The Vectrex is a home video game console that uses a special type of screen called a vector display. It is the only one ever made for home use. Smith Engineering created it, and General Consumer Electronics built and sold it. It was first sold in North America in October 1982, then in Europe and Japan in 1983. General Consumer Electronics originally made the Vectrex, but later, Milton Bradley bought the company and took over production. In Japan, Bandai sold the system under the name Kōsokusen, which means "Lightspeed Ship."
Unlike other game systems of the time, the Vectrex did not need to be connected to a television. It had a built-in black-and-white screen that stood upright. A control pad with wires could be folded into the bottom of the console. Games came with clear colored sheets that could be placed over the screen to add color. Extra accessories included 3D goggles called the "3D Imager" and a light pen for drawing on the screen. The system also included a game called Mine Storm, inspired by the game Asteroids.
The Vectrex was first planned as a handheld device called the "Mini Arcade" by John Ross of Smith Engineering in late 1980. As the design changed, it became a tabletop system made by General Consumer Electronics. Strong early sales led to General Consumer Electronics being bought by Milton Bradley. However, sales dropped later due to the video game crash of 1983, and the system was stopped in early 1984.
Although the Vectrex was not commercially successful, it was praised for its collection of games, unique graphics, and built-in screen. Some magazines and reviews called it one of the best consoles of that time. The Vectrex was the first console to include a 3D-based accessory. A color version of the Vectrex as a handheld device was planned in the late 1980s, but it was not made because of high costs and the popularity of the Nintendo Game Boy.
History
The Vectrex was created by John Ross of Smith Engineering. He, along with Mike Purvis, Tom Sloper, and Steve Marking, visited Electro-Mavin, a warehouse in Los Angeles that sold leftover items. There, they found a 1-inch cathode-ray tube (CRT) and considered whether a small electronic game could be made using it. They demonstrated how a vector-drawing CRT display could work by connecting parts of a standard television to a stereo amplifier that played music. An extra component helped keep the television’s high-voltage system running during the test. This demonstration led to a system first designed as a handheld device called the Mini Arcade. However, as Smith Engineering shared the idea with other companies, it changed into a tabletop system with a nine-inch screen.
The system was licensed to General Consumer Electronics in 1981. After a short period of developing hardware and software, the Vectrex was shown publicly on June 7, 1982, at the Summer Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago. It was sold in seven markets in October 1982 at a price of $199 before being sold nationwide in early 1983. Sales were strong enough that Milton Bradley purchased General Consumer Electronics in early 1983.
Milton Bradley’s larger resources allowed the Vectrex to be sold in parts of Europe by mid-1983 and, through a partnership with Bandai, in Japan as well. However, the North American video game crash of 1983 made Milton Bradley’s support of the Vectrex a costly mistake. Despite lowering the price by 25% and then 50% to sell more units, the company struggled. In February 1984, after losing $31.6 million on the Vectrex, Milton Bradley stopped selling the console and canceled plans for new games. All remaining consoles and accessories were sold to discount stores for much less than their original price. By May 1984, Milton Bradley merged with Hasbro, and support for the Vectrex ended.
Before the Vectrex was discontinued, plans were made for a new console with a color screen. After the rights returned to Smith Engineering, the company considered reviving the Vectrex as a handheld device. However, the arrival of Nintendo’s Game Boy made this idea unlikely. In the mid-1990s, Jay Smith, then head of Smith Engineering, allowed new development of Vectrex hardware and software without charging fees or royalties. Smith also permitted the copying of original Vectrex software for non-profit purposes, so owners could obtain the original games at low cost or for free.
