Fushek Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Anyone here have a Vectrex? Are they cool ... what do you guys think of them? Fun or does the novelty wear off quickly? I've been considering picking one up and someone in the Marketplace (that I pm'd already, so you're too late!) is offering to trade one strait up for a boxed Intellivision 2609A with the Styrofoam inserts which I currently have one to spare ... sounds like a great deal to me. You guys agree? http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/207669-fs-vectrex/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari_Bill Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 I thought that was a good deal personally. Vectrex are extremely pricey so if you could get one straight up in trade I'd jump on it! I love mine. If you enjoyed any of the vector games back in the day, the expreience is flawlessly replicated on the Vectrex. It is a great machine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ransom Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 That deal in the Marketplace is a very good one. Vectrex's are awesome. Very few dud games were produced for it. You kind of have to love shooters, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxpressed Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 (edited) I saw that post last night too, and if I had what the poster was looking for, I'd have been all over that deal. (Just missing the styrofoam inserts for the Intellivision!) The kicker is the reduced buzz and the recap. I own five Vectrexes (I know, I know), and I'd love to get one with less buzz and a recap. Some people say that they like the buzz, but to me it can get annoying after awhile. Also, collecting for Vectrex is much easier than for Intellivision. There are only 21 regular releases not counting Minestorm (included), 2 releases for the 3D imager not counting 3D Minestorm (included), and 2 releases for the light pen not counting Art Master (included). The 3D games can set you back $200 apiece, but that's nowhere near Spiker territory. The 3D imager itself is about $400-$1000 depending on completeness. Homebrews are trickier to acquire but still not as expensive as INTV homebrews. Now, if you wanted to go for game variations, Vectrex has one that INTV cannot match: Mr. Boston. I believe one just sold on Atari2600.com for $8,900 (or less, depending on negotiations). Edited January 17, 2013 by boxpressed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfraMan Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Wow, that's an awesome deal, and the Vectrex is a great system! There aren't that many games for it, but many of the available titles have a ton of replay value... I go back to mine all the time for a quick game of Minestorm or Vectrexians. Speaking of which, there are a bunch of great homebrew releases out there, so make sure to seek them out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pimpmaul69 Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 if you get it find a kelly cart 2.0 it has all the original roms except 1.(because it uses ram) plus most of the homebrews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cmart604 Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 That's a great deal! I'd do it had I seen it first. As a recently minted Vectrex owner, I will say that it is an AWESOME console, and the games are very fluid and lots of fun. dZ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atari5200dude82 Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 I used to have 2 of them. I kinda regret selling them. They are awesome consoles and very cool games for it. I say do the deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akator Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 I had 2 but had to sell them along with most of my collection to pay medical bills a few years ago. The Vectrex was the system I regretted getting rid of the most, so I've recently reacquired one and am trying to gradually rebuilt the games, controllers, and accessories that I had to part with. I don't have space for real arcade machines (with or without vector graphics), so the Vectrex is next best thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+grips03 Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Get it. Vectrex is not super hard to work if you take it slow. Just be sure to disconnect from AC and discharge the tube. If you do get it, make sure you buy Vector Pilot and 72 in 1 cart. There are fixes to reduce buzz. Mine is pretty quite now. Also SNES to Vectrex gamepad hack is pretty easy to do if end up not liking the console panel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pimpmaul69 Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 (edited) Get it. Vectrex is not super hard to work if you take it slow. Just be sure to disconnect from AC and discharge the tube. If you do get it, make sure you buy Vector Pilot and 72 in 1 cart. There are fixes to reduce buzz. Mine is pretty quite now. Also SNES to Vectrex gamepad hack is pretty easy to do if end up not liking the console panel. cmart got a couple different modded controllers from me. they are the worst systems to make modded controllers for. biggest thing is you want all the directional wires to be the same length (left wire and right wire must be close in length to each other. up and down the same, etc..) if i find the pics i will post the controllers i did. also making your own light pens are cheap and simple for someone who knows electronics. i made some cool controller and lightpen schematics if i find those too. edit: part of my toe is showing so please rev dont shart brixx. here is a pic of vectrex controllers. on the arcade controller the top 4 buttons are setup 1,2,3,4. and bottom switches are setup 4,3,2,1. so there are 4 ways you can have button setup, 2 straight patterns and 3 diamond pattern. there is a potentiometer for the only game that even uses the analog abilty. there are 2 switches to make left and right become buttons 1 and 2 so you can play john donzillas asteroid games with the joystick. Edited January 18, 2013 by pimpmaul69 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fushek Posted January 18, 2013 Author Share Posted January 18, 2013 Thanks for the advice ... A deal has been struck! He'll be getting a near mint 2609A with a very nice box with Styrofoam inserts. I'll be getting a Vectrex . I think that I'm getting the better deal ... I actually offered to throw in some games but he has a CC3 and declined. Any recommendations on games to get (and don't say Mr. Boston, I have a mortgage) ... and how important are the overlay screens? Are the Multi-carts still available or only on eBay? Anyone have some extra Vectrex games that they'd like to trade for Intellivision games? http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/206889-intellivision-games-for-trade-including-choplifter-scarfinger/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari_Bill Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Get a multi-cart. That's the best solution. I still try to collect the physical carts for the system, but it's great to be able to power up the system and have access to any of the games you want. The only drawback is not having overlays. They aren't required, but they do add a nice touch to the games. As far as games go, my favorites are Star Castle and Armor Attack. I was always a sucker for them at the arcade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+grips03 Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 and how important are the overlay screens? Are the Multi-carts still available or only on eBay? Overlays do add to the game. Make sure to get all of them for Vector Pilot - you will love it Get multicart here: http://vectrex.playntradeonline.com/shop.html email John D to get empty cart case http://www.classicgamecreations.