23rd March 2016, 3:09 PM
The problem is that the N64 implemented bilinear filtering rather badly. Even modern consoles usually still use bilinear, or rarely trilinear filtering for their anti-aliasing, so it's clear it can look far better than what the N64 did. Further, it applied it to the entire image in an absolute way that affected 2D sections, such as a game's UI. The 2D sections certainly didn't need such filtering.
Antialiasing does improve the look, and when I compare Super Mario 64 to it's DS port, the lack of antialiasing stands out pretty clear. I wouldn't want to go without the effect entirely. However, it's application of the effect washes a lot out. It's a pretty harsh tradeoff, so I can understand a group wanting to find a good balance. Modern emulators just substitute superior antialiasing so it isn't an issue on them, generally.
I don't know all the details, but lately I've read that the later run (colored) N64 consoles actually had a superior implementation of bilinear filtering and games tend to look a lot less blurry on those later revisions, while still sporting antialiasing.
Antialiasing does improve the look, and when I compare Super Mario 64 to it's DS port, the lack of antialiasing stands out pretty clear. I wouldn't want to go without the effect entirely. However, it's application of the effect washes a lot out. It's a pretty harsh tradeoff, so I can understand a group wanting to find a good balance. Modern emulators just substitute superior antialiasing so it isn't an issue on them, generally.
I don't know all the details, but lately I've read that the later run (colored) N64 consoles actually had a superior implementation of bilinear filtering and games tend to look a lot less blurry on those later revisions, while still sporting antialiasing.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)