BittBoy Pocket Go Screen Light Bleed Easy Fix - PocketGo

[@adrianfernandez7458]

Well done! I was going to make a guide on how to do this but you beat me to it! Awesome. Lots of people in the pocketgo community are bothered by the light bleed. This will help!!

[@zachcollier]

Thanks! You can still make a more polished guide. I just wanted to get this out quickly so that people could find a simple fix when they first received their Pocket Go units. These are awesome little machines, and this one tweak really helps. It's amazing to me that this isn't standard. It would be so easy and cheap to have a one-piece die-cut sticker on the screen from the factory, but at this price, I'm not complaining!

[@adrianfernandez7458]

Zach Collier your guide is as polished as can be! Well explained.im still waiting on mine. Been 3 weeks. While I was watching your video, I was wondering if maybe a black paint marker or permanent marker would do the trick. Right along the edge right where you put the tape. So, is the emulation good. Is the screen tearing as bad as they say it is?

[@zachcollier]

A paint marker might work along the top, bottom, and right side, but on the left side where the ribbon cable connects there are some larger physical gaps that I don't think a thins layer of paint would fill. I really think that tape is the way to go, especially something thick enough that it completely blocks the light with just one layer. Plus, it's not super easy to get this tape in place, right next to the pixels without actually covering any of them. I would be worried that using paint would be much more risky. One wrong move and you have paint on your visible pixels! I edited out the many attempts where I got the tape on there but not quite perfectly positioned.

[@zachcollier]

Oh, and regarding the screen tearing... yes, it's pretty bad on certain emulators, especially the SNES. On others, like original GameBoy, it's still definitely there but I don't notice it as much unless I'm looking for it. Unfortunately, I think this is a system flaw, not something that's going to be fixed with updated software. My reasoning is this: even when the emulator is reporting 60/60 frames per second the tearing is still just as present as when the frame rate is suffering. So unless something fundamental is changed about how the system itself is updating the display, we're likely stuck with the tearing. But think about what you're getting for a very low price in and very small package. It's definitely not so bad to me. And I'm very picky about emulation, having never found a modern SNES emulator with acceptable button input lag, even on desktop computers. And this thing is FUN! I backed the GCW-Zero on Kickstarter and, unlike some backers, did receive mine and am very happy with it. This PocketGo does not match the performance of the GCW-Zero in some ways, but it destroys it in others, such as size, convenience, and the feel of the buttons. Plus I love the texture of the plastic on the PocketGo. It's not the shiny plastic of cheaper products, which the more expensive GCW-Zero does have and which detracts from the overall aesthetic of that machine. Overall the PocketGo is awesome.

[@adrianfernandez7458]

Zach Collier that’s cool. The new ldk looks nice. No screen tearing and with an anolog stick. But it just looks bulky to me. And doesn’t look as comfortable as the pocketgo. Pocketgo just seems built better. I have the first version of the ldk. I like it. But I ordered the pocket go out of curiosity and low price. I hope they do a newer pocket go with a 60hrtz screen. Same build tho. And maybe an analog stick as well. That would be king!

[@WickedGamerCollector]

Nice fix video for the back bleeding :)

[@zachcollier]

Thanks! Simple, and totally worth the effort!

[@comicsdude3166]

Ikr..

[@_Majoras]

9:00 during my button swap the reset button, top plate, lcd screen, everything kept moving out of place as i tried to adjust another piece back in which quickly turned into the ultimate test of patience 🤣 then of course the shoulder buttons and power switch constantly falling out. resting the device at a slight angle is another way to temporarily hold the shoulder buttons in place but i wish i would've thought of your masking tape idea. this is the best teardown video i've seen it'll make a great reference

[@zachcollier]

Thanks a lot! I’m glad you found the video to be helpful!

[@HudsonU]

Thanks for the tutorial! Also quick note- Bittboy Custom Firmware 1.2 released just recently and it fixes the screen tearing (mostly)! There still is very little screen tearing but its basically unnoticeable.

