Vectrex Mini a Good Idea, When Will Disc Consoles Fail -

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Would a Vectrex mini be a good idea, when will disc consoles fail, what does Frank think of internet fame, and more!
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[@neverwin2518]

I think Vectrex was so niche back in the day that trying to carve out a market so microscopic would be kind of silly...

[@LimeEye13]

Steve Ditko for my money was the best Spider-Man artist as he established Peter Parker as the geek he’s supposed to be. Romita without question was a master artist and storyteller taking the character where he needed to go, but he made Peter a bit too good looking. Either way, both those artist were just brilliant in establishing Spider-Man lore still used today.

[@rhdata05]

Stay strong Andrew!

[@ThatsOnYoutube]

Even better idea: Life-sized Vectorman

[@midimusicforever]

Note the concealed burn, where Ian said people would recognize him in the Chameleon days, but not now. Amico = crickets!

[@richarde2001]

Hey!!..Thanks for putting me on the CU Podcast!!..Rich from Cincinnati!!..Keep up the great work!!..Subscribed monthly!!..You guys are the #1 KZbinrs I watch!!..Love the videos!!

[@cozmicmojo2181]

The Vectrex scene is deep. Check out the blacklight overlays. Its not niche anymore. Very popular

[@MisterCasket]

Holy crap that's amazing! Didn't know about those, thanks!

[@TBustah]

The Poliwhirl line can learn Hypnosis, but the swirl is unrelated. It’s actually supposed to be their intestines (with the skin over their bellies being transparent). They’re based on a real-world tadpole that has transparent belly skin (that of the glass frog, which is also what Kermit is based on), and as Ian alluded, it’s series creator Satoshi Tajiri’s favorite Pokemon. That’s probably why there was so much Poliwhirl merchandise in the early days.

[@TwinOpinion]

I think a 4k or 8k oled display could get pretty damn close to the look of a vector display. The problem is these mini consoles tend to target sub 1080p resolutions, which leave no pixel space for proper shaders and effects to simulate the look of a vector display. Some of the new CRT filters people have developed recently require 4k to pull off properly. They are getting DAMN close to delivering a legitimate CRT look. Right now, I don't think any company would be willing to make a 4k-8k mini device. It would be too expensive to make it worth while. Someday it will be viable.

[@lasskinn474]

yeah 4k small high hz oled display would be fine. but expensive. and there's no wide market for an expensive vectrex even if you could license all the games on the system for it. now maybe for a vector atari arcade games mini, maybe that would have wider market.

[@RetroRalph]

I haven’t seen software really recreate a vector monitor correctly so my initial reaction would be “no”. The whole look of the games and the charm of the system are due to the unique look of the vector monitor IMO. I think the charm would be missing so maybe leaving it alone is best for its legacy. Or I should say, whatever legacy it has. I would probably still buy it though, if someone tried to manufacture one. 😂

[@lasskinn474]

well a smallish 4k oled screen would be plenty enough for me. there's no wide buyer base for it though, here's the thing, the vector games people actually want are tempest, asteroids and star wars. most people would think the games just as ripoffs on it.

[@TwinOpinion]

I think a 4k or 8k oled display could get pretty damn close to the look of a vector display. The problem is these mini consoles tend to target sub 1080p resolutions, which leave no pixel space for proper shaders and effects to simulate the look of a vector display. Some of the new CRT filters people have developed recently require 4k to pull off properly. They are getting DAMN close to delivering a legitimate CRT look. Right now, I don't think any company would be willing to make a 4k-8k mini device. It would be too expensive to make it worth while. Someday it will be viable.

[@zackschilling4376]

John's Pizza in Munster, IN has great crumble sausage pizza. They used to be in Calumet City, IL and they ve been around for at least 40 plus years.

[@arcadesurvival8469]

I'll try it. If you get achance try tarks pizza in galveston indiana. Pepperoni

[@zackschilling4376]

@@arcadesurvival8469 Ground Pepperoni? Thats awesome too. How far is Galveston? Im up here in the Region. EDIT Not TOO far, but I might have to make a pilgrimage one day. We used to have a trailer at Circle C Campground right by Rensselaer. It was just south of Jellystone Park, which is a lot more popular, and I believe still exists.

[@MaestroDrake]

If Vectrex Mini happened Mark Bussler and his CGR content would go back to viral.

[@danspawn85]

The R-Zone....

[@AlfredShitcocks]

I'd buy a vectrex mini, simply for nostalgia.

[@gamerguy425]

A vectrex mini might have made sense when Mark from CGR where was shouting about it in every sentence (WHEN is Virtua fighter 6 coming to Vectrex??), but the original show is long gone. There's also the issue of it being a built in vector screen so scaling it down would reduce the screen size, and the controller is suppose to fit into it.

