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Update 26: September: So… Where Are We Now? · Vectrex Mini
It’s already the end of September, and it’s definitely time to share the latest news on the final stages of development of the Vectrex Mini. In particular, I want to come back in detail to one subject that has generated quite a few reactions: our final choice of display, and why it has evolved from what we originally planned.Choosing the final displayThe Vectrex Mini is equipped with a high-quality 5-inch IPS display with an 800 × 480 resolution.We really wanted the Mini to have an OLED display. In fact, we talked about it extensively during the Kickstarter campaign. So why won’t the final Vectrex Mini have an OLED screen after all? There are several reasons.First of all, cost. When we originally planned the Vectrex Mini, the information we had led us to believe that a suitable 5-inch OLED display would be significantly less expensive than what we eventually found when we started sourcing components for actual production. Our initial estimate simply turned out to be wrong, these things can happen when developing new hardware. But because we had announced OLED from the beginning, we really didn’t want to give up on it easily. Together with our manufacturing partners, we spent a lot of time looking for different suppliers and alternative OLED panels, hoping to find one that would meet both our technical requirements and our original cost expectations. Unfortunately, despite all our efforts, it proved extremely difficult to find a suitable 5-inch OLED display for less than $40 per unit, even at industrial quantities. At that price, the impact on the Mini’s manufacturing cost would have been significant. But cost is definitely not the only reason.When we chose the ESP32-P4 processor to run the Vectrex emulator, we developed and optimised the system using LCD displays with a resolution of 800 × 480 pixels. This resolution gives us excellent performance and fluidity for vector games and is perfectly suited to what we need on a 5-inch screen. The OLED displays we were able to source generally use much higher resolutions. On paper, that obviously sounds attractive. But in reality, on a display of just 5 inches and with vector graphics, the visual difference is far less significant than you might imagine. On the other hand, more pixels means more data to process and refresh, putting additional demands on the ESP32-P4 and potentially reducing the overall performance of the machine.For us, a perfectly smooth and responsive Vectrex experience with an excellent frame rate is far more important than having a higher resolution simply because it looks better on a specification sheet.There was another issue too, and not a minor one. When we finally received OLED displays for testing, we were surprised by how fragile they seemed. They use a very thin layer of glass, which would have required us to reinforce the Vectrex Mini chassis considerably. By comparison, the IPS displays we tested come in a much more robust metal housing, which is obviously an advantage for a machine that we want you to be able to use for many years. There is also the potential issue of burn-in with OLED technology. This may not be a major concern in conventional use, but the Vectrex is a rather unusual case: it displays very bright, high-contrast vector graphics against a predominantly black background, especially when using the Clock mode, where the same vector elements may remain on screen for extended periods of time.Thanks to our partners in Taiwan, we eventually found an excellent IPS display, with a very good refresh rate, excellent contrast and particularly impressive brightness of up to 900 nits. This is the display we already showed in our prototypes at Gamescom in Germany, and which you’ll be able to see and try for yourself at the end of this week in Blackpool, UK, and then in Portland, USA, from October 9–11 at Portland Retrogaming Expo (PRGE), this time with Jay Smith, the creator of the Vectrex himself! The result completely convinced us. The display offers excellent brightness and contrast, as well as a very wide viewing angle, far better than a standard LCD.And if you look at the devices around you, IPS technology remains a very common choice for major manufacturers, including for premium and recent hardware. You’ll find IPS displays in many of Apple’s MacBooks and iPads, in the standard Steam Deck, and also in the Nintendo Switch 2. There is a reason for that: IPS offers an excellent combination of image quality, reliability, durability and performance.And finally, on a point that is particularly important for the Vectrex: the blacks remain very deep, even with an IPS display. With a physical overlay in place, the black areas are practically invisible, and the result is also excellent with our virtual overlays.But we know perfectly well that this is not what we originally announced.So we want to apologise for that. We talked about OLED so much that we completely shot ourself in the foot! But ultimately, we made the decision to switch to this display for the final Vectrex Mini because, after all the testing we have done, we are convinced that it is the best choice for the machine. Thank you so much for your understanding, and especially for the many messages of support you have sent us about this decision. We announced OLED, and it is completely understandable that some of you are disappointed by this change. But our goal remains exactly the same: to finalise the best Vectrex Mini we possibly can, within a reasonable timeframe.And with that in mind, let’s talk about what comes next!The Pledge Manager is coming in November!Many of you have been asking when you’ll finally be able to confirm your address and finalise the delivery of your Kickstarter rewards.That will happen during November.Why not sooner? Because this stage is much more important than simply confirming your address. After looking at several different solutions, we have chosen PledgeBox to manage the Pledge Manager for the campaign. Of course, you’ll be able to confirm your shipping address and pay any remaining shipping-related fees, but the Pledge Manager will also give you the opportunity to add additional items to your order. It will be your chance to pick up some rewards you may have hesitated over during the original Kickstarter campaign, but also to discover some new products and accessories designed to accompany your Vectrex Mini.You have already had a glimpse of the Mini Kiosk, for example, and we will also offer the possibility of adding an extra Bluetooth controller with its dongle. And there will be more… But we’ll save all of that for another update! 