Place to buy Vectrex controller, Sega Gen modded one, or the PSX adaptor

[Coleridge]

Hi guys,

I recently picked up a Vectrex (finally!) but the controller is shot. I know it's fixable. I tried, but failed. I have no repair skills, apparently.

So, I've been googling for a retailer to get a replacement controller from, or a Genesis modded one, or some other kind of adapter like the PSX one (no longer being made).

I've found nothing. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Controllers pop-up pretty rarely on ebay and I have a feeling it's going to take me a while to find one at a reasonable price.

Thanks for any help.

[Sunnyvale]

Finding one at a reasonable price is almost certain to not happen online. If I had your broke one, I'd want $25 for it.
Either search the wild for a long time, fix the one you got, or pay the $50 they go for.

[Coleridge]

Finding one at a reasonable price is almost certain to not happen online. If I had your broke one, I'd want $25 for it.
Either search the wild for a long time, fix the one you got, or pay the $50 they go for.

Where are you seeing them for $50? Ebay? $50 is a reasonable price. I'm having trouble finding a place to buy one.

[Sunnyvale]

OK, if $50 is reasonable to you, there's a NOS one now on Ebay, but it'll break $50:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-VECTREX-...item58919c0aed

It's going to take some time if you just want a working used one. HTF and sought after, that makes it rough. Add it to your Ebay 'Saved Searches', and hope for the best. Maybe someone here will have an extra.

[synbiosfan]

When I was in the same boat, I found an auction where I won another complete Vectrex for $60 shipped. It was way cheaper at the time than any of the controller BINs.

I did look for a few months I should mention.

[Sunnyvale]

When I was in the same boat, I found an auction where I won another complete Vectrex for $60 shipped. It was way cheaper at the time than any of the controller BINs.

I did look for a few months I should mention.

And even then, at that price, it was kind of a crap shoot on the controller being 100%, am I right? Or did the seller mislabel it?

[Videogamerdaryll]

Maybe Joe has one at the store.


Monday-Thursday: 11am - 8pm
Friday & Saturday: 11am - 9pm
Sun: 12pm - 5pm

Digital Press Videogames
387 Piaget Avenue
Clifton, NJ 07011

the store is conveniently located less than a half-mile from the NJ Parkway and 20 minutes from NYC. If you're really lost, give us a call during store hours at (973) 772-1111

[Coleridge]

Cool, thanks for the tips guys. I appreciate it.

[swlovinist]

Recycledgamer does wonderful mods of SNES and Genesis controllers to work on vectrex systems. I have several controllers of his work and they are amazing.

His youtube channel is found here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/recycledgamer/featured

[synbiosfan]

And even then, at that price, it was kind of a crap shoot on the controller being 100%, am I right? Or did the seller mislabel it?

No mislabel and both my controllers work great. This is the first thread I've read where someone's was shot, I thought they were durable as hell. I got lucky I guess.

When I said in the same boat, I just wanted a second controller for player 2 not that my controller was shot.

[Sunnyvale]

No mislabel and both my controllers work great. This is the first thread I've read where someone's was shot, I thought they were durable as hell. I got lucky I guess.

When I said in the same boat, I just wanted a second controller for player 2 not that my controller was shot.

The controllers do work well usually, I'm just saying that if you got it that cheap, it probably wasn't from a seller who sells video games all the time and has good feedback. And those guys will turn a system on, and call it 'fully functional'. Which makes it hard to be certain the controllers are good.
Personally, I'm like you. Wait till it's cheap, and get a steal. But if one wants a controller now, it's different.

[Cornelius]

No mislabel and both my controllers work great. This is the first thread I've read where someone's was shot, I thought they were durable as hell. I got lucky I guess.

When I said in the same boat, I just wanted a second controller for player 2 not that my controller was shot.

A bad Vectrex controller isn't that uncommon. I had to repair one once. Fortunately my problem was well-documented with a pretty straightforward fix using a spring from a 2600 cart. The hardest part was getting the sticker off the front of the controller to open it, IIRC.

[CRTGAMER]

Another option but might be also hard to find. Maybe there are some Apple II + controllers that have left and right player buttons that could work? I modded two aftermarket Commander Deluxe controllers, a strange hybrid controller with four buttons and potentiometers inside that works as a Digital stick in Atari and Analog stick in the old Apples. This leads me to believe the POT range is similar in the Vectrex, older apples and possibly PC joysticks?