Design and technical specifications
The Vectrex's central processing unit (CPU) is a Motorola 68A09 running at 1.5 million cycles per second. It has 1 kilobyte of random access memory (RAM), made from two 4-bit 2114 chips, and 8 kilobytes of read-only memory (ROM), stored in one 8-bit 2363 chip. The system also uses a MOS Technology 6522 versatile interface adapter (VIA). Games are stored on ROM cartridges that hold 32 kilobytes of data. Controller inputs and audio are managed by a General Instrument AY-3-8912 sound chip. Sound is played through a 3-inch electrodynamic paper cone speaker.
The computer and vector generator were designed by Gerry Karr. The computer runs the game's code, monitors user inputs, controls the sound generator, and directs the vector generator to create images on the screen. The vector generator uses an all-analog design with two integrators: X and Y. The computer sets the integration rates using a digital-to-analog converter. It controls the integration time by briefly closing electronic switches in the integrator circuits. These switches produce voltage ramps that the monitor uses to guide the electron beam across the phosphor screen of the cathode-ray tube (CRT). A separate signal controls the brightness of the displayed lines.
The CRT is a Samsung model 240RB40 monochrome unit, measuring 9 × 11 inches, with a 240 mm diagonal screen. It is a standard black-and-white television picture tube. The CRT's brightness is adjusted with a circular knob on the back of the display. A vector CRT display, like the one in the Vectrex, does not require a special tube. It differs from standard raster-based televisions only in the control circuits. Instead of using sawtooth waves to move the electron beam in a raster pattern, computer-controlled integrators send linear signals to drive the deflection yoke. This yoke has similar, if not identical, inductances compared to a television deflection yoke. It uses a standard television core. The high-voltage transformer also uses a standard core and bobbin. Special circuitry turns off the electron beam if the vector generator stops or fails, preventing damage to the screen's phosphors. This design is much smaller than the electronics in the full-sized Asteroids arcade machine.
During development, the MOS Technology 6502 processor was considered but later found to be too slow for the system's needs.
Early models of the Vectrex had a noticeable buzzing sound from the built-in speaker, which responded to on-screen graphics. This was caused by improper grounding of the audio circuitry's signal lines. The issue was fixed in later models. A "ground loop" was created by a grounding strap added to meet U.S. Federal Communications Commission signal radiation requirements. This feature became a well-known characteristic of the machine.
Peripherals
The 3-D Imager, created by John Ross, changes the 2-D black-and-white images from the Vectrex into a colorful 3-D experience. It works by spinning a disk in front of the viewer’s eyes. The disk has a black section covering 180 degrees and, in some cases, sections that are red, green, or blue for 60 degrees each. The user looks through the disk at the Vectrex screen. The Vectrex matches the disk’s spinning speed to the software’s frame rate as it displays six images: first, the left eye sees red, green, and blue images while the right eye is covered. Then, the right eye sees red, green, and blue images while the left eye is covered by the black section. Only one eye sees the Vectrex screen and its three color images at a time, while the other eye is blocked. The prototype was built using the plastic case of a Viewmaster. The disk spins freely and is powered by a motor. The Vectrex software controls its own frame rate and compares it to a signal from the glasses once each time the disk completes a full spin. The software tracks how many times the disk spins too early or too late compared to the frame rate and adjusts the motor’s power to balance these times. Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) is used to control the motor speed by changing the amount of time the motor receives power pulses. This keeps the disk’s spinning speed in sync with the software’s frame rate for the group of up to six images.
A single object not on the screen’s surface (in front of or behind the screen) is drawn at least twice to provide separate views for each eye. The distance between the two images and the angles used to draw them determine where the object appears in 3-D space. The 3-D effect is improved by making background objects dimmer. Spinning the disk quickly tricks the eyes and brain into seeing multiple images as two separate views of the same object, creating the illusion of 3-D and color.
This same 3-D method can be used with images from raster displays or film projections. Shutter glasses in 3-D theaters and virtual reality rides use the same idea. The same technology was also used in the 1995 Nintendo Virtual Boy 3D Headset console.
