Vectrex - Gaming Historian

[@Billy2600]

My dad's first job was fixing vectrex machines. I'd really like to get him one, but as stated in the video, they're pretty expensive.

[@Video-Games-Are-Fun]

so? buy it. he will appreciate it. these machines are cheaper than the lowest capacity iphone or android phone. come on.

[@Billy2600]

***** I don't have the money for one.

[@pazuzu810]

iphones are expensive

[@ZachAttackIsBack]

Get him a broken one. It's not like he wouldn't know how to fix it.

[@Terilice1]

First job? What are you jesus

[@NadaCero]

Classic Game Room's favorite console

[@skelterinpink]

Im surprised somebody noticed that!

[@youtubedragon679]

yeeeeaaaa

[@skelterinpink]

Or the Genesis.

[@NMV-eq5jt]

👍

[@bigstupidgrin]

actually that is the R-Zone

[@jimmihenry]

Vectrex games were challenging and fast! This little machine has it's unique personality. It is a outstanding piece of equipment!

[@YokiDokiPanic]

My local game shop has one of those in its retro corner. I always wondered what that thing was, but none of the store people seemed to have any idea of what that was..

[@dennisneo8253]

Wow you're kidding. It's a must for a game collector.

[@mrs.yellow_ledbetter2911]

The Vectrex was way before its time. I want one so bad, with the light pen, but it's pretty pricey on ebay, even for some of the games alone.

[@tael64]

I saw one today with the controllers and manual for $250. The games were separate with no boxes or overlays, too.

[@mrs.yellow_ledbetter2911]

Yeah I usually see them go for 300, but typically not with any games, so that's a good deal. Sadly, I won't be able to afford chucking 250 at something like that. I just hope I get to try it out at least once in my lifetime. :) You're lucky you came across one! I only see them on ebay, and there's barely any on ebay as it is.

[@clongoram]

Mrs. Yellow_Ledbetter 250 to 300 plus shipping. Thats a hefty price for a 80's console. All the same its a sweet looking piece of retro!

[@Wflash00]

As much as emulation does work to PLAY the games, it doesn't feel anything like playing the actual system. It makes me sad.

[@DrymouthCWW]

+Wflash00 ahh man that sux..

[@jaide1312]

Sad that it wasn't succesfull, the games look great compared to atari.

[@jaide1312]

***** what the ass arw you talking about?

[@max.vtk_]

Its a no funny joke on KZbin.

[@GiordanDiodato]

well they couldn't do anything with the crash of 1983

[@chuckobscure]

Every game is a space shooter.

[@pappaslivery]

chuckobscure only half of the games were space shooters. Both football and soccer we're better than early nes sports games. Analog input and rendering make for much better gameplay than most early consoles. The drawback was the black and white only.

[@texasturner2313]

I got one of these for Christmas in 1983.I still got it with 7 game cartridges plus the game it came with. Super fun games. Played it for years.

[@CoutureThug]

Did you have the colored screens you could put over it? I had a couple but never really used them

[@brillopad6911]

I'm still kicking myself for selling mine back in 92 or 93, I loved mine growing up and played the piss out of it. If I could ever track another one down I will definitely pick it up. The only thing I have left is the box. That was such a cool era of gaming.

[@Bjorick]

since the piss was already taken out of it, it's probably a good thing you sold it.....

[@barrybicepsakafreddyflapja1399]

Couldn’t agree more. I’ve been hunting for a quality vectrex for 18 months now, i have 6 grand invested so far and keep coming up short. Every model i’ve gotten my hands on is missing it’s piss

[@cjtaylor2359]

@@barrybicepsakafreddyflapja1399 sounds like a waste of money. Seems like a testament to your love of the thing. I hope you find one soon.

[@MegaZeta]

And Vectrex is a telling example of how disastrous a failure a console could be. It was ridiculously expensive to make, meaning it was born a disaster. I have to chuckle at whatever knucklehead at Milton Bradley got sold that song and dance.

[@mr.ponitronic6073]

@@barrybicepsakafreddyflapja1399 Just put new piss into it.

