Vectrex is an 8-bit video game console that was developed by Western Technologies/Smith Engineering. It was licensed and distributed first by General Consumer Electric (GCE), and then by Milton Bradley Company after their purchase of GCE. It was released in November 1982 at a retail price of $199. As the video game market declined and then crashed, the Vectrex exited the market in early 1984.

Unlike other video game consoles which connected to televisions and rendered raster graphics, the Vectrex has an integrated vector monitor which displayed vector graphics. The monochrome Vectrex used screen overlays to give the illusion of color. At the time many of the most popular arcade games used vector displays, and GCE was looking to set themselves apart from the pack by selling high-quality versions of games like Space Wars and Armor Attack.

Vectrex comes with a built in game, the Asteroids-like Minestorm. Two peripherals were also available for the Vectrex, a light pen and a 3D imager.

Western Technologies/Smith Engineering briefly considered designing a handheld version of the device in 1988, though the impending release of the Nintendo Game Boy made such a project too risky. In the mid-1990s, Smith Engineering released the duplication of the Vectrex system image and cartridges for non-commercial uses and has expressed joy to see that it has still-thriving developer and user communities.

Vectrex Software

Vectrex Hardware