Vectrex Gears Up For a Mini Comeback
- Vectrex Mini revealed with 5 inch screen, overlays, 12 built-in games, Bluetooth controller.
- Kickstarter set for November launch, with each unit set to cost around $175.
- Retro with a modern touch, the Mini has microSD support and is emulator-based.
When people talk about retro consoles, there’s one name that doesn’t come up too often but that still has a dedicated community: the Vectrex. Renowned for its trademark neon glow graphics, it left the market in 1984 but now a new mini version is set for release.
The Vectrex Mini is licensed by the owner of the original brand and acts as a modern update to the old console, but with the aim to keep it as faithful as possible. This includes shipping with color overlays – part of the reason its vector graphics had their glow – and a built-in monitor. A Kickstarter is set for November 2025, which Vectrex revealed in a recent blog post on its official website, alongside more details on the console itself.
“The Vectrex Mini carries the spirit of the original system while adding a few modern touches. As many of you already know, it features a 5-inch LCD screen, a Bluetooth controller, video output, and a USB-C port that works for both regular power supply and connection to an external battery.”
“You’ll be able to order it directly through Kickstarter for 149 euros, which is about 175 dollars. Shipping fees will depend on your location. For the quickest backers, special early bird prices will be available, starting at 99 euros. It’s our way of thanking the first supporters and giving the project strong momentum right from the start.”
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Game On At Gamescom
The Vectrex Mini was unveiled at gamescom 2025, where it also grabbed the attention of younger gamers. Vectrex is looking to make the Mini something worth getting for both original fans and new ones, and one way it’s doing this is by using reliable software rather than replicating original hardware, which was known to be fragile.
“It runs on an emulator based on VecX, known for its stability and accuracy,” the company posted on its site. “From the moment you power it on, the Vectrex Mini will include 12 built-in games with their physical overlays. And for those who want to go further, a microSD slot will allow you to add more games, including homebrews.”
Gamescom gave players a hands-on experience of the Mini, which includes a detachable controller that can also be used with an original Vectrex, for gamers lucky enough to own one. The eye-catching graphics were originally the result of the console’s unique vector hardware; other games consoles at the time used raster graphics (pixel art, in effect) whereas vectors allowed for clean, fluid geometry and movement. It was also common in arcade cabinets, which the Vectrex replicated.
A Modern Touch
However, as nice as it would be to have a new Vectrex with the exact same glowing graphics, this simply isn’t possible as CRT suppliers no longer exist. Instead, the Mini has an AMOLED screen, which Vectrex has said offers a sharper image with deeper blacks than an OLED screen, for “better readability and contrast of vector games.”
Even so, this runs games in black and white, with a game’s color courtesy of screen overlays; this is how the original worked around the monochrome limitations of its hardware. The Mini screen also doubles as a clock when not in use, so it can still earn a place on a shelf as something other than a display model.
As for the 12 games included with the Mini, Vectrex has said the full list is being finalized, but will likely include a lot of General Consumer Electric titles. This was the company who originally manufactured the Vectrex, and released games made for it. Popular titles at the time included Berzerk, Blitz!, Clean Sweep, and Scramble. Many were clones of other popular games, such as Asteroids, but this was par for the course back in the early eighties.
There is also a vibrant homebrew game community still going strong, with over 260 titles currently available from various developers, including one who worked on Alan Wake.
Not The First Mini
In its all-too-brief heyday, Vectrex released a light pen and 3D google accessories, which unfortunately aren’t compatible with the new Mini. It was also set to release a new design for the original console, as discovered by Frank Gasking from Games That Weren’t.
Vectrex also had plans to release a Mini version during its initial run, with only a prototype existing and thought lost to time. However, this was found in 2018 and has a permanent home in the National Videogame Museum in Frisco, Texas.
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