Classic Game Room - VECTREX LIGHT PEN review for Vectrex

[@RocasThePenguin]

CGR Comic Book drawn exclusively on the Vectrex.

[@Ostnizdasht206]

Vectrex is love. Vectrex is life.

[@Snotnarok]

This is really impressive considering the age. I'm sat here on a modern windows-tablet drawing while watching Mark draw on this beastly large device. It's always incredible to see the roots of certain tech.

[@NaturalProgressGames]

"Because CIRCLES CAN'T HANDLE THE VECTREX!" NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND! lol

[@Undeadspelldragon]

Mark, take a picture of it with the gb camera and then print it.

[@adoboawesome]

that is probably the coolest thing I have ever seen. the way it interacts with the screen is just really awesome.

[@smashbrospippop1931]

I need one of these so bad!!! Looking at one in real life is priceless. It looks so awesome!

[@Dukefazon]

Wow, this thing is awesome! I would have loved it when I was a kid!

[@TheLastLineLive]

marks next Kickstarter is a digital album of sketches, short animations, and original music all made with the Vectrex!

[@Mace2.0]

The ultimate video game console with the ultimate accessory. 11/10: MASTERPIECE!

[@DennysFrancisco]

Vectrex was ahead of its time ;)

[@centipede167]

Wow! Vectrex really was ahead of its time!

[@CarozQH]

Drawing on the Vectrex. That's Mark's dreams come true...

[@johneygd]

Yeah it’s also my dream to use a light pen whether it’s on a C64 ,vectrex,amiga 500 etc,,, it would feel sooo magic if you could use an old crt tv to simulate a touch screen using the light pen.isn’t it????

[@jerodpark5929]

How does this thing even work??? I understand the NES ways of the Light Gun. It's basically a strobe light on slo-mo. I sort of understand touch screens and either mapping out a thin layer of pressure sensitive/heat sensitive/static sensitive...well, I did say 'sort of'. But...this thing. It's seeing black on black. It's just a vacuum tube. And, it even sees in 3-D by knowing when it's away from the tube. Perhaps if there were tiny lines racing from one side to the other for the eye to see, it might make sense. But, I can see nothing. After all, the Vectrex is kind of like a 1-bit graphic. It's either white lines or black background. Using point dots to connect lines on on-the-fly, it was an amazing effect that used practically no RAM space in the process. But, I see no trace of a white line strobe for the pen to map to. Nor did they have tiny cameras for it to see with, like practically everything has in this day and age. No, sir. Don't understand this kind of technology, at all. Simply put, the Vectrex was like BetaMax. Truly the superior device that failed to win the hearts of the masses to an inferior machine. Now, I must ponder if Atari 2600's BASIC cart could handle Lord Karnage's graphic representation? Part of me says 'Never'. The other part says, "Better it keep trying to play Chess." (Which was amazing to think it could even handle the logic.)

[@presswt]

+Jerod Park The screen doesn't detect anything it's all in the pen. It's like OCR, it detects lines or symbols and decides where the pen is located based on that. You have to "pick up" the cross to move it and if you look carefully you can see that it draws concentric "rings" around the cross when it moves so it can detect in which direction you are moving the pen. The software actually doesn't know at all where the pen is unless it's pointed at something detectable on the screen. So it works exactly like the zapper just with more advanced software. The reason it seems to know that the pen isn't held near the screen is because it can no longer detect the lines on the screen, if you put the pen right up to the screen in a completely black area the cross won't move there.

[@MattMcIrvin]

The software draws the vectors on the screen in a particular order--the spot of light isn't scanning like a raster in a regular pattern, but it *is* following a particular pattern that the Vectrex's software knows. If the pen is looking at a vector, the software can use the timing of the pen's light detections to determine where that is. You'll notice that as he moves the pen around, a crosshair on the screen follows it so that the pen is always looking at vectors. If it looks at an empty part of the screen, the software has to draw an expanding search pattern so the pen can find a vector to look at--then the Vectrex can find the location of the pen.

[@ninjamaster3453]

happy little trees on the vectrex. just need the fro

[@HeyShnubby]

Wow, you seriously love your vectrex! Great video as always, I always look forward to these! Keep it up :)

[@Sc0pee]

Better than an iPad.

