New to VB

Apr 27, 2011 • 03:44

I’ve been trying to purchase a Virtual Boy for quite some time now, and I just haven’t been getting lucky. Either I lose an auction, or the price in INSANELY high. Most of the VB games sound really fun. I hear A LOT of negative comments about VB, and even though I never got to try one when it came out, I have a feeling it’s great. So forum, is VB great? I wouldn’t mind soar eyes or anything though. Also, does anyone know what happened to all of the unreleased games? I heard they were destroyed and dumped :\

Viewing 18 replies - 1 through 18 (of 18 total)

18 Replies

Apr 27, 2011 • 09:22

Hedgetrimmer

Howdy, welcome to the community, top choice you made.
VB is a great console, works well and once you got it set up, focus and IPD (distance between eyes) you won’t get head aches, eye strain etc, well no more then using any other console.
All the info known about unreleased games etc is in this site, take your time and read it through.
I hope you do manage to get yourself a VB and some games, I recommend getting yourself a Flashboy, you can play all games then, all homebrew & demos even a great unreleased game. 😀

Apr 27, 2011 • 16:32

gunpeiyokoifan

welcome to Planet Virtual Boy’s forums! 😀

most common cases of headaches/eyestrain from the VB are from people who don’t bother to adjust the IPD dial or focus bar, so as long as you adjust those, you should be fine (I adjusted them and I didn’t get a headache) also, it helps if your VB isn’t suffering from the scrambling screen issue (which mine isn’t so I don’t know if one that has those problems can give you soreness)

the true headache you will get is trying to find and win a decent VB on ebay 😛

anyways, I love the VB! (I’m trying all 33 commercially released games for it)

Apr 27, 2011 • 18:19

Fwirt

The VB is a very fun console. Most of the games are pretty mediocre, but the thing that pulls the system together is the subtle “wow” factor you get from everything. It’s really immersive, and the 3D effects on most games are pretty nice. (And don’t let the red-only displays get you down. Just remember that it’s the same bit depth as the Gameboy, and that until the release of the 3DS it had the highest resolution screen of any Nintendo portable.) My favorite titles for the system are probably Teleroboxer, Galactic Pinball, and Wario Land (in that order) which aren’t hard to find games. Even if you can only get a system with Mario’s Tennis, you can expand from there. (And Mario’s Tennis is fun for a couple hours.)

I have to agree with you about the prices, I recently started a topic about how inflated they’ve become in the last few years. These days, if you can find a system that’s complete (the stand and foam visor really improve the enjoyability) and comes with a couple decent games (the only bad games are really Virtual League Baseball and Waterworld) for under $50, it’s probably a good deal. Hope you can find one!

May 01, 2011 • 20:45

VBoy

It’s worth hanging in there and finding yourself one.

I had all the same thoughts as you, pondered over the prices of these things, wondered if it would all be worth it and then just went for it.

I figured that if I hated the thing, I’d be able to sell it back for hopefully what I paid for it and I’d at least be able to say I’d owned one.

I’m actually quite taken with it, it’s cool!

May 02, 2011 • 12:41

Benjamin Stevens

Hey muskabulldog,

I would recommend trying to get this Virtual Boy for yourself:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Complete-Virtual-Boy-Hard-Case-/260777387037?pt=Video_Games_Accessories&hash=item3cb78b241d

It’s one of the best deals that I’ve seen lately, and I’ve been looking at internet sellers pretty steadily for the past couple of weeks.

If you are a Nintendo fan and especially a classic gaming fan, you most certainly will not regret your purchase. I am obsessed with the thing. Long live the Virtual Boy!

May 03, 2011 • 03:11

Lester Knight

i snagged mine for $150 (including shipping) and it came with the AC adapter, the original box, all instruction manuals, and 3 games. the hard-shell case is nice, i won’t deny that. i’m trying to build my own but i can’t find anyone locally who has that type of foam for sale.

make sure you ask the important questions.

1) any scratches on the red plastic lenses, even hair line scratches
2) any problems with the ac adapter
3) is the d-pad responsive, do the diagonals respond without problems
4) is the center plastic part of the stand cracked, even a hair line crack (as these tend to crack)
5) is the black visor stained or ripped?
6) after powering the unit on, ask them to adjust the IPD (grey circular knob) to the right and left a few times. this is a way to test if the ribbon cable glue is starting to fail and if it is the graphics may be glitchy, the back light could seem faded, etc. keep in mind that this is something that can be fixed later, so if the rest of the unit is mint it might be worth picking it up.
7) ask them to also test the focus slider to make sure it is working.

i would suggest a mirror alignment test as well but from what i recall you need a game inserted to do that (?).

you should do some research, find out what important questions you want answered, and then ask every seller of every vb you like. once you find the one you want you will be happy that you waited. also set yourself a price that you will not go past and stick to it. i’ve seen complete vb kits sell for under $50 and over $250 (with and without games). have patience and i’m sure you will be happy in the end.

May 03, 2011 • 10:22

VBoy

Wow that seems like a bargain with the hard case!

Those cases alone seem to fetch a high price. I’d love to get one but as mine is boxed, I don’t fancy paying £80 for a case.

May 03, 2011 • 14:46

Benjamin Stevens

Oh yeah… here’s an even better offer, if you don’t care about the hard case:

* Virtual Boy System with Controller and Stand
* A/C Power Adapter
* Battery holder for unplugged use
* Mario Tennis
* Wario Land
* Panic Bomber

All for only $135.00 after shipping, no bidding needed. Plus, you can make the seller an offer.

I’d be all over this one if I didn’t already have my own.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nintendo-Virtual-Boy-Great-Condition-3-games-/290561706809?pt=Video_Games&hash=item43a6d3cb39

May 05, 2011 • 01:29

Lester Knight

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nintendo-Virtual-Boy-Great-Condition-3-games-/290561706809?pt=Video_Games&hash=item43a6d3cb39

i contacted the seller. he said there is 1 hair line scratch on the red lense and that the system has the glitch ribbon cable problem. he said after using it for 10 or so minutes the glitch went away, but as we all know it just means the glitch problem is starting. still for that price its a good deal considering what you are getting, and the glitch problem can be fixed.

May 13, 2011 • 23:25

muskabulldog

Thanks for all of the feedback. There’s one I found on ebay that comes with a few games, and seems to be in pretty nice shape, but it doesn’t come with an A/C adapter… But I know there’s a focus button, but what was the other button/knob called again? And what does it do. I heard someone say it just tilts the view to the left and to the right.

May 14, 2011 • 00:30

muskabulldog

Here is one I found on eBay. Over all it looks nice, and it even comes with some games, but there is some white stuff on the console itself. I don’t know if it’s just dust, or some form of discoloration of the VB. It’d be cool if someone could help or tell me what they think it is. I attached files.