DOOM is running on the Vectrex and the multicart is up for preorder

Hardware modder Jason Kopp has demonstrated DOOM running on authentic Milton Bradley Vectrex hardware using his Ultimate Vectrex Multicart 2. The project relies on a software development kit created by Daniel Ferrer Guerrero, and the demonstration video shows a fully playable version of the 1993 shooter running on the 44-year-old console.

The Vectrex launched in 1982. It features an integrated 9-inch monochrome CRT that draws vector lines instead of raster pixels, powered by a 1.5 MHz Motorola 6809 processor. That hardware cannot render DOOM's 3D BSP trees natively.

The Vectrex holds a strange place in console history. General Consumer Electronics released it right before the North American video game crash of 1983. Because it had a built-in monitor, it didn't need to be hooked up to a family television. The vector display gave its built-in game, Mine Storm, an arcade-quality glow that standard pixel-based consoles couldn't match. The system died early, but that unique hardware fostered a dedicated homebrew scene that is still active today.

The Super FX approach

To get the game running, Kopp's Ultimate Vectrex Multicart 2 acts as a hardware coprocessor. The multicart calculates the 3D geometry in real time and streams vector coordinate draw commands directly to the Vectrex display. It's the same basic concept as the Super FX chip assisting the SNES with Star Fox, just applied to a vector monitor.

Getting DOOM to run on unusual hardware is a decades-old tradition in the programming community. People have ported id Software's first-person shooter to everything from digital cameras to office phones. The Vectrex port stands out because it fundamentally changes how the game is drawn.

Wireframe demons and phosphor bloom

The visual result strips away all textures and bitmap assets. What remains is an eerie, minimalist wireframe rendering of the classic E1M1 Hangar and its demon encounters. The aesthetic resembles classic vector arcade games like Tempest or Battlezone, complete with the authentic phosphor bloom of the original CRT. Audio routes through a dedicated 3.5mm headphone jack on the cartridge itself.

Daniel Ferrer Guerrero's software development kit provided the programming foundation for this project. Guerrero builds modern toolchains tailored to the Vectrex architecture, making it easier for developers to interface with the aging hardware. Kopp used those tools to bridge the gap between the multicart's modern microcontroller and the 1982 console.

I don't know how the framerate holds up when a room is packed with enemies, but the wireframe presentation fits the hardware perfectly. The project turns DOOM's labyrinthine corridors into luminous illustrations reminiscent of Atari's Star Wars arcade cabinet.

Breaking even on the new batch

Kopp is organizing a new production batch of the Ultimate Vectrex Multicart 2 through the Vectrex Fans Unite community. According to his Instagram announcement, he needs 40 commitments to break even on the manufacturing run.

Pick up DOOM 3 on Humble Bundle.

Some links in this article are affiliate links. Purchases made through them help support Pants Pants Revolution at no extra cost to you.