[@andersdenkend]

Man, I love the Vectrex. The vector graphics amazed me even in around 2000, when I saw it for the first time ever. Gorgeous.

[@VisitorOf22]

I still own one, still working, with 7 games but no more controller :( LONG LIVE THE '80s!!

[@briannorris796]

Still have mines

[@Parallax2012]

I also still have mine, bought from Federated Department Store in Cerritos, CA in 1982. It also has 7 games. They all work but some of the copper contacts have rubbed thin and it takes some precise fiddling to load properly sometimes. I haven't taken it out of the box in a long time (several moves later).

[@ruy1981]

"You bet your ASSteroids"... impecable marketing.

[@vito7428]

I am Hit-Girl Truly impeccable.

[@alext9844]

Impeccably impeccable

[@LadyDLS]

The Dank Knight P' L

[@MrLordpistoia]

That's amazing marketing what are you talking about

[@vhsorion]

The Dank Knight like something from avgn

[@Lucario340]

Wow, the 3d imager games look better than the virtual boy. Go figure

[@MaoRatto]

Sauron Damn it is smexy, this is one of the few systems in its day that had music I believe and well, something called voice samples and cutscenes, this is the future of the past. :(

[@MegaZeta]

LOL, no, kid.

[@MegaZeta]

@@MaoRatto Unfortunately, all that meant Vectrex cost way too much to produce, which means that it was born a failure. It wasn't cut out for the real world.

[@dub2536]

That machine was at its time better than most arcade machines no doubt. I have not played it since 1983, but I never forgot how badly I desired to own one at the age of ten.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

And it used a mechanical spinning disc, which is unusual. They are ultra rare to find working.

[@hauntedvoid]

Another fun fact about this console is that it was used on X-Wing Targeting System... Mind blowing

[@andrewmckee6580]

No it wasnt...the game Star Hawk is basically a ripoff of the trench run. A friend has a beautifully restored arcade version of Star Hawk and I always love playing it.

[@alleged_lobotomite]

@Something Studios He's joking, the Vectrex was 5 years after Star Wars

[@DarkHypernova]

I kind of like the illuminating graphics, it reminds of those good old 70s 80s sci-fi movies like Alien.

[@TeranIcer]

Glad to join the old schoolers who also play Vectrex. My fav 5: 1. Cosmic Chasm 2. Armor Attack 3. Fortress of Narzod 4. Clean Sweep 5. Web Wars

[@jamieg8627]

Man I still can't get over your channel. I'm usually not a fan of history, but I love video games! :3 Never thought putting the 2 together would actually work. Thanks Norm! ^3^

[@CeeTeeUSA]

My friend had this when I was a kid in the 80s. It was mind blowing back then. That was 40 years ago, can't believe it. Had an Apple 2, back then, having a floppy disk drive was advanced..

[@ModernPatriotsUnited]

I was 4 years old and I loved Vectrex!! I can't remember where I played it, but it was amazing and ahead of it's time. I also loved playing the old Vector graphics games like Star Wars in the arcades.

[@MrHatoi]

7:21 Ha! For once WE'RE the ones who gets something released exclusively here, and not Japan!

[@chrisbecker5886]

My grandfather bought one of these at a yard sale for me to play at thier house when I was a kid. I remember him setting it up on the kitchen table when I was like 6or 7. It wasn't my nes but since I wasn't allowed to take it to thier house I remember playing it with him and having a lot of fun. Awesome video. Thanks!

[@boxerblake1]

The explosions look awesome in the games, especially Asteroids.

[@HyperRush79]

Wow actually the sound is pretty damm good!

[@redpheonix1000]

It uses a General Instruments AY-3-8912 sound chip, the exact same (or very close to) as used in other systems like the ZX Spectrum 128k, or the Atari ST. The Sega Master System also had a very similar sound chip

[@GenerationX-WingPodcast]

My parents rented this for my birthday as a kid. Great memories and lots of fun.. wish I had one now.!

