These retro TVs look cool but they’re hiding a deal-breaking secret

• Way too expensive for a fake CRT
• TVs are dying out with no replacements coming

I grew up with VHS tapes, so I’m well aware of the nostalgia people have for that era. I recently tried to watch some VHS tapes on an old CRT TV I found in the trash with a built-in VCR, and the results weren’t pretty. I very much believe this is an example of a format that’s better off being lost to time. VHS tapes already weren’t known for their quality, and that’s abundantly clear now in 2026. I hardly watch DVDs anymore since Blu-rays came out, but I’d take DVD quality over VHS any day of the week.

That’s why I think it’s surprising to see such a demand growing for a return to this world. It’s been boiling to the point where a company called RetroBox is releasing a VHS and TV combo for a whopping $400. No matter the way you slice it, this is a hefty price tag, and it’s one that I think makes no sense at all. Even today, CRTs aren’t particularly difficult to track down. I’ve picked three of them — including a Sony Trinitron — out of the trash over the past few years.

I couldn’t imagine spending $400 to watch something in an inferior format, and that’s if I ignored the most egregious part of the whole thing — these RetroBox TVs aren’t even true CRT TVs.

Way too expensive for a fake CRT

There are real options available

The draw of nostalgia is very powerful. Believe me, I know. I have so many Game Boys lying around my house, and I don’t have time to play them all. However, I believe a Game Boy holds value today since I can still play physical cartridges on them, and they still look just fine. A VHS tape doesn’t have that same experience, and it certainly won’t in the RetroBox TV. Instead of going for an actual CRT, which, to be fair, isn’t exactly feasible, the TVs are emulating the look instead.

I like having the option for things like CRT scanlines when I’m emulating, but I certainly wouldn’t enjoy paying $400 for that feature. At this price, I’d much rather have a real CRT TV with a VCR. I know that ship sailed a long time ago, but it really takes away a lot of the value.

If you’re after strictly aesthetics, then you can do far worse than this. I also like the addition of HDMI, composite, S-Video, and component ports. This makes it easy to hook up any hardware, both new and old, without running into compatibility problems. I don’t think something like a Nintendo 64 will look as good on this TV as it would on a true CRT TV, but it’s better than nothing, I suppose.

I couldn’t imagine spending $400 to watch something in an inferior format, and that’s if I ignored the most egregious part of the whole thing — these RetroBox TVs aren’t even true CRT TVs.

It’s becoming difficult to track down TVs with a wide range of support like this. I found something like it at a thrift store last year, but it didn’t have a 4:3 aspect ratio, so I can’t deny that this TV is filling a niche, no matter how small it might be. I still wouldn’t pay anywhere close to $400 for a TV like this, but I can see why some other people would.

TVs are dying out with no replacements coming

Could be a different landscape in a decade

Not to make you aware of your mortality or anything like that, but more CRT TVs die each day, and since there aren’t any new ones hitting the market, we’re looking at an increasingly smaller number of them being available. It doesn’t feel like that long ago that thrift stores would flat out refuse to take them, and now people sell them on Facebook Marketplace for a few hundred dollars. If you live in a city, there’s still a chance you can get them from the trash, but you certainly see fewer of them out on the road like that.

There will eventually be a day when the only way to relive this era will be through reproductions such as this RetroBox. A lot of strides are being made where a CRT isn’t explicitly needed, and devices like the RetroTink have come a long way. For many people, nothing beats that soft hum of a CRT, though.

For what it’s worth, if there was a way to just get the TV and omit the VCR, I’d be more open to the idea. I don’t know how much cost that adds to the entire build, but I can’t bring myself to use a VCR ever again. The quality is just not worth it, and even though I grew up using tapes, I don’t think nostalgia can save that for me. Much like the TVs, these tapes are degrading as well, and there’s going to be no replacement for them either. Fortunately, that’s a much easier pill for me to swallow. Meanwhile, I’ll be sad when my CRT TV finally bites the dust.