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Sinclair Vectrex
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Duncan Snowden
Nov 23, 2017, 7:43:45 PM11/23/17
to
I don't know how common knowledge this is, but I've just watched a talk
from ten years ago by Jay Smith, the guy behind the Vectrex console.
Right at the end, about 48 minutes in, he mentions that around 1988,
they considered making a handheld... and it was based on Sinclair's flat
CRT.
"We called Sinclair, and they had *just* shut down the plant. We said,
'Don't lock the doors, we gotta talk to Milton Bradley about this!'
We put together one real quickly, and piped a Vectrex game into the TV.
And it was *gorgeous*, this little handheld vector scan playing on the
screen! And... nah. They didn't do it.'
I'd often heard vague rumours of a handheld Vectrex, but had no idea
that yes, a prototype was built, and it was based on Sinclair tech.
(But, as Jay himself says, of *course* it was. The flat tube with its
electrostatic deflection was perfect for it.) How cool is that? And how
frustrating that it never happened?
Extra weird coincidence points for Jay also being behind the M-B
Microvision, which shared its name with Sinclair's first "pocket TV".
The talk is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUxjrO66AYM
Fascinating, even aside from the Sinclair angle.
--
Duncan Snowden.
from ten years ago by Jay Smith, the guy behind the Vectrex console.
Right at the end, about 48 minutes in, he mentions that around 1988,
they considered making a handheld... and it was based on Sinclair's flat
CRT.
"We called Sinclair, and they had *just* shut down the plant. We said,
'Don't lock the doors, we gotta talk to Milton Bradley about this!'
We put together one real quickly, and piped a Vectrex game into the TV.
And it was *gorgeous*, this little handheld vector scan playing on the
screen! And... nah. They didn't do it.'
I'd often heard vague rumours of a handheld Vectrex, but had no idea
that yes, a prototype was built, and it was based on Sinclair tech.
(But, as Jay himself says, of *course* it was. The flat tube with its
electrostatic deflection was perfect for it.) How cool is that? And how
frustrating that it never happened?
Extra weird coincidence points for Jay also being behind the M-B
Microvision, which shared its name with Sinclair's first "pocket TV".
The talk is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUxjrO66AYM
Fascinating, even aside from the Sinclair angle.
--
Duncan Snowden.
Daniel Mandic
Nov 24, 2017, 9:01:16 AM11/24/17
to
Duncan Snowden wrote:
> I don't know how common knowledge this is, but I've just watched a
> talk from ten years ago by Jay Smith, the guy behind the Vectrex
> console. Right at the end, about 48 minutes in, he mentions that
> around 1988, they considered making a handheld... and it was based on
> Sinclair's flat CRT.
I have never heard about a Vectrex Console, and can't remember that I
> I don't know how common knowledge this is, but I've just watched a
> talk from ten years ago by Jay Smith, the guy behind the Vectrex
> console. Right at the end, about 48 minutes in, he mentions that
> around 1988, they considered making a handheld... and it was based on
> Sinclair's flat CRT.
have ever seen one before :)
> "We called Sinclair, and they had just shut down the plant. We said,
> 'Don't lock the doors, we gotta talk to Milton Bradley about this!'
> We put together one real quickly, and piped a Vectrex game into the
> TV. And it was gorgeous, this little handheld vector scan playing on
> We put together one real quickly, and piped a Vectrex game into the
> the screen! And... nah. They didn't do it.'
Me thinks, console-system developers and home-computer developers had a
competition (race) at that time, more (most... yet) than ever before.
The ZX-Spectrum is not bad, going with vector-gfx! (e.g. ELITE)
--
Daniel Mandic
deKay
Nov 25, 2017, 3:28:59 PM11/25/17
to
Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des Fri, 24 Nov
2017 00:41:02 +0000, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do comp.sys.sinclair,
yawatina tan reek esk Duncan Snowden <dunc...@talktalk.net> fornis do
marikano es bono tan el:
>I don't know how common knowledge this is, but I've just watched a talk
>from ten years ago by Jay Smith, the guy behind the Vectrex console.
>Right at the end, about 48 minutes in, he mentions that around 1988,
>they considered making a handheld... and it was based on Sinclair's flat
>CRT.
>
Isn't that around the same time the ZXVega+ was crowdfunded? ;)
>"We called Sinclair, and they had *just* shut down the plant. We said,
>'Don't lock the doors, we gotta talk to Milton Bradley about this!'
>We put together one real quickly, and piped a Vectrex game into the TV.
>And it was *gorgeous*, this little handheld vector scan playing on the
>screen! And... nah. They didn't do it.'
>
>I'd often heard vague rumours of a handheld Vectrex, but had no idea
>that yes, a prototype was built, and it was based on Sinclair tech.
>(But, as Jay himself says, of *course* it was. The flat tube with its
>electrostatic deflection was perfect for it.) How cool is that? And how
>frustrating that it never happened?
>
>Extra weird coincidence points for Jay also being behind the M-B
>Microvision, which shared its name with Sinclair's first "pocket TV".
>
>The talk is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUxjrO66AYM
>Fascinating, even aside from the Sinclair angle.
That's really interesting, thanks!
deKay
--
Lofi Gaming - http://lofi-gaming.org.uk
Gaming Diary - http://lofi-gaming.org.uk/diary
Blog - http://lofi-gaming.org.uk/blog
My computer runs at 3.5MHz and I'm proud of that
2017 00:41:02 +0000, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do comp.sys.sinclair,
yawatina tan reek esk Duncan Snowden <dunc...@talktalk.net> fornis do
marikano es bono tan el:
>I don't know how common knowledge this is, but I've just watched a talk
>from ten years ago by Jay Smith, the guy behind the Vectrex console.
