Need a Vectrex

[Opry99er]

Okay folks... I had a chance to play Minestorm today at the Midwest Gaming Classic and my memory banks were overloaded with nostalgia... I could have sat there for days playing that game, missing the rest of the Expo and would have been just fine with that. So many awesome memories of sitting in my buddys musty dark and cold basement playing that game for hours upon hours. I was never really all that good at the game, but loved it nonetheless.

 

Today I topped out at a pinch over 35,000.... still not all that great, but I had so much damned fun with it, it didnt matter.

 

Had my kids with me and they played as well and had a blast.

 

 

So... this all brings me to my point. The Buy It Now auctions on eBay seem ridiculously overpriced for a bare console with one controller... $250 seems to be about the average for a tested console in good working order on the Buy It Now auctions. Is that normal? I have some stuff for trade if anyone has a spare bare console with one controller. I imagine thats all Id ever need.

[Blitter]

Did you happen to find that room where they had a Vectrex in a cab wired to display color?

[fiddlepaddle]

Unfortunately, lots of Vectrexes are starting to flake out, and there are multiple potential points of failure. They can also just get out of adjustment, which can be fixed, but you might need some higher-than-consumer-level expertise. Even if you get a good one, be prepared to do some work eventually.

 

If you are OK with opening one up and twiddling with it, you might even be ahead of the game by buying one or two that don't work right.

 

Those controllers wear out, too.

[sprazzi]

I imagine thats all Id ever need.

I know that feeling...

I'm positive you'll eventually got one!

 

"The System that cannot be emulated"

[+FarmerPotato]

You were lucky that the Vectrex attended in the same year as you

 

I first went in 2005 and played Minestorm. A lot. For me it was the first time I'd seen a system outside of a magazine ad and comp.sys.vectrex. I got a shout out in a message on Yahoo as "minestorm guy".

 

Vectrex have been on again, off again since then on the Museum floor. They are also rare in the vendor hall. I think there was one on Friday night. They do sometimes appear, working or not, and sell fast for $200 and up.

 

I saw the Color Vectrex. I didn't have time to stop and play it. (I also had no time for Space Duel... same guilty pleasure... But I did play Cosmotrons! If you like Minestorm you'll see why.)

 

Heck, they claim there were 1000s of games. I played only a handful: 3D Pong (mechanical). VideoBrain Gladiator. Magnavox Odyssey Escape.

[Opry99er]

Thanks for the replies, guys.

 

I didnt see the color Vectrex unfortunately...

 

But I loved playing Minestorm while I was there. I might need to work out a trade of some sort with someone to get a Vectrex.... Id rather have a cabaret cabinet of Asteroids, but thats easily 4 times the price.

 

Minestorm is a special game for me... so many hundreds of hours of game play on that machine in my youth.....

 

It was quite a bit of fun. and it was right down by the TI booth as well!!!

[Opry99er]

Here is a link to my thread in the Marketplace...

 

In case anyone here happens to have a spare Vectrex lying around somewhere and needs a nice boxed Nintendo.

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/277954-boxed-nes-for-trade/?do=findComment&comment=4012605

[Flojomojo]

Just in case you didn't know -- and I don't require an army of Vec fans telling me it's not the same -- there's a commercial Vectrex emulator for iPad which works well enough for me.

 

http://www.vectrexregeneration.com/

 

Your mileage may vary, void where prohibited, and so on. Old Vectrex units are nice, but this is thin, runs quiet and cool, and most importantly, cheap.

[Opry99er]

Thanks for the suggestion!

 

I have it on my iPhone. . It is a good alternative in the interim, but I still need an iCade to really enjoy it.

[Flojomojo]

or an iCade Jr.

 

 

https://www.ionaudio.com/products/details/icadejr

[Opry99er]

Wow!!! Thanks again for that suggestion. Unfortunately I have large hands.... very large rough, cumbersome meat hooks. . It would be laughable to see me try to use that little guy... I think I would get frustrated and not enjoy it, honestly.

 

I have an iPad mini that I THINK will work on a standard iCade. Ill havr to look at the specs a bit closer. Or find an iPad 2 on Craigslist or something.

 

Pretty cool, all the options we have available to us these days.

[Flojomojo]

I just traded in an iPad 3 to Gamestop, I could have helped you out. Ah well.

 

Yes, the Jr is silly small, it's mainly for show. There are other iCade controllers out there

http://retrorgb.com/icadecontrollers.html

 

It's really just a modified Bluetooth keyboard; you could hack your own. I think the 8-bitty (NES looking pad) is closer to the original Vectrex controller than the cabinet iCade.

 

And now, I'm looking at my dusty iCade Core and wondering if I really want it ...

 

YES it's cool that we have so many options!!

[+LS650]

Unfortunately the price for a Vectrex, as with other systems, has really gone up the last few years.

I would say that $250 US for a Vectrex in good working order is actually a very good price these days; the last time I looked at eBay they were averaging $300 plus shipping.

The good news is that once you have a console, you can find one of the various multi-carts for well under $100, and then you'll have quite the library of games.

There's also a healthy homebrew scene now, with a few new releases every year.

[Opry99er]

I have a boxed Nintendo and a SNES (in working shape) Id be happy to trade for the Vectrex, but even with those, I fear I am still not close.

[50TBRD]

Its all about being vigilant. Sometimes ebay will have deals if you keep your eyes open. I always recommend checking craigslist often.

[Opry99er]

Thank you.

 

Im keeping my eyes open on Craigslist st least 3-4 times a week, hopefully one will pop up.

[+LS650]

Did you know you can set up an alert notification on your local Craigslist?

Then you'll get an email when someone posts an ad with a keyword such as "Vectrex"...