[@aleronhawk]

I love the opening when you combine the majestic music from 2001 space odyssey & the anticlimatic boot up sound of vectrex. Amuses me everytime i watch this video.

[@wendellpowell5838]

I still have one with all the games.. I remember going to my grandmother's house and playing this all the time.. She gave it to me a few years ago before she passed away..

[@treksterjsc]

I still own the Vectrex I received for Christmas 1983. I now boot it up each Christmas eve with my Children. Still a complete joy to play after all of these years!

[@s.f.l382]

Hey man if your still around i hope you are well. I can watch your videos all day. If you ever do another video can you do one on the atari lynx. Stay safe

[@thomaslouis5626]

My brother and I each got one for Christmas in 1982. I wanted one so badly and I spent that entire summer having endless anticipation, TV commercials were being aired but wasn't released yet. Within a few months both our monitors burned out 😞

[@supershoo4518]

it's impossible to not love the vectrex.

[@codo8584]

Shoo hoo I don't like the controller, but I agree the console itself is great

[@MegaZeta]

Unless you're whatever executive at Milton Bradley got conned into green-lighting a system so expensive to manufacture that it had zero chance of turning a profit, even taking games into account. Make no mistake: Vectrex may be a fun system, but it was a _terrible_ idea in practice, a born failure.

[@MegaZeta]

Except if you're the market that was intended to buy it, sure, or people who invested in the company that made a console too expensive to ever turn a profit, and so on...

[@AntDzn]

you bet your asstroids

[@selfmadegrammarnazi6916]

@@MegaZeta You do realise much more expensive stuff succeded, right?

[@DP3com]

THANK YOU for posting this video. I remember one of my uncle's owning this and I was fortunate enough to play it. However, I couldn't remember the name of the system. Nostalgia trip all over again.

[@L33PL4Y]

It's great the way you can take a subject I've never heard of and make it interesting. That's the point of history lessons after all. Well done. I have to give you massive kudos for that Donkey Kong Game Boy theme cover you had in the video. It took me by such surprise and I was so happy to hear it that I had to back up the video a little to listen to the dialogue, because when that song came on it's all I could listen to. Too cool.

[@Tyler-hh9uc]

The Vectrex is by far my favorite system. I actually have 3 of them at my place, with 3D Imager, light pen, and several limited run games along with a bunch of games.

[@radicalthunder5740]

Bs

[@christopherbrasher433]

My Grandfather has an original 'Asteroids' arcade at his house and it plays sooooo smooth. It's hard to explain how smooth some of the older games/arcades were..

[@PaulSmith-pe1kh]

Really love and enjoy your work. Please keep it up and increase it as well. I enjoy it perhaps more than any single other channel. Thank you for bringing back so many great memories. My dad died two weeks ago and I’ve enjoyed listening to your videos while being busy and have gone back and played some of the classics I used to play with him since you reminded me of them, Mario and Mario 3. Some others I can’t remember the names of. There was one he and I played more than any other game. I think it was NES and was a top down shooter about perhaps two angels? It was I think a blue pants wearing angel man and maybe a green pants wearing angel man. They shot upward toward the top of the screen and flew over distant lands below while constantly traveling upwards. I can’t for the life of me remember the title but we loved it. I remember hours with him next to me and all the frustrations and laughs and beating our chests. And of course Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat, but I was a year or two older then and he couldn’t keep up anymore since I had so much practice while he was working. Anyway, thanks for your hard work. Keep it coming!

[@BoGy1980]

my nephew had a vectrex; when i was young i always wanted to go to said nephew; as i really loved playing the machine... I had my own console a few years later (a sega master system) but i never forgot about that chrystal-sharp image of the vectrex... the built-in game was my favorite game; since the vector gfx lend themselves perfect for this game! Also, no other console released since the vectrex was able to draw diagonal lines without jaggies; a diagonal line on the vectrex was like you would draw it with a pen; razor-sharp from edge to edge. I really loved this machine... (my nephew had like 15 games for it) I remember there was a game with speech in it; it was a platformer where in the beginning your girlfriend was kidnapped and she said 'Eek, help Spike' and you said "Oh No, Molly"

[@hazukidarkside]

This looks absolutely incredible! The pulsing brightness of the lines and the sound. I want one

[@medes5597]

It doesn't pulse in person. It's just how a rolling shutter effect looks with vector graphics.