[@Luma38]

+Sc0pee Better than Apple Pencil :P

[@0M9H4X_Neckbeard]

+simoncool38 It is indeed better than the Apple Pencil because this actually has Palm rejection LOL

[@johneygd]

Better then the apple pencil because it doesn’t need battery’s.

[@GamingPalOllieMK]

God how I wish I had a vectrex, never seen one at flea markets and importing a heavy system like this to my country would be hell

[@Riz2336]

That's pretty cool. I didn't know you could draw on that thing. It's certainly better than Color A Dinosaur on NES

[@johneymute]

The vectrex has no touch screen, but with the right software and the magic light pen, now you can turn your vectrex screen into a touch screen, now if they will also invent a small lightpen wich you could put on your vinger using a wrispstrap, you can get a more closer experience of using a virtual touch screen with it on the vectrex.

[@johneysupergd7796]

What a shame that you cannot save your drawings, probably because sram along with battery was too expensive, ditn't existed at the time or couldn't be fit on the cartride, and a tape recorder would,ve be impractical to use it. Technically speaking i know how the zapper & super scope works but how does the software know at wich position you pointing the pen? Does it work similar like the light gun zapper? It's just mind blowing.

[@johneygd]

Finding a light pen for the vectrex is hard as they became very rare now these day's,so you must be really lucky to own one(!). 1 it's possible that the light pen works by timing the electron beam wich strikes the serface of the screen to know that position of it that way, or 2 it might work on a totall different principle since the screen on the vectrex uses vector graphics rather then raster graphics,so who ever knows am curious about it.

[@bjy128]

It uses both methods depending on what program is being used.

[@lawrencemoody738]

Holy s*** I love this guy and I love his videos...especially the ones about the vectrex. Hilarious.

[@MasterJim2020]

Bring CGR back!!! 🙌🏻

[@ArcadePlayersTV]

Arcade Never Die !

[@DaveBears]

All mighty Lord Karnage, king of the intergalactic space arcade. Could you please review a few games from the earliers DOS sytems like Jazz jackrabbit (2) or Commander Keen (series). I bow for your greatness.

[@turnerlarson12]

Anyone watch Danger 5? If so did anyone notice Mussolini was playing Vectrex in the Japanese death robot episode? Such an awesome show.

[@MitsuhashiTakashi]

It's one of my favorite shows

[@Moonfreeze]

You should also check out Garth Marengis Darkplace. Very simular in style.

[@turnerlarson12]

I'm a one track lover Down a two way lane

[@kmichael9787]

you've gotta do an entire comic on the Vetrex!

[@rynmaymay9309]

Ds:Im the first video game system with a touch screen Game.com:B...h,please Vectrex:B...hes,please

[@clutchkman]

That's pretty cool. Who needs circles anyway?

[@Sebastian1011]

VECTREX FOR PRESIDENT

[@DawingmanT900]

"With the Vectrex, anything is possible............. except circles"

[@batmangovno]

This thing makes Vectrex a touch-screen device. FROM 1980s!

[@mamesushi136]

Pure awesomeness!

[@tziuriky86]

1.5 mhz CPU and 1KB of RAM! Way more than you'll ever need!

[@LaVeyCharkusVeros]

If you can't draw circles on the Vectrex, how are you supposed to draw Ethel's... eyes?

[@SakuraAvalon]

+LaVey Charkus Veros Or her body. A lot of curves...

[@LaVeyCharkusVeros]

Roxie ღ That was the joke. XD

[@SakuraAvalon]

***** Just noticed the ellipses. xD

[@aeris2001]

2nd generation video game console? Incredible

[@ORLY911]

Vectrex 2016

[@presswt]

Vectrex 3D glasses review when!?

[@schtive81]

This is pretty impressive, actually.

[@RetroGamesMT]

This is awesom!

[@MrDylan9023]

You need to draw all of your comics on the vectrex.

[@EugeneHKrabs-zq5bv]

amazing console

[@TheYakuzac]

Hail to the great Vectrex.We are not worthy!

[@iam16bits]

Move over Photoshop and Manga Studio, The Vectrex Light Pen is the future of art!

[@woobyvr9654]

Vectrex It's beautiful 😱

[@clearlypellucid]

Is your Vectrex exploding or does it just have some difficulty with yon light pen?

