How Do Pip-Boys Work? 

It's the p.i.m.p. boy three billion

"How does V.A.T.S. work?" "DRUGS! Its always drugs!"

The crazy thing about Pip-Boys is that with modern tech, we could make a very similar device. Obviously we wouldn't use a CRT display, and a lithium-ion battery would have to be recharged, but besides that, a Pip-Boy is very feasible, even with all the features like an FM radio, Geiger counter, map system and even a cassette deck.

I've never understood why we can't get pipboy mods from other vaults, seems overlooked and very obvious for a choice lmao

In my opinion, VATS temporarily speeds up the flow of information in the nervous system and triggers a surge of adrenaline, which makes it feel like slow time and the rest is just game mechanics.

The biometric lock is interesting. Given how the Anchorage Alaska simulation needed a Pip-Boy interface to work, I'm guessing that US soldiers used them before Vault Dwellers did. A biometric lock would be useful because if it wasn't present then anyone could just steal tactical data from dead US troops.

The thumbnail shows a biblically accurate pip-boy.

2:27 64k RAM System and 38911 Bytes Free is exactly what you got when you turned on a Commodore 64 - nice easter egg!

as someone who does not play fallout and is only a casual observer-fan of the franchise, I view the pipboy's VATS as a representation of augmented reality. the slow-motion and such are just gameplay mechanics that give you time as a gamer to figure out the best course of action that you'd like to take. whereas in fallout "reality" it displays a live-feed of the best-kill-scenario which the user must then analyze on the fly as they go in for the kill.

Wow pipboys are really top of the line with their 64 kilobytes of ram.

We already have pip-boys in our hands and they are called "mobile phones"

2:46 i always thought it meant Very Accurate Targeting System lol

i thought the pip boy could somehow move your arm into the perfect position to fire

Can't wait for season 2 and I wanna see them making pip boys

in the simplest terms, the pip-boy is the 8086/DOS version of your cell phone, only even simpler. My curiosity is around the thorium battery that power each of these devices (even the household radios had one apparently). As our current nuclear power production focuses around steam-engine mechanics, something which is implied in vehicles due to the coolant requirement they have, I would be very interested in an explanation of the methods they used to convert the nuclear decay of the thorium batteries into usable electrical energy.

I think VATs isnt a mechanic of the pipboy but rather a state of mind, the pipboy would help its user achive this state of mind by administering a type of chem that only the pipboy can produce (best guess is that it extracte its user's blood and uses it to create the chem) this is then used to calm the user and slow their perception of time. This also explains why the FO4 characte can use VATs without the pipboy, either them or their spouse was in the army and learned how to calm themselves to line up a shot.

Always thought it would be cool for the pip-boy to have a built-in transmitter, where you are able to monitor enemy radio chatter or get in touch and communicate to other individuals from great distances. Or a motion tracker feature, kinda like in the film Aliens! Imagine being down in a ghoul infested sewer. "They're all around us, man!" *Army of ghouls jump out of the water*

I always figured VATS functioned by a combination of slowing you character's perception of time & pushing their physical capabilities to their limits via some kind of brain/Pipboy interface. I also always figured if that is how it works then action points symbolizes your limits for how long you can sustain that heighten mental and physical state before needing to recover from it.

my guess would be that the pip boy inserts nano tubing into the nervous system through the comfort fabric. That would explain why you can see vats in your vision and how the pip boy could effectively move your arm to the right angle to fire a clean shot. This would also give the perception of slowed time. It would basically jump start the brain by pumping power to it, sort of like overclocking a computer. This would explain why a pip boy can't be forcibly removed and how the user would have to remove it themselves, most likely through an uninstall process of some kind as it's directly integrated into the neurological system. This is the best way I came up with to explain all the features with real-world tech in my head canon 😊 I imagine it would also assist with body awareness and improvements to vision, hearing and other senses. Not perfectly, but at least somewhat.

