Minsoft's Vyrzon stg for the Vectrex is now being sold by Vector Republic...

[PC Engine Fan X!]

You might of have heard of the indie game developer, Minsoft, whom recently made a homebrew Vectrex stg game called Vyrzon (which took over two years to develop). It's a 32kb sized Vectrex game cartridge that has both high score & high score initials saving funtionality with the top three scores being saved for posterity. Vyrzon has a 50hz (50 frames-per-second framerate) overall presentation and is super silky-smooth & flicker-free (as how most modern-day Vectrex homebrew game titles are made/released nowadays -- anything less than that isn't acceptable/desirable anyways). How cool is that?

When Minsoft offered his Vyrzon game for sale in small batches, I tried to order one but they'd always sell out rather quickly and thus missed out on getting a copy. Altogether, Minsoft sold a grand total of 372 copies of his Vyrzon game before deciding to call it quits (as of 11/26/2023). He said that he's allowed his Vyrzon game to enter the public domain and gave permission to indie Vectrex developer/publisher, Vector Republic (based out of the UK), to handle further sales & distribution of Vyrzon games to Vectrex fans worldwide. I managed to snag a copy of Vyrzon through VR this time around -- in fact, I've never seen a new or used copy of Vyrzon listed for sale on eBay whatsoever. From what I've read about the stellar gameplay of Vyrzon and viewed the Youtube videos of it in action, it's quite the popular newfangled homebrew stg to be currently playing on the Vectrex nowadays.

If you'd like to order a copy of Vyrzon to play on your beloved Vectrex console, order it through his website (it's custom-built to order & may take up to two weeks to ship out, so keep that in mind): www.vectorrepublic.co.uk It's a mere 40£ per copy (which is quite a respectable & reasonable price, indeed). VR ships worldwide through Royal Air Mail if you don't reside in the UK for a meager 19.95£ shipping fee (again, still a modest bargain when it comes to international shipping from the UK).

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Vectrexer]

I have seen a several of the original run boxed of Vyrzon for sale on eBay.
Such as:

Serial number 103: https://web.archive.org/web/0/https://w ... nordt=true
Closed at $232.50.

Serial number 104: https://web.archive.org/web/0/https://w ... nordt=true
Closed at $342.00.

Serial Number 105: https://web.archive.org/web/0/https://w ... nordt=true
Closed at $1,313.00.

Serial Number Unknown : https://web.archive.org/web/0/https://w ... 5676704520
Listed at £199.99 ($261.62)

Serial Number Unknown : https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vectrex-Game-V ... 75261071 (https://web.archive.org/web/0/https://w ... 5275261071)
Currently open a €299.00 ($323.98).

And at least one other used copy of Vyrzon I did not take note of which closed and sold for around $173.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

That particular eBay auction for Vyrzon #105 was a custom-made CNC milled Vectrex aluminum game cartridge case as a "one-off" creation and all monetary proceeds went to benefit charity (hence the final high bidder's winning price) according to the seller based out of Sweden (as mentioned on the Atari Age forums).

Of course, the "clam shell" plastic cartridge case version of Vyrzon that Vector Republic's currently selling won't command as high of a asking pricepoint on the secondary Vectrex collector's market indeed.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Vectrexer]

Of course, the "clam shell" plastic cartridge case version of Vyrzon that Vector Republic's currently selling won't command as high of a asking pricepoint on the secondary Vectrex collector's market indeed.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Maybe. maybe not.
Certainly serial number 1 will.
Probably the serial numbers with special colored shell will fetch a larger price.
Inevitably someone will make a reproduction or custom production box for use in place of their clamshell case. Those custom production box might also raise the price on a secondary sale. We have already seen this happen for other games originally produced with clamshell box.

[CMcK]

Thanks to the OP for the info. I missed out on the original batch of this game but have now ordered a copy from Vector Republic. There’s just something about those smooth vectors that makes Vectrex games feel so good.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

This looks pretty neat. Quartz's Quest linked there also looks pretty cute. For someone who's never owned a Vectrex, what's the best way to play these? Do you find a used one and hope it's in good condition?

[PC Engine Fan X!]

For BareKnuckleRoo,

Yes, buying a used Vectrex with a 100% working vector screen & control panel would be your best bet + a copy of Sean Kelly's Multi Cart 3.0 cartridge = priceless! All the original 1st party Vectrex games + homebrew games + some cool killer apps as well are included on the Multi Cart 3.0. Another cool cart worth getting is a VecMulti flash cart and load up on the newest homebrew game titles via a micro sdhc memory card. Easy as pie.

Then there are the three 3D Vectrex games of 3D Mine Storm, 3D Narrow Scape & 3D Crazy Coaster that were released to the general public by Milton Bradley back in 1983 that require either the uber-rare official 3D Vectrex Imager Glasses or a 3rd-party produced one from madtronix (costs 125 euros nowadays). 3D Pole Position was slated as the 4th upcoming game title but Milton Bradley didn't release it for the 1983 timeline (therefore it's vaporware). All three 3D Vectrex games are included on the Multi Cart 3.0.

There are 3rd-party Vectrex controllers available as well but your mileage may vary depending if it has an analog joystick or just a digital joystick setup instead (most Vectrex games are digital joystick controlled to begin with). The Vectrex game of Hyperchase does have analog joystick support from the get-go (is a fast-paced vector racing game).

On youtube, there's a video on how to adjust/calibrate the vector screen itself with the Vectrex. A properly adjusted/calibrated screen is like "night & day" compared to a stock unadjusted Vectrex screen (which is a bit dull & lackluster to begin with). Your Vectrex games will definitely look at their best indeed & super razor-sharp with the overall vector graphics presentation.

It's best to have at least two Vectrex consoles on hand (as a primary one & the other one as a backup just in case the first one decides to "bite the dust"/go kaput) considering their age circa 1982.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~