Atari2008 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 So I recently discovered the Adventure Vision thanks to Brett Weiss' book on consoles from the 70s and 80s. I have an affinity for obscure systems so it quickly caught my attention. I've done a few searches and found quite a few sites chock full of information and very passionate fans of the system. It has a tiny library but they're all arcade ports. I've played the system in emulation and I think it's awesome! The unique system used to display the graphics really impresses me. So I guess I just want to talk about the Adventure Vision. Who has one? What do you like about it? Do you still play yours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I played the system in an emulator. It didn't impress me at all. It's like a caveman ancestor of the Virtual Boy, with all that this implies. The system's intense flicker would kill an epileptic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 It's too expensive, rare and fragile to actually own. There's a product that will eventaully come out called the FPGA Arcade. My plan is to but one of those for my Adventurevision needs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari2008 Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 The prices are in the stratosphere, I probably never will own one. The FPGA Arcade sounds interesting, a good way to own these rare systems without breaking the bank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dripfree Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Adventure vision is my new holy grail. I love the weird way it operates, and I feel like I want it bad enough that one will just fall into my lap someday. Yea I know thats nuts but It has a way of happening to me it seems. Thats how I got my vectrex and a bunch of other weird shit. I see videos on line and I get kinda obsessed. Then eventually I see an old lady selling it on her lawn. It's like you can will them into your life. Thats the method I recommend for acquiring systems as rare as that cuz god knows I cant pay current market price for stuff like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Adventure vision is my new holy grail. I love the weird way it operates, and I feel like I want it bad enough that one will just fall into my lap someday. Yea I know thats nuts but It has a way of happening to me it seems. Thats how I got my vectrex and a bunch of other weird shit. I see videos on line and I get kinda obsessed. Then eventually I see an old lady selling it on her lawn. It's like you can will them into your life. Thats the method I recommend for acquiring systems as rare as that cuz god knows I cant pay current market price for stuff like that. Problem is the AdventureVision is EVERYONES holy grail. Still, enthusiasm and dumb luck go a long way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari2008 Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 Adventure vision is my new holy grail. I love the weird way it operates, and I feel like I want it bad enough that one will just fall into my lap someday. Yea I know thats nuts but It has a way of happening to me it seems. Thats how I got my vectrex and a bunch of other weird shit. I see videos on line and I get kinda obsessed. Then eventually I see an old lady selling it on her lawn. It's like you can will them into your life. Thats the method I recommend for acquiring systems as rare as that cuz god knows I cant pay current market price for stuff like that. I'm the same way! Watch videos online, get obsessed, and hope that if I go to a thrift store I'll find it. The last part hasn't happened yet, but I'm glad you've gotten lucky. I actually haven't looked at thrift stores and garage sales so maybe if I do I'll find something. I agree, I wouldn't want to pay $1,000 for it. Good luck on your search! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari_Bill Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I've wanted an Adventurevision for YEARS now ((at least 20 at this point)) but there's no way I'd pay the going rate for one. For this, I'd probably to willing shell out more than I've ever spent for something in my collection but that would still only be maybe $400. That's not going to get one. Good luck in your hunt as it's rare for them to even be available for purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+LS650 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 There are a couple of emulators, MESS and a standalone emulator. Although the machine is quite unique, IMHO the gameplay is just not there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari2008 Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 I've wanted an Adventurevision for YEARS now ((at least 20 at this point)) but there's no way I'd pay the going rate for one. For this, I'd probably to willing shell out more than I've ever spent for something in my collection but that would still only be maybe $400. That's not going to get one. Good luck in your hunt as it's rare for them to even be available for purchase. I feel similarly. I'd be willing to spend more than I normally would but not nearly as high as they go for. Here's a nice emulator: https://code.google.com/p/adviemulator/ Good luck in your hunt as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Guys.. you know it's going to be terribly expensive.. and that if you actually tried to play with it the screen is going to break. It's rotating (i.e. mechanical) and probably worn through age if not use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulBlazer Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I had a chance to play a Adventure Vision for a while. I acted as the 'middleman' for a long time and serious collector who lives in Australia. He asked for my help last year in purchasing the system in a EBay auction, and then I re-packaged it and shipped it down to him. It was a complete system -- very minor issues, with all four of the released games. Wanting to make sure it was alright, and curious about it, I played it for a couple hours. My impression? Not that good. The system was nice enough, with good controls, solid look to it, and easy enough to operate and play. The 'holographic' vector look to it reminded me of a blend of a Virtual Boy and Vectrx. The graphics were detailed enough, but it was horrible for actual game play. There was mad flicker, only one color (red), and the sound effects were terrible. The gameplay of the games was solid enough, but after a hour or so I could feel a headache coming on. There's no way anyone could play one of these for any long term period of time. It probably was fun back in the day, and it would make a great collector item sitting on the shelf and to show off to people. But you wouldn't want to play it for long. And yes, it's so rare that it's VERY expensive. