Vectrex Mini in Japan, aka 光速船 mini

Following the success of our Kickstarter campaign, we were contacted by Kibidango, a well-known crowdfunding platform in Japan. Their team was very enthusiastic about bringing the Vectrex Mini to Japanese audiences, especially as Japan ranked third in number of backers during our initial Kickstarter campaign. This partnership made sense. There was already strong demand, but part of the Japanese audience is still less inclined to use Kickstarter. Going through Kibidango therefore makes the project more accessible locally, while also allowing us to offer a version tailored specifically for this market. It is also a way to reconnect with the history of the Vectrex, which had a dedicated release in Japan back in the day with the 光速船.

A pre-launch evening in Tokyo

In February, we had the opportunity to host a pre-launch event in Japan. This gathering allowed us to present the Vectrex Mini to local press as well as several content creators and retro gaming enthusiasts.

For the occasion, we brought multiple prototypes, displayed alongside original Japanese Vectrex units. This direct comparison between past and present sparked a lot of interest and curiosity.

A Japanese edition with its own features

The Vectrex Mini itself remains identical to the version offered on Kickstarter. The console is the same, with the option to choose between an English or Japanese interface, along with a set of logo stickers included, allowing everyone to customize the look of their machine according to their preferences.

However, this Japanese edition does include a few distinctive elements. First, a dedicated packaging inspired directly by the original Japanese Vectrex box design.

Another specific feature concerns the game Zombie Apocalypse. In the standard Kickstarter version, it is the USA Zombie Apocalypse edition. For Japan, the creators are offering a Japan Zombie Apocalypse version, with a few graphical differences while keeping the original gameplay intact.

Finally, the limited edition design was chosen together with the Japanese community itself. A voting system was set up, and a navy blue finish was selected.
(https://kibidango.com/projects/2885/reports/20025)

The prototypes in Japan

The Vectrex Mini prototypes were showcased at a major retro gaming event in Japan, the Retro Game Summit in Tokyo, held on March 21, 2026. Japanese visitors were able to discover the console in person and try it directly on site. For this occasion, we also revealed an exclusive preview, showing for the first time the prototype in its navy blue version.

The ongoing campaign on Kibidango

The campaign is currently live on Kibidango, with one week left to participate. It will end on May 22 at 11:59 PM.

So far, more than 850 backers have already joined the project. As with Kickstarter, the goal is to unlock as many stretch goals as possible to further enrich the project.

For those who want to support this Japanese edition of the Vectrex Mini or simply follow its progress, all information is available directly on the project page: kibidango.com/projects/2885

Thank you for the warm welcome in Japan

The reception of the Vectrex Mini in Japan has been something we are truly proud of. The feedback from players has been extremely positive and very encouraging.

This campaign naturally extends the original one and also accompanies the ongoing production, which continues to move forward step by step. We already have several updates we will be able to share soon on Kickstarter, so see you very soon!

All our links here: https://linktr.ee/vectrex.official