Forgive my ignorance, but do those specs allow this to potentially play every commercial release? Meaning, is there any game that is “too big” to be able to run on this?
I’ve actually seen consoles that didn’t start up at all until the display cables were fixed, so I assume there’s some sort of check that the system does to make sure the cables are installed, and maybe if the cables are bad enough, they fail the check. Someone more knowledgeable may be able to clarify that one.
Anyway, if it were me, I’d fix the displays and see if it starts up after that. VB’s don’t break easily. There are lots of folks on this site who can solder the cables for you if you’d rather outsource. If the VB really is dead, you can even resell the soldered cables to recoup the cost.
RetroDan wrote:
You know, it may simply be easiest and provide the best longevity to simply have new ribbon cables made – one end with fingers that connect into the motherboard’s connector, and the other end that terminates in pitch-perfect castellated holes for soldering onto the LED board.
That would eliminate the most frustrating and difficult issues of the VB displays, improve the console’s lifespan, and be a great deal easier for the average solder monkey to manage. Also, flex cables are comparatively cheap to make.
Do I smell interest?
If you know how to design flex cables/PCBs and have them printed, then yes, you are smelling interest from me. 😀 If not, then I may start learning it myself. I have at least one LED board with no cable, that can be used for testing.
Ideally, they would also have a tab attached like the stock cables, to allow easy insertion/removal from the VB (and they also seem to help thicken the cable at that end for a good firm seating)
It’s a little odd, actually. People who are new to VB collecting wouldn’t likely jump on such an expensive item, while seasoned collectors SHOULD know that there’s no such thing as a commercial release of Blox/Insecticide etc. It’s a small bracket of people that would fall for it, and it has to intersect with people who are rich. But sure, the seller is allowed to charge whatever.
Virtual Lab has a little more potential to fool people.
No, he’s not playable, he’s a “spirit,” meaning you sort of “attach” him to another character and play that character (with stat-boosts and other abilities that come from the spirit). I think in-game they want you to feel like you actually ARE playing as the spirit characters… through someone else.
There are 1300+ spirits in the game, which are a way to include “lesser” characters (or things) across video game history, like Goombas or… the cardboard box from Metal Gear.
But it’s still nice to see a reference and acknowledgement of the VB, no matter how small.
Watched both episodes. Seems very fair so far. I commented not long ago about how AVGN can’t bear to say anything positive about VB games, which usually looked like “this game is pretty good! Except it’s on the terrible VIRTUAL BOY!!” (which is par for his channel/character.)
So I like that JP is up-front about trying to review the games for their own merits, separating them from the Virtual Boy except when the platform has an actual effect on the game. I expect he’ll review all 22 games, not stopping at just the NA releases. I look forward to seeing the rest. Maybe they’ll measure up to retronintendonerd’s reviews. 😀
I understand they rushed it because the pre-N64 window was getting tight, but they should have given Yokoi the time needed to really polish it up. It could have ended up being a little less clunky, easier to use, and maybe easier on the eyes.
Having said that, it was plenty polished if it was adjusted properly. I agree there should have been lots more video footage of kids fiddling with the top, without explicitly saying “your eyes are going to hurt unless you do this.”
The games were actually pretty solid, but Tennis was sort of a weak pack-in. Something with an immersive first-person view would have been a slam dunk. Nintendo wouldn’t have packed in a shooter, but a shooter would have been great, especially with the triggers on the controller. Maybe a racing game, with full graphics and not wireframes, with a default first-person view, rear-view mirrors etc. That would have gotten people talking. Not that every VB game needs to be a VR game, but the pack-in should have been, IMO.
Please include in your writeup that Faceball 2000 doesn’t support more than 4 players without aftermarket modifications. I know it’s famously known as the only game that supports daisy-chained 4-player adapters, but it doesn’t. It was planned to, but Nintendo rejected the idea of a modified 4-player adapter that supported chaining.
Everyone who has ever tried it using stock OEM equipment has failed. Only people who have used modified equipment have been able to play it.
I’m sure you know all this, but I chime in every time I see it discussed online, since the misinformation is really all over the internet.
I like how immersive Waterworld is, and that’s not just a water joke. I know, it’s hard for a VB game NOT to be immersive, but games like Tetris, Panic Bomber, Virtual lab etc. aren’t actually trying to immerse anyone, they’re just puzzle games you’re watching with your face in a machine. Then there’s games like Jack Bros and Vertical Force that are immersive-ish, but the gameplay perspective don’t make me feel like I’m somewhere else. With Waterworld set in the ocean, the overwhelming blackness of the VB display is an asset rather than a setback, and I feel like I’m on the ocean.
Wario Land and Mario Clash are oddly immersive as well; I feel like I’m underground playing them. Even though you’re climbing a tower in Clash.
Neoprene is what wetsuits are made out of. I remember as a kid, Nintendo really seemed to like neoprene, because it seemed like they started making carrying cases for everything, made out of neoprene.
This and the Data East one, seems like a pretty narrow intersection of people who would recognize these logos and also want to wear shirts with butt jokes on them.
