mimic this art style and applying a pre-scale may make parts of the image or screen text illegible, rendering the game unplayable.

Recommended Settings

The table below includes some recommended settings for some popular indie titles and retro remakes that you can try with your Morph4K. Users are encouraged to add games to the table as they test them.

The table is set out as follows:-

  • Game - Title of the game being tested
  • Platform - The computer system or games console used
  • Native Res - The native resolution of the game, if known
  • System Res - The resolution the computer/console was outputting when the test was done
  • Settings - Settings for vertical and horizontal prescalers on the Morph
  • Comments - Additional comments, instructions or observations


Game
Platform Native Res
System Res Settings Comments
Celeste Steam 320x180 720p Prescale H /1 V /3
Gunlord Switch 320x240 720p Prescale H /1 V /3 In game settings – Scale X 111%, Full vertical scale off. Scanlines off. On Morph, set aspect ratio to 4:3.
Hotline Miami Steam ? 720p Prescale H /2 or /3 V /3 Horiz prescale 2 or 3 to taste, 3 gives the game a very NES aesthetic
Huntdown Steam 320x240 720p Prescale H /1 V /3 Turn off the games own CRT filters etc
Jamestown Steam 512x320 720p Prescale H /1 V /2 Set pixel perfect mode in game. v.prescale 3 will shimmer while scrolling
Metagal Steam 320x240 720p Prescale H /1 V /3
Perfect Tides Steam ? 720p Prescale H /1 V /2 V.Prescale higher than 2 will break text. May also need to zoom
Prinny – Can I Really Be the Hero? Switch 480x270 720p Prescale H /1 V /3 Originally a PSP game so assets designed for low res LCD
Rising Dusk Steam ? 720p Prescale H /1 V /4 Text may be hard to read
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Shredders Revenge Switch 480x270 720p Prescale H /1 V /3
Towerfall Ascension Steam 320x240
720p Prescale H /1 V /3 True 240p base assets, scales great
VVVVVV Windows 320x240
720p Prescale H /1 V /3 True 240p base assets, scales great
Wild Guns Reloaded Steam ? 1080p Prescale H /1 V /4 In game settings – Aspect ratio 100%, Aspect Scale 100%, Scanlines 0
Wizard of Legend Steam ? 720p Prescale H /1 V /1 Prescale is possible but makes smaller text impossible to read
Wizball (Retrospec remake) Windows 640x480 640x480 Prescale H /1 V /2 Game is forced 640x480
Xeno Crisis Steam 320x240 720p Prescale H /1 V /3 True 240p base assets, scales great