Vectrex

In 1982, General Consumer Electric (GCE) released the Vectrex (later bought by Milton Bradley Company), an 8-bit video game console that used vector graphics drawn on a monitor that was integrated in the console. This vector technology was used in most of the popular arcade games of the day, which GCE sought to capitalise upon, building in the Asteroids-like game Minestorm into the console and selling high-quality versions of games such as Space Wars and Armor Attack.

The monochrome Vectrex used screen overlays to give the illusion of colour, and also to reduce the severity of the inherent flickering caused by the vector monitor. The unit also offered two peripherals: a light pen and 3D imager. This 3-D imager worked by spinning a disk that contained 1/2 black and 1/2 coloured bands radiating out from the centre between the players eyes and the Vectrex screen. Spinning the disk at a high enough speed fooled the brain into thinking that the multiple images drawn on the screen were two different views of the same object, thus creating the impression of 3-D and colour.

Unfortunately, soon after the console was released, the video game market declined and then crashed, and the Vectrex exited the market in early 1984.