after learning about the Yujin History Collection(s), i always wanted a virtual boy. maybe one day soon?

(this person’s finger nails are disgusting, first image i grabbed off google — sorry!)

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you can use a gamebit or buy a screw driver with a bit on the end. but you can also use a plastic pen (BIC brand) or cut out the center part of a flat head screwdriver. the plastic pen idea may not work as the security screws can be tight and you might not be able to get the leverage you would need.

check this link: http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/18/mini-how-to-make-a-tool-to-breach-nintendos-security-screws/

once it is open it is really easy to get out the cables. as long as you don’t force anything and you take your time you should not have any issues.

i still feel that this should never be released for sale. this was a special item for those who submitted something into the coding compo. if future collectors want one then they should get ready now for the 2016 coding compo. =P

Johnny365 wrote:
That’s why it needs Kickstarter to get the word out.

with kickstarter, popular campaigns and staff picks will make it to their front page. other than that they aren’t in the business of advertising your campaign for you. having an active campaign running on kickstarter does not equal success. i am sure that the curiosity and obscurity factors would help get such a campaign into the reto/video game news. however, i fear those same factors will result only in comments about either how great this is or how dumb this is, and not actual pledges.

what might work would be to start a campaign to raise funds to “help finish the game”. in reality those funds would go towards filling pledge rewards and manufacturing an actual CIB cart. this would mean that a talented team would need to develop the game on their own, in their own free time, with their own money and resources.

trying to give up your job for a year to develop a game for a console as obscure as the VB just doesn’t seem possible.

i feel that it is way to early for a number like 50K to be raised. after VR takes off and we see virtual boy emulators ported to a variety of systems then perhaps their would be enough interest. i pledge to back indy titles often and it is the obscure projects which tend to fail more often. what is more obscure than the VB? a possible project could raise interest in the news based on this obscurity, but i feel that most backers would opt for a digital release (ROM $5-15) over a physical (CIB $50-100).

i feel that such a project would need to do something not previously accomplished on the VB to generate enough interest. it may also require backing from a publisher to help generate proper interest. there is also the CIB problem to combat. if 3,000 people opted for a CIB release, would donor carts be used? this just doesn’t seem feasible to me. especially considering that this 1st crowd-funding campaign would need to be planned perfectly as it may set the way for all future commercial quality VB homebrew releases.

if a physical copy was not included in any tier than the digital release would need to be FB+ compatible or i would not even consider backing it.

Johnny365 wrote:
why was the game physically produced in the first place? Isn’t that like the epitome of copyright infringement? Good for VB fans and the like.

info related to why it was made, how it was made, and copyright should all be in the 1st post. you’ll also find info that should partially explain how the CIB private release was a side-deal with the developer.

i will have to ask if those involved want that number released. what i will say is that it wasn’t cheap and it also wasn’t so expensive that i am regretting my purchase. what would be unfair to me is that i purchased it so that others could later get it for free.

you have to keep in mind that a lot of CIB releases (Atari, NES, Genesis, Vectrex, etc) usually have 25-100 unit runs, when they are gone — they are gone. someone will always feel left out, which is why developers usually release the full ROM or a slightly crippled version of it. in this case the ROM contains highly copyrighted properties. the only ROM release we would ever see would be an unsanctioned dump and probably not compiled from sources.

HoMenace wrote:

I feel the prices we paid were reasonable considering the amount of work and professional style programming that went into making this retail like experience. Not to mention the R&D of the new chips to support this game. It was a little bit more expensive than other homebrews/hacks but I feel it was well deserving of its price point.

i understand that, and i’m not debating that. what i am saying is that i do not feel others should have free/cheaper access to a ROM just because they feel it unfair that they could not buy a CIB. all homebrew CIB releases are limited, some much more so than this release. a restricted (MAC address perhaps? — although that has its own inherent issues) ROM release for a similar cost as the CIB would be one thing. I just don’t want to see this ROM spread for free, not at this point. again, in a few years i might feel differently.

specifically with this community in mind, an engine and a set of level design tools would probably yield a great platformer. perhaps a coder such as yourself wants to design the engine and mechanics, but not the 90+ levels. a set of tools that exported the level into some type of program-readable format would allow community members who can not code to get involved. perhaps that line of thinking/such tools would benefit us the most?

