[HN Gopher] Vectrex Mini
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Vectrex Mini
Author : rbanffy
Score : 65 points
Date : 2025-10-08 14:38 UTC (8 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (vectrex.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (vectrex.com)
| pawal wrote:
| Interesting, but a Vectrex without a vector display is like a
| fish without water.
| jsheard wrote:
| At least they went with OLED, which is as close as you can get
| with technology that's still in mass production. It would be a
| crime to use LCD for this.
| mring33621 wrote:
| Synthetic Vectrex!
|
| As a kid, i had the 3D goggles. The rollercoaster simulation was
| pretty good!
| whywhywhywhy wrote:
| Having seen a real one in action it seems kinda pointless without
| it having a true vector display.
| emptybits wrote:
| > "the console features a built-in 5-inch AMOLED display with a
| resolution of 800x600, delivering sharp and bright vector
| graphics"
|
| So ... NOT vector graphics. Rasterized bitmap versions of vector
| graphics.
|
| EDIT: Sorry, I'm not saying this isn't cool. I know rasterizing a
| vector to a sharp bitmapped display can still allow effects to
| simulate continuously drawn vector artifacts e.g. thin lines,
| thicker at vertices, refresh, flicker, etc.
| johnflan wrote:
| A modern version of a device with one unique feature... missing
| that unique feature
| JohnTHaller wrote:
| I feel like a higher resolution OLED would serve this much
| better.
|
| I have a working Vectrex I found on the street 12 years ago
| sitting in my living room.
| op00to wrote:
| Nothing matches the pinpoint of light dancing around that
| Vectrex provides. I'm not sure it's feasible to sell
| something based on vector graphics like Vectrex did, but it
| would be way cooler!
| aitchnyu wrote:
| We still get cathode ray oscilloscopes. Apparently the og has a
| grid screen. Wonder what it costs to get a CRT maker to get
| custom dimensions, phosphor colors, curvature etc?
| Mogzol wrote:
| > We still get cathode ray oscilloscopes
|
| Do we? I was under the impression that CRTs were not being
| manufactured anywhere anymore. I could definitely be wrong,
| but I couldn't find anything with a quick search.
| Keyframe wrote:
| Are there any CRT manufacturers left?
| supportengineer wrote:
| I have a brilliant idea. Let's bring manufacturing back to
| America, but let's exclusively build "vintage" technology.
| Keyframe wrote:
| Thing is, probably a ton of manufacturing gotchas and
| even know-hows of technologies of ye olde are already
| lost to time.
| bitwize wrote:
| Yes.
|
| https://www.thomaselectronics.com/
|
| But they're only building them for specialty niche military
| and industrial applications (e.g., replacement parts for
| old fighter jet HUDs). You could ask them about building
| one for your SNES setup or old arcade machine, but it'll
| cost you call-for-pricing dollars (tens or hundreds of
| thousands, perhaps?)
| Keyframe wrote:
| interesting! Somehow it doesn't seem those are at
| fidelity what sony was producing, since it doesn't need
| to be - requirements are different. Maybe we can have US
| army order a few for us SNES guys, since they're also
| SNES guys? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-
| purpose_Arcade_Combat_Si...
| bitwize wrote:
| Reminds me of how the actual Marines modified Doom with
| realistic weapons, locations, and enemies to turn it into
| a simulator for drilling fireteam tactics:
|
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Doom
| sehugg wrote:
| AliExpress has these 4-inch "flat CRTs" that look like they
| scan the vertical axis onto a sort of parabolic screen. I've
| thought about playing with one, but decided I don't want to
| risk shocking myself for a tiny distorted image. Still have
| no idea for which application they're intended.
|
| https://www.aliexpress.com/i/3256805660504572.html
| numpad0 wrote:
| Those were used in a lot of doorbell cameras until 2010s,
| then replaced by LCDs.
| adrianmonk wrote:
| Alternatively, apparently you can make a true vector display
| by steering a laser.
|
| Here's a DIY example:
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdo3djJrw9o
|
| I suppose you could even point that at a screen with
| phosphors on it for a more CRT-like effect. (Maybe you'd need
| a different kind of phosphor since you'd be exciting it with
| visible light rather than with an electron beam, though.)
| JKCalhoun wrote:
| Agree. I'm disappointed.
|
| > Experience the spirit of the original Vectrex in a modern,
| compact format.
|
| Emphasis on "spirit" I guess? Without the vector display it's
| an emulator in an (admittedly) handsome enclosure.
| ChuckMcM wrote:
| Yeah, not really the same. I had a really really complete
| Vectrex setup, every game (even the stupid ones :-)) AND their
| overlays, I'm pretty sure every accessory. Which I ended up
| selling to a guy doing a museum?[1] Anyway it was quite the
| game for me. I knew eventually it would stop working and then
| just be a memory but still.
