Finally got a VECTREX!!

[Xian042]

I have been wanting one of these for a LONG time. Finally found one at a reasonable price.
Got a nice looking system with 4 games for $40. A guy was selling a bunch of classic stuff on craigslist at really good prices. I also got a Nomad for $10. Can't beat that!!

The games all seem to work fine, but can someone tell me if the streaks of light that come from the center of the screen are normal? The guy that sold it to me insists they are, but I dont see any screen shots of Vectrex games that have the same light trails. It doesnt effect gameplay, in fact I think they look kind of cool.

Anyone suggest any games I should try and find? Can you still find the multicarts?

[erehwon]

Nice finds. I'd be interested in hearing about the multicarts as well. How much do games for this system typically go for? Is this going to be an expensive system to pick up games for? I picked up my vectrex for $2, but it didn't include any games.

[Nitrosport]

The streaks of light mean the screen is not set properly. There is a black knob on the back of the vectrex. Adjust it untill the streaks go away.

[cyberfluxor]

Nice finds. I'd be interested in hearing about the multicarts as well. How much do games for this system typically go for? Is this going to be an expensive system to pick up games for? I picked up my vectrex for $2, but it didn't include any games.

They can get expensive but on average it's like buying a new modern game if CIB. I'd prefer to go with a multi-cart when the time comes because then you don't have to swap carts and you have everything. Now everything isn't that quantative, there's under 30 released games state-side. Cool system though.

Last night I was hanging with a guy who plays with lasers and controls them over a laptop serial port. It'd actually be interesting to put a vectrex emulator on there or a desktop and push the game out onto a wall. Here's a YouTube posting (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O-a59RQ5zc).

[k8track]

Anyone suggest any games I should try and find? Can you still find the multicarts?

Here you go, brother!
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116192

[vision89]

You should definitely buy Gravitrex, http://www.classicgamecreations.com/gravitrex.html.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I've owned a total of three Vectrexes, and none of them (including my current one) had "streaks" on the monitor.

I'd say it's NOT "normal" behavior for the unit, however, some games (mostly the homebrew stuff) tend to tell the system to use MUCH brighter vector-line saturation (or thickness) which sometimes give off more of a "trail" when they move around.

I got a Multicart on eBay last month for about $100. It was worth it if you calculate the cost of buying all the commercial games separately.

If you're looking for a good pre-loaded multicart, I'd say look for a "Sean Kelly Multicart 2.0".

[Pantechnicon]

Vectrex good. There's really quite nothing like it among consoles. Welcome to the club.

Sean Kelly 2.0 multicart ftw.

[Viraneth]

It looks like a load of fun! :o

I want one, but they look super expensive T_T

[klausien]

Enjoy it! Mine Storm, Armor Attack, Scramble and Pole Position are my personal favorites. John Dondzilla's Rockaroids is my fave homebrew (substitute for a real Asteroids, which will not fit in my apartment). I also wholeheartedly recommend the Sean Kelly Multicart 2.0.

Unfortunately, my beautiful boxed Vectrex that I got from my Groomsmen as my wedding gift this past October (with a Multicart!) is currently not working. It was working great, sat in the box for a couple months, took it out a couple weeks ago to show my Dad and... white dot and no sound. Ugh. Praying its not the CPU.

Sorry to rain on the parade. Have a blast with my personal fave Golden Age system!

UPDATE: I fixed it! I had ordered a new 6522 IC for the logic board. Replaced it tonight after writing, and it's back in business.

Now, where can I find a set of repro overlays? No one seems to sell them anymore.

[madman77]

Congrats on the find, the Vectrex is probably my favorite retro system. Mine Storm alone is hours of fun, some of the other games can be hit or miss. Pole Position is a lot of fun, but is one of the more expensive titles. A multicart will do you tons of good, enjoy!

[ssjlance]

I recently joined the Vectrex club myself. $40 for mine as well, but it only came with three games. Congrats!

[Steve W]

Yeah, the 'streaks' are because the screen's brightness is too high. And you've probably noticed the humm coming from the Vectrex. That's normal too.

There's people online who will make you reproductions of pretty much any commercial release for the system, and pretty cheaply too. You won't really be able to use the 3D games or light pen games without those peripherals, however.

I always wanted a Vectrex since childhood, and in 2003 I broke down and ordered one from another member at Atari Age. He was having some problems at home and was having a hard time getting the thing to me. In the meantime, I went into a thrift store (where they were selling a dead Rastan arcade cab for $50!) and found one on the shelf. They had no idea what it was, so they sold it to me for $5. It didn't have a controller, so all I could do was wait until the one I ordered showed up so I could play something on them. I gave one to my best friend. Last year I came across another one in a thrift for $9.99, but it's got some problems. I need to take it apart and work on it a bit.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

I love my Vectrex. In fact, I leave mine plugged in, though since my son has started crawling around and getting into mischief, I've had to move it to a less accessible location, resulting in it getting played less. :puppydogeyes: But I still wuv my Vectrex.