by no means am i suggesting that tools take any less time to program.

with the price i paid for two copies i would be a little bit upset if the full ROM was released. a few years from now i would probably feel differently. a stripped down 1-player version with less music/options i could get behind.

it was the same for me. i just allowed chrome to remember my login information and now when i want to post i no longer type that out.

is that some type of overlay or did you mod the 3ds?

i agree! this thread is providing a great deal of information. it is wonderful to see that there is still so much information we can add to the site!

it has been mentioned more than a few times that the ROM is too large to fit on the current FB+ design. excuse me if i am reading into your text wrongly, your comments read like you are upset and perhaps complaining. you would have known this before making your FB+ purchase if you had done some research.

Johnny365 wrote:
It would be cool to have physically released homebrew games that people are willing to pay $$$ for instead of releasing them as roms for free.

that really isn’t homebrew development any longer, it is indy development. that is an entirely different discussion.

having been involved in the homebrew scene of more than a few devices, i can tell you that commercial quality homebrew takes an extremely talented team and a great deal of free time. individuals who work alone can take years to complete their projects, during which the risk of losing interest or changes in real life can delay or conclude development permanently. the idea of a paid project does interest me but you have to consider who are you paying? does this person have the ability to build what you ask for? will they take into account your feedback? can they design a game as well as code its engine? will you feel ripped off if the final product isn’t what you had in mind? will you get upset if they never finish the project? will you end up burning a bridge by badgering the developer for your unique vision?

an important thing to keep in mind with the VB is the small user base. most of those who are passionate about this console are here, on this forum. it doesn’t have the following of other popular devices which have much more developer interest. it would seem that raising as much awareness as possible would be a wise course of action. also the future possibilities of VB emulators on VR systems and the 3DS may bring more developers over to the VB.

i do feel that a talented team could produce a successful kickstarter if it included a digital tier. however, i also feel the final ROM would need to be FB/FB+ compatible for such a tier to generate sufficient backers. a CIB release is always nice, especially for collectors, but you have to ask yourself how many VB collectors are left? I’ve watched a great deal of kickstarter campaigns fail simple due to obscurity, even for software on popular systems. While this all seems like a good idea, then you’ll additionally need to consider the amount of work that would go into such a campaign. From finding a team, to running the entire campaign, to settling taxes and payouts, to sending off rewards. It would be more than a full time job.

perhaps the best course of action is for those interested in homebrew to learn/do what they can. if you can do pixel art then design characters and seek a coder. if you love coding and have the free time then seek a pixel artist and sound engineer. if you love writing then write the script/design the game, and seek others to help you complete it. team efforts may be the best way to see more commercial quality projects released for the VB.

most importantly you must remember that the VB is an obscure system. regardless of how much you praise it, it isn’t remembered fondly. accept the FB/FB+ and the library of released homebrew as positive things, instead of seeing those smaller “games”/demos as a disappointment.

Johnny365 wrote:
so I can test the unit.

mario tennis sells for cheap on ebay. watch a few auctions and you should be able to grab one for under $5 with shipping. after you test the VB you should consider a FB+.

bigmak wrote:
Good lord please help me..i can’t start another collection…i can’t….

i do this as i have a page open to ebay…..

-Eric

do a little research and pick up a few that are worth playing. i think you’ll find this more rewarding.

http://www.gameandwatch.com/

you can play a few “simulated” G&W here: http://www.pica-pic.com/

i would love nothing more than to run the daily aspects of a VB kickstarter campaign. if this is ever seriously considered, that is. kickstarter, facebook, twitter, daily updates, writing the campaign page, answering e-mails, etc. being involved with such a project would be an invaluable learning experience and a great thing to drop onto a resume.

pinmagic wrote:
“Virtual & Boy”? That’s a dealbreaker.

good catch. i didn’t even notice that at first glance.

i really enjoy playing with it, but i am in no means in love with it. it is very unique and i’m happy that it exists. i have a lot of fun with it. i like showing it to people who have never experienced it. the 22 game library gets old after awhile. i don’t find i have a need to play those games as often as games for other systems. for me it is something i leave in the box and pull it out ever so often to remind myself how much i do enjoy it.