Does Blowing Into An NES Cartridge Help?

[@Bonesph]

You are the only reasonable person that made a video on this subject. You provided proof, others against blowing on games haven't provided ANY proof, but look how many of them there are.

[@TheGameDisplay]

I really appreciate that! I'm confident that the additional moisture improves the contact that the game's pins make with the console. Many people claim that blowing just gets some of the dust out, but I clean all of my games before playing them and keep them in dust covers when I'm not, so it's definitely not a matter of just blowing dirt away. I've also beat nearly 400 NES games to this point, and while the majority of my cartridges work immediately without issue, blowing has helped give a few the extra kick they need when all else seemed to fail. Basically, as a last resort, it doesn't hurt to try! Thank you so much for watching and commenting. :)

[@VanillaLimeCoke]

They say blowing was a myth......but it usually worked for me and my friends.

[@DarthCuda]

Anyone who says it is a myth never grew up in the 80's and are just flat out wrong. It did work, It was the only way I could play my games after a certian point.

[@davidfoster7374]

Yeap, it works for me too even today.

[@spyromatt]

This is a learned skill with cartridge gaming consoles. It comes with different angles and intensity of blowing. If still no go, then hitting the cartridge slightly with blowing combo should do the trick. (Caution: Frustration may directly affect the intensity of your actions resulting in damage to property and loss of wits.)

[@TheGameDisplay]

Haha, there was all sorts of voodoo back in the day for getting your games to work. I swear that often times it really did help! Thank you for watching and commenting. :)

[@Derethevil]

I suppose it is the moisture of the breath that improves connectivity. But moisture does what it does to copper and metals. So it is a bad idea still. Get a Q-Tip and some rubbing alcohol. Clean it. Usually always works for me too. And that doesn't damage anything.

[@briandeguzman4133]

I remember doing that in the mid 80s 😂 If that didn't work I would get a Qtip and rub the cartridge with alcohol.

[@jackhlms3116]

That statement brings me back my brotha 💯

[@ashwienharpal2590]

Thanks Andrew, for keeping nostalgia alive

[@TheGameDisplay]

Nostalgia will never die while I'm around! Thank you for coming here to watch me keep nostalgia alive! :)

[@WaifuStealer69VODsClips]

It's magical. I could put a SNES game in 50 times and not have anything show, but blow into it a few times and it'll semi-work, and then fully work!

[@TheGameDisplay]

Haha it really is. A magic solution for the games that made our childhood so magical!

[@Jarod_Schultz]

I've heard the NES start up problem was caused by pushing down the cartridge tray which would bend the connector pins. Some people say you can power on the game without locking down the tray. I don't yet have an NES, so I haven't tried it. I've also heard blowing can cause corrosion on the pins. I used to blow on carts as a kid, but later I started using Q-tips instead.

[@TheGameDisplay]

It is true that if the pins are still in good condition, you can play without having to push down the game! One of the big culprits of problematic NES consoles is leaving the cartridge in the console while it's pushed down. The pins will gradually bend over time, and getting them to work will become progressively difficult. If you get the front loader, be sure to remove the game whenever you're not playing it! :)

[@librapaladin81]

It worked. I blew into NES and SNES games literally thousands of times as a kid to get games to work. I would also often try just taking the game out and putting it back in without blowing into it, but with almost no success. Twenty years later, I rediscovered my love of those old games and have again tested both approaches. Here's my very non-scientific results to the best of my recollection for both methods... Success WITHOUT blowing: Approx. 5%. Success WITH blowing: Approx. 85% You can throw all the 'scientific, socio/pathological' arguments you want at me and call it a 'bias', but I'm gonna go with simple math from years of first-hand experience. P.S.- This is the first video of yours I've seen. I loved it so much you get a 'Subscribe' before I even watch any others, but I will definitely be watching more brother. Thanks!

[@TheGameDisplay]

This is what I'm saying! The fact that so often after blowing into even the most stubborn cartridges causes them to work can't just be coincidence! And I always keep my carts inside of dust sleeves while they're not being played, so the whole theory that dust is just being blown off of the contacts is incorrect. Thank you so much for watching and for commenting with those kind words! I really appreciate your support. :)

[@librapaladin81]

@@TheGameDisplay You got it brother. Keep up the good work!

