Vectrex

The Vectrex is an 8-bit video game console developed by General Consumer Electric (GCE) and later bought by Milton Bradley Company. The Vectrex is unique in that it utilized vector graphics drawn on a monitor that was integrated in the console. It was released in November 1982 at a retail price of $199 in the USA. As the video game market declined and then crashed, the Vectrex exited the market in early 1984.

Smith Engineering briefly considered designing a handheld version of the device in 1988, though the success of the Nintendo Game Boy made such a project too risky. In the mid-1990s, Smith Engineering condoned the duplication of the Vectrex system image and cartridges for non-commercial uses and has expressed joy to see that it has still-thriving developer and user communities.

Unlike other video game consoles which connected to TVs to display raster graphics, the Vectrex included its own monitor which displayed vector graphics. The monochrome Vectrex used screen overlays to give the illusion of color, and also to reduce the severity of the inherent flickering caused by the vector monitor. At the time many of the most popular arcade games used vector displays, and GCE was looking to set themselves apart from the pack by selling high-quality versions of games like Space Wars and Armor Attack. The system even contained a built in game, the Asteroids-like Minestorm.

The cathode ray tube was a Samsung model 240RB40 monochrome unit measuring 9 x 11 inches, displaying a picture of 240mm diagonal. A vector display such as the Vectrex does not require a special tube, and differs only in the control circuits. Rather than use sawtooth waves to divert the internal electron beam in a raster pattern, digital-to-analog converters drove the horizontal and vertical deflection magnets. The high-voltage transformers and tube remained the same as a television. Such technology was already established by arcade games such as Asteroids.

The Vectrex did not have any luminance control, but rather brightness was adjusted by drawing some lines more frequently than others. Screen upgrades were hindered by the cost of redesigning the analog circuits. Likewise it was impossible to connect the Vectrex to a home television.

The two peripherals for the Vectrex were a light pen and 3D imager. Even today there are new games in development by homebrew video game programmers. Also new hardware (for example VecVox, a speech synthesizer) is available.

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Armour Attack - Vectrex Manoeuvre your jeep through the streets and alleys of an occupied town. Hide from enemy tanks behind buildings and launch your own surprise attack! Improve your chance of survival by playing with an ally. But beware of the deadly helicopter flying overhead. no place is safe from this treacherous enemy. Complete with overlay Box: yes Manual: yes Price: £35 Leave this field blank:	Berzerk - Vectrex Manoeuvre your humanoid through electrified mazes of robot-filled rooms. You may kill off the first group of robots but initial success does not mean survival. future groups begin firing at you! Added danger lurks when evil Otto enters. He can jump the maze walls and squash you if you linger too long! Complete with overlay Box: yes Manual: yes Price: £30 Leave this field blank:
Clean Sweep - Vectrex Evil bank robbers have just blown your bank to smithereens. As bank president, you only have a vacuum available to recover the money strewn among the rubble, before the thieves destroy you! The thieves get increasingly anxious, but for added challenge, turn off the lights of the bank's corridors and gather the money through a blind maze. Complete with overlay Box: yes Manual: yes Price: £35 Leave this field blank:	Clean Sweep (US) - Vectrex Evil bank robbers have just blown your bank to smithereens. As bank president, you only have a vacuum available to recover the money strewn among the rubble, before the thieves destroy you! The thieves get increasingly anxious, but for added challenge, turn off the lights of the bank's corridors and gather the money through a blind maze. Complete with overlay Box: yes Manual: yes Price: £30 Leave this field blank:
Comic Chasm - Vectrex Can you save the galaxy by blowing up the alien-inhabited planet. and get off the planet before you explode too? You must burrow deep inside, finding your way through the underground maze wile battling the Planet Protectors. If you can get to the centre, plant your one bomb and try to find your way out. It's only a matter of seconds before the... Complete with overlay Box: yes Manual: yes Price: £35 Leave this field blank:	Flipper Pinball - Vectrex Get ready for even more excitement and split second action than traditional arcade pinball. Flipper-Pinball's special features like ball splitter, drop targets and ball saves will give you the ultimate pinball challenge. It even tilts! The action is fast and furious. You'll need your sharpest reflexes to keep the ball in play and rack up bonus... Complete with overlay Box: yes Manual: yes Price: £35 Leave this field blank:
Rip Off - Vectrex All the excitement of the real arcade version! Beware of the scavenging pirates trying to steal your precious fuel cells! The more pirates you destroy, the faster their successors become. Guard your tanks carefully. you are always outnumbered! Complete with overlay Box: yes Manual: yes Price: £35 Leave this field blank:	Solar Quest - Vectrex Destroy them, and then attempt to rescue the survivors before they float into the sun. But don't fly too close to the sun - its high temperature can destroy you. Complete with overlay Box: yes Manual: yes Price: £40 Leave this field blank:
Star Ship - Vectrex Welcome, Captain, to your command on the Starship. Your mission is to seek out and destroy the enemy Mothership. Travel through nine sectors of Space, each more dangerous than the last, or take the shortcut through the Black Hole. Be careful. the aliens are hiding in space, waiting to destroy you at every turn! Complete with overlay Box: yes Manual: yes Price: £35 Leave this field blank:	Starhawk - Vectrex Fasten your setabelt. You're the pilot defending the sovereignty of your planet. Don't blink - you might miss one of the alien vessels. Complete with overlay Box: yes Manual: yes Price: £45 Leave this field blank:

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