Pip - Boy 2000 The RobCo Pip - Boy 2000 is one of the models of the Personal Information Processor electronic device series manufactured by RobCo Industries . It is a very specialized piece of pre - war equipment that was used primarily by travelers . The Pip - Boy holds a surprisingly large amount of information and can transfer data to and from holodisk s and data tubes . It displays information in bright green on its black 5 " x 3 " screen . It can record sound and video footage for later playback . If left alone in the main screen , a screen saver of falling atom bombs can be seen . The Pip - Boy 2000 will wish you a " Happy New Year ! " on January 1st , a " Happy Valentine ' s Day ! " on February 14th , a " Happy All Fools Day ! " on April 1st , a " Happy Independence Day ! " on July 4th , a " Happy Halloween ! " on October 31st , a " Happy Thanksgiving ! " on November 28th , and a " Merry Christmas ! " on December 25th . Its primary uses are monitoring the user ' s health and mapping the surrounding terrain via powerful satellite uplinks ( where available ) and sonar imaging ( with the option to call up large map blocks of several hundred miles ) . Other features include a buddy chat program , timer and alarm function , cabling extensions to motion sensors as well as a personal log system , reading material storage and even simple games . Input is slow , but a patient user can master hand - entering and editing text messages on their Pip - Boy 2000s . The original Pip - Boy 2000 was a hand - held device , though some very cumbersome models were made to be worn on the arm . These models were unofficially called Pip - Boy 2000 Plus , and one of them was owned by the Vault Dweller and later the Chosen One . The Warrior in " " uses a Pip - Boy 2000 with a " B . E . " stamped onto it . This could mean Brotherhood Edition . The B . E . version contains many new and / or modified features of the original Pip - Boy . The character shown in images that illustrate the characteristics of the SPECIAL character system ( perk s , trait s , statistic s etc . ) is often incorrectly called Pip - Boy ( even in " Fallout Tactics " ) . His real name is Vault Boy . Buttons . The Pip - Boy 2000 includes four handy buttons , each with its own function , and one broken button ( at least in the one which belonged to the Vault Dweller and later the Chosen One ) . The broken button was going to have a " clue " feature , as can be seen by the decayed letters . Status . The Status will display any quests the budding adventurer in one has been attempting to perform . Completed quests , if any , will be crossed out , but still visible , to provide that " good feeling " in when checking back the Status . Replaced with " Briefings " in " Tactics " which contain an audio file of a briefing and the same file as text . Automaps . Advances in terrain renderization allow the Pip - Boy 2000 to store automaps of any location the wearer visits during their journeys . The Automaps button will display all of the automaps the Pip - Boy 2000 has in its memory . Replaced with simply " Maps " in " Fallout Tactics " that contains a full - color image of the area and information on the specific parts of the map . Archives . Including a video recorder , the PIP - Boy 2000 saves filmic events that might occur . Here they can be watched all again , in full playback mode ! Movies include : In " Fallout Tactics " the feature works exactly the same with some videos available . They include : Clues . In the Pip - Boy which belonged to Vault Dweller , this button is broken and the letters are decayed . Its name was visible only in the " Fallout " demo , and the demo ' s files revealed that it was intended to keep track of various clues the player character receives , much like a journal . Close . The Close button will power down the Pip - Boy 2000 and release one from its high - resolution monochromatic graphics . " Fallout 2 " enhancements . In " Fallout 2 " , there are enhancements that are designed only to work with Pip - Boy ( which the Chosen One happens to have ) . The game contains two such enhancement modules , Linguistic and Medical . Both of these are obtained in New Reno , with the medical enhancement being one of the most obscure items in the game . Both of the enhancements are one of a kind . The " B . E . " version . The Warrior in " " uses a toned - down version of the original Pip - Boy , used by the Midwestern Brotherhood . It uses the same Green & Black configuration as the original , but with higher resolution . The B . E . version also contains support for full - color map files and high quality audio briefings . The B . E . version also contains a slot for the calendar - clock and an alarm , but the slots are empty . These could either have been removed by the Brotherhood or been a developer oversight . Pip Expansion Hardware . Tech Level : 8 All Pip - Boy models can download and transfer data from holodisks . All models can also accept expansion hardware . Expansion hardware comes in the form of data tubes , which are highly advanced , jam - packed vacuum tubes . Data tubes cannot be written to with Pip - Boys , but their data can be accessed while they are connected . Pip - Boy 2000 models and Lil ' Pip 3000s can take six tubes , and Pip - Boy 2000 Plus models can take four . Appearances . The main characters in " Fallout " , " Fallout 2 " and " " are all equipped with Pip - Boy 2000s , although the Warrior in " Fallout Tactics " uses a " B . E . " version with different features .