Vectrex

GCE Vectrex · 1982–1984

The strangest and most beloved of the early consoles — the only home system with its own built-in vector-graphics monitor, a crisp black-and-white display that needed no television and used translucent plastic overlays to add colour. Released in 1982 and killed by the 1983 crash, the Vectrex left a tiny commercial library (around 30 official cartridges) that makes a complete set a genuinely achievable grail. Its uniqueness — sharp vector arcade ports, the 3D Imager peripheral, the light-pen — and its devoted homebrew scene give it a collector following far out of proportion to its commercial life. A self-contained, completist's platform with one of the warmest communities in the hobby.