[@legendp2011]

@@TheGameDisplay could try jiggling the contacts slightly with your finger, chances are blowing on it my slightly move the contacts

[@librapaladin81]

​ @1980sGamer 1980'sGamer nailed down the most important point. While I believe that blowing on the NES cartridges could be causing some minor additional damage, we 80's gamers didn't start blowing into them until they had problems working properly.... hence there was already a problem. And beyond that... if the solution works, even if it is causing 'long-term' problems, but continues to make otherwise unplayable games playable more than 30 years later, at what point is the 'harmful solution' worse than not being able to play the game at all??

[@librapaladin81]

What about compressed air-duster canisters... which are meant for today's electronic surfaces such as keyboards? Any thoughts or actual information on how they might affect older game cartridges? Maybe if held from a far enough distance? ...I'm open to better solutions, but honestly... the Q-tip/Alcohol solution for me has been even LESS affected than blowing on the cartidge.

[@LeonomusPrime]

I mean, yes, it helps a little since you're blowing dust from inside... so in the short term you are helping the cartridge run. However, in the long term you're actually completely destroying to cartridge, the the moisture from your breath completely corrodes the copper pins.

[@fubukifangirl]

What's the point in owning the game if you can't play it?

[@1980sGamer1]

But this method still works 35 years after the NES came out. When will these cartridges finally be “destroyed”? 100 years from now?

[@untested3344]

@@fubukifangirl Well how about instead of blowing it, how about you clean up the cart with actual cleaning tools? Instead of ruining them?

[@fubukifangirl]

@@untested3344 You think people didn't try that? Most people didn't rely on blowing as their main method, they generally resorted to that after other methods failed. We had one of those cleaning kits where you could not only clean the cartridges but the SNES itself. And guess what? THEY DIDN'T WORK.

[@DarthCuda]

@@untested3344 yes, he is right. I owned many of those cleaning kits over the years and they never did a damned thing.

[@chrisoliver5302]

HAHA, a fellow 80s kid! Yup, I spent MANY hours blowing into the cartridges of NES games as well as blowing into the NES as well. For some reason, it works as you say.

[@TheGameDisplay]

There's definitely more to it than just getting dust off of the connectors. I have always kept my games in sleeves! Thank you very much for watching and commenting. Please consider subscribing and checking out some of my other videos. :)

[@chrisoliver5302]

@@TheGameDisplay Will do, thanks!

[@anoosboy]

Hi Andrew Your channel is amazing

[@TheGameDisplay]

Thank you so much for your kind words! :)

[@xXSpongeBroBrownPantzXx]

The Game Display wait so you are Andrew from gamexplain?

[@VanillaLimeCoke]

Finally get to see you in a video.

[@izanhoward7742]

My NES is giving me issues with every game except for SMB/DH, I did get Metroid to run, but now it won't boot, should i use the spray?

[@Jarod_Schultz]

I've heard the NES start up problem was caused by pushing down the cartridge tray which would bend the connector pins. Some people say you can power on the game without locking down the tray. I don't yet have an NES, so I haven't tried it. I've also heard blowing can cause corrosion on the pins. I used to blow on carts as a kid, but later I started using Q-tips instead.

[@VanillaLimeCoke]

Post 2000s kids will never know the pain and annoyance we went through.

[@TheGameDisplay]

Haha, absolutely! Getting an NES game to work back in the day really was a struggle. These days keeping the connectors in my games and consoles clean really helps, but we had no idea back then!

[@susanfit47]

From the mid 80s to the mid 90's, blowing into a NES cartridge when it seemed like a game was working.

[@Wheels8504]

The best thing to buy is the blinking light win. Fantastic channel by the way. I really enjoy your videos.

[@TheGameDisplay]

I have read about that! It looks like a really cool piece that I may have to try out one of these days. Thank you for your kind words and for watching! :)

[@Wheels8504]

My only suggestion if you get the blinking light win is, connect your games to Game Genie. It's just easier to get them in and out. They go in there pretty snug. Looking forward to more videos!

[@TheGameDisplay]

That's actually really interesting to hear, because the Game Genie was the culprit of ruining many NES's back in the day. Due to the Game Genie's larger board size it would permanently stretch the pins inside of the NES, gradually making it more and more difficult for NES games to work. If that doesn't happen with the BLW then that's good to hear!

[@supervirtualboyshow]

You have the breath of life! I also always found blowing in the cartridge to work, regardless of what people said.

