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Legendary Windows dev codes demos and games for ancient ‘War Games’ monitor — interfaces with the HP1345a vector display using an ESP32 microcontroller
There’s something extremely alluring about vector displays for tech enthusiasts beyond a certain age. Recently, legendary Windows developer Dave W Plummer got hold of a prime example of this type of monitor, the HP1345a, and set about making it usable with a PC via USB serial connection. Plummer has been busy, already showcasing a vector demo andan Asteroids clone on the HP monitor, best known for its starring role in the classic 1983 movie War Games.
I managed to get hold of an HP1345A, the vector display used to film the movie War Games. I've spent the last couple of days interfacing with it and coding for, it, and here's an early demo!Code at https://t.co/GmnnSpoNLj pic.twitter.com/L2PX5PbCn5February 2, 2026
Above, you can see that Plummer managed to crack this nut successfully, then showcase the display in action with a vector-tastic animated computer graphics demo. But look at the wiring spaghetti that is required to connect the HP1345a to the ESP32‑S3 microcontroller, and then to the PC.
The ancient HP ‘War Games’ monitor “uses a completely proprietary, unbuffered, and unterminated interface: D0-D15 data lines and then two handshake lines: ReadyForData and DataValid,” explains the developer. “I decided to use an ESP32 to interface with it. I wired up the 16 data lines and the two handshake lines to free GPIOs, then set about writing code to ‘bridge’ data from the serial port to the HP.”
A Python app is then used to drive the display, which renders a binary stream at 921,600 baud. All this code, and further details of the HP1345a, plus Plummer’s DIY interface, are available on GitHub. Potential DIYers are warned that, should they be lucky enough to source one of these ‘War Games’ monitors, they should be careful of opening or servicing the display due to the high voltages inside the display cabinet.
Asteroids ahoy
Hot on the heels of his first HP1345a interfacing success, Plummer has completed a “quick and dirty port of some Python Asteroids code” to the USB-HP bridge he created. This looks like a great way to enjoy a vector gaming classic. Of course, this announcement was followed by requests for other vector game ports – Star Wars, Battle Zone, Tempest, et al.
I did a quick and dirty port of some python Asteroids code to adapt it to my USB->HP bridge, and here it is displaying on the HP1345 vector monitor! pic.twitter.com/90wI9JUMczFebruary 3, 2026
Incidentally, we have covered the news of the Vectrex Mini console in recent months. This crowdfunding project lacks an actual CRT vector display, as they aren't manufactured anymore. Though we haven’t had a hands-on with the Kickstarter product, its display will almost certainly underwhelm, being based on OLED tech and measuring a mere 5 inches diagonally.
Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.