[@KrunoslavSaho]

Hello Pat and Ian!

[@akaimizu1]

The Vectrex is a great system, though I do feel it'll be hard to sell unless it has its own screen. Anything else is just a Raster-screen interpretation of a Vector display. There's something just cool about having a screen that technically doesn't have ANY resolution limits. It's just nigh perfect lines of light. Still, without a true Vector display, I think it would be a hard sell. Even so, I might still purchase a Vectrex Mini. I actually love the NES/SNES/Genesis Mini stuff mostly because, to me, they come across as long lasting simple to use Physical Products. I also agree that the Vectrex controller wasn't good nor necessary to emulate. They could easily use a better controller for it.

[@JoshHoodSucks]

McFarlane's contribution I would say is more in convergence of panels, details and layout more so than his character design Also the webbing

[@akrites]

Capes. It's all about big capes.

[@JoshHoodSucks]

Spawn Batman 😄

[@punkloser1465]

Hey Ian so correction for the pokemon, Poliwhirl. Poliwhirl was Tajiri's (the creator) favorite pokemon and is probably a reason why it's on the cover of a TIME Magazine. Rhydon was the 1st pokemon ever created being featured in a manga. Edit: Actually if you go back and look at the promotional items, you can see Poliwhirl on the front. Cereal, BK Gold Card, Fruit Snacks and as I said, the magazine.

[@IanNewYashaTheFinalAct]

My mind immediately went to [Yoshihiro] Tajiri the pro wrestler instead of Satoshi Tajiri. They're most likely not even related, but the kanji for "Tajiri" is the same nonetheless - 田尻

[@17R3W]

15:00 I agree with Ian. The future is replacing the drive with an SD cart or SSD.

[@The90sGamingGuy]

I have never played a Vectrex.Heck didn't even know the system existed until about 2009 or 2010. Played a few games on a crappy pre-built Rasberry Pi 3 and enjoyed the asteroids like game until the Rasberry Pi literally stopped working. I would buy a Vectrex mini if it came out.

[@JZekis]

I had an Ex girlfriend who grew up with Pizza King and said it was the best pizza. She had me try it and it was fine. I told her I could make it at home and she said there was no way I could replicate it. A week later I made my imitation pizza King. "Wow this is almost exactly like Pizza King. What did you do?" "I used cheaper toppings than usual and chopped them in a food processor and then I added sugar to my pizza sauce recipe" She got very mad at me.

[@arcadesurvival8469]

I'm not a fan of pizza king but if you get a chance try tarks pizza in galveston indiana.

[@juans8356]

All these "retro" console rebirths are so sketchy. It honestly feels like older gamers are being treated like old people that get scammed through the phone. The Amico getting any support was surreal to me. I'm 30 now, so I grew up on SNES. The Vectrex was a well built console that had the coolest screen relay system I've ever played. But I wouldn't waste money on a new retro version of it with SD card games

[@RyanParreno]

The way I would do Vectrex Mini is make it a tablet, modular cabinet, dock for proprietary controller, but you can use it outside the cabinet with your controller of choice. Unfortunately vector display animation hasn't progressed that far yet but I think the tech is there to make this an attractive device for playing Vectrex sans original hardware at the right price

[@loganholmberg2295]

My Saturn was the one I got most excited for. I have allot of good memories of my Saturn.

[@akrites]

He's right about Hoosier style pizza. It was invented by Arni's (the place that Axl Rose used to have deliver to California), but Pizza King does it best. The Midwest is full of pizza variations Chicago (pretty good, but gut busting), St. Louis (not so good), Detroit (the best). I'm glad I'm not the only person who noticed that middle class kids in Indiana (especially living outside Chicagoland) would be unfamiliar with Nintendo in 1986. Atari was still used to refer to all consoles and that point, C64 was probably more popular. It really didn't pick up until Christmas '87 and summer of '88.

[@apr2499]

I totally agree on pizza king if you are in Indiana. Pizza King and Arni’s pizza are both amazing!

[@jamesfreeman2758]

Another thing in favor of ODEs is the problem of disc rot in early disc media. Especially Sega CD, which doesn’t have an ODE solution, but has FPGA on the Mega EverDrive Pro.

[@MrGregory777]

Yes. I would buy that. Classic Game Room taught me well

[@xvx5872]

It taught me how to shout, in a turbo volcano!

[@rozzie101]

I got into Graded NHL hockey cards. But I usually buy them off ebay...

