Rantmedia games and ION have given me back a substantial portion of my childhood — the early days when I could be found sitting in front of an odd black box playing simple vector-based games with a controller connected via coiled telephone cord. So the controller isn't corded this time around. Between the Vectrex…

In 1982 Smith Engineering released the Vectrex, a self-contained video game console that delivered cutting-edge vector based games to the masses. It was the first game console with a 3D peripheral. It was brilliant.

With the PS3 able to play games in 3D and Nintendo about to launch a 3D handheld, it's easy to get carried away with the "latest big thing" in gaming. And forget we had 3D games the 1980s.

Oh for the days when video game advertising consisted of nothing more than people looking so excited their faces were about to explode. Check out the full Vectrex ad at Josborn's Flickr page.

The Sega Saturn was pretty unattractive. The NES was pretty much just a box. Compared to some of the consoles found on Pointless Banter's list of the 10 Ugliest Gaming Consoles, they're gorgeous.