It is that time of year when I go to check out the PRGE show downtown Portland. As you may know, I am more of a retro-computer aficionado than a retro gamer, so I kept my expectations low about snatching up a new piece for my collection. And I was right; I’ve seen nothing good. I need to find another venue to quinch mt thirst for vintage computing… Any suggestions?
Nonetheless, this year’s expo gave me a chance to meet with David from Vectrex.com again (here). The Vectrex Mini is getting ready to launch, and it was great to see a recent spin of the board and the BT version of the controller. I used the prototype, and it was pretty cool. I am looking forward to adding one to my Kickstarter pledge and using it on my real Vectrexes since it is compatible.
It was also great to meet Jay Smith, the creator of the Vectrex and the Microvision. I took the time to thank him for creating these iconic devices, and we all agreed that the Vectrex solved one of the biggest problems you had back then, since your computer and consoles were fighting for the family TV 😊. With its integrated display, you felt like royalty, a little like today if you can afford a megabyte of DDR.
I also met Alex from AR Vectrex (here), the developer of several Vectrex games, such as Cyborg Total War C4000 or the USA Zombie Apocalypse. He introduced me to the Vectrex Integrated Development Environment (VIDE, here), which lets you develop in C for the Vectrex. Sure, you would still need an EPROM or something to burn your code onto a cartridge, but I will certainly look into it. Many questions remain unanswered, so stay tuned.
The other big follow-up from my visit last year was to the Atari booth. You may recall I wrote last year: “I took the opportunity to discuss what might be coming for the 8-bit computer side. They piqued my curiosity, and now I’m eagerly awaiting 2026. Based on what I understood, we may see some new 8-bit systems (not just mini ones), which would be amazing! Perhaps one of the XL computers?” Guess what, the first two prototypes of the The800XL were shown. Nice! You can pre-order it here. Unlike the other new-retro systems, this one felt really hefty; I am wondering how much weight, or cast iron, they added. The keyboard felt nice, and since I own original XLs, this model looked and felt like the originals. Of course, the new one has USB and HDMI, and you will not need the massive transformer to use it.
Finally, I had to look up the Interim Computer Museum (ICM – here) booth. It’s always a pleasure to see vintage computers running, but there was no new system on display.
Enjoy the pics, have a fantastic WE
