The 1993 game runs on the 1982 console thanks to a modded cartridge.
Vector graphics were mostly abandoned in gaming, but small pockets of enthusiasts are still keeping the Vectrex, the only vector-based home console ever released, alive. And what does one do to draw attention to a niche platform? Why, put Doom on it, of course.
We’ve seen Doom find a home on an odd array of devices, including iPods, graphing calculators and toasters. Unlike many other strange Doom ports, though, the Vectrex version (via Time Extension) offers a truly unique visual language. That comes from the console’s fundamentally different display: instead of a grid of pixels, it steers an electron beam to trace lines on the screen directly. This gives the game its Tron-like appearance, with clean lines that make it seem more like an artistic statement than just another silly port.
How does a console that predates Doom by 11 years run the game? Well, it technically doesn’t. Modder Jason Kopp (ArcadeJason) built the demo around his Ultimate Vectrex Multicart 2 (UVMC2), a cartridge that essentially acts as a small plug-in PC. The UVMC2 handles the processing while using the console’s built-in CRT for the display. Meanwhile, audio comes through the cartridge’s separate 3.5mm output. The project also uses an SDK created by modder Daniel Ferrer Guerrero.
Even with the asterisk that this isn’t a native Vectrex port, the result is still one of the more notable Doom visual presentations we’ve seen. You can check out Kopp’s work below.
