Vectrex: Why Vertical?

[Gabriel]

Why is the Vectrex a vertical monitor? Is it because of some pre-existing manufacturing reason?

 

This little question popped into my head the other day, and, other than Vectrex games, I can't think of any Vector graphics games which use a vertical monitor. Since the Vectrex was destined to reproduce those nearly exclusive horizontal games at home, why go with the vertical monitor in the first place?

[Lord Helmet]

I think it would have been a better design to have the Vectrex be able to be stood on its side, giving you a horozontal screen, as well as on its base for the vertical screen.

 

I suppose technically you can already do this, but it's not really designed to be used in that way.

[jsoper]

Was the Macintosh around yet? I think sometimes designers just like to be different.

[christianscott27]

perhaps it was to drive home the selling point that it wasnt a television set. Vecs sold in part because most families only had one TV back then, if Jr. was addicted to video games the rest of the family would have to fight him for screen time...but with a Vectrex he could jolly well lug that beast back to his room and game on his own private screen. So yeah if its sideways it looks like TV, even to this day I've noticed several people mistake it for an old computer monitor. Perhaps someday some clever homebrew programmer will make a game that runs in horizontal mode, Protector (defender clone) would be brilliant in a sideways vec.

[guitarmas]

Was the Macintosh around yet? I think sometimes designers just like to be different.

 

We've got a comedian in the room.

[Gregory DG]

Why is the Vectrex a vertical monitor? Is it because of some pre-existing manufacturing reason?

That's a good thought. I alway thought it was vertical because most arcade games were vertical too.

[Atariboy]

Thats the most obvious reason I would think.

[Gabriel]

Are there any vertical monitor arcade vector games? Offhand, I can't think of any.

[ZylonBane]

The vertical monitor orientation also significantly reduced the system's footprint.

[jay2068]

The vertical monitor orientation also significantly reduced the system's footprint.

 

 

To cover it's tracks!

[Atariboy]

Yes, Tempest comes to mind for one.

 

But you missed the point, the Vectrex was supposed to bring the arcade experience home. Many arcade titles used vertical monitors, the fact that many vector titles used monitors that weren't vertical isn't really important. What's important is that it brought several features to the home market from the arcade, and bringing the arcade experience home is what most consumers were after at that time.

[chrisbid]

wasnt scramble a vert screen?

[BrianC]

wasnt scramble a vert screen?

 

Yes, but the arcade game is raster, not vector.

[Gabriel]

Yes, Tempest comes to mind for one.

 

But you missed the point, the Vectrex was supposed to bring the arcade experience home. Many arcade titles used vertical monitors, the fact that many vector titles used monitors that weren't vertical isn't really important. What's important is that it brought several features to the home market from the arcade, and bringing the arcade experience home is what most consumers were after at that time.

 

OK, Tempest is one, and a big one. I honestly didn't know it was a vertical monitor machine. It's been a VERY long time since I've seen an original machine.

 

That brings to mind the question of how many of the arcade ports for the Vectrex were originally vertically oriented games. Considering the subject matter, I think it's fair to include clones of arcade titles as well. Glancing over the game list, the arcade titles I do recognize are all horizontal monitors. So, in the quest to bring the arcade home, they changed the aspect ratio.

 

I'm certainly not sure about the marketing of the device, but I recall its big claim to fame being the idea that it was bringing the vector graphics home. Vector machines had a distinct look and feel that just couldn't be adequately replicated on the home machines at the time. Vectrex seemed aimed at the hardcore players who cared about such things, and wanted a line-drawn Asteroids type game instead of the gobs of sherbert.

 

Totally off topic, is there any kind of homebrew Qix adaptation for the Vectrex?

[Jacob Rose]

Totally off topic, is there any kind of homebrew Qix adaptation for the Vectrex?

 

Vix: http://vgdb.vectrex.com/vec.pl?vgdbcode=VGDB181

 

It was available on a two-game cartridge from Christopher Tumber, along with his clone of Tempest, called Tsunami.