[@zachcollier]

Thanks for this note! I got the new firmware and it’s excellent! I don’t know that we will ever completely overcome all screen tearing, but this update is amazing and much better than I expected from this small, affordable device. Great news for all PocketGo fans! Thank you for sharing!

[@billchase2]

Mine's not perfect, but definitely an improvement. Swapped the buttons while I had it open, too. Thanks for the tutorial!

[@zachcollier]

Glad to hear it! I’m happy to have been helpful. To be clear, mine is absolutely not perfect, either. The design of the screen itself is flawed in that it’s impossible to completely block the light from going to some of the wrong places because it’s shining from inside the screen itself in areas that contain active pixels. But I believe that this quick mod is about the best we can do for such a simple and affordable device.

[@apoenaferraz3512]

my tip is to paint the borders of shell that is nearby screen with a permanent cd pencil or other pencil, the result is nice too.

[@danglup9587]

New pocket go revisions work with no screen bleed

[@mudko3589]

Little late but would love to see a battery mod on this bad boy

[@masamasa1815]

I did this but I can't seem to get rid of that small light bleed in the top left corner, I think I see the same issue on yours.

[@zachcollier]

I think I see what you mean. If you look at an extreme angle down toward the top left corner of the screen I can absolutely see a bright spot, but it’s down inside the screen itself. No way to block this from the outside as far as I can tell. Is that what you’re talking about?

[@MrAaazzzeeerrrttt]

Salut svp je cherche le non de batterie pocket go J'ai besoin d'un batteri pour pocket go Où puis-je le trouver Merci frére

[@amandamata]

this really help, thanks a lot for sharing your solution

[@zachcollier]

You’re welcome!

[@romilson_007]

Zach, muito obrigado pelo vídeo. Ficou 100%.

[@zachcollier]

Seja bem-vindo! Estou feliz que tenha sido útil.

[@OzymandiasWasRight]

My screen stopped turning on. Tried upping brightness (sel÷R but) didnt work. Cant complain too much for a $30 purchase, but after a year it just went dark on me. So im performing surgery to see what i can do. I give the patient a 40% chance of surviving the operation. RIP lil buddy....now count back from 100....and go towards the light.

[@zachcollier]

Hey, sorry I missed this comment earlier. Sorry to hear about the technical problems. Now that you know you like this type of handheld, I might recommend some of the awesome devices from Anbernic. I have the RG280m and RG353m and they’re both great! And both made of aluminum! Very nice build quality! The RG280m is only $70 or $80, and will give you a much better experience than the Pocket ever did. It admittedly *is* less cute, though! :)

[@dogzer]

If I try this, 99% chance I'll destroy my beautiful $30 handheld

[@zachcollier]

Maybe! But it’s worth a try. It’s easy to take the device apart, but if you find it difficult, just stop and put it back together before it gets too complicated.

[@stevematix]

Now time to fix the screen tearing

[@zachcollier]

Great idea. I’ll just learn magic real quick and then it should be pretty straightforward. ;)

[@zachcollier]

Actually, maybe there IS a way to fix the screen tearing with a software patch. Looking into it now... more details coming soon!

[@StarKillerDark1]

very nice

[@zachcollier]

Thank you!

[@duque_bm]

I want to put his motherboard into gba case. Would be better handheld

[@CementRoots]

its about time someone made this video, now all the crybabies can stop whining and fix it themselves.....

[@zachcollier]

Yes, it’s a bummer that this simple fix is all that’s needed to stop a problem that is ruining the device for so many people. I don’t know why the screen isn’t masked like this from the factory. It couldn’t cost more than a few cents. I hope more people see this and are able to fix their own Pocket Go consoles.

[@CementRoots]

@@zachcollier I believe the answer is because its $40 and being assembled by 6yr olds in China.... ;)

[@timothyroehm4307]

I can’t believe I broke the screen on this amazing handheld I hated myself for doing that to it.

[@sodalane0429]

Do you know how to replace it..mine just broke?

[@JelloFluoride]

Every time you slid and spun it around I'd cringe. 😬