[Coco] Vectrex

[KnudsenMJ at aol.com]

In a message dated 11/3/03 1:16:28 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
rtaylor at bayou.com writes:

> I noticed the Vectrex 6809 game units are emulated in M.E.S.S.  If I knew 
>  that these ROMs are simply dure data of 4k, 8k, 16k, etc. then CCASM 
>  generates those even without my IDE.  With the IDE, the ROMs can be 
>  automatically mounted into the emulated Vectrex, hopefully, and somebody 
>  can have some real fun if they know how those machines work.  Burning the 
>  ROM image to an EPROM or other memory chip that's compatible with the 
>  Vextrex cartridge slot would allow you to develop Vectrex game packs, I 
>  suppose.  I won't know until it is tried.

I have a couple of Vectrex machines and accessories (like light pen and 3D 
goggles) and some docs and schematics and ROM dis-ass listings.  It's a really 
cost-effective system using analog integrators to generate graphics vectors.

Most important, there is quite a culture surrounding these machines.  Fans 
have long since figured out and documented all the ROM system calls, have 
combined several games (all of them!) onto one large ROM chip in a Pak, and you can 
even find such all-game paks on eBay (search for "Vectrex"; luckily, nobody 
else used this trademark.).  Hackers have even written new games for it!  Maybe 
by now a floppy disk interface, keyboard, ...?

Like the Coco, a Vectrex box has a built-in ROM with the "OS" of common 
routines for playing sound, drawing lists of vectors, reading the joysticks, etc.  
Plus a bus slot for plugging in separate program Paks.

  Joysticks are analog just like the Coco, each stick has 4 buttons, sound is 
8-bit D/A, plus there is one Atari-type GI sound generator chip (3 musical 
notes plus percussion) so screen motion can continue while sounds play, but 
stops during speech (yes, some games talk).

All in a very clean and portable package.  I don't at this time have any up 
to date links to Vectrex Web sites, but I'd bet the subculture is still out 
there (try Google on "Vectrex"), anyone?  --Mike K.