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari2008 Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 It probably wouldn't be a good investment for me. I've been mining many of the obscure consoles lately - RCA Studio II, APF MP1000, Adventure Vision - looking for hidden gems since I enjoy obscure consoles. But all of those libraries seem to fall flat. Maybe those systems would just look cool in a shelf but nothing more. Maybe a Vectrex or a Bally Astrocade would be better, those seem to have better libraries and bigger followings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari_Bill Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Guys.. you know it's going to be terribly expensive.. and that if you actually tried to play with it the screen is going to break. It's rotating (i.e. mechanical) and probably worn through age if not use. If I did manage to acquire one of these it would be for the collectable aspect and not for regular play by any means. That's the reason I collect for the RCA Studio II or the Fairchild Channel F. The games aren't spectacular by any means, but they are interesting enough to want to build a collection for. The same could be said of the Adventurevision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari2008 Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 That's true, they sure are collectible but in looking for a hidden gem - an obscure console that's actually fun to play in addition to collect for. Although I'm starting to think that doesn't exist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akator Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 It probably wouldn't be a good investment for me. I've been mining many of the obscure consoles lately - RCA Studio II, APF MP1000, Adventure Vision - looking for hidden gems since I enjoy obscure consoles. But all of those libraries seem to fall flat. Maybe those systems would just look cool in a shelf but nothing more. Maybe a Vectrex or a Bally Astrocade would be better, those seem to have better libraries and bigger followings. That's true, they sure are collectible but in looking for a hidden gem - an obscure console that's actually fun to play in addition to collect for. Although I'm starting to think that doesn't exist. Both the Vectrex and Astrocade are a world apart from the Adventure Vision. While all 3 can be lumped into the category of "obscure," I personally wouldn't compare the Adventure Vision to the other 2 consoles. Many of the "official" Vectrex titles are excellent and there has been an active homebrew community for almost 2 decades, producing both amazing new games and hardware. The Vectex may be obscure to the mainstream but it is still an amazing system to own and use. Unlike the Adventure Vision. Astrocade also had some great games released when the console was still in production, although it has not seen nearly as much homebrew as the Vectrex. Unlike the Vectrex, the Astrocade hardware is notoriously unreliable both then and now. If you can get one that is working and keep it that way, it's a very enjoyable experience. Unlike the Adventure Vision. Both the Vectrex and Astrocade have innovative controllers for their time. It's worth it to experience both of these systems in person and actually play them even if they never become part of your collection. Owning and collecting for either of these systems can be extremely rewarding because they are enjoyable. Unlike the Adventure Vision Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari2008 Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 Both the Vectrex and Astrocade are a world apart from the Adventure Vision. While all 3 can be lumped into the category of "obscure," I personally wouldn't compare the Adventure Vision to the other 2 consoles. Many of the "official" Vectrex titles are excellent and there has been an active homebrew community for almost 2 decades, producing both amazing new games and hardware. The Vectex may be obscure to the mainstream but it is still an amazing system to own and use. Unlike the Adventure Vision. Astrocade also had some great games released when the console was still in production, although it has not seen nearly as much homebrew as the Vectrex. Unlike the Vectrex, the Astrocade hardware is notoriously unreliable both then and now. If you can get one that is working and keep it that way, it's a very enjoyable experience. Unlike the Adventure Vision. Both the Vectrex and Astrocade have innovative controllers for their time. It's worth it to experience both of these systems in person and actually play them even if they never become part of your collection. Owning and collecting for either of these systems can be extremely rewarding because they are enjoyable. Unlike the Adventure Vision Sounds like the Vectrex is more up my alley. It's obscure so people will be interested when they see it on a shelf, and I'll enjoy learning the history behind it. I also think it looks awesome and I've been interested in it for a few years, just never bothered to seriously look into it. Also I love homebrews so I'm glad to hear that it has an active scene. Plus it's also a table top like the Adventure Vision (of course all comparisons end there). The Astrocade seems intriguing but I don't want to deal with hardware issues, I want something sturdy so I can just get down to gaming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+LS650 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 +1 on the Vectrex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zap! Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I'm looking for one, but won't buy something that expensive unless it's hand-delivered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari2008 Posted February 10, 2014 Author Share Posted February 10, 2014 +1 on the Vectrex. I'm looking into the Vectrex, it looks like an intriguing system. Price is a bit up there but nothing compared to the Adventure Vision so not too bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyperboy Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Vectrex is Rockin, Check out madtronix for 3d imager, light pens and killer games! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari2008 Posted February 10, 2014 Author Share Posted February 10, 2014 Vectrex is Rockin, Check out madtronix for 3d imager, light pens and killer games! Thank you for the link! I didn't know you can get repro 3D imager and light pens. That's awesome! I know the originals are rare items, so it's nice to be able to get a repro. I've read about both items and they sound like cool accessories. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dripfree Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 (edited) Guys.. you know it's going to be terribly expensive.. and that if you actually tried to play with it the screen is going to break. It's rotating (i.e. mechanical) and probably worn through age if not use. I'm kinda hoping this has happened to someone else. Every now and then I'll search Ebay for "Adventure Vision broken" or "Adventure Vision parts". I've gotten pretty decent at fixing different types of electro mechanical devices and at fabricating parts. A busted Adventure Vision is probably the only Adventure Vision I could afford but I probably won't even be able to afford that......... Maybe some day I'll see a busted one by the curb on the way to work. The Vectrex Is the perfect combination of obscurity and playability. When someone walks into my game room they are instantly drawn to my Vectrex. They have usually never heard of it and when I start it up they have never seen anything like it. I feel thats all you'd really get with an Adventure Vision. The fascination doesn't end there with the Vectrex cuz It's game are actually fun too. Edited February 10, 2014 by Dripfree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari2008 Posted February 10, 2014 Author Share Posted February 10, 2014 I'm kinda hoping this has happened to someone else. Every now and then I'll search Ebay for "Adventure Vision broken" or "Adventure Vision parts". I've gotten pretty decent at fixing different types of electro mechanical devices and at fabricating parts. A busted Adventure Vision is probably the only Adventure Vision I could afford but I probably won't even be able to afford that......... Maybe some day I'll see a busted one by the curb on the way to work. I heard that a broken one sold on eBay for $450 a few years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zap! Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Problem is the AdventureVision is EVERYONES holy grail. Still, enthusiasm and dumb luck go a long way. Not everyone's. Mine is the RDI Halcyon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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