2:34. Fun fact the Pip boy has the exact same amout of RAM 64K as a Commodore 64 computer from the 80s. Of which 38911 BYTES were free to use. The Commodore after flipping the switch would boot up into a screen telling you it was running Commodore BASIC and had 64K of system memory of which 38911 BYTES was free same as the Pip boy.

I wouls like to see pipboy mods return in latter fallouts, though i fet forore reasons it wouldnt make sense as following the creation of the 3000 model these attachments wouldnt be needed. But i would like to be able to find a RobCo facility and find a line of different midels that the player could choose from.

I just realized how weird it is that we never got a version of the pipboy that can be destroyed and has to be repaired after an massive direct hit of a enemys strong weapon, forcing one into hiding since once can't use slow moe/Vats wich gave the Vault Dweller allways a upperhand. And my theory is that given per character, the Pipboy can extremly strong influence ones perception on time flow, in other fallouts and F3 for example it's established that they are connected via the hand to ones local nerve system, hence why the Brotherhood/Outcasts could not remove the Pipbox from Garry 13, it not only lets you store and acces data via grab and go, it also manipulates one nerve system, hence why it also can display if one is addicted or hurt to certaind egree and why only the barer can remove it at will.

each pipboy model also comes with a standard bottle opener, how else you able to open those 200 year old bottle of soda? also shown in the short, nuka-break

For me I would add onto a pip boy is a two way radio communication gadget

I like to imagine vats work using some form of radar scanning for threat, after of which aiming is as simple as a haptic feedback system on the arm that tells you how to adjust your aim. initial aim is done by the user, then maybe it vibrates in a way that tells the user to adjust slightly to a certain angle.

Perhaps the pipboy emits a kind of neurological signal that affects the part of our brain responsible for our internal clock or perception of time

its interesting that in fallout 1 the shot locations are different then modern day fallout games. there is a groin shot and a eye shot in addition to all the normal options in current games.

I've always kinda envisioned VATS to be something like the pipboy moving your arms to aim properly, through something like a controlled shock on your muscles or something.

divining rod, thermal vision, night vision, combat meds interface, IR blaster, bestiary interface, facial recognition, weapon trajectory and windage interface too name a few

Just a thought but maybe from a lore perspective it has some kind of peripheral for the VATS system . The power level scanners from dbz come to mind . I know we dont see it in game . Maybe you disconnected the peripheral to connect it to power armor .

Pipboy is also crucial to put clothes without it the nudism mode is enable in fallout 4

Short Story: They don‘t

my headcanon for how vats work is that your pip boy vibrates when it thinks you got a shot lined up / a clean opening (for melee). better perception = more sensitive to the vibration, less likely to misfire. as for limbs I imagine it just vibrates in different spots depending on what you have targeted.

Nice lore divgin', keep on!!

If I had a nickel for every time some fallout related media had the name “little pip”, I’d have two nickels Which is pretty cool

Everybody forgets the most important and amazing thing the pip-boy does. Its matter to data transformation and back.

It's a wonder how your arm can still break with how durable these things are.

i would add an electric shaver to a pip boy

I like to think that VATS varies from Model to Model. For the Pip-Boy 2000 & earlier it is just a Assistive Targeting System. For 3000 & onwards due to linking with the Nervous system, it can directly interface with our intake of knowledge. Time-Appears to slow for us, but it’s only from our perspective.

In the opening thirty seconds I’m wondering if mama will reference the storage system like no one else ever does.

On the Vats: to quote the great Todd Howard, "It just works"

V.A.T.S or Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting system, as I understand it, could control micro movements in the tendons that run down the forearm and adjust your aim to hit the target based on distance with a IR rangefinder/camera build into the macro function knob on the top right side.

I would rock a Pip-Boy on my wrist. Best fictional computer ever.

I need a pip-boy with a cup holder.