[@Orochi_001]

It’s too bad we can’t get a collection of vector graphics games in modern times, when HDR displays actually have a chance of giving us a reasonable facsimile of the vector look

[@bradford2177]

I agree I don't know if there's a market for a Vectrex Mini, but it would be very cool, I would probably buy it.

[@rcLdrcH]

I do know that PS1 and PS2 had disc read issues with a lazy/bad laser but I still have and play my original Dreamcast from 1999 and I play it basically monthly and it's still working like new (very little maintenance and easy to fix if something goes wrong or array)

[@gamerguy425]

The thing I hate about dreamcast is those awful internal clock batteries. the saturn just uses removable button cells but the dreamcast's are internal. I got it replaced once and they said you have to turn it on every month or it will die again, like bitch I barely turn it on once a year, naturally it died again. There are mods that provide better solutions but it sucks you have to go to that length just to avoid the date/time screen.

[@PaulWerkema]

You're an adult, Pat. Buy yourself a Polywhirl and be happy. :)

[@MasterZebulin]

...A _what_ now?

[@robinhatherall6779]

For Pokémon I would love to see a Team Rocket game. Fave Pokémon is Meowth too 😊

[@MisterCasket]

I just googled MacFarlanes Mary Jane and oh my. I saw a drawing of her being webbed to the ceiling asking Peter to take her down, and he wants to do kinky stuff. I eh... not gonna lie, would have liked that panel a lot as a kid.

[@jjlynn2372]

I've been to Pizza King as a kid because we would go the Purdue football games and I had family that lived in Lafayette Indiana I'm pretty sure there was two of them the one in Lafayette has a choo choo train that would bring you your sodas and beers i dont know if they still have choo choo train

[@Gamesta100]

The console I was most excited for was PS2. I started playing my uncles NES and my 1st console was the SNES. I got the PS1 after the SNES and absolutely loved it. So going to the jump from the PS1 to PS2 was simply amazing. But I was 18 when the PS2 came to Aus in 2001. Todd McFarlane is probably the last person I think of when it comes to Spider-Man artists. Love Todd McFarlane and his artwork but he's not up there as far as SM artists go. Besides SM my favourite Marvel character is Venom though.

[@The_OriginalGamer_]

One of the reasons the NES and SNES mini were a success was because of the timing of the release. The optimal window for the earlier gen systems to be a success has passed.

[@michael_stout79]

WWF Superstars classic

[@waltgorbitz7709]

I’m in walking distance of pizza king and this podcast has shook me lol

[@5HlNOBI]

maybe a Vectrex with little oscilloscope screens

[@chrisb7528]

They misspelled Kind as Keto on the Kind Bars

[@TheWorstThingEver]

A Vectrex Mini wouldn't make sense, but I sure as hell would buy it.

[@dustinsmedstad1550]

Pizza King is legit Indiana (central) pizza. Not much else stands out in the region. Having grown up in the area, I'll say Illinois/Iowa Monicals Pizza is better and very similar.

[@Tuxy79]

I’d buy it.

[@BENULTIMAN2000]

Why not either an Atari 2600 Mini, Coleco Vision Mini, Panasonic 3DO Mini, Sega Saturn Mini, Xbox Mini or a Nintendo GameCube Mini ???

[@rabiroden]

I know I've had trouble with my PS2 controllers breaking down, despite being well taken care of. But my PS1 DualShocks kept trucking on. I know I had to play through MGS3 with a PS1 controller... not an ideal experience, automatically slicing the throats of everyone you grabbed, lol.

[@animelife6476]

A better idea is the Saturn mini

[@ghostrunnerco6791]

YES!!!

[@arcadesurvival8469]

It would have to be a true vector experience with a bw vector monitor.

[@DiscoScottie]

Would it have an actual vector display? If not, sorry, no sale.

[@billionthb]

I think with the high DPI lcd screens we have now, there could probably be a pretty close approximation

[@17R3W]

If its not going to have a vector screen, it's pointless. Any number of existing handhelds already emulated it.

[@crithon]

mmmmm McFarlane Spider-Man..... it's okay, there's some interesting ideas, but the BEST? NAH! You got Rommitta, Gil Kane, Dikto, oh wow, Bagley, you know the Venom movie gives him a thank you, and I had a moment where, "Oh wow, I want to read some comics instead of watching this. THAT'S HOW GOOD OF AN ARTIST HE IS, Made me go "sigh, his comics are fun." oH BTW, Perfect Peter in Spider-Verse was Erik Larsen, so yeah, there's always better artists than McFarlane.

[@MetalJesusRocks]

The Vectrex iOS app is pretty sweet actually. Includes all the games, boxes, manual, you have the overlays and it includes a bit of history too.

