The Video Game Console Library

	GCE Vectrex
	DW FACTS by Dark Watcher
	Page content, development and design by Marriott_Guy

Developer	Manufacturer	Release Date	Country(s)	Initial Price	Model Number	Game Releases	Overall Rating
Smith Engineering	GCE, Bandai, Milton Bradley	Nov-82	North America, Japan, Europe	$199 USD	HP 3000	28	NA
Ratings	Reviews	Pictures\Media	Specs\Manuals	Games\Emulation	Models	Clones	Links

Ratings
Consoles are rated based upon the available technology at the time of its release. Ratings based upon a 10 point scale (10 being excellent\very rare).
Console Design (appearance, functionality)	N\A
Console Durability (sturdy or frail and fragile)	N\A
Controllers (design, response, feel, use)	N\A
Graphics (graphical capability and presentation)	N\A
Audio (sound, music, speech, effects)	N\A
Media (game media format, design, durability)	N\A
Packaging (appeal, durability of packaging)	N\A
Game Library (quality, quantity of game library)	N\A
Innovations (technological industrial strides)	N\A
Gamer Value (good investment for the gamer?)	N\A
Collector Value (good collector investment?)	N\A
Games Rarity (general availability of games)	N\A
Console Rarity (general availability of a system)	N\A

Reviews

HANDS ON REVIEW

Coming soon...

DW FACTS
- by Dark Watcher

The Vectrex was released in November 1982 by General Consumer Electronics (GCE). It wasn't just your average game console. To this day there has never been a videogame system quite like it.

The legendary GCE \ Milton Bradley Vectrex is the world's only standalone vector graphic home video game system. The console was cartridge based like all other consoles, but the unit came with a 9-inch monochrome monitor, an attached joystick and even a built in game called Mine Storm.

While most videogames used raster graphics, which utilize pixels, the Vectrex used sharp vector graphics. If you're not familiar with vector graphics, it's basically a wire frame outline of solid objects and was considered state of the art in the 70s and early 80s.

The Vectrex was capable of only displaying black & white, but used plastic color overlays placed on the screen to give the game a more colorful appearance.

The Vectrex also made its way to Japan. In 1983, Bandai released the unit under the name Bandai Kousokusen for 54,800 yen.

Dueling Vectrex

FACT: The original name for the Vectrex would have been the Kenner Mini-Arcade.

The Vectrex almost made a comeback in 1988 when Smith Engineering considered resurrecting the Vectrex as a handheld unit. Milton Bradley thought the $100+ price tag of the unit would make it sell poorly, so the idea was scrapped. A year later Nintendo's Game Boy was released and became a huge success.

Pictures & Media

Various picture\video media for this console. Click pictures to enlarge.

GCE Vectrex - Box Front

GCE Vectrex - Hardware

GCE Vectrex - Box Back

Vectrex Accessories
Some pictures courtesy of Geek Vintage

GCE Vectrex - Light Pen

GCE Vectrex - Light Pen

GCE Vectrex - 3D Imager

GCE Vectrex - 3D Imager

GCE Vectrex - Control Pad

Vectrex Controller

Specs & Manuals

For the hardware enthusiasts out there - all the detail you\we love.

Processor Type	Processor Speed	Other Processor Information	RAM \ Video RAM
Motorola 68A09	1.6 MHz	None	1 KB x 4-BIT 2114
Screen Resolution	Color Palette	Polygons \ Sprites	Audio
N\A	Black & White	N\A	General Instrument AY-3-8912
Media Format	Media Capacity	Games Released	Other Supported Formats
Cartridge	32 KB	28	None
Internal Storage	External \ Removable Storage	Game Controllers	Other Game \ Peripheral Devices
8 KB (8-BIT 2363 chip)	None	Arcade-style Joystick, 4 Button	3D Imager, Light Pen
Controller Ports	Network Ports	Other Ports	Audio \ Video
Two (2)	None	None	Monitor - Samsung 240RB40
Power Supply - Internal	Other Outputs	Other Details \ Notes
AC 120V 60Hz	None	None
Manuals
GCE Vectrex Service Manual (PDF) - 1.53 MB

Games & Emulation

Games, media format, emulators and screen shots for titles released on this system.

Vectrex Multicart (Sean Kelly) Software for the Vectrex was distributed on ROM cartridges. Originally the size of the game varied from 4-8KB, with later homebrew releases increasing to 32KB. These carts are compact and extremely sturdy.

The stylish boxes are constructed of sturdy cardboard with a silver\grey grid background for all titles. This classic look is extremely appealing, with the crisp, uncluttered look that is refreshing. A large, plastic inner housing provides storage for the cartridge, but basically just serves to reinforce the structural integrity of the casing.

One of the holy grails for the Vectrex is Mr. Boston, a limited, custom release of the existing title Clean Sweep. The game is basically the same, with only minor promotional changes.

For the gamer, the revered Sean Kelly Multi-Cart (Version 2.0) is the way to go. This single cartridge contains all of the original releases for the Vectrex along with dozens of homebrew titles (60 games in total). Though pricey (around $125), this truly does deliver on value.

Vectrex Game Boxes

Vectrex Games collection

Some Vectrex Game Box Packaging \ Contents

Vectrex Cosmic Chasm - Box Contents

Vectrex Star Trek - Box Contents

Vectrex Clean Sweep - Box Contents

Vectrex Game Screenshots

Armor Attack

Bedlam

Berzerk

Blitz! Action Football

Clean Sweep

Cosmic Charm

Dark Tower

Flipper Pinball

Fortress of Narzod

Heads Up! Action Soccer

Hyper Chase

Melody Master

Mine Storm

Polar Rescue

Pole Position

Rip Off

Scramble

Solar Quest

Space Wars

Spike

Star Castle

Star Trek

Starhawk

Web Wars

Third Party Emulatorss
Program	Website	Description
ParaJVE	http://pagesperso-orange.fr/.../ParaJVE.html	Vectrex java emulator for Windows, Linux and Mac. Comes with built-in games and home brews.

Models

Additional authorized releases for this console. A big thank you to Vectrex News for providing the pictures of the various models.

GCE Vectrex - US Release

Milton Bradley Vectrex - Canada

Milton Bradley Vectrex - UK

Milton Bradley Vectrex - Dutch

Bandai Kousokusen - Japan

Bandai Kousokusen

Milton Bradley Vectrex - Italy

Milton Bradley Vectrex - South America

Milton Bradley Vectrex - Australia

Milton Bradley Vectrex - Germany

Clones

Non-licensed releases (clones).

No clones were released for this system.

Links

Highly recommended additional sites\resources for this system.

Name	Website	Description
Geek Vintage	http://www.geekvintage.com/gce-vectrex.php	Excellent website for everything Vectrex!!
The Vectrex Museum	http://vectrexmuseum.com/	Excellent new website for hardware, games and history!!

visitors since 01-Apr-2008
Page last updated 11-Dec-2011

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