😉Once the Pledge Manager opens, you’ll receive an email with a link and all the information you need, so keep an eye on your inbox in November. We’ll also publish a Kickstarter update and remind you through our social media channels as soon as it goes live.Production continues and everyone is working flat out!Meanwhile, development continues. It’s particularly Richard Stephens, the man behind the MiniOS, who is sweating a lot at the moment trying to integrate everything we decided to include! Believe me, between getting the virtual overlays properly aligned, the interface, all the different features, TATE mode and now the Mini’s clock, Richard certainly isn’t short of work. Debugging and fine-tuning the emulator isn’t easy either. For example, in Mine Storm and several other games, we noticed that when using the smallest vector size, some single points, such as the firing dots, become almost invisible on the 5-inch screen. So Richard added a dedicated setting that lets us increase the size of individual points without affecting the rest of the vectors. Pretty clever, isn’t it?We’re having quite a bit of fun with that last feature, by the way, and we’re currently working on a Spike-themed clock. Those of you who know the Vectrex well will immediately understand why Spike was the perfect candidate! We are also adapting the digital overlays for TATE mode, so they display correctly when the screen is used vertically. The HDMI output is now working in both landscape and portrait modes. And believe me, seeing Vectrex games running on a big screen is a real pleasure.The Mini’s software will also continue to evolve after release through system updates. We have also planned the ability to roll back to an earlier firmware version if necessary. All these developments will be visible, and more importantly, playable, at our upcoming public events.Upcoming eventsAttending shows and exhibitions is an important part of the project. These events give us the opportunity to meet you, show you the actual progress of the project, and introduce the Vectrex Mini to a much wider audience who may not know about it yet. They also give us valuable feedback from people using the Mini in real-world conditions, while allowing us to test the reliability of new hardware and features.These trips also allow us to meet partners who are directly involved in the project. In Blackpool, for example, I’ll be joining Laurence and James on the Blacklighter stand. They work on UV overlays for the original Vectrex, and we are working with them to adapt and further develop this concept for the Vectrex Mini.The following week, I’ll be travelling to Portland, USA, from October 9–11, for the Portland Retro Gaming Expo. You’ll find us at Vectrex booth #515. And this year I’ll be joined by someone rather special: Jay Smith, the creator of the original 1982 Vectrex! Jay is also a consultant on the Vectrex Mini project, so his presence will obviously be extremely valuable as we discuss the machine and work through these final stages of development. PRGE is also an opportunity to meet the American press, content creators and many professionals from the retro gaming world, important contacts not only for the launch of the Mini, but also for its future development. Being present at selected shows is therefore an important part of continuing to grow and support the Vectrex project. But we also need to prepare our own event as the Mini approaches its final form…Let’s Have a Drink Together on November 21st!In November, we’re inviting you to join us in the heart of London for a complete presentation of the Vectrex Mini. Come and see the latest version of the Mini up close, get hands-on with the hardware, meet the team, discover games from independent developers, meet special guests, pick up some Vectrex goodies, and enjoy a rather special musical moment as well…🎟️ November 21st · The Lower Third, Denmark Street, London · 10:30am to 3pm · £15Tickets are limited to 150 places, make sure to grab yours here: VECTREX MINI LAUNCHAnd now… a little promotion!We’re not going to break with tradition! As usual, we’d like to use the end of this update to introduce you to a couple of projects that we particularly like and which, each in their own way, share the same spirit as the Vectrex Mini.Cyborg Total War C4000, the new AR Vectrex gameThe new game from our friends at AR Vectrex has arrived!Following Zombie Apocalypse, its Japanese version and Dark Alien, here comes Cyborg Total War C4000, a new vector action and strategy game for the original Vectrex console. The machines have taken control of the planet, and you are humanity’s last line of defence. Lead the resistance against the cyborgs and decipher the secret code hidden deep within the enemy cyberspace.As always with AR Vectrex, the game comes in beautiful packaging and will be available in two editions: the “Humans Edition” and the “Machines Edition.” And there’s a particularly fun twist: you get to choose your side: humans… or machines. With the Machines Edition, what a pleasure to cross over to the other side for once and try to help the evil AI's triumph! You can order the game directly from the AR Vectrex website. But we’ll also be bringing a few copies with us to Blackpool, so you’ll be able to pick one up there without shipping costs and with the collector pins as a bonus!Alex from AR Vectrex will also be at PRGE in Portland at Vectrex booth #515, with their various Vectrex games. It’s a great opportunity to meet one of their creators and add a few titles to your collection!An amazing documentary about Star Wars and the history of home videoAnother fantastic project currently on Kickstarter is a campaign by Le Labo de Jay, a YouTube content creator but, above all, an audiovisual professional who has been exploring the world of Home Cinema through his videos for many years.This time, he is creating a fascinating documentary about the many different editions of the Star Wars saga, from the first Super 8 reels of the late 1970s all the way to the latest 4K releases. Of course, it’s a wonderful subject for discovering the countless different versions of one of the most famous science-fiction franchises in cinema history, but the documentary goes much further than that. You’ll discover formats that have been almost completely forgotten, some very unusual media, and some incredible machines. Ultimately, it becomes a real journey through the history of home video, with an impressive depth of research but also spectacular presentation, packed with 3D animation and visual effects. The result feels as much like a piece of fiction as a documentary. Definitely take a look at the Kickstarter campaign. I think you’ll be surprised and charmed by Jay and his project!👉🏻 Home Video Saga 👈🏻We’re getting there! (Did I already say that?)The Vectrex Mini is getting closer and closer to its final form, and we still have plenty to share with you as the project continues to move forward. For those of you joining us at our upcoming events, we really look forward to meeting you, showing you the latest evolution of the Mini and, quite simply, talking Vectrex with you in person. For everyone else, we will of course continue to keep you updated as we reach the next important milestones, starting with the launch of the Pledge Manager in November.Your support and encouragement mean a great deal to us. We are a very small team, and Priam, Richard, Christopher, Jasper, Boris and myself are all working hard to make the Vectrex Mini the machine we have imagined together with you from the beginning. Thank you again for your patience, your trust, your suggestions and criticism too, it helps us move forward, and above all for your passion for the Vectrex.See you very soon, friends!David and the Vectrex team.