Sharing headcanon: in fallout digital tech only got so far and analog got way more advanced and way more compact. This explains why the pip boy has abilities like vats and the personal medical scanner despite not having very advanced digital capabilites. On old ww2 subs they had analog computers that could do pretty complex trigonometry with cabinet sized systems. Taking that idea to the nth degree, we could argue that the pipboy has bespoke miniature analog systems providing these capabilities. Further i would point out the most complex computer and object in known science is the human brain which is an analog system. This shows the power and capabilities of an all analog system in the most extreme example. This is also why the robots of robco are able to do so much with so little processing power. Its because so much of thier ability is given by specialized nueromorphic analog circuits. Its also why synths are so humanlike: thier circuitry is literally brainlike! Anyway thanks for coming to my ted talk and i hope everyone is enjoying my beloved franchise.

I always think about the strain PIP Boys put on the wearers arm muscles and joints. I imagine that even the sleekest looking models would be a bother...

Since V.A.T.S. exists on pip-boys that don't seemingly bio-lock themselves to your arm like the 3000, I don't think V.A.T.S. interfaces with your vision or pumps roids into you. Instead, if you want some kind of lore-reason as to what V.A.T.S. is, I think it makes sense for it to be a combat mode that the Pip-boy uses to scan and compile data on an encounter and gives the user a readout of the best way to handle the situation. I.E., it'll tell you where to shoot, and might even help you out by telling you how to shoot.

Vats like someone commented about adrenaline but also like mentats. Jet in Fallout 4 gives the ability to move faster than others. Or turbo. My favorites. Can pop some jet and take out an entire nest of raiders before the first body hits the ground.

Ive always wondered why the pipboy was just tech and not a weapon too, I would want my pipboy to have a tazer or some kind of debris cannon that will shoot small things like rocks or sticks

Yeah but can they run doom? ... actually that would be a great mod for fallout 4

Interesting , Thank You.

Why can't they make a pip boy Mark 1 mod for fallout 4 because it would be so cool

3:06 wouldn't be cool if this guy would be mentioned in the future lore of fallout for being, idk, someone. Like they used that guy from west tek on the show

I feel like the V.A.T.S system was meant to be more automated than it lets on as far as how it activates where as us being in full control is more a game play feature. As for how it helps aim I think someone was kinda side ways inspired by Alien here. If you're aware of the lore around the smart guns in Alien they just kind of help guide the user's shots but don't actually control them, if a user wants to aim at something else they can just gently tug in a direction and the smart gun would get the idea and now help the user aim at the desired target. Most the time when you activate V.A.T.S your character will hold the weapon with both hands, V.A.T.S could be guiding the user towards their desired shots ( maybe by an internal gyro? Dunno how much internal lore is known about Pip-Boy's but that's my head cannon.) and the user just takes the shot before the system is overloaded and it needs to clear up some memory to do the next set of calculations.

I would imagine V.A.T.S would work similar to the memory enhancer, Probably a optional accessory kinda thing maybe.

I'm just going to wait for the Pip-Boy Touch to come out

vat would likely boost perception/ brain-processing in order to "slow down time" some might know what im refering to

Needs a removable multi-tool, a bottle opener, a fire starter, a coffee maker, and a hot sandwich press.

The pipboy is a awesome piece of equipment in the fallout universe but in reality we are still not close enough to making an actual working model Ben with our current technology

Maybe the time slowing down is from adrenaline, and the pip boy displays real time combat data

Lol the pip boy is the exact specs of an old c64

Do vaults contain facilities to build more pip-boys, or are they just stocked with all they think they'll ever need?

Cast out bakelite it looks like.