[@arcadesurvival8469]

Tarks pizza in galveston indiana is the best pizza on earth. Try it and tell me your thoughts

[@jerryhensley6255]

My dad bought me the metrics when I was 9 years old I seen it in the store I played it and I said pop is going to need this and he bought it for me still have it to this day missing some games and need a new paddle f***

[@2tailedfox711]

No. Absolutely not. Unless this 'mini' actually has a real vector CRT, what's the point? LED and LCD cannot make the same look.

[@SkitBitProduction]

They can with filters if it not half ass

[@Asahamana]

I had an awful idea! Now that we are all done with Tommy voicemails, we might get an Andrew voicemails. Please don't.

[@danielink52]

I say no, but I want one is a fascinating system.

[@JohahnDiechter]

Saying MacFarlane is the greatest Spiderman artist is saying both that you know little about Spiderman and MacFarlane's work.

[@Cory_]

They already are failing. I had to get an ODE for my Dreamcast because it got so unreliable, and the CD laser in my PlayStation 2 barely works making it almost impossible to play ps1 games on it.

[@hectormontalvo5565]

Sony:"CD based systems are not meant to be permanent" referring to the PS1!🤔

[@MasterZebulin]

Screw Jim Ryan.

[@SomeOrangeCat]

Some disc consoles are already failing. Hence why these SD card adaptors are becoming more common.

[@animelife6476]

Master Pat

[@TheCreepypro]

Ian could not be more on the money on the Ps2 controllers

[@zackschilling4376]

I would just make something like the mini Neo Geo arcades they released a year or 2 ago, and have the gel screens integrated into the game itself (have an option of turning it on and off like a CRT filter or something like that). I think they could prob sell up to 50k, but for sure half that. Or they just do a pre-order kickstarter and just make however many orders they get plus a few extra to sell here and there.

[@sideburn]

Only if it had a real mini crt.

[@iamthebiggs252]

I think you're confusing McFarlane with Liefeld.

[@lasskinn474]

not a mini! a REIMAGINED VR - Vectrex. with lasers into your eyes. tommys already working on the prototype. "VRectrex - It'll wreck you!"

[@BooomTube]

Won’t happen. I’m glad your hero is out of money. “Ooof”.

[@lasskinn474]

@@BooomTube it would be hilarious though. And tommys not out of money, out of credibility yes but a fraction of the 10 mil plus went to into development at intellivision so where do you think the money went...

[@darklink539]

I'd buy it for $70 bucks

[@clintoncronin2504]

We had a Vectrex when I was a kid. It's a cool system. With that said, none of the minis make sense. They're under powered single board computers that just take up space. They're largely a gimmick and a nostalgia based cash grab . Some are nicer than others, but I'm not buying any. No judging anyone who buys this stuff, but all of the extra crap in deluxe games, these mini consoles, and all the random trinkets... Who has space or patience for all of this crap ?

[@Metal-Possum]

BEEFCAKE BEEFCAKE! Spiderman was taking far too much Weight Gain 4000.

[@awardwinner9184]

Retro Game On made a vectrex mini...check his channel he is a small Aussie channel

[@benjaminyoung9694]

Retrobit is not good quality at all. At least compared to original hard ware. Even a tired limp n64 controller is more responsive and accurate than a out of the box retrobit. Dont front

[@beowulf716]

Steve Ditko, Romita, Larsen, Bagley, and Romita Jr. are all better Spider-man artists.

[@magdabrownis265]

I like my action heroes jacked and my damsels in distress hot. Call me normal

[@EmeraldLavigne]

Todd McFarlane drew the webs good and cool. But, otherwise, shitty all the way around.

[@KevenLC]

Enough mini consoles already.

[@MasterZebulin]

Ignore him! More minis!

[@KevenLC]

@@MasterZebulin you can create your own easily.

[@MasterZebulin]

@@KevenLC Too lazy. Gimme a N64 Classic Edition.

[@KevenLC]

@@MasterZebulin you can play them on switch

[@MasterZebulin]

@@KevenLC Yeah, no. I'm not paying a monthly subscription for what fans have proven as "inferior emulation."

[@xx6805]

giant pizza king is pretty trash

[@Letstalkabouthorrormovies]

Pat the nes shelf collector

[@CaptainCaveman1170]

If there were to be a modernized (and improved) Vectrex (not just a "mini" because I don't think that's what the question was about) I believe it would be completely blasphemous in most potential buyers' eyes to NOT use real vector graphics, which would obviously necessitate a real CRT...that no one makes. So sadly, for so many reasons, I think that dream is unlikely to ever come true, even though it would be beyond awesome and would have great historical preservation value.