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ransom Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 As far as games go, my favorites are Star Castle and Armor Attack. I agree, those are two of the best. I'd add Scramble as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 I bought one and sold it a few months later. It personally didn't hold my interest needless to say. Emulation seems pretty good nowadays as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pimpmaul69 Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 I bought one and sold it a few months later. It personally didn't hold my interest needless to say. Emulation seems pretty good nowadays as well. i have never found an emulator that produces sound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roberto Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 Great deal! The Vectrex is really a very special console: I'm sure you will enjoy as much as we all do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 I don't know what this conversation is doing here in the Intellivision section of the forum, but okay, we'll run with it. I didn't love the Vectrex at first. Maybe I was expecting too much from it, I don't know. The big problem I had was that its games were generally clones of arcade hits that either weren't well suited to the hardware (Spike, Clean Sweep) or felt contrived next to their inspirations (um... also Spike and Clean Sweep). However, I've found that the experience improved after the machine was embraced by homebrewers, who made many of the games that were off-limits to the Vectrex in the early 1980s. Freeing the machine of the shackles of copyright unlocked its full potential, and made the experience feel more complete. I could scarcely imagine playing the system without games like Protector and YASI. Later developers like Alex Herbert really milked this console for every drop of power, too... the credits screen in Protector/YASI is a thing of wonder and ten years later, I'm still amazed that the Vectrex is capable of such a dazzling display. So... maybe it's time the Vectrex had its own section of the forum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oscar G. Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 (edited) Hello, I agree with some of the previous postings: The Vectrex is an amazing console! I am particularly fond of Shmups and there is a lot of variety and quality here. I am also a big fan of the controller, it is very solid and has a cool arcade feel. In my opinion, the Vectrex is the closest that you could get to have the arcade experience at home in the pre-crash era. Go for it! Cheers, O PS I have read that the Vectrex's number of homebrew releases has actually surpassed the original number of games. I am not very sure about this fact but this sounds very cool. PS2 The Vectrex has overlays too... and who doesn't love overlays? Edited January 20, 2013 by Oscar G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovethevectrex Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 the vectrex is actually my favorite console of all time. i love it, as you can see by my username! it is the closest you can get to an arcade at home (in my oppinion) it has over DOUBLE the amount of homebrews than actual games lol, which is a good thing because the homebrews are simply amazing! there were 28 original games for this great system. i own 10 of them (9 cib) and 2 homebrews. it also had 2 awesome accessories, the 3d imager and the light pen. i own a reproduction light pen, but they are both very rare, although the 3d imager is more rare for sure. they each had only 3 games made for them. there was going to be more games, but the game crash (and the high price) made the vectrex fail sadly. the 3d imager not only made the games in color (without an overlay) but also in 3d! and the light pen has an animation game, a game where you can draw and animate, and a game called "melody master" where you can make music and play a simon says sort of game. i am a complete expert at this system (literally, i can tell you information about every game released for this system and i know pretty much everything about it lol) so if you have any questions about this great system feel free to ask me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovethevectrex Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Hello, I agree with some of the previous postings: The Vectrex is an amazing console! I am particularly fond of Shmups and there is a lot of variety and quality here. I am also a big fan of the controller, it is very solid and has a cool arcade feel. In my opinion, the Vectrex is the closest that you could get to have the arcade experience at home in the pre-crash era. Go for it! Cheers, O PS I have read that the Vectrex's number of homebrew releases has actually surpassed the original number of games. I am not very sure about this fact but this sounds very cool. PS2 The Vectrex has overlays too... and who doesn't love overlays? actually there are more than double the amount of homebrews than actual released games! and what do you mean by "the ps2 also had vectrex overlays"? but i agree, this is an amazing console! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeshed Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 and what do you mean by "the ps2 also had vectrex overlays"? He was marking his different Post Script (PS) thoughts with numbers. PS # 1, PS # 2, for different points 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovethevectrex Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 He was marking his different Post Script (PS) thoughts with numbers. PS # 1, PS # 2, for different points He was marking his different Post Script (PS) thoughts with numbers. PS # 1, PS # 2, for different points oh, right. i thought he meant the actual vectrex overlays worked for some ps2 games or something lol that XD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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