If you want the experience to be as close to original then yes, retro is the way to go and all the way.
Those games were developed and meant to be played on that hardware and I mean all the hardware besides the monitor such as 2 buttons no wheel mouse or no mouse at all and beeper sounds.

Let's not forget that CRTs monitors were kind of niche hardware to PCs, especially in the 80s, while Amigas and other PCs/HCs were generally hooked to TVs which were even less sharp and gave the games a "mushy" look that sometimes really added to their look.

0 need for a retro computer, there's tons of new games I haven't played, why would I waste time going back to really old ones. Although truth to be told, I still have packs of floppies with goldies like original Doom lol but no desire to load it up, too busy anyways

No, I just want to handle one PC.
That's why my old laptop collect dust... I don't want to sell them for a really low price because I used them a lot and I know they deserve better, but I also don't really need them.

If a game does not play great on my pc/emulators I will just play something else or play as it is.
Do not forget there are games that play better on emulator than real hardware.

Before GOG I used to have a bigger emphasis on it, but thanks to GOG, such things as my Win98 computer and a WinXP computer are now in the Garage gathering dust (no idea what to do with them TBH which is why they just sit there).

On the otherhand, I have kept an old Win7 computer around to run Star Trek Games that haven't come here (Birth of the Federation, Star Trek Armada I and II, Star Fleet Command III, Elite Force, etc).

If those ever came here, I probably would not need it anymore.

Maybe I'm just lucky but I have managed to get pretty much everything on a modern PC. I don't miss stuff like old HDD / floppy drives seek noises, noisier fans or losing 75% of my desk to a monitor, and the lightning fast save / load times on an SSD for 20 year old games or widescreen patches / source ports have added a lot in their own way. I'd also rather be able to run everything on a new PC knowing that it can be replaced, as when a lot of that retro hardware dies off and shortages start occurring, the price of what's left on Ebay, etc, is going to go through the roof. I do have a couple of spare DVD-RW drives stored away though just in case they stop making those.

No. The less clutter the better. That's why I also don't miss having to use disks/discs to play my games. Fuck that noise. Just plonk it on one of my SSDs and let's go! ;)

I also got no love left for CRTs either. They took up a lot of room, were backbreaking heavy, and squandered electricity like noone's business.

While in theory emulating sounds great, it isn't always so.

With a dedicated retro PC, not connected to web, you can reduce many overheads, including AV. Often they are more ruggedly built too ... some would describe that as ugly ... but look at my avatar, I'm a practical man first and foremost.

Maybe a CRT has a softer less sharp image that can appeal, but not being widescreen might give more appeal for those games that look better without it. Black bars can be disconcerting at times.

Each to their own though.

And of course there is always nostalgia, and having multiple tasks for a PC. A dedicated gaming one, which you've already paid for retro wise, means you can play games on it, while your newer PC does other stuff, perhaps some quite intensive (video, music, downloading, etc). Not to mention the case if you share a PC with other family members.

Yes, I have an old atom based laptop (led monitor) that runs some of the classics really well. My ryzen 7 laptop often has compatibility issues on windows 10. For instance, I was not able to run Baldur's Gate tutu on it and was forced to purchase the EE versions. I'd rather not keep toggling resolutions and modes.

The best part? It runs for 8 hours on battery and weighs 2.4 pounds (being a netbook) The keyboard conked off during the pandemic and I need to get that fixed.

Not to mention that they literally shot electrons at your retina. I'm surprised nobody's mentioned that... I remember seeing the aurora borealis with my eyes closed after a long gaming session on a CRT. Those things are really not good for your eyes, I'm glad the technology is pretty much obsolete by now.

Technically, CRT's were a type of linear particle accelerator. Aimed at your face. Hmmm.... :-/

I regret reformatting the windows 7 hard drive on my previous desktop. I remember I could run panzer general 94' on that. However, the thought of actually revisiting that game... No time for it. Weird thing was, I was going nuts on fallout 4 for about 11 months this year, then I discovered a star trek birth of the federation modded game. Now I'm going nuts on this 1999 game. Much better with ultimate mod 5.

With luck all the good old games will be modded to run on windows 10. Love OpenXcom but can't get back into a new game, or the xpiratez mod.

Guess gog and mods helps resolve this problem.

I took it that they meant the type of emulation that DOSBox does or Compatibility Mode of Windows etc. Didn't seem like they were referring to console games, but I guess they may have been ... or as well as.

Yes. This could be a me thing, but I don't feel comfortable letting the little ones play with the main PC without my full attention.

I have a couple of Amigas and a C64 that I use sporadically, but even though I miss them I've made away with CRT's because I don't have the space. Also not really missing the original experience using floppies and tapes, so using modern tech floppy drive emulators for the most part instead. Still like to hear the emulated sound from them.