[slackur]

Dude, I LOVE my Vectrex! I second the opinions offered already, there really is nothing like it anywhere else (except perhaps maybe Virtual Boy, without the eyestrain!)

I enjoy most every game in the library, but my favorites are: Mine Storm, Berzerk, Hyperchase, Scramble, Solar Quest, Web Wars, and the Dark Tower proto.

Just this week I got a multicart from http://vectrex.playntradeonline.com/ for about $100 USD (Worth it for some of the rare carts alone, even though I already have 19 of the original titles CIB) and it is the way to go! Lotsa fun with the unreleased, homebrew, and proto games (Dark Tower FTW!)

Congrats on your find, and I think I have a few doubles if you are interested (Star Trek, Scramble,and Spike I believe.)

Have fun!

[50TBRD]

Dude, I LOVE my Vectrex! I second the opinions offered already, there really is nothing like it anywhere else (except perhaps maybe Virtual Boy, without the eyestrain!)

I enjoy most every game in the library, but my favorites are: Mine Storm, Berzerk, Hyperchase, Scramble, Solar Quest, Web Wars, and the Dark Tower proto.

Just this week I got a multicart from http://vectrex.playntradeonline.com/ for about $100 USD (Worth it for some of the rare carts alone, even though I already have 19 of the original titles CIB) and it is the way to go! Lotsa fun with the unreleased, homebrew, and proto games (Dark Tower FTW!)

Congrats on your find, and I think I have a few doubles if you are interested (Star Trek, Scramble,and Spike I believe.)

Have fun!

This is a brand new Multicart more reasonable than any other one. From time to time, Sean lists them on ebay for 70 bucks. It's sporatic, spontaneous, and gone within a couple of hours. There are a lot of people that buy several and turnaround and sell them for double the money.

What 4 games came with your system, Xian042? 40 bucks is a great deal. I would recommend Armor Attack, Starhawk, Fortress of Narzod, Scramble and Web Wars but all of the original releases are good. John the Don has been making homebrews for ages, some of them are very much worth getting but I've never played them. He also sells repros of just about any game that you want. The one homebrew that I want more than any other is Star Sling (http://www.vectorzoa.com/games.html). I love to play Joust Evo but I'm not sure that Mayhem has any intentions of distributing it to the public.

[Mayhem]

Multicart? I'd recommend more getting the VecFlash... same price, and you can upload whatever games you want to it, including homebrew and demos. Only issue is I think Richard is out of stock at the moment...

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Multicart? I'd recommend more getting the VecFlash... same price, and you can upload whatever games you want to it, including homebrew and demos. Only issue is I think Richard is out of stock at the moment...

I was tempted to track one of those down ... but I saw a lot of discussions online about the "difficulty" of loading the software onto it.

Do you have experience with this process?

What would you say the level of difficulty is in terms of getting them on there?

Does it use an easy to use GUI software to make menus, or are you looking at something more complex/frustrating?

[Mayhem]

I think the older serial version of the VecFlash had some issues, but now it's gone USB (the version I have), it's a piss of piss to upload. You get a simple GUI that you list all the ROMs you wish to upload, and click transfer. That's it. The software creates and uploads the menu for selecting the games itself to the cartridge.

[Xian042]

Thanks everyone for your great responses and support!

I am totally in love with this thing right now! Btw adjusting the screen with the knob on the back did the trick! The guy that sold it to me would have flipped out if he knew that. He said it was supposed to be like that, and stated "thats why the system failed, because those lines are so irritating!" I love it when people don't know what they're talking about.
It also has the "hum" someone mentioned, I can look past that.

The games I got are Rip Off, Star Trek, Scramble, Armor Attack, and the build in. I didnt get any overlays or boxes with the games. I had to clean the connectors with a Q-tip for them to work properly. Scramble gets shakey a little later in the gameplay, but works good.
I'm really interested in Web Wars because I'm a Tempest freak. Is there a Tempest homebrew available?

I really want to grab one of those multicarts but may not have the $100 + to spend.
If anyone wants to set up a trade for one I'd be down for that!

[Sniderman]

I'm really interested in Web Wars because I'm a Tempest freak. Is there a Tempest homebrew available?


Look for Chris Tumbler's "Tsunami/Vix" cart. It's a Tempest/Qix clone cart. Not available for sale anymore, but the ROM is certainly out there.

And you GOTTA pick up Nebula Commander. One of my favorite 2-person games.

[guitargary75]

I have always wanted one too. However, I can never find one that is cheap enough. Congrats.

[Aswald]

The bottom of my posts says it all.

Great find!

[Richter Belmount]

Yeah yeah me too

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b400/smith0009/Photo544.jpg

Got it on ebay for $25+$25 shipping

[smork]

Since we are sharing Vectrex photos, here's my Bandai Vectrex with a few new-in-box Bandai games:

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/3268/img1168fh1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Great system, quite unique!

