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Virtual Lab Original Research Module
Topic: Horizontal Line Development in the Virtual Boy System
Question: Why and how does the Virtual Boy develop horizontal lines?
How, if possible, can this be prevented?
Pre-Research Possible Explanations: The Virtual Boy
was dropped or shaken. The Virtual Boy has been played too much or has aged
past its life expectancy. Rows of pixels on the Virtual Boy may have become
dead.
Module #: 1
Date of Research: April 21, 2001
Research:
I came across a question on the club
Virtual
Boy Museum’s message board.
The exact entry was made by the user jeffhot14 on March 18, 2001:
“My Virtual Boy has taken up a new
habit of displaying horizontal lines all across the screens. I've tried new
batteries, but everything stays the same. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Would the power adapter stop this maybe??”
Today I have begun experimentation
to answer this question and to find out why the Virtual Boy unit does this.
I start by turning on my own Virtual
Boy to view the horizontal lines. I first inserted the Red Alarm cart
into my Virtual Boy. What I found was very interesting. After carefully
watching for these lines in the introduction sequence, the menu screen, and
finally attempting to actually play the game, I found that I could see no lines
at all! At this point, I am thinking that perhaps Red Alarm has either a
different resolution or used a different graphics chip either embedded in the
Virtual Boy itself or on a the ROM cart. I now go to a different cart to see if
the lines appear on it.
I now try Galactic Pinball. I
notice something this time. The first thing I notice, is that when the Virtual
Boy boots up and the precautions and IPD adjustment data is displayed, these
lines cannot be seen. I finally see these lines, or shall I say I see one
of these lines on the menu for Galactic Pinball. It appears on every
area of this game, but it is the only line visible. I reset the Virtual Boy to
see if the line would appear on the startup screen, however, the line did not
appear. I am starting to support the resolution theory, but I require more
testing.
Now I try the Mario Clash
cart, seeing as it was the cart I mainly noticed these lines before. Again, I
see no lines during the precautions and IPD displays. Now the game comes up and
I can see several lines, at least 20 or 30. I watch the entire sequence and
notice where these lines are. The sequence ends, and I watch everything up to
the point where I enter a new game. I see no lines. I am almost certain that
the VB changes it’s graphics mode and that prolonged viewing in these modes
cause pixels to become dead. I will try a few more carts to prove this.
Golf is now inserted into my Virtual Boy unit. It appears unaffected
by the lines until I get to the game menu screen. I can see the line that is in
the same place as Galactic Pinball’s line. I enter gameplay, and see no
lines. Golf’s actual gameplay, like the other games, is unaltered by
lines.
I lastly choose Mario’s Tennis
to see if the lines will alter it. They do not, in fact, like Red Alarm;
no lines could be seen at all. It is now time for me to conclude my findings.
Conclusion:
After careful research and reviewing
this research, I have decided that I can answer the following:
Answer:
The Virtual Boy has the ability to change different graphics modes and/or
resolutions. This allows variety and diversity between the Virtual Boy’s
graphics, and the games to which these graphics are in.
Answer:
When the Virtual Boy changes its graphics mode or resolution, certain areas of
that graphics mode may become corrupt over a long period of time or heavy usage
of that graphics mode.
Answer:
Yes. The problem can be corrected by replacing the original LED screens. A
Nintendo authorized repair center should be able to fix the problem.
Bibliography:
Virtual Boy Museum: ã2001 vincewy, club
founder
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/virtualboymuseum/; http://zip.to/virtualboy/
Disclaimer: All Virtual Boy games are copyright ã 1995, 1996
Nintendo Co., Ltd. Golf is a trademark of T & E Soft copyright ã 1995 T & E
Soft. Virtual Boy Museum is ã 2000, 2001
vincewy. Virtual Lab is ã 2000, 2001
Vidyogamer.