>Right at the end, about 48 minutes in, he mentions that around 1988,
>they considered making a handheld... and it was based on Sinclair's flat
>CRT.
>
>"We called Sinclair, and they had *just* shut down the plant. We said,
>'Don't lock the doors, we gotta talk to Milton Bradley about this!'
>We put together one real quickly, and piped a Vectrex game into the TV.
>And it was *gorgeous*, this little handheld vector scan playing on the
>screen! And... nah. They didn't do it.'
>
>I'd often heard vague rumours of a handheld Vectrex, but had no idea
>that yes, a prototype was built, and it was based on Sinclair tech.
>(But, as Jay himself says, of *course* it was. The flat tube with its
>electrostatic deflection was perfect for it.) How cool is that? And how
>frustrating that it never happened?
>
>Extra weird coincidence points for Jay also being behind the M-B
>Microvision, which shared its name with Sinclair's first "pocket TV".
>
>The talk is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUxjrO66AYM
>Fascinating, even aside from the Sinclair angle.
deKay
--
Lofi Gaming - http://lofi-gaming.org.uk
Gaming Diary - http://lofi-gaming.org.uk/diary
Blog - http://lofi-gaming.org.uk/blog
My computer runs at 3.5MHz and I'm proud of that
losbo...@gmail.com
Nov 27, 2017, 11:53:57 AM11/27/17
to
On Friday, 24 November 2017 14:01:16 UTC, Daniel Mandic wrote:
> Duncan Snowden wrote:
>
> > I don't know how common knowledge this is, but I've just watched a
> > talk from ten years ago by Jay Smith, the guy behind the Vectrex
> > console. Right at the end, about 48 minutes in, he mentions that
> > around 1988, they considered making a handheld... and it was based on
> > Sinclair's flat CRT.
>
> I have never heard about a Vectrex Console, and can't remember that I
> have ever seen one before :)
My mate had a Vectrex back in the day - I seem to remember his dad got it really cheap, with every game ever released for it, just after it was discontinued. This was bit of theme for them - the family home was stuffed full of electronic gadgets that had lost various format wars (they had a Betamax video).
> Duncan Snowden wrote:
>
> > I don't know how common knowledge this is, but I've just watched a
> > talk from ten years ago by Jay Smith, the guy behind the Vectrex
> > console. Right at the end, about 48 minutes in, he mentions that
> > around 1988, they considered making a handheld... and it was based on
> > Sinclair's flat CRT.
>
> I have never heard about a Vectrex Console, and can't remember that I
> have ever seen one before :)
Anyway, it was a superb bit of kit, as close as you could get in your house to something that really did resemble an arcade machine. They go for silly money these days.
Daniel Mandic
Nov 27, 2017, 4:03:27 PM11/27/17
to
losbo...@gmail.com wrote:
> My mate had a Vectrex back in the day - I seem to remember his dad
> got it really cheap, with every game ever released for it, just after
> it was discontinued.
Great!
> My mate had a Vectrex back in the day - I seem to remember his dad
> got it really cheap, with every game ever released for it, just after
> it was discontinued.
I like the old vector-based machines. I played the 'Star Wars' arcade
machine in the early 80's (being around 10 or 12y old at that times)
very well.
> This was bit of theme for them - the family home
> was stuffed full of electronic gadgets that had lost various format
> wars (they had a Betamax video).
> Anyway, it was a superb bit of kit, as close as you could get in your
> house to something that really did resemble an arcade machine. They
> go for silly money these days.
In your house?! In mine?
Sorry, maybe you mean: The Vectrex with ALL games was a superb bit of
kit, and anything else they had in their house, would go for a silly
money today.
?
--
Daniel Mandic
Johnny B Good
Nov 28, 2017, 12:16:18 PM11/28/17
to
On Mon, 27 Nov 2017 21:03:25 +0000, Daniel Mandic wrote:
> losbo...@gmail.com wrote:
>
====snip====
>
>> Anyway, it was a superb bit of kit, as close as you could get in your
>> house to something that really did resemble an arcade machine. They go
>> for silly money these days.
>
> hmmm, I can not comprehense?
> In your house?! In mine?
>
It is a colloquial expression when describing a situation to an
interested audience. The "you" and the "your" are being used in the
plural sense in this case. In the English language, we rely upon context
to imply the plural meaning in this usage case - sorry about the lack of
a formal rule with regard to these words but that's just the way it
is. :-(
--
Johnny B Good
> losbo...@gmail.com wrote:
>
====snip====
>
>> Anyway, it was a superb bit of kit, as close as you could get in your
>> house to something that really did resemble an arcade machine. They go
>> for silly money these days.
>
> hmmm, I can not comprehense?
> In your house?! In mine?
>
interested audience. The "you" and the "your" are being used in the
plural sense in this case. In the English language, we rely upon context
to imply the plural meaning in this usage case - sorry about the lack of
a formal rule with regard to these words but that's just the way it
is. :-(
--
Johnny B Good
Daniel Mandic
Nov 28, 2017, 2:07:05 PM11/28/17
to
Johnny B Good wrote:
> It is a colloquial expression when describing a situation to an
> interested audience. The "you" and the "your" are being used in the
> plural sense in this case. In the English language, we rely upon
> context to imply the plural meaning in this usage case - sorry about
> the lack of a formal rule with regard to these words but that's just
> the way it is. :-(
Interesting. That's very new to me and I have no (comprehensive) sense
> It is a colloquial expression when describing a situation to an
> interested audience. The "you" and the "your" are being used in the
> plural sense in this case. In the English language, we rely upon
> context to imply the plural meaning in this usage case - sorry about
> the lack of a formal rule with regard to these words but that's just
> the way it is. :-(
for the expression, yet.
Sorry for being off-topic, but would you mind giving me one other
example of that colloquial expression?
--
Daniel Mandic
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