|
| The screen was what really made it, and I get that having a
| vector scope manufactured would be expensive (it isn't true
| that nobody makes CRTs any more, but it is true that they don't
| come cheaply). Its also the reason I never really went all the
| way and bought one of my all time favorite arcade games which
| was the cockpit version of 'Star Wars' with its color vector
| display. (even harder to store!)
|
| In a related effort, I looked at replicating a CRT "look" for
| some older test equipment that came with CRTs using a high dpi
| IPS display. I probably could have succeeded if I had an FPGA
| for doing the phosphor simulation (I developed a lot of respect
| for Tektronix's DPO technology and their patent portfolio on
| same :-). Very much a diminishing returns kind of thing.
|
| [1] If you're that guy and reading this say "hi" :-)
| hedora wrote:
| I wonder if an FPGA is still necessary. 4k/8k are running way
| over 60 fps these days. Presumably a gpu could do a decent
| job emulating the phosphor.
|
| In related news, atari 2600 emulators are keeping 4-8 cores >
| 50% busy these days. How else do you get accurate ntsc "red
| blur", and capacitor effects from blinking pixels?
| WillPostForFood wrote:
| This is the opposite of what I'd want. Give me an actual vector
| display, and double the screen size. This is just going to
| provide an experience like myriad chinese handheld emulators.
| 1bpp wrote:
| Probably impractical to source a viable CRT these days, but still
| a bit disappointing they couldn't use one
| JKCalhoun wrote:
| X, Y voltage (greyscale) output would allow you to attach an
| external oscilloscope.
| Tepix wrote:
| That's the way to do it as a DIY version.
| 7thaccount wrote:
| I guess for Nostalgia? I hadn't heard of this machine before at
| all. It doesn't look like the games would be that appealing
| either. I guess I did buy the mini SNES even though it has
| similar issues.
| entropie wrote:
| It's funny that you don't really get an impression of what this
| is all about on the front page. I don't know what a Vectrex is,
| and I'm confused. Something with games I guess.
| JKCalhoun wrote:
| Yeah, maybe you're expected to be of a certain age or into
| retro underdog gaming systems? It was upvoted to the front page
| so...
|
| Yeah, Vectrex was a vector gaming platform (as opposed to
| bitmap) that came and went in the 80's. Vector arcade games
| were a kind of niche anyway -- like "Asteroids", "Battlezone",
| "Tempest" and a Star Wars game. But they were also kind of
| magical. The Vectrex captured that.
| numpad0 wrote:
| Vectrex was an old game console with an integral CRT, famous
| for the "vector scan" CRT it used.
|
| Basically the only new principle involved is that instead of
| cathode ray beams always scanning on a fixed rectangular
| pattern, the X and Y deflection amounts were provided by the
| game to move around the singular dot to desired locations.
|
| It's crisp as waving around a laser pointer. Some people like
| that aesthetics.
| homarp wrote:
| see also https://github.com/schlae/scopetrex with the plan to
| build a clone.
|
| You need a XY Monitor - https://jmargolin.com/xy/xymon.htm
|
| or if you have a normal CRT, you can add the XY kit:
| https://www.retrorgb.com/vector-monitor-xy-kit.html
| ugh123 wrote:
| Logo on the box looks like "Vootrix"
| aaroninsf wrote:
| <scans description for display technology>
|
| AMOLED
|
| <closes tab>
|
| I would pay a LOT for a true vector display, and I would pay even
| more than that for a vector display systems that can play
| faithful recastings of Tempest and Asteroids.
|
| I can already play vector games on rasterized displays. I don't
| need an injection molded cabinet.
| Farbklex wrote:
| I played a prototype version of it at gamescom. It's pretty good.
| The graphics look good enough to emulate the original display
| technology.
| ilaksh wrote:
| Doesn't seem high enough resolution.
| sehugg wrote:
| On the Vectrex you could only draw lines between 256 x 256
| grid points, so in theory 800 x 600 with antialiasing would
| be enough. But dunno if it would have the same contrast, OLED
| is as good as you can get I guess.
| bitwize wrote:
| Not really. One of the advantages of vector displays is the
| fact that the drawn lines are razor sharp with zero
| aliasing. Another is the fact that the hardware has very
| fine control over the brightness, allowing for very bright
| or very dim lines to be drawn. The bright ones are brighter
| than could be replicated with raster CRT displays, and
| combined with slow-decay phosphors made for some beautiful
| "trail" effects. A pixelated display of any sort can only
| yield a rough approximation at best.
| JohnBooty wrote:
| and combined with slow-decay phosphors made for some
| beautiful "trail" effects
|
| Thank you. This is _such_ an under-appreciated aspect of
| vector games ' unique look on real hardware.
