Vectrex Videos, Systems, and Projects
Explore Vectrex hardware, vector graphics games, overlays, accessories, and related retro gaming projects featured in the Geek With Social Skills archive.
Vectrex Systems
Games and Software
History and Legacy
The Vectrex was released in 1982 as a self-contained home video game system built around its own monochrome vector display. Originally developed by Smith Engineering and marketed first by General Consumer Electronics, the system was later acquired by Milton Bradley.
Instead of connecting to a television like most consoles of the era, the Vectrex generated vector graphics on its built-in display. Colorful plastic screen overlays were used with individual games to add color and visual detail to the otherwise monochrome graphics.
The system also featured an analog controller that stored neatly in the front of the console and included Minestorm as a built-in game, allowing the Vectrex to be played without inserting a cartridge.
Although its commercial life was relatively short, the Vectrex remains one of the most distinctive home video game systems of the early 1980s. Its combination of vector graphics, self-contained hardware, arcade-inspired games, overlays, and unusual industrial design gives it an experience unlike conventional cartridge consoles connected to a television.
The Vectrex also continues to attract homebrew developers and collectors, with new games and accessories appearing decades after the original hardware was discontinued.
For Geek With Social Skills, the Vectrex connects classic gaming, unusual display technology, cartridge collecting, homebrew development, preservation, and one of the most distinctive hardware designs of the early home console era.
Explore More
- Browse the full video archive for Vectrex games, vector graphics, and classic retro gaming videos.
- Visit the Retro Computer Systems hub.
- See the Retro Tech Want List for Vectrex games, overlays, manuals, controllers, and accessories.