Analog formats are back to save us from the inundation of digital malaise. Racket points to an “insane” demand for CRT television sets in the Twin Cities area.

Retro video gamers are the driving force, lured to the dated tech because, well, old systems look like shit on 4K LCDs. VHS and DVD enthusiasts have stoked the boom, as has a less tangible reaction to the algorithmic, AI-supercharged feeds streaming across modern TVs. The thrum, the glow, the physical media rituals—there’s analog comfort to CRTs in an increasingly ugly digital world.

I still have my Super NES for this reason alone.