[128bytes]

perhaps it was to drive home the selling point that it wasnt a television set. Vecs sold in part because most families only had one TV back then, if Jr. was addicted to video games the rest of the family would have to fight him for screen time...but with a Vectrex he could jolly well lug that beast back to his room and game on his own private screen. So yeah if its sideways it looks like TV, even to this day I've noticed several people mistake it for an old computer monitor. Perhaps someday some clever homebrew programmer will make a game that runs in horizontal mode, Protector (defender clone) would be brilliant in a sideways vec.

 

I agree. Also, at the time Vectrex was released, the most popular (non-vector) arcade game was Pac-Man, which had a vertical monitor. So the Vectrex had that "Arcade" look and feel, even though the true vector games out there weren't vertical.

 

I still wish that Vectrex would have come out with the proposed handheld version in 1988...

[Bill Brasky]

I don't know anything about programming the Vectrex but I wonder if it draws to the screen left to right or right to left. If so, would there be an advantage to mounting it vertically so that it's drawing the shorter distance, in terms of gaining CPU cycles/refresh rate/flicker?

Edited July 6, 2006 by Bill Brasky

[JB]

I don't know anything about programming the Vectrex but I wonder if it draws to the screen left to right or right to left. If so, would there be an advantage to mounting it vertically so that it's drawing the shorter distance, in terms of gaining CPU cycles/refresh rate/flicker?

It doesn't have a scan pattern.

Vector displays draw the objects directly on the screen, so you have multiple draw directions on a single object. Think of it as a giant electronic EtchASketch, and a conventional raster display as a LiteBrite.

[ZylonBane]

I don't know anything about programming the Vectrex but I wonder if it draws to the screen left to right or right to left. If so, would there be an advantage to mounting it vertically so that it's drawing the shorter distance, in terms of gaining CPU cycles/refresh rate/flicker?

Even if it did (which it doesn't, it's a vector device, dur), this doesn't make any sense because the beam would still have the same amount of surface area to cover no matter which way it's scanning.

[Matt Fisher]

perhaps it was to drive home the selling point that it wasnt a television set.

 

Excellent deduction! I was just rereading "Game Over" and Jay Smith is quoted in there as saying that they made it vertical precisely so that it would not look like a TV.

 

As for vertical vector games, there were a few: Tempest, Quantum, Tac Scan, Sundance, Barrier, and Cosmic Chasm (appeared on the Vectrex first, of course). That's all, I think.

[Video]

When the Vectrex was mad, a lot of Arcade games were in a Verticle format. The two most popular at the time that come to mind, was Tempest and Pac=Man. So the Vectrex was supposed to be a real arcade experiance at home.

 

Of course, around that time, when games started getting better graphics and such, it seems that the arcade scene tended to be more horizontal. Don't know why the change, probably because that's a more natural way to see for people, and bettered the experiance. But at it's time, most were verticle still, to my Knowledge.

[BeerGnome]

When the Vectrex was mad, a lot of Arcade games were in a Verticle format. The two most popular at the time that come to mind, was Tempest and Pac=Man. So the Vectrex was supposed to be a real arcade experiance at home.

 

Of course, around that time, when games started getting better graphics and such, it seems that the arcade scene tended to be more horizontal. Don't know why the change, probably because that's a more natural way to see for people, and bettered the experiance. But at it's time, most were verticle still, to my Knowledge.

 

Sorry to bump kids.. but I chanced apon this link..

 

but as for vertical.. well.. all the above said makes sence.. why you can't use it? well you can.. how you can use it?

 

well.. if you have an extra $200 lying around...

 

you can go Here

[supercat]

As for vertical vector games, there were a few: Tempest, Quantum, Tac Scan, Sundance, Barrier, and Cosmic Chasm (appeared on the Vectrex first, of course). That's all, I think.

 

Which way were Star Castle and Rip-Off?

[+FujiSkunk]

but as for vertical.. well.. all the above said makes sence.. why you can't use it? well you can.. how you can use it?

 

well.. if you have an extra $200 lying around...

 

you can go Here

 

Now that's just beautiful, and no soldering required!

 

Tempting, tempting tempting...

 

Santa?

[BeerGnome]

I'm not santa.. you got the letters mixed up again..

 

now..what I need is a nice multi-cart for my vectrex....

 

satan?