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Post by gliptitude on Dec 17, 2012 2:26:29 GMT -5
Well it just occurred to me, as I don't have a 3D imager and have never used one, I don't really have any idea what Vectrex players have to say about it. I know everyone wants it and pays $$$ for it. But, eh, what's it like?
Is the effect cool? How are the 3D homebrews? Are there any 3D homebrews currently available? Can the color wheels be reproduced by an amateur? Do the homebrews have color wheels?
Is it worth the $$$?
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Post by TrekMD on Dec 17, 2012 7:59:31 GMT -5
I have the Imager and I have to say that I am impressed with the effect. Things do look in 3D and the games colorize very well. There are only three titles that were originally released, though: 3D Crazy Coaster, 3D Mine Storm, and 3D Narrow Escape. Mine Storm and Narrow Escape are both very good. Crazy Coaster is not much of a game, though. The number of homebrews is limited and I don't think there will be development of any new games. George was the only one making games and he has stopped as his Imager broke. The titles are 3D Sector X and 3D Lord of the Robots. Both of these games can be downloaded for free from his page.
I know there are some homebrew versions of the 3D glasses available somewhere (I've heard of them). I'm not sure about the wheels.
Is it worth the $$$? I'm happy I have the imager and that I can enjoy the games for it but the library is limited, so it all depends on what your goal is. Just gaming or collecting. If the former is your main goal, it may not be worth the $$$ just because there are only a few games for it. Then again, all these 3D "items" for the Vectrex do retain their value, so you can look at them as a investement that you can resell and make back your $$$.
Hope that helps!
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Post by VectorX on Dec 17, 2012 10:23:09 GMT -5
The titles are 3D Sector X and 3D Lord of the Robots. Both of these games can be downloaded for free from his page. Actually Sector-X isn't yet, as you hover over the image and there's no download to it. No opinion from myself here, as I don't have one of those. I've got Sector-X though but all I can do from my end right now is plug in a controller in port #2 and rapidly press button 4, which starts a game and advances it...VERY s l o w l y. Or run (sorta!) the Star Fury demo on Vector 21. |
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Post by Mayhem on Dec 17, 2012 11:17:32 GMT -5
What I wrote about the 3D Imager for the collecting guide in Retro Gamer...
The most iconic peripheral for the Vectrex has to be the 3D Imager, released in early 1984 only in the US, and the first home attempt to give consumers a 3D gaming experience, despite Sega’s initial marketing a number of years later for the LCD glasses released for the Master System. It mistakenly believed it was the first to get there until having the fact pointed out, at which moment the promotional materials were hastily withdrawn.
The technology that Sega developed was a mile away from the earlier engineering incorporated by GCE in its 3D Imager however. In today’s light it may appear a little crude and rudimentary, but it most certainly worked, and worked quite well indeed. A colour disc was included with every game that slotted into the headset mechanism in front of the eyes. Each disc was divided into segments of colour or solid black, and powered via the 5v pin on the joystick port, would spin upon turning on the Vectrex with a supporting cartridge present.
The calculations required to conceive the 3D effect were rather impressive. The in-game display would be rendered twice, at slightly different on-screen positions, timed so that the black half of the disc would be obstructing the vision of one eye per individual render. However, all the vector lines were also timed to be drawn at a particular moment so those would appear in red, blue, or green depending on which coloured section of the disc was in front of the eye.
Not only was the player getting a 3D image, but was seeing vectors in colour, something that the Vectrex was unable to achieve by itself. Sadly the conceived colour version of the console was canned, so this is the only method available to play coloured vector games with the hardware. The headset is fairly sturdy, but inevitably the weakest point that quite often breaks is the part where the colour disc is attached, as it takes a little tugging to remove it.
Three games officially supported the 3D Imager during its original short lifespan. An updated version of Minestorm was included in the box. Available separately were 3D Crazy Coaster, a lacklustre attempt to simulate and make a game out of riding a rollercoaster, and 3D Narrow Escape, a tunnel shooter (see “Must Play Games”). Since then, George Pelonis has released two homebrew titles that support the hardware: 3D Lord of the Robots, an improved version of War of the Robots with similar gameplay (although there is a 2D mode included), and 3D Sector-X.
Unsurprisingly, given the partial fragility of the original hardware and the rise in value over the years, there has been headway made to produce modern replicas that operate in exactly the same fashion. John Maccallan manufactured and sold a reproduction with better adjustment for head sizes, much large colour discs, and far more reliable technology. Somewhat ironically, due to various circumstances, this updated version is arguably harder to find today than the original it was based upon.
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Post by gliptitude on Dec 17, 2012 15:01:50 GMT -5
eh, well I definitely want one but will not definitely get one anytime soon bc of the $$$.
The John Maccallan reproduction mentioned in Mayhem's review is the same one I've heard of, I believe, from Madtronix. He gave signs of updating his site earlier this year, after years of latency. Maybe he will get back into the Vectrex 3D business!?
My next question for those of you that have one is again about the games. Is there one (or more) that you actually play often, that keeps you coming back and is perpetually good for a satisfying play?
Some of the other Vectrex games that I rank very high are more "once in a while" kind of games, while others are ones that I'll play nearly every time I sit down in front of the Vectrex. In some instances the 'once in a while' games rank higher than the everyday players for me.
How often do you use your 3D imager and what game do you typically play? Is it a once in a while affair?
Thanks for the helpful responses.
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Post by VectorX on Dec 17, 2012 17:19:25 GMT -5
The John Maccallan reproduction mentioned in Mayhem's review is the same one I've heard of, I believe, from Madtronix. He gave signs of updating his site earlier this year, after years of latency. Maybe he will get back into the Vectrex 3D business!? It sounds like he's planning on it! Lets hope so... |
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Post by gauze on Dec 17, 2012 22:23:49 GMT -5
I have a kevtris 3-d adaptor thing so you can use LCD shutter glasses (like SMS glasses) with the veccy, but I have no 3-D games and no flash or whatever cart (yet!). I'm curious as the Virtual Boy gave me headaches pretty quickly.
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