[@TheGameDisplay]

Sounds like an idea for a sequel to Breath of the Wild haha! But when it comes to using one's breath to kick start an NES cart, I'm sure I'm not the only one who can do it. :)

[@El_Guapo74]

I think it works by putting a small amount of moisture on the connectors from your breath that gives you a brief better connection.

[@TheGameDisplay]

This is my belief as well! There's definitely more to blowing on a cartridge than just getting a little bit of dust off.

[@MrPoeGhost]

Part of me wonders if NES and SNES games are made differently to N64 games, because I've been building an N64 collection out of second-hand copies and I've never had to blow in mine to get them to work. It's always been alcohol and Q-tips for me. Even one really stubborn game eventually worked by reseating the cartridge a few times. Either way, if I saw someone slobbering into my $100 Conker's Bad Fur Day cart, they wouldn't be touching my stuff anymore.

[@loco_Fox]

haha, its so true, it did actually work! this reminds me of VHS tapes and using any keys to rewind them at times hahah! great to see you back

[@TheGameDisplay]

I was always terrified of cassettes and tapes unraveling or getting caught back in the day. Thankfully you didn't have to worry about permanently wrecking your NES games in most cases!

[@LeonomusPrime]

But in the long run you WERE permanently wrecking the games.

[@bchi5322]

Let's see if Andrew is going to reply even after 3 years

[@TheGameDisplay]

Of course I will! Thank you for checking out this older video. :)

[@pennellfour]

Obviously it does work the only way I can play my Sega Genesis games is blowing in them at the beginning if I don't it will just cut to a black screen every time it doesn't matter what game I play doesn't matter how many times I insert it you need blow in it

[@salvadorianboy100]

It just gets the dust particles out of the ports so it lets everything have good solid contact, its the same with my Iphone charger, i clean out my charger port in my phone and theres abunch of lent and dust and then i try to charge it and it works

[@lastword8783]

who is saying this is a "coincidence"? I remember when I was little my parents bought me a super nintendo and I had the same problem. A friend came over once and I told him it doesnt work and he tried this and bam it started working. It just became a habit after that.

[@springbobsquirepants7113]

it always worked for me when I blew in it

[@kytu25]

That's what my wife do to me to make me go to work.

[@bio2020]

Andrew, I can't tell you how much I raged after seeing that video on "Its Okay To Be Smart".... the whole video was a pseudointellectual idiot giving a speech on why I'm stupid and blowing was a myth, and he never once showed a test. I lived through the damn era. I was a little kid during the NES era, I played thousands of hours on that console with my friends, uncles, by myself.... BLOWING WORKED. We weren't stupid. I could put a game in and out a million times, but blow on it once, and it worked. Thanks for this video.

[@librapaladin81]

It worked. I blew into NES and SNES games literally thousands of times as a kid to get games to work. I would also often try just taking the game out and putting it back in without blowing into it, but with almost no success. Twenty years later, I rediscovered my love of those old games and have again tested both approaches. Here's my very non-scientific results to the best of my recollection for both methods... Success WITHOUT blowing: Approx. 5%. Success WITH blowing: Approx. 85% You can throw all the 'scientific, socio/pathological' arguments you want at me, but I'm gonna go with simple math from years of first-hand experience.

[@DarthCuda]

Exactly right anyone spouting that blowing is a myth nonsense never lived in that era of gaming and it is obvious otherwise they would know they are wrong.

[@kayster9516]

Hey Andrew! I got curious...what’s the model name of that CRT behind you?

[@silvia_fuku0ka845]

It's the contacts inside the nes that are bad you should replace the inside 72 extension adapter which will fix this issue without blowing into them which also corrodes the contacts for future use as the humidity in you breatg

[@tracy11282]

glad you made a new video

[@whatever9875]

Listen I understand these KZbin videos of today say it doesn't help, but yes it does

[@Brandewey]

now I wanna play my nes lol I have 3 or 4 nes and 1 nes 2 the original nes's don't work no matter how much I clean the contacts or blow on it. it did when I first got them back in the 90s. i think the only way to fix mine is to replace the contacts on the machines unless you have another suggestion?

[@TheGameDisplay]

Replacing the contacts is definitely one way to greatly increase the chances of your games working. Just make sure you clean all of your games well before inserting them into the new contacts, otherwise you'll make them dirty and before long they'll work just as poorly as your old ones! Also make sure that you always remove cartridges after playing them, as leaving them in the console can stretch the pins over time. On a tight new set of pins you might not even have to push down on the cartridge inside of the console for it to work, so definitely try that first as pushing the cartridge down can also cause pin damage.

