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VecNews Categories
 VecWorld - News around the Vectrex World
VecUpdate - Related to the Museums Page
VecLaunch - Vectrex Game Development
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Archive
If you are working on a Vectrex game or hardware project and there is an important update, please contact us so we can post your news here on the VecNews page.
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VecNews RSS Feed - stay up to date...
Stay updated on new additions to our collection and Vectrex related news. By using RSS you can see when new content has been added to the museum's site. Please subscribe to our RSS news feed by clicking on the RSS Icon at the browsers address bar. You need to bookmark the RSS or you can add its address to your RSS-Reader. /news/rss.php
GeekFest Berlin 2016 | Vectrex Panel with Jay Smith
October 26, 2016
Listen to the Father of the Vectrex game console, Jay Smith and Vectrex System programmer Gerry Karr talk about the early days of the Vectrex console. Chris Romero joins in the conversation to talk about the actual Vectrex scene. Recorded on September 17, 2016 at GeekFest Berlin, hosted by Hacker legend John "Captain Crunch" Draper and Vectrexmuseum's Curator Oliver. We hope you have so much fun listen to it like we had doing it. Please click here to see the recording: https://youtu.be/ZeBq8aPjHv0
VecWorld |
November 01 | Play Your Vectrex !
October 1, 2015
The International Play Your Vectrex Day has been announced, giving the Vectrex an "official" day of recognition, along with it coinciding with the 30 year anniversary of its original release date of November, 1982 in the United States.
Rules/regulations:
1. Play their Vectrex.
2. Keep track of what they played.
3. Edit the Vectrex wiki page for it (http://vectrex.wikia.com/wiki/International_Play_Your_Vectrex_Day) or contact me and I'll do it for them. These two things are mandatory. There are also bonuses that can be added as well, such as keeping a record of your game(s’) score(s), taking photos of your score(s), your Vectrex/collection, making a drawing or gif or something that is Vectrex-related, etc. Full rules and regulations can be seen on the Wikia Vectrex wiki page or on the vector gaming forums, along with how to contact me if players wish for me to put up the information for them, rather than if they do not wish to edit the wiki page themselves. We hope to see you on November 1st!
VecWorld |
Mail Plane Prototype - download at vectrex.com
December 2, 2013
 In case you have been absent from the Vectrex scene a while (like www.vectrex.com), the classic unreleased title "Mail Plane" has been found again. This time the game is fully playable (unlike the previous ROM Dump) to the end. Crashing more than 5 times also takes the played to the "Game Over" screen. www.Vectrex.com is happy to have purchased the fully playable version of the unreleased game "Mail Plane" so that the Vectrex community can enjoy this long anticipated find. The effort was made all the more sweet by the participation of three post-acquisition monetary contributors. My sincere thank you to Lorne Allaire, as well as two other (currently) anonymous members. We have generous and enthusiastic members who love the Vectrex! Get your working copy of this classic Vectrex game title here: Mail Plane
VecWorld |
The Macintosh 1984 case design rumor has an end!
June 18, 2013
Dear Vectrex Friends, there was this rumor around that the Macintosh 1984 case design was inspired by the 1982 Vectrex case design concept. I contacted the Macintosh 1984 case designer Jerry C. Manock and asked him this simple question, (followed by is his answer): Was the design of the Macintosh 1984 inspired by the Vectrex 1982 in any way ?
Absolutely and emphatically NO!
I have no knowledge of the 1982 Vectrex and have never seen one. JCM
VecWorld |
Retro fair | first time in Berlin
March 27, 2013
The iconic event, first time in Berlin. The very first Berlin retro fair will take place in the area around the Computerspielemuseum on April 27 and 28 from 11am to 5pm. In contrast to previous fairs in other cities, this one will be in the open air. There is no entrance fee to the fair. Regular fares apply for visiting the museum. Merchants can rent booth space to trade or sell interesting pieces from the history of video games. Retro Fair at Berlin Computer Gaming Museum April 27 and 28 from 11am to Karl-Marx-Allee 93a | 10243 Berlin Merchants can apply here
VecWorld |
Vectrex at Digibarn Computer Museum
May 5, 2012
The DigiBarn Museum has a Vectrex page, including words on the artifact from its contributor, Ed Satterthwaite, who worked at Xerox PARC in the 70s and 80s.
http://www.digibarn.com/collections/games/vectrex/
Comment from DigiBarn curator Bruce Damer: aren't these ultra retro cool, we think of the Vectrex as "the Blade Runner" machine!