| A pixelated display of any sort can only yield a rough
| approximation at best.
|
| Why do you feel this way? With sufficient DPI, to me this
| is fairly easy to achieve. A few examples of emulation
| that look like they're doing a very good job:
|
| I think they have the bloom dialed up way too high, and
| maybe the trails aren't prominent enough, but I assume
| those are easy things to tweak.
|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4lHsVueSj0
|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtUtfBWDgmA
|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKjs1rWnwSk
| bitwize wrote:
| The bloom might be all right if they could replicate the
| intensity. Maybe with an OLED and sufficient HDR color
| depth, but I'm not seeing that here. It doesn't look like
| they did much CRT effect processing on the second two.
| The fireballs in Star Wars should glow the way the
| bullets in Asteroids do (albeit with quicker phosphor
| decay so not much in the way of trails).
| JohnBooty wrote:
| On a tiny screen like that, I suspect 800x600 is probably
| high enough DPI to fake the lines themselves well enough to
| the point where the pixels aren't discernable to the eye.
|
| This alone still wouldn't remotely resemble a real vector
| display...
|
| They would also need to accurately simulate the glow/bloom
| of the lines, and the phosphor decay rate over time that
| leads to effects like the "trail" behind the bullets in
| Asteroids. That is all extremely feasible. In a lot of
| ways, much easier than emulating a raster CRT display.
|
| However, I have never seen a commercial emulation product
| do this with any competency.
|
| Presumably because the number of people who would actually
| care is not large enough to affect the sales figures in any
| meaningful way.
| Tepix wrote:
| I saw the prototype at gamescom, too. I was there with a
| friend. When we noticed that it was not a true vector display,
| we were both bewildered. What's the point?
| antirez wrote:
| This object makes sense to me _only_ if, even if there is a
| display, which is fundamentally different than tracing line with
| the CRT raster, at least that original process is simulated. If
| the lines buffer is rendered just with a line drawing algorithm
| where the line is uniform, I kinda fail to see the point of
| emulating an object like that. Sure, still kinda a nice gadget,
| but... And, the ESP32 inside tells me that it is hardly a
| physical simulation of the CRT reactive surface and the electrons
| beam. The point of this device was the way the lines were traced
| without the help of the main CPU of the device, and in a way
| where pixels didn 't make any sense at all. They are _lines_ at
| the lower of the levels. Failing to do that in the emulation is
| kinda betraying the device.
| JohnBooty wrote:
| This object makes sense to me only if, even if there is a
| display, which is fundamentally different than tracing line
| with the CRT raster, at least that original process is
| simulated.
|
| Yes to all of that, but also, I think a raster display of
| sufficiently high DPI _can_ simulate a vector display very
| well, _if and only if_ they pay attention to the right things.
| A vector display is visually unique for a few reasons.
|
| - The lines themselves which are honestly the easiest part to
| fake if the DPI is high enough, past the point of visual
| distinction.
|
| - The "bloom" or "glow" (phosphor bleed, or whatever the right
| term is) around the lines
|
| - The temporal effects caused by the screen phosphor continuing
| to glow even after the beam no longer hits them. The most
| obvious example is the "streak" left behind the ultra-bright
| moving bullets in Asteroids which looks absolutely awesome
|
| I have seen incredible examples of vector/CRT emulation when
| people get creative with RetroArch (or whatever) GPU powered
| shaders.The only things that emulation can't match (for me) are
| input latency and the magic of knowing that the process of
| creating the image is "real" and not "faked."
| neilv wrote:
| > _The Vectrex Mini captures the full spirit of the original
| Vectrex [...] AMOLED display with a resolution of 800x600_
|
| I played many hours on a Vectrex, and I'd say that the true
| vector graphics _was_ the spirit.
|
| If this project is able to capture that spirit in 800x600 AMOLED,
| that will be very impressive, and I will be curious how they did
| it.
|
| Edit: The Vectrex was a nice piece of creative engineering,
| within the constraints and opportunities of the time, on a
| wonderful product. I suppose (if you look at the comments here)
| it's difficult to make an homage to such a beloved thing, and hit
| the best notes in how you reveal it. This Mini looks impressive,
| and hopefully recaptures some of the magic.
| cgh wrote:
| My friend had one of these when we were little kids and I
| remember being impressed by how smooth and high-quality the
| joystick felt. This was mid-80s so maybe it's because the
| competition was lacking.
|
| Also, I'm pretty sure this was the only Vectrex within
| ~40,000km^2 of where I grew up.
| meatmanek wrote:
| I thought this was going to be about
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBVmCFS2sYs where someone built a
| miniature handheld Vectrex with a real CRT.
| karmakaze wrote:
| I don't like how the proportions look all wrong. I haven't seen
| my Vectrex unit in a while but I don't think it had those
| proportions.
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