I have always thought of a "pip-boy" as essentially a modern tablet computer, that just happens to have clasps to wear it on your arm. Yes, the "pip-boy" computer does have some custom software, as well as some sensors that are not on your modern day tablets (for example, what tablet these days includes a geiger counter?). But, at its core, I see a pip-boy as little more than a customized modern tablet computer. And if I wanted to make a "real world" pip-boy (as a fan project), I would start with a tablet computer (or possibly start with a Raspberry Pi) and write customized software for it and also add the other sensors (and any other I/O) I felt my pip-boy should have. And since modern tablets can link to various sensors (either by direct USB connection, or wirelessly via bluetooth), it would be a reasonably straightforward task to add in all the needed pip-boy sensors. Of course, I'm not going to do that because I don't think spending several hundred $$$ on my gaming hobby (not to mention my time constructing the pip-boy) is "worth it" to me. However, if I was going to do this, I truly believe I could make a very functional real world "pip-boy" with this approach!

I can't prove it, but V.A.T.S seems to be a game mechanic built upon the plot armor of the main character of a video game called Fallout.

I actually wonder what if in the fallout universe had the nuke detonated around our time would pip boys be really advanced and maybe even other stuff like power armor?

It's the Microsoft version of the Apple Watch.

So…. It’s basically a Fallout’s version of a Google Pixel 7 or an IPhone? Love retro stuff!

I've got like 300+ hours in fallout 4 and like 125 in new vegas and i barely ever use vats. People seem to love it. Maybe I'm missing out.

If VATS needs a Pip-Boy to work, how is the player able to use VATS before picking up the Pip-Boy in vault 111? You can use it on the Radroaches before you get to the vault door and pick up the device.

what about inventory? How are they able to keep all that stuff and have it appear on their hands?

It just works

maby vats just uses you eye vision together with some advanced programing to check where things are and then controling the motertic functions using the brain aims for it

VATS couldn't possibly be a feature of the pip boy. Start a new game of Fallout 4, you get access to vats as soon as you get the baton while exiting the vault *before you collect the pip boy at the vault entrance* I did exactly that about an hour and a half ago

We could have pipboys IRL we have the tech to do it

I have only one question: how does it fit on a person inside Power Armor?

How will you explain how it stops time?

Hey now! That's the Pimp boy 3 million! Not 3k!

You should do a vid update for the one from the tv show

I worked in a warehouse and there was terminals for workers that their name was Motorola Pipboy.. now question.. who copy from who?

Waiting for the pip-watch mod 😂

ive heard a head-cannon i believe , that it uses small shocks to move your hands and that's why its not super accurate

I assumed VATS was just neuro linked optically and the slow motion is for the player to react and choose targets but for the actual character works in real time with no slow motion effect. Also, by being able to communicate by neuro link to your body it (VATS/pipboy) would control your aim/arm where you chose to target. Again in real time with your pipboy/eyes and mind. Taking away any issues on this debate .

Now the show came out how that pip boy connect cause towards Vegas but need to open vault

Idk. Maybey a small camera, that finds an enemy and by electro shockwaves move your hand.

Who is this “Beffezder” you reference every so often?

Iirc that institute line was removed from the game either before launch or not long after... 🤔

So, if all vault citizens are wearing a pip-boy, why isn't one arm super buff? Because they gotta be heavy...

How about a blaster cannon to a pipboy or even or even a blade

Oh no not temu drones with hand guns taped or super glued to them what will we do

well my cellphone is in color, so much better

Lil pip and super pip-boy? Thats why they are unpublished

What if the vat system used some type of radiation to enhance its user like a temp ghoul drug

0:59 Someone went to qasmoke

Power adapter for external devices since it has a fizen battery

I'd take one over any normal smart watch.

The screen seen during conversation isnt the pip boy. It's the vault tech computer you are playing the "simulation" on. Read the original instruction manual.

Couldn’t play snake on it though could you?

I always believed the vault tec supplied stimpacks "AFTER" pipboys came to be had so shit in it that allowed the pip boy to better monitor and assist in disease diagnosis and limb damage. Mini robots.... or something. I get nanites may not be a thing. Look at robco onscreen and i. Game lmao😅

How do holo disks or tapes work?