The light pen lets users draw, create images, and point at the screen. It has a sensor that detects the bright spot on the Vectrex screen when it passes under the pen. The sensor sends signals to the Vectrex and its software to record the event. The prototype was made using the plastic case of a Marks-A-Lot felt-tip pen. The Vectrex draws a web-like pattern to track the pen’s position. The software changes the size of the pattern as the pen moves to keep tracking it continuously. The Vectrex light pen was also invented by John Ross.
Screen overlays
To improve the visual appearance of the Vectrex, each commercially released game included a special translucent plastic screen overlay that came with the game cartridge. This idea was first used with the Magnavox Odyssey and some early arcade machines. The Vectrex console held the overlays in place using four tabs, keeping them slightly away from the screen. These overlays used one to three colors to create the look of color on a black and white screen. They helped reduce glare and flicker, made vector graphics easier to see, and gave the screen a flat appearance. Some game designers used alternating colored patterns to create the illusion of movement. Overlays also included areas for showing players' scores, artwork, and patterns to enhance the game's visuals. At the bottom of each overlay, there were labels showing the functions of the joystick and buttons. Each overlay displayed the game's title, logo, and a colored border or design to improve the console's appearance, similar to artwork on arcade machines. While overlays were not required, they added visual appeal to the game graphics and the overall look of the console.
Software
Some games in the Vectrex's collection were versions of popular arcade games, many of which were made available for the console through an agreement with Cinematronics.
The liquor company Old Mr. Boston produced a small number of special Clean Sweep cartridges. Each box had a Mr. Boston sticker. The overlay used in the game showed the Mr. Boston name, logo, and copyright information on both sides. The game included unique text, and the player controlled a top hat instead of a vacuum. Clean Sweep was created by Richard Moszkowski.
Reception
In 1982, the magazine Byte described the Vectrex as "one of the greatest game machines we have seen this year" and noted that it "is a good bet to score big with the consumer." The publication highlighted the Vectrex's screen, stating that "it is hard to believe unless you see it; imagine playing games at home (or in the office) using vector graphics with 3D movement and resizing." It also mentioned that "it is unusual and refreshing to see a product appearing on the market with its software ready to use." In 1983, David H. Ahl wrote in Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games that "vector graphics really do make a difference, and the variety of games helps immensely."
Legacy
Since late 1995, a group of hobbyists on Usenet has been creating games for ParaJVE, an emulator for the Vectrex system. ParaJVE combines parts of MESS (included in MAME and RetroArch through libretro), DVE, lr-vex, Vecx, and a version for the Wii called VectrexWii. A design for a "Vectrex Multicart" cartridge is available, allowing multiple games to be stored on a single cartridge. Some people now make and sell new games, some of which are made to look like original commercial cartridges, including packaging and overlays, while others have different levels of packaging. In recent years, new hardware for the Vectrex has been developed, including a light pen that solves a problem of the original system by adding buttons that replace the second controller needed. A daughterboard has also been created to fix the common issue of noise in the system’s audio by replacing the original audio circuitry on the power board with a separate module inside the cabinet.
Rebirth
On May 21, 2025, @VectrexOn, the official X (formerly Twitter) account for Vectrex, shared a post showing a new logo designed by David Oghia. On July 8, Oghia introduced a new project called Vectrex Mini and began talking about it with the community in the "Vectrex fans unite!" Facebook group. The first prototypes of the Vectrex Mini were later shown at several international events, including Gamescom in Cologne, Germany; Play Expo in Blackpool, UK; the Portland Retro Gaming Expo (PRGE) in the United States; Paris Games Week in France; and Crash Live Expo in Kenilworth, UK.
The project officially started on Kickstarter on November 3, 2025, and ended on December 2, 2025. It raised $1,301,353 from 5,583 supporters. The Vectrex Mini is a smaller version of the original 1982 console, featuring a 5-inch AMOLED screen instead of the original CRT display.
As of 2026, the Vectrex Mini is still being developed, with delivery planned for September 2026.