[@eggbirdtherooster]

Still mad at my dad selling this thing for a bargain in the early 90's...!!

[@Daarknesss3]

Happy to see that you're still uploading. Keep up the good work!

[@breadandcircuses5644]

Hi from Germany. My friend and I had one Vectrex each. I think it was 1984 or so. I had Srcamble and Berzerk and he had a football game among others. Since we both had a controller, we could play 2v2 games. It was amazing. We both loved the Vectrex!

[@jasonswoger410]

My uncle had one of these still around in the 90's I used to play it whenever I went to his house as a kid

[@ikonix360]

There used to be a board called the Zektor Vector Generator that could plug up to various vector monitors and even included a cable to allow it to be directly plugged into the Vecterex. The board was used with a computer running MAME to allow the vector arcade games to be played on a vector monitor.

[@Ramjet164]

I live in England and unfortunately I've never seen or played one of these. I'm going to have to get one imported, it looks and sounds amazing!

[@Dan-lf6bo]

They are. I have one and I must say that for storage and cleaning, this thing is one of the easiest to store and clean. Even the cartridges are a piece of cake to disassemble and clean.

[@pappaslivery]

Europe got them under Milton Bradley

[@JakeMcaulay]

man been loving your videos found one last night and i've just been on a mission to watch em all keep up the good work =D

[@funnyperson4027]

I have come across this after scrolling through your channel... and I have to say, glad you changed the intro

[@RipRoaringGarage]

I adored this game. I have some good memories, some of the few with my father. I really want to play and hear those sounds again. Talk about better times...

[@GreenLinzerd]

Wow! This looks legitimately amazing! Though I must ask: How exactly did they even manage it? How does one make a screen that produces vector graphics?

[@powder-phun949]

In a normal CRT display a beam of electrons scans across the screen and is rapidly turned on and off producibg rows of on/off pixels. All they had to do is scrap the original driver and replace it with a custom one that can move it to any place on the screen

[@pappaslivery]

BrownieComicWriter when you turn up the brightness, you see the two points that are key, then the line between is scanned. The limit is number of lines and occasionally it lags due to complex drawings

[@mdmenzel]

BrownieComicWriter an oscilloscope-like display.

[@MegaZeta]

By building a home system that was so expensive to produce, it would have been guaranteed to fail even if it sold well. This was the age of high con artistry in video game companies.

[@MabuseXX]

Mega Zeta vector monitors are cheap.....even than.

[@SuperLuigiSixty4]

I played a Vectrex once, in the early 90's. Some kid I was visiting had one. I've never been in the same room as one since.

[@tonyisgolden5136]

This was a pretty cool idea. It's nice that the screen is built in and the controller can come out of the front like that.

[@doonray]

Do I want a Vectrex? You bet you're assteroids!

[@Enygma702]

I'm glad you're making videos and reviews again! Keep it up! I'm always a fan!

[@mdudegamer]

It's a mesmerizing visual display... definitely a cool piece of tech.

[@EsquireFox]

I love my Vectrex! I own over 20 games from the original library and I've even started looking into the fan-made games recently. It is amazing that there are programmers out there that are still dedicated to making games for this system. I ordered Vector Pilot from a fellow in Germany named Kristof and it has since become my favorite game for the system.

[@roffelomat4643]

One of the graetes childhoodmemories of mine is batteling for a MineStorm Highscore with my cousin. I couldnt beat the fourth level but it was fun. Its the crown of my videogamecollection today. Thanks for the memories

[@BelovedAxle]

i wonder what a modern version of this technology would look like

[@Alex-oz9eh]

probably like a vr headset

[@CherryPixelBun]

Wouldn't that pretty much be a portable game console, or do you mean the specific tabletop design?

[@pigs18]

Mono chromatic, doesn't hook up to a tv but isn't exactly portable either, unique display, doesn't have third party support. Not today modern, but the Virtual Boy would be more modern.

