The Vectrex is one of the most interesting early-'80s home video game consoles. It is the only one to incorporate vectors (sharp and angular graphics) and a monitor into its design. 

Many fans of the Vectrex go out of their way to preserve the games made for it, and even program some of their own experiences for the system. It was originally distributed by General Consumer Electric before board game manufacturer Milton Bradley bought the company in the early '80s.

Unlike most consoles at the time, the Vectrex's display was entirely in black and white. The only way to add color to the image was by sticking colored sheets of plastic to the machine's elongated screen. Today, it's incredibly rare to find a Vectrex game complete with its plastic overlays these days.

Internet comedian Stuart Ashen is fairly fond of this oddball machine and finally revisited his review of it with a multi-game cartridge he found online. You can see more of the Vectrex's odd graphical abilities in this video.

Considering that the Vectrex was on the market with the Atari 2600, Intellivision, and Colecovision, it's odd that the console wasn't more of a success. The built-in screen is in black and white, but the sleek vector graphics are astoundingly detailed when compared to early 8-bit experiences.