Yesterday is only the second time in my life that I've had an opportunity to buy a Vectrex at a reasonable price. The first time was about 15 years ago. I was in college and couldn't justify paying $40 for a pre-crash video-game system when I was picking up systems like the Emerson Arcadia 2001 and the Atari 5200 for $10 each. But yesterday, I saw a Vectrex with five cartridges marked "as is" for $75 plus sales tax. So, I bought it, figuring I was effectively buying a lottory ticket. I thought there was a 50% chance that the screen was burnt out.

Turns out that the screen is fine, but something is wrong with the controller connection. I see the title screen for each game (including the built-in "Mine Storm"), but the player-selection screen reads "Player 0". The instruction books for the games and the instruction book for the system (yes, I got those, too) don't say anything about this condition. I don't know what the appropriate Google search terms would be, but searches for things like "Vectrex controller" turn up the instructions for disassemblying and repairning physical wear and tear. As it stands, I can't even deduce whether it's the Vectrex console or the controller that is at fault, so I'm reluctant to dismantle the controller (a difficult task to do right). I tried a Genesis controller with little effect, although the plug may not be settling all of the way in. So, I'm stuck until I can get access to another Vectrex console or another Vectrex controller in order to troubleshoot.

Chances are, even if the console is hosed, the controller and the five cartridges (including overlays, boxes and instructions) are probably worth more than I paid for them.