[@GWinterbornYT]

It was portable enough. It was small and didn't really weigh anything. We used to take it back and forth to our great grandmother's when we didn't feel like hooking up the Nintendo over there. It also allowed us to play nonstop, since the tv was free. Unfortunately, most if the games are pretty lean.

[@Gojiro7]

probably a flat screen monitor and small area behind it for the guts of the system, it would probably take up as much space as a mini PC.

[@stevenmorse4955]

I recall this being around and never had a chance to even watch it action. Interesting to see, would have enjoyed the idea then of my own screen and no hogging living room tv.

[@platinumuschannel]

Bought one at a yard sale many years ago. The seller thought it was tv and had no clue how to work it.

[@stevejoseph381]

I had one back in the day..loved it..was easy to take over to friends houses..and as you said monitor included!

[@deanrock7838]

I have a vectrex , still own to this day

[@ethanlautzenhiser4152]

Can I have it ??????

[@NateM31190]

i didnt know vectrex had such history, i loved it as a kid still have it sitting in my closet. Football on this was quite fun.

[@NateM31190]

ill have too loo into it idk if id be able to part with it lol

[@wakcedout]

A local game store by me actually has one of these. It's interesting to know about this systems existence and then stumble on seeing one later. Out of my price range but every time I go there for either retro games or miniatures I can't help but just take a glance at it behind their counter

[@tysonasaurus6392]

Vector graphics are still so beautiful

[@robertadavies4236]

I still have my Vectrex and game library. Spent many, many happy hours on that thing back in the day. Now that I'm living in the UK, I really need to get an adaptor for it so I can play with it again.

I remember when I was a kid, there was this arcade at the mall that featured one of the Vectrex games. The one that looks like you're flying a craft inside the Death Star trench. It was shaped like an upright Nasa space shuttle and you sat inside the thing and it had a joystick with buttons. I also remember it was super expensive to play.

[@TheGoddamnJefe]

I have this system. Just now played it. Still holds up.

[@StormsparkPegasus]

I had one of these as a kid (gotten when it was new). After I moved out it stayed in my parents attic for about 15 years, and I got it back after that. Played it for awhile, but due to financial issues and a big move I ended up selling it in 2007. It was a fun little system, but these days I'd rather just emulate it.

[@lliaolsen728]

Finally!!! I had totally forgotten what this was called but played it a lot.

[@CZpersi]

I just had a chance to play the original Vectrex in a private video-game museum. It is amazingly sharp and fluid. So much ahead of its time.

[@ghettoflyer]

Thanks for doing a review on the vectrex I had no idea there was a 3D peripheral for this system till Sean Orange mentioned it on Famicom Dojo

[@pappaslivery]

this was the gaming system we had growing up. still have it. it is built like a tank, and true analog controls are awesome. my dad got it because it didn't use our tv. the 3d glasses go for more than the system. although there are some guys making home brew ones. I should go dust mine off.

[@rezcalm3633]

Any visuals of this thing's screen on a monitor/phone screen don't do it justice. The Vectrex is magical

[@JessHull]

I love the sound these things make

[@pigs18]

"What's this?" "A Vectrex. Go ahead, turn it on." "What's that sound?" "OMG!!! You broke it!!!!....Nah, just kidding."

[@alexcromer602]

Great video, missed you at Retropalooza hope you can make it next year.

[@connormclernon26]

I've seen one of these in a video game store in this area.

[@BoomBaaamBoom]

you do a great job! i'm not even into retro gaming and still watch you channel!

[@commentcopbadge6665]

Nostalgia came over me when I heard the sounds beginning at 5:15-5:53. I was taken back to 1983 era of pool halls and bowling alleys.

[@acereport8939]

I had one of those game watches! I mostly played it at school. Eventually the joystick wore out but I remember that it lasted for a long time anyway.

[@NolanderTCG]

This video convinced me to pick up a Vectrex at my local game store. I now own 12 games, as well as the original light pen. I want to complete the library now.

