Super Mario 64 on Vectrex is now a real thing you can watch with your own eyes, because a fan project has squeezed Nintendo’s 1996 3D classic onto a vector-display console from 1982, wireframe Mario, wireframe castle and all.
In all honesty, it looks like something out of a cyberpunk fever dream.
The catch is that it’s an early prototype, nobody can download it, and the people behind it have more or less said they’re moving on, so is this the coolest thing you’ll never get to play? Let me explain.
How Is Super Mario 64 Running on a 1982 Console?
The port is the work of Dani Ferrer, with Vectrex YouTuber Arcade Jason adding sound effects and showing it off in a video, and Retro Dodo fairly calls it “a bit of a team effort.”
What you actually see is Mario, the castle grounds and the levels all drawn in glowing vector lines, which is exactly how you’d imagine a 90s sci-fi film thought the future of gaming would look.
Now, before anyone gets carried away, the Vectrex is not secretly a 3D powerhouse, it has roughly the processing muscle of a very shiny potato that’s been left in a drawer since the Thatcher years. So what’s doing the heavy lifting?
Is the Vectrex Actually Doing Any of the Work?
Not much, if the early analysis is right, because GBAtemp reckons the game is almost certainly running on the Ultimate Vectrex Multicart 2 (UVMC2), a modern cartridge built around a Raspberry Pi RP2350 chip, with the Vectrex itself acting more or less as a very fancy screen.
The cartridge even handles the audio, skipping the console’s original AY-3-8912 sound chip entirely, which is cheeky, but also completely fair. None of this has been officially confirmed by the developers yet, so treat the exact technical setup as an educated guess rather than gospel.
Still, does it really matter how the sausage is made when the sausage is Mario doing a triple jump in glowing white lines?
Quick NoteThis is not an emulator, and it’s not something you can load onto a regular Vectrex cartridge, so if you see anyone selling a “Mario 64 Vectrex cart” online, that’s someone trying to sell you a dream with a price tag attached!
Why Is Everyone Suddenly Porting Things to the Vectrex?
Because the Vectrex homebrew scene is having a genuinely brilliant moment right now, and the UVMC2 is a big reason why, since it gives developers a lot more horsepower to play with while keeping that unmistakable vector look. DOOM got the vector treatment only days ago too, and now Mario has followed, so honestly I’m half expecting someone to drop Wipeout on it before Christmas.
That also explains why these projects can look so impressive, because you’re seeing modern hardware being creative within the Vectrex’s display, rather than a 40-year-old CPU suddenly learning how to do 3D. It’s a bit like putting a supercar engine in a Mini, technically still a Mini, but you know what I mean?
Will Super Mario 64 on Vectrex Ever Be Finished?
Here’s the sad bit, because Arcade Jason has said he wants to move on to a different project, describing what we’ve seen as an early prototype, and he’s openly invited anyone who fancies finishing it to get in touch. So right now there’s no release, no download, and no date, just a very cool video.
There’s also the elephant in the room, which is Nintendo, a company that has never exactly been famous for its relaxed attitude to fan projects using its biggest character. A tech demo that never leaves YouTube probably flies under the radar, but a downloadable release might be a different story entirely, wouldn’t it?
Worth NotingIf you want Mario 64 somewhere other than a Nintendo console, the PC port built on the community decompilation is the far more practical route, assuming you can “legally” provide your own copy of the game, of course!
Should You Care, or Is This Just a Very Pretty Video?
I’ll be upfront with you all, there’s nothing to buy and nothing to download here, so in purely consumer terms this changes absolutely nothing for your wallet. But as a showcase of what the retro scene can pull off, it’s actually wonderful, and it’s exactly the kind of daft, ambitious project that makes this hobby so much fun to follow.
My take is to watch the video, enjoy the vector magic, and don’t go dropping money on a Vectrex and a UVMC2 expecting a playable Mario 64 anytime soon. And if you want a Nintendo 64 port you can actually play right now, the Smash 64 Recompiled project is busy proving that not every N64 port has to live and die on YouTube!
FAQ
Can I play Super Mario 64 on Vectrex right now?
No. Super Mario 64 on Vectrex is an early prototype shown in a video, and there’s no public download or release date.
Who made the Super Mario 64 Vectrex port?
The port was made by Dani Ferrer, with Arcade Jason adding sound effects and sharing the footage on YouTube.
Does Super Mario 64 on Vectrex need extra hardware?
It’s widely believed to run on the Ultimate Vectrex Multicart 2, a modern cartridge with a Raspberry Pi RP2350 chip, though the developers haven’t confirmed the exact setup.
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