[Pantechnicon]

Smork, I'm impressed. Can I ask how much that set you back? I seem to recall some pics of a classic game store in Akihabara a few months back wherein a boxed Bandai Vectrex was behind an inch of glass. I can't remember how many yen it was supposed to be (a 5 and lots of zeroes). It occurred to me that that might be the only Vectrex in all of Japan. So it's nice to see you've got one as well (and actually play it, apparently) :rocker:.

[Xian042]

HOT!!!
Maybe I'll take a picture of me hugging mine. I wish I had overlays for my games!

[Mayhem]

Smork, I'm impressed. Can I ask how much that set you back? I seem to recall some pics of a classic game store in Akihabara a few months back wherein a boxed Bandai Vectrex was behind an inch of glass. I can't remember how many yen it was supposed to be (a 5 and lots of zeroes). It occurred to me that that might be the only Vectrex in all of Japan. So it's nice to see you've got one as well (and actually play it, apparently) :rocker:.

My Kouso cost me about US$400 and the complete games (of which I have a full set of 11) usually set me back about $100-150 each.

If the Kouso in the pictures was 50,000 Yen then that's about the same price I paid for mine...

[slackur]

If you are as much a fan of Tempest as I am (and I bought a Jaguar with Tempest 2000 on launch day) don't expect a clone in Web Wars. Slower pacing for the most part, interesting 'capture the enemy' gimmick, and the ability to go in and out of the web to dodge give it a different feel than the twitch insanity that a good game of Tempest generates. Fun, but in a different way.

Bedlam has more of a Tempest vibe to me, despite your avatar being centered like a turrent. The gameplay gets intense and the level design is similar to Tempest.

If you just have to get a fix, nab the Abyss demo. It truly is a Tempest clone on Vectrex, but frustratingly, it is unfinished: a single level, and you can't die. Makes me cry from its potential. Maybe one day.

And if you haven't found it, google Typhoon2001 for PC. Free download, and a very fun, respectable Tempest 2000 clone.

[Pantechnicon]

If the Kouso in the pictures was 50,000 Yen then that's about the same price I paid for mine...

50,000 Yen sounds about right. ~US $481.40 or ~ £928. Wow. That seems pretty pricey to me, but I understand that we're talking about the non-U.S. market here so maybe that's not so bad. My Vec cost me only US $70 and I got a multicart in trade for an R10 2600 cart I found in a thrift. Instant collection (cheap, too) :D.

[Gapporin]

Since we are sharing Vectrex photos, here's my Bandai Vectrex with a few new-in-box Bandai games:

/me wipes the drool from the side of his mouth

I'd still like to get a Bandai Intellivision sometime. Maybe when I become rich and famous. Or when I get my stimulus check, whichever comes first.

[Mayhem]

50,000 Yen sounds about right. ~US $481.40 or ~ £928. Wow. That seems pretty pricey to me, but I understand that we're talking about the non-U.S. market here so maybe that's not so bad. My Vec cost me only US $70 and I got a multicart in trade for an R10 2600 cart I found in a thrift. Instant collection (cheap, too) :D.

I think you were multiplying by the exchange rate to get GBP there from US$, rather than dividing ;)

50,000 Yen at the current exchange rate is 244 GBP... as stated I paid about US$400 for my Kouso.

[smork]

Smork, I'm impressed. Can I ask how much that set you back? I seem to recall some pics of a classic game store in Akihabara a few months back wherein a boxed Bandai Vectrex was behind an inch of glass. I can't remember how many yen it was supposed to be (a 5 and lots of zeroes). It occurred to me that that might be the only Vectrex in all of Japan. So it's nice to see you've got one as well (and actually play it, apparently) :rocker:.

Mine was over $600, but it was boxed and complete with all manuals and Minestorm overlay. I've seen them in Akihabara a few times and once saw ~4ish in Osaka, but I've only run across the one I have with the box. The system is pretty much pristine as well...

I've so far only got the 6 games in the picture, but they are all new old stock and ran ~$100 each.

I should probably get a US version to play instead of playing the Bandai...

[Xian042]

If you are as much a fan of Tempest as I am (and I bought a Jaguar with Tempest 2000 on launch day) don't expect a clone in Web Wars. Slower pacing for the most part, interesting 'capture the enemy' gimmick, and the ability to go in and out of the web to dodge give it a different feel than the twitch insanity that a good game of Tempest generates. Fun, but in a different way.

Bedlam has more of a Tempest vibe to me, despite your avatar being centered like a turrent. The gameplay gets intense and the level design is similar to Tempest.

If you just have to get a fix, nab the Abyss demo. It truly is a Tempest clone on Vectrex, but frustratingly, it is unfinished: a single level, and you can't die. Makes me cry from its potential. Maybe one day.

And if you haven't found it, google Typhoon2001 for PC. Free download, and a very fun, respectable Tempest 2000 clone.


Thanks for the info! I'm definately going to check out that Typhoon

[Xian042]

Typhoon 2001 = OMFG!

[slackur]

Yep, spread the word, Typhoon 2001 rocks. :)