[@vhsorion]

I remember playing the vectrex for the first time, it was 2017, my summer camp, one of the counselors brought his vectrex to the computer lab, I was playing that.

[@Blueniter]

Vectrex looking really cool to be honest

[@expert2090]

great video as usual Norm, i learned a lot about how awesome the vectrex is! I even made a presentation in college informing everyone on the vectrex thanks to your video, keep it up!

[@Thorz74]

I had one of these. My brother and I really enjoyed it when we were like 7-9 years old. The games were hard!

[@PEZhead5432109876]

Great as always! One small suggestion i have is altering/re-doing your opening sequnce to include the 3DS and (once it comes out) the Wii U.

[@Jouco]

Picked one up at a local flea market for 20€ and it came with 10 games complete in box, love this machine!

[@richardsaddress580]

I still have mine. My uncle bought one for my family back in the day. I have the animation pen too, which was awesome. I never got to try the 3D thingy. I looooved the Vectrex. I didn't know about the GCE game watches, I'd love to have one of those.

[@JoyVisionStudio]

I seen one in a children's hospital as a kid. I got to play a game or two and thought it was awesome.

[@theshak06]

You deserve waaay more views man

[@retromentodo]

Vectrex was the Wii U of 80s

[@EazyEric]

how?

[@bringbackcaramel2302]

+Eazy-E Gaming Revolutionary but not the best selling console of the era

[@carsonchiu6069]

+ooo 52 how the hell is the wii u revolutionary lol? failing really bad?

[@TalonTheRetroGamer]

+Carson Chiu Look at the GamePad. It seems a little gimmicky, but I think Nintendo may have something there; we won't really know its impact for years.

[@carsonchiu6069]

Talon's Electronics Mods, Repairs, and Reviews A. tablets and streaming was not invented by nintendo B. lol no, its one of the reasons why people did not want to buy the wii u, unlike the wii which people bought it because they WANTED the motion control (until most people realized its a garbage way to play most games) oh and let's forgot even nintendo themselves have cut off the wii u and is going to leave it to burn, delaying zelda u again, few new games down the line etc

[@irmercado]

Great video. I noticed the picture of CES shows the display for the VHD video disc system not the Vectrex. The VHD was a great video vinyl disc system that was never released in the US.

[@losalfajoresok]

Awesome video as always Ryan! thanks a lot for them!

[@donbdonbx]

someone gave me one of thesee when i was 15 and ive had it ever since, love it. still works!

[@jaysunten]

I bought one from Craigslist last month. I also got the multicart from eBay. I've never owned one, but I love it. Very informative video !

[@robmitchell5954]

FYI the games are not in the public domain .. the games are owned by Jay Smith who has allowed the Vectrex community to do what they wish with the original games as long as no profit are made on them if included in a multicart .. etc

[@jaroslawkaminski8921]

Damn that brings back nice memories...I was 9 in 83`...Had 7 or 8 games for this masterpiece...I believe I reached level 13 in Mine Storm......But Scramble was my favourite one... I had a dozen consols in my life but this one was the best one!

[@MRMOGAVERO]

I have my VECTREX and still play it ! I have a multicart and many games !

[@slckb0y65]

maybe it's just me, but i LOVE the wireframe artstyle of that thing, really do have it's charm. i'd love to see what could be done with the same technique and today's computing power

[@TrinidadJamesWoods]

In 1992 one of my middle school friends had a Vectrex. When we weren't playing SF2 on his SNES we were always playing his vectrex. I never knew though that it had 3D glasses.

[@nitramletnan]

I remember this console on demo in the mall. I was blown away by the vector based graphics!

[@ModernPatriotsUnited]

I remember some kids playing game watches in kindergarten. Everyone would huddle around the kid who had it and it got passed around so everyone could play. Good times.

[@amead78]

Growing up, a friend of mine had this. We loved played it.

[@yesitismejesuschristyourar657]

You bet your ASSteroids

[@icarus9340]

Yes it is me Jesus Christ your argument is invalid

[@Angie2343]

Sounds like what the AVGN would say!