/vr/ - Retro Games

I can't add too much here besides that I remember Asteroids arcade looking way better than collection releases, but I dont know if those just suck or if I'm just getting old. Vector CRTs have to be ridiculously expensive now though. Even if it isn't the same, just don't think it over too much and emulate it

>>7311428
Yes they are fundamentally different.
A CRT has an electron beam that sweeps from top to bottom picture line by line.
A Vector display directly controlls the electron beam to zap regions of the display.
The result is a much sharper and more precise image. You can't replicate this on a normal CRT or a modern pixel based LCD or what have you.

>>7311428
>Secondly, is a vector display reasonably obtainable in a usable way
No. Not realistically. It wasn't consumer hardware. Each arcade machine had unique monitors and hardware, none of it was standardized. Maybe a few games from similar companies shared monitors and components, and the Vectrex was a thing, but that's about it.

>>7311428
>First off, are vector graphics really that different on a normal display?
Yes
> Am I missing out for emulating it somehow?
Yes
>Secondly, is a vector display reasonably obtainable in a usable way that won't require me to sell my unborn child?
You will never have sex, let alone prorate

Emulation is good enough for the sake of playing the games, and vector games still look pretty cool on an LCD, but an actual vector monitor really is on another level. It is a much, much bigger difference than LCD vs CRT. Buying a vector monitor for MAME isn't too practical but there are still vector arcade cabs out there, check one out if you're ever in the neighborhood of a decent arcade.

I've never seen a color vector monitor in person, but I own a Vectrex. Yeah it looks very different from ordinary CRTs, there are no scan lines, rather the lines themselves flicker, and they flicker the more lines are on the screen. They're also really, really bright, I don't think anything can replicate the effect, even an ordinary CRT.

As for the second question... no probably not. The prices on all retro game equipment has skyrocketed and the Vectrex has been particularly affected. I got mine for $300 and this was back in 2014.

My mom sold my Vectrex, lol. It’s cool, I swiped one of her cobalt Ming vases.

>>7313187
I'd swipe my mom's heart medication for that

Playing on a vector CRT verses playing vector games in MAME on an SVGA CRT has got to be one of the dumbest things I've seen posted on /vr/ and I have no doubt some zoomer needs to piss their parent's away on this. Go do it moron. Go spend their money.

I was born in 1980 and I barely know vector graphics. My college had a single vintage Asteroids machine, I think? I never played it because Asteroids is boring. I worked with a guy who bought a Vectrex and brought it to the office once; it was an interesting novelty. But in neither of those cases was I wowed by a huge difference between vector graphics and normal graphics. I mean there's a difference but it doesn't give your eyes orgasms or anything.

How are so many of you people so knowledgable about vector graphics, on this board where people are normally about 17 years old (or so it seems)? Did a lot of elderly lurkers pop up for this thread? Or do you know because you're collectors and so you delve into these things for fun?

>>7313370
That's because there were very few popular games that were vector. Asteroid and Tempest were pretty much it. I saw a Black Widow cabinet for the first time like two years ago at a barcade and I went to tons of arcades as a kid. Vectrex wasn't popular at all. If you blinked you would have missed it because it was a fucking blip Nobody cared.

>>7311428
There's an arcade near me that has an authentic asteroids cabinet that uses a vector display and Holy fuck is that thing beautiful. Lines were so bright against the pitch black background, your bullets were even brighter and left behind a glowy trail, so yeah it makes a difference.

Kinda just parroting here but it really is unique and a Vectrex will be the cheapest way if you don't have a decent arcade nearby.

>>7313370
Were you born blind and get an eye transplant from a zoomer or something? Actual 1980 eyes should easily be able to see and distinguish the glory of vector graphics.
>How are so many of you people so knowledgeable about vector graphics
Youtube
It's pretty clear from your inability to appreciate vector graphic and not knowing about youtube that you're a tik tok baby larping as a millennial.

>>7314867
Now this is schizo-posting.

vector shit is pretty cool, make sure you play star wars arcade

>>7314891
>he nailed it
>time to copepost

>>7312727
Is that a PS2 controller plugged into a Vectrex? Does analog work that way? How is this done? Can it be done to a regular controller or is modding required? I have so many questions

>>7314867

It's glowy lines dude, it's not that big a deal. I mean I'm sure they're cool if you take more time to actually play a game on the Asteroids machine (I didn't, because playing it on the 2600 as a kid was good enough for me).

Please consider outgrowing your 4channyness. You don't need to call things larping when they are only done briefly in text and not actually in "live action". You don't need to talk or think about TikTok at all, ever, unless you work there or your child is on it or something. You don't need to talk about magical poorly-defined generational tribes ever; just use years like I did. Also I'll throw this one in: You don't need to keep on eating like garbage and thereby condemning yourself to look like a fat schlub. (Maybe you don't do that but I guess you probably do that, so it seems safe-ish to say.)

Honestly I'd probably get excited about the cool look of Asteroids or whatever if I did actually play it. I like technological novelties and I like pretty bright TRON-looking line drawings and things that glow. But still, it's just a shallow novelty right? And the game is probably not actually going to be very good right? Well I did play Tempest 2000 on DOS back in the day, and that was fun. I could imagine the original Tempest being genuinely fun for an adult. There are probably a few others like that. But come on. I want to do interesting things in a game, not just look at a surprisingly pretty thing that I get used to and start taking for granted after five minutes.

When I was in middle school in 1991
We had randy computers with randy monitors that were vector based for AUTOCAD so AUTOCAD was used with vector monitors also.

>>7316396
Calling that shitpost cringe would be an insult to cringe everywhere

>>7312727
That's about how much mine cost too; fucking glad I grabbed one when I did.

>>7318513
I just looked them up on ebay, they're still like $400
that's really not that bad

>>7318518
Oh really? I had heard they were a lot pricier. Yeah that's not bad for what you're getting if you ask me - nothing else looks like a Vectrex. That thing is always a crowd pleaser. Still has a decent homebrew scene as well.

>>7311428
the only vector games i honestly have played were some neat little flash games i did back in the day, they were pretty fun from what i remember