Hi, I just got the Flash Boy in the mail. I think I might have damaged it, but I don’t think I did, I think it’s just another case of my computer being an ass. Whenever I tried to put my Insect Combat game on to it, it stopped responding at about 5% done, so I have to unplug it and replug it, I did this about two or three times before it just happened to upload the whole game on it. I do have one question: The music does not work on an actual Virtual Boy but does on Mednafen. Any ideas on why that is? I’ve attached the game’s code. Darned if I can figure out why it wouldn’t work on an actual VB.

I figured out the source of the bug. It had to do with calling speech before the music started. So after trying to please the stupid thing, I just cut out the “Insect Combat!” at the beginning so now it starts with music like I wanted it.
I also have found out a little of why it stopped responding at 5%: It was because I had it set on Dev mode. Apparently my computer does not like it if the Flash Boy program is set on it. I don’t know why that is.

Question: I know we’re not supposed to play games we don’t have on our Flash Boy, but I was wondering whether playing something like Bound High! would be OK (under law or what have you.)

VirtualChris wrote:
Question: I know we’re not supposed to play games we don’t have on our Flash Boy, but I was wondering whether playing something like Bound High! would be OK (under law or what have you.)

Of course not… you don’t own the rights to play the game, just like any other game that you don’t own. But I’d be pretty certain that nobody will be knocking on your door for playing a bootleg of an obscure prototype for an obscure system.

DogP

As far as I know, copyright law really only counts if the copyright holder actually cares and takes action. If the copyright holder doesn’t care, then there’s really nothing to worry about.

Thus, if the copyright holders of games like Virtual Lab, SD Gundam Dimension War, Virtual Bowling, Bound High, and Dragon Hopper actually cared, then they might try to prosecute people for playing ROMs or reproduction carts of such games. The thing is, though, if the copyright holders of such games actually STILL cared, then they would currently be making more manufacturer’s copies of such games and getting profit off of their copyrighted work (Bound High and Dragon Hopper would be getting their FIRST manufacturer’s copies out there), which isn’t happening and never will.

Thus, the way I see it, if the only way you can play such games is via downloaded ROMs, because obtaining the games in any other way is not within your reach, then by all means, play the ROMs and sleep easy at night. And if the copyright holders come knocking at your door, then ask them nicely for manufacturer’s copies of the games.

I’m pretty sure that when a copyright lawsuit occurs, the copyright holder has to produce an amount of income lost as a result of illegal copies of the product. In the case of products that are no longer in production and for which the copyright holder is no longer getting any profits anyway, I really don’t know how punitive damages could be assessed, if there would be any at all, so no such case would even be worth the effort on the part of the copyright holder, but I’d be more than happy to read if anyone else knows more about such copyright cases. I’ve tried to look into it and have had a hard time finding pertinent information.