[@Brandewey]

AndrewsGamesDisplay never thought about the pins expanding when you left a cart. did that a lot as a kid. thanks for the tip mate :)

[@TheGameDisplay]

You're welcome! I think anyone who grew up with the NES naturally left their games in the console for long periods of time. When we were kids that was the last thing on our minds. :P

[@Brandewey]

AndrewsGamesDisplay yup lol

[@backinthedaygamer]

Finally some one proves it on camera! lol Good vid I'm w u 100% on this 1

[@fubukifangirl]

Several people have proven it on camera and yet many people still deny it just because someone on KZbin claimed blowing doesn't help and didn't even test it for himself.

[@trebor490]

What Andrew meant to say was, No, don't blow into your game cartridges. It only makes it worse by adding moisture, bacteria and food particles to the contacts. What you want to do is open the game and clean the pins with a soft eraser. And if you can afford it, buy a blinking Light Win.

[@TheGameDisplay]

Haha, indeed that is exactly it! As mentioned, these days I do properly clean my games with cleaner and make every effort to not resort to blowing, but this is mainly a video to show that back when I was 3 years old before I had the ability to open or clean a cartridge, blowing was helping out a bit!

[@librapaladin81]

What about compressed air-duster canisters... which are meant for today's electronic surfaces such as keyboards? Any thoughts or actual information on how they might affect older game cartridges? Maybe if held from a far enough distance? ...I'm open to better solutions, but honestly... the Q-tip/Alcohol solution for me has been even LESS affected than blowing on the cartidge.

[@homel11]

Y did u put it down on the table I'm not belive that not a different game carteidge

[@TheGameDisplay]

Haha, I had never even thought of that possibility due to the fact that there is absolutely no trickery going on in this video. You can try to pause at certain points if you want to see that it is indeed the same cartridge, but I promise that I am not trying to fool anyone here. It really did work!

[@Malamockq]

Promise is not good enough, we don't know you nor have any reason to trust your word alone. Perform the test again, this time with the cart in full view at all time. Don't drop it down off screen.

[@Bonesph]

​@@Malamockq It's much more simple then all that. It actually works..

[@Malamockq]

@@Bonesph I think it does work too, but it's still ill advised. Clean carts properly, blowing into them leaves behind food particles from your mouth which will result in mold growing on the pins. Not good.

[@BananaFaceDude56]

Hey Andrew, I've been watching you content for a few years now, and while all this stuff is cool, I kind of miss your let's plays, as it's been 6 months since the last startropics video. Do you have plans to do more LP's? I'm just curious because you actually got me interested in going back and playing the donkey kong country games among other things, you know?

[@TheGameDisplay]

Thank you for your comment and support! I hope to do another LP someday along with more gameplay videos. I don't have any concrete plans regarding future LPs at the moment though.

[@BananaFaceDude56]

No plans? That's a shame, but it's good to hear you're not like abandoning gameplay or something. Do you need games/ideas? I have a few suggestions for LPs that could be interesting to check out?

[@konservburq]

From what I remember blowing in the NES and NES was needed.. Nintendo 64 was not needed though

[@An.Individual]

Did he switch cartridges?

[@An.Individual]

he COULD easily have done at 2:57 and after

[@An.Individual]

he puts the first cartridge down to the side and he picks up a 2nd cartridge from the floor

[@TheGameDisplay]

Hey there! Unfortunately this question has been asked a few times, and the answer is no. I do unfortunately put the cartridge off-screen temporarily, so you're welcome to believe what you wish, but I would not upload a video like this just to mislead and fool people who watch it. Everything in this video is 100% true and real.

[@ryanxx123]

moisture when you blow into the game. that is my guess. also, I approve of final fantasy XI. I saw that sitting on the shelf behind you lol

[@pokenebav8113]

I love your vids! ❤️💝💕

[@k-dawgbroadcasting5444]

I'll say one thing. Leaving it up and not pushing the feeder down won't ever work. That should be common knowledge

[@bryanmoyna9715]

Hehehe. Theres a reason why we did it, because it worked, we're not Gen-Z.

[@nunyafockler5650]

I love your long hair in the back 😏🤣💯

[@TheGameDisplay]

Thanks XD

[@supermario3585]

GREAT VIDEO!!!!!!!

