I gather that the IPD is meant to accommodate for the width of ones eyes (from their nose)… But, how does one know when it is adjusted properly? I’ve tried toying around with it, I can’t figure out whether it really makes a difference for me. Do the 4 VB icons on the VB logo screen have anything to do with IPD adjustment? Do the 4 icons have to be aligned or something? What am I supposed to look for when setting up IPD?

I usually just stay away from the IPD all-together lest I bother the display ribbon cables…

http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/virtualboy/trouble_image.jsp
Straight from Nintendo themselves!

That page doesn’t really explain what should result from a proper IPD setting. Is it supposed to make the screen easier on the eyes? Are there some graphics that can be referenced to ensure the IPD is setup right? I don’t know how else to explain it. It’s kind of like trying to verify the size of an object. Well, without something to reference against, like a ruler or a larger object with a known size, it’s impossible to know how big the target object is.

On the IPD/Focus screen (the one w/ the VB squares in the corners), you want to adjust the IPD so all 4 squares are fully visible. You should notice that when you turn the knob one way, the top ones start to disappear, and when you turn it the other way, the bottom ones start to disappear. You may only notice one set disappear, depending on your proper IPD setting (mine is near the middle).

DogP

Ohhhhh ok, that makes a whole lot more sense now. I usually have to crank the IPD all the way to one side to get all 4 corners straight in in view.

Also, since this is somewhat related, is the very outer edge of the screen (all the way around) supposed to be blurry? With the focus set to make the center of the screen sharp, the outer areas can be a bit hard to see without moving my head. Is this normal? Are my screens “out of alignment” like the Nintendo page says?

I can see the blurring too. It seems like the edges of the red plastic “lens” that you look through. My guess is some people have a wider field of view than others.

I’ve just gotten used to it. If I need to see my score clearly I’ll just move my head slightly =P

if you physically slide your head to the left or right, does the blur go away? this is what i experience and i relate it to the red plastic lenses. i’ve considered a flat replacement for sometime. something i still wish to experiment with in the future.

Lester Knight wrote:
if you physically slide your head to the left or right, does the blur go away? this is what i experience and i relate it to the red plastic lenses. i’ve considered a flat replacement for sometime. something i still wish to experiment with in the future.

In my case it was the plastic part of the eyeshade! I removed it and at night went into a room that was pitch black, gone were the blurry corners. Try it and you might come to the same conclusion.

Yep… blurring at the edges of the screen is normal.

DogP

Thanks for all the helpful replies everyone! It’s very comforting to know that the blurring around the edges is normal. Thanks for the IPD instructions DogP.

I tried looking into the Virtual Boy without the red covers in place, was pretty hard with the air from the mirrors hitting my eyes, haha. It wasn’t quite as red either.

Now if I could just get some replacement ribbon cables. I’d love to practice the delicate soldering more using my broken VB. I’ve got some really tiny soldering tips coming in the mail. 🙂 Individual wires is an extremely tedious and painful process. 🙁