I have been thinking over the possibilities of how the sole survivor could last 200 years in the vault. I have seen an awful lot of 'cryogenic/cryostasis' theories floating about, but there is one possibility I have not yet seen discussed.

It pretty much harkens back to "The Replicated Man" questline in FO3. Recall how during the discussion with the Dr. Zimmer we learned that some androids were so perfected they did not even realize they were androids? Well, here we are in the home town of the Institute. Why wouldn't it be likely that the sole survivor is actually an android?

We all know that Vault-Tec is a front for crazy over the top human experimentation. Imagine that the Vault is a research facility developing androids and the Vault 111 dwellers are actually gathered as source material for personality templates with which to imprint the manufacture androids?

It would certainly give the Survivor ample motivation to interact with The Railroad and the Institute factions and could lead to some really great end-game plotlines.

This has been discussed, I think most people dislike the idea. I know personally I do and wonder how I wont work it out after my leg gets savaged by a deathclaw

Yeah, I think that one is on the back burner for sure.

Ahh, but if you kill Harkness in FO3 he is flesh and blood, (with the exception of having 4 ears for some reason) not mechanics. so it is mostly biologic construction.

My first thread was this exact theory, it kinda adds up but I don't think it will be the case especially due to everyone disliking the idea apparently.

Boy if you think the whole You're Married thing turned some people off, imagine how further mad people would get at "You're really a robot", which only goes on to further limit peoples creativity.

I personal prefer the cryo theory, which is the most likely.

Thats more a limit of the engine and Beth choice to use a human model then any proof, plus you find a mechanical part on him.

Not very interested in playing as Deputy Weld 2.0

(Yes I know android's are more advanced than protectrons, it's the principle of it!)

Theres are the only theories I can think of to explain it. Listed in no particular order:

Cryogenic freezing
Android
Clone
Time travel
False memories
Dream
Simulation

Any others?

Likely a dream when the game is over the ending will be the protagonist walking out of the shower and then commenting it was a nightmare or was it.... The protagonist then walks in the family room and then sees Shaun and he is playing a brand new game called Fallout and you hear Ron Perlman narrating the famous lines.

In the demo the PC tells Codsworth, "I wasn't out for that long". So the PC is aware that he/she was "out", as in sleeping. Unless the entire experiment with Vault 111 is to see the reaction of an android placed in cryo-sleep, I think he's a 200 year old human.