[@Xaeravoq]

you neeh to blow hot air slowly that is what works and press the game to the left

[@OversimplifiedFan-ft9pq]

Next time try wiggling the cartridge and stick it all the way in multiple times. Also clean your games with isopropyl achlol

[@robertg9184]

Haha.

[@blinkshadown]

i always done that but i blow them with my shirt, my parents tould me to because when i was little i use to put my mouth on the cartridge and even leave saliva in them (i was maybe 4-5 years old) so i kept doing it with my shirt over it and blowing once then clea ing the pins with a soft cloth and blowing once more, NEVER failed, not even when i was little and i spit on them lmao

[@TheGameDisplay]

Haha, I never thought about doing it like that! Good to hear it got your games working though!

[@kingraiderr]

Only people who tried it believe so .

[@kirbysaas7256]

If the game does not work after blowing, then you have to suck it really hard. -but seriously dont do that-

[@josuerobles5427]

You went off screen right after the last time you tried it. Your hands with the game went off screen then u showed a game in a black box and again hands went off screen. If you can do this exact video and keep the vide game visible the entire time then i can believe it worked. Because the reality is that patterns and trying over and over is what makes it work. Not blowing in it.

[@TheGameDisplay]

The really funny thing is that the reason I went off screen was for the complete opposite reason. Since there is no trickery here, in that moment it never even crossed my mind that putting something down where it couldn't constantly be seen would cause a problem, and as a result I understand why there is room for doubt. But I can assure you that despite the possibility existing, this video is 100% real. I didn't make over 600 videos and build up a good reputation just so that I could suddenly attempt to deceive everybody with this one. :P

[@homel11]

O I belive u but that a possiablity

[@SuperNickid]

@The Game Display: I have no intention to be rude, but your proof fail, how do I know you just say you clean it, but actually did not even clean it, and claim you did by showing a cleaning spray, to properly proof it, you have to show-us you clean the cartridge, then let it dry, wait that still can be fake also, because you can clean one copy of your cartridge, and while it his waiting for it to dry and shut down the camera, to proven us waiting for it to dry you can just replace that copy with an unclean copy while the camera his off, and still claim blowing in it works. now this day a lot of thing that look real are fake.

[@EliZetzsche]

Its actually bad for it.

[@RC568]

Fooooo aw man Fooooo Come on Fooooo YES

[@Malamockq]

You put the cartridge down and just replaced it with a different (working) cartridge. Not sure why you're trying to propagate fake claims here. Do you want people to ruin their carts?

[@TheGameDisplay]

Hey there! This is something that I had always wondered about since I was a kid, so I thought it would be fun to make a video about it. You're correct in that I accidentally put the cartridge down somewhere where in cannot be seen, although there was no swapping involved. I have no reason to try and deceive anyone, and the cartridge actually did work after blowing into it. Of course the best way to get your games working is to clean them, so I hope that people do that instead of blowing into their games!

[@Malamockq]

But we don't know if that's true or not. You could replicate the experiment with the cart in full view at all times and that might lend more credence to the claim. But there would still be more unknown factors involved. Like how you pressed down on the cart, which can't be verified in a video.

[@Malamockq]

Ok I watched another video on this subject and he performed the experiment with two different carts in full view, and even used an air duster and blowing appeared to make them work. It's interesting. The problem with concluding that blowing "works" is that... it doesn't always work. I didn't own an NES as a kid, but my friends did, and blowing sometimes made them work, and other times didn't do squat. There were plenty of times when they blew on it, didn't work, blew harder, still didn't work, blew even harder, still didn't work. It's interesting that it did work sometimes. I would like to see a better experiment to put this to rest. Too bad mythbusters never attempted it.

[@jcc4543]

guys he changes the cart just look carefully blowing does not help

[@fubukifangirl]

A lot of people have done this experiment with the same results. Sorry, but you are wrong.

[@slayerfan2]

It's a placebo effect. My Baseball when I bought it worked. I cleaned it with a q-tip and when I put it in my NES, there were lines on the screen. When I took it out, blew in it and put it back in, the lines were gone. It's an illusion. Also my NES flashes green

[@travisholtman3321]

This is proof breathlayzers been around for a long time lmao

[@davidray3133]

There's no such thing as a coincidence. Things don't happen by mere chance.