VecWorld |
Demo for the Vectrex won 1 place!
May 1, 2012
Students at CMU's Computer Club obviously don't see much reason for preservation if it stops them from creating demos like the one below, which recently won first place at PixelJam, a demo competition taking place at Ohio arts and technology conference Notacon. Since no compositional software exists for the system, esteemed chip musician C-Jeff composed and ported over the music from a ZX Spectrum, which has the same sound chip as the Vectrex. They then ran the resulting audio through a preamp to eliminate the harsh buzzing sound that gets mixed into the signal due to the machine's screen. The tripod camcorder recording doesn't quite fully capture the cathode rays' hypnotic glow, but since the console has no video outputs it's the closest you're going to get without owning one of these rare machines. Click the image to view the demo...
VecWorld |
Vectrex Timeline - What happened 30 years ago... ?
February 7, 2012
Here is the second entry for the series about the history of the Vectrex. 
First months of 1982: A strict timetable demands that the first 12 games and the hardware should be ready in June 1982. The Vectrex name is subsequently chosen, as already described.
John Hall later exclusively works on "Mine Storm" while Gerry Karr works on The Executive alone. Gerry starts over from scratch and changes the name to the RUM (Run Time Monitor). In the end, a number of people contribute to the RUM, most notably Duncan Muirhead who handled most of the heavy trig stuff. Come back to the VecNews, this series will be continued!
VecWorld |
Vectrex Timeline - What happened 30 years ago... ?
January 28, 2012
Here is the first entry for a news series about the history of the Vectrex.
December 1980:
Large supply of 5" CRT's bought cheaply from a liquidator's surplus.
Spring 1981:
"Mini-Arcade" development begins with Mike Purvis and John Ross.
Spring 1981:
Project is re-named. Tom Sloper suggests "Vector-X", which soon becomes "Vectrex".
July 1981:
Kenner declines an option on the project.
September 1981:
Vectrex concept is licensed by General Consumer Electronics (GCE), and a 9" CRT is decided on.
October 1981:
Paul Newell, Mark Indictor and John Hall begin to engineer the Vectrex.
January 1982:
Bill Hawkins and Chris King join the Western Tech. They were both students at Georgia Tech at the time and are hired by Ed Smith as "Cooperative Education" students. They are supposed to work for three months and then go back to school. Duncan Muirhead joins a week or two afterwards. He had just dropped out of a Physics PHD program at UCLA. Come back to the VecNews, this series will be continued!
VecWorld |
Crossword Puzzles - GCE Vectrex
January 18, 2012
DOWN
1: Designed by Bill Hawkins
2: This arcade game was released exclusively on the Vectrex
4: This 3D device package with 3D Mine Strom
5: Modern day programmer of Vectrex Games
6: The final game for the light pen
7: Availbale only through GCE mail order
8: You are a vacuum cleaner
11: Based on the vector coin-op of the same name
12: This toy company bought out General Consumer Electronics
13: This cartridge had 2k of ram housed within
14: European release of Spinball
15: Rumored game title
16: This gentleman built the Vectrex prototype
19: This toy company chose not to purchase the Vectrex
23: Leather accessory for the Vectrex
26: Based on the television show and movie franchise
27: 12 K prototype
29: Evil Otto!
32: The Vectrex was first displayed during this Chicago convention
| ACROSS
3: The Japanese manufacturer of the Vectrex
9: Packaged with Artmaster; Only 3 games were compatable with this device
10: Submarine game
17: Graphics were created with these type of lines instead of pixels
18: Used for diagnostic purposes
20: X's & O's
21: Vectrex Manufacturer
22: This game went from home to the arcade
24: Built in game
25: Ricocheting fire
28: This game used the joysticks analog feature
30: European release of Web Wars
31: Used to simulate color
32: Announced but never released add-on
33: Voice synthesis by www.gooddealgames.com |
Print the crossword | download as a PDF
VecWorld |
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