[@aaronloehr4161]

New show on PBS: The Joy of Vectrex with Mark Bussler. Make it happen.

[@magikman79]

How do you deal with the Vectrex Constant audio shit?

[@LJW1912]

Does anyone else feel that Mark should do a comic where the Vertex fights the R-zone?

[@ogi4383]

Ale to już było ! A jednak nie było!

[@cgraham6]

Edit Station One does need hands to drink beer, now doesn't it?

[@0Raik]

Pencil-Vania Figures

[@leandrooliveira3070]

Raik noticed that too lol

[@0M9H4X_Neckbeard]

on the card i read "i wish i had NANDs" as in NAND storage lol

[@oi23origin]

... The Vectrex essentially had a touch screen in 1983? Damn. Suck it NDS, copying the best system of all time. .-.

[@Sc0pee]

+oi23origin Vectrex doesn't have a touch screen though. This works on the same principle as the Zapper for the NES.

[@Sc0pee]

***** Yeah but it's pretty inaccurate, so there are limitations what can be done with it =)

[@johneygd]

Oi27 vectrex light pen works on the same principle of the C64 & amiga light pen, the nes zapper works on a much more simple apprough,

[@MattMcIrvin]

Light pens are *old*--they're possibly the first positional computer input device, older than mice, let alone touch screens. They were first invented for military systems in the 1950s, for interacting with things like missile-targeting displays.

[@KingToll]

I have to say that the vectrex is a really cool concept. WAY better than the usual piece of crap technology you could get at the time.

[@ObitoSigma]

How big is the modding community?

[@pascalampere6098]

My Vectrex is jealous!!

[@katiejesse1562]

It has a ps1 controller on the front packaging!

[@cubansupreme]

you know, if there were more innovative features and do-hickies added into the Vectrex and that Light pen, could we finally possibly have Indie Vectrex games in the coming future? COME ON BINDING OF ISAAC RETREX/AFTERTREX!!!!!!!!!!! NO, EVEN BETTER, COSMIC CARTREX!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@TrippinDrago]

"That's getting into teaching the universe a lesson territory!" I think you mispronounced 'multiverse', Mark.

[@energforce8287]

VECTREX

[@BanjoKazooie0]

1:22 Heheheh the Light-pen is pretty light

[@Ragnamune]

Cosmic Death Brick!!!

[@only257]

Awesome😜

[@mrblonde609]

2:28 so the lightpen came from PENCILvania? noice.

[@brettprichard7066]

4:15 - Eh, still better than Crazy Bus.

[@WhatTheAlva]

For real though, how the heck does that even work?

[@GigaTrope]

+WhatTheAlva Crazy technology from the far future of 1997!

[@somethingsomething3313]

Google told me that the software on the program cartridges places a "crosshair" on the screen or monitors predetermined text menu selections. By aiming the Lightpen at this crosshair it draws a shape similar to a bullseye. As the pen is moved, it crosses the rings of the bullseye and this new position is detected and made to be the new center. In this manner the bullseye crosshair may be dragged across the screen. If it is lost by the Lightpen, it must be "picked up" again. But I don't care, I still say we'll never understand this alien technology.

[@gggg-dt4hj]

looks like autocad

[@account01]

for Ve

[@johneysupergd7796]

KZbinrs,, while it is cool to be able to draw stuff on it, but the bullshit part is 1 , that the drawing space is limited and you cannot tell were those boundary’s are, and 2, there are only a limited amount of lines you can draw on screen, so once you reach the limit, you will hear a beep sound,so if you try to keep drawing ,it will ignoire it,, that’s sooo f!cking bullshit, so for instance if you want to draw mario ,well you can only draw mario with limited details , and that’s bullshit.

[@LD-cj3ov]

Light pen

[@MactarJr]

apple pencil < vectrex light pen

[@pinya4020]

i want one, lol

[@spookyghost7524]

Jesus the coked up chicken?

[@kyanhluong]

Try to make your title out of vextrex (lol)

[@MarcosValverde_mcs]

Vectrex >>>>>>>>>>>>> Virtual Boy

[@yumrobfirttyducker7524]

Oink!

[@watson5383]

lmao

[@adamd3441]

This thing sucks!