Game Gear screen enhancements! Upgrade your Sega Game Gear with the McWill LCD mod!

[@ViperKillerWannabe]

Sega also released the Nomad in the 90s, so the Game Gear wasn't the only handheld they released.

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yes absolutely, but what I was trying to say is that this system is the only dedicated handheld whereas the nomad is a handheld genesis

[@ViperKillerWannabe]

@@LIRetroGaming Totally understandable.

[@crucitoa.420]

Hi my name is Cruz and I got to say that I've been looking around for videos like this you can actually understand what's going on and what's being said because you know that makes all the difference in the world to somebody that's looking to restore video games like this so now you got a subscriber for life👃👀👌😛 it really is appreciated what you do for people because a lot of us do not have the soldering skills or the actual technical ability to do what you do so I want to thank you on behalf of those of us let me have spent countless nights looking for videos like this like I said before my name is Cruz and I want to thank you very much one last time. PS I am very much looking forward to your next videos on this particular system but I wanted to ask where do you think can't find accessories for this particular system once again thank you very much

[@huffdm]

Love your content! One note regarding batteries. To my knowlege "battery acid" is a term used for the sulfuric acid electrolyte solution in a lead storage battery commonly used for motor vehicles. Consumer electronics commonly use alkaline batteries like AA and AAA which use potassium hydroxide as the electrolyte (a base) hence the name alkaline battery. Only share this for clarification, love learning from your your videos. We can all learn something together!

[@LIRetroGaming]

Thanks for the clarification, I do appreciate that!

[@turbochamp7885]

I had this growing up and I loved it. It has some great games. The Sonic games really stand out!

[@koreandude81]

So FYI, the CFL back light that came originally is the power hungry culprit. I did a mod 12 years ago to mine that replaced the CFL with two LEDs flanking the OEM LCD with a straw bridging the two to diffuse light. I could get around 25+ hours on 6 AA batteries this way, still using the OEM LCD. Obviously this modern LCD is so much better. I may have to do this now. The picture is beautiful vs OEM.

[@dwightdixon8508]

I have a few GG’s, 3 black & 1 blue. Had them recapped a few years ago but as you showed the OG screen is terrible. McWill screen mod difference is night and day, incredible! Was thinking to sending my blue 1 in for McWill mod. Another excellent in depth vid, I don’t know how you find the time.

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yes, it’s a really huge difference between the stock screen and this new one. I’d be happy to help out with that game gear and make it look better than ever!

[@adrianharrison5208]

This is my favorite game system of all time, I had one when they first came out and I know I have one at my parents house somewhere but I will be buying one for Christmas to mod

[@cosmokramer4585]

Don’t forget about the Nomad…the other handheld they made!!

[@LIRetroGaming]

Absolutely, what I was trying to say was that the game gear is the only dedicated handheld. But I certainly love the nomad!

[@fossil-bit8439]

An updated screen is a MUST for the game gear!! I play it so much more now!

[@LIRetroGaming]

Agreed 100%, it makes it really easy to revisit the game gear library

[@philipboggs3372]

These Game Gear screen mods always look awesome. It makes me wish my Game Gear had survived so I could mod it.

[@LIRetroGaming]

I totally get that. At least finding replacement game gears is not too difficult these days! People are always trying to sell them and they are usually broken

[@philipboggs3372]

That's true! I may poke around in mine and see if I can revive it since I've owned it since the early 90s.

[@CAPITANxMARVEL]

Yea is fix Friday

[@FlyingDuckMan360]

Not too long ago, I bought a modded Game Gear from eBay. It had an aqua green shell, and not only did it have modern LCDs, but it also ran on rechargeable batteries, so I didn't have to worry about using disposable batteries or an AC adapter.

[@jakraziel]

It's amazing what can happen with a screen replacement and maybe modern batteries. Though I always preferred to use a GG plugged in.

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yeah I remember plugging in the game here all the time when I visited my cousins house. But yeah these modern screen replacements certainly do some wonders

[@colosussofbaine]

Love your videos but I'm here for the soldering/8-bit music montages. More of this please! Also, keep up the good work!

[@LIRetroGaming]

Thanks! I always try to keep it interesting with the music, and there’s almost always a soldering montage lol

[@disciple_316]

Alright fix it Friday!!

[@kibagami25]

wow so much better. love the new screen.

[@1977Bonishow-man]

the result is great, but i think that it results in a big wire mess inside the console, i would buy if it was a direct replacement of the original screen. great video as always

[@LIRetroGaming]

True, the wiring can get messy. Some of the other kits like Bennvenn are a little cleaner to install

[@richardheckmann1892]

I had this done to my game gear. I tell you what it’s so awesome guys. Wow

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yeah it’s such a huge difference, definitely something I recommend to people whenever they get a game gear

[@shmehfleh3115]

I'll have to check this out. I have a GG that I replaced the CCFL backlight with white LEDs, so it's already missing the high voltage ballast.

[@LIRetroGaming]

I remember those upgrades. That’s also pretty good but this is even better than that

[@CptSparky]

The GameGear wasn't Sega's only handheld console, there's also the Nomad! Basically the first Switch 😎 20 years before the Switch 😅

[@headbangermetal5929]

Good job!

[@SharkWithFreakinLaserBeam]

I know absolutely jack squat about circuit boards and soldering. I do want to buy a Game Gear and then upgrade the screen... looks like I will have some learning to do.

[@LIRetroGaming]

This can be a challenging project for a beginner. It might be best to hire someone to do this for you

[@highroyds]

its a great mod, my only difference is I didn't solder to the pads for the lcd. I got thin enough wire to go through the via's, that why the wires aren't bending around the bottom of the pcb. But you will need a microscope to scratch away the mask to solder to the vias on the other side.

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yes that option works as well, but it is a little bit more work

[@robertchamberlin2362]

Awesome!!!!

[@peteralvarado6918]

First and only console. Nomad: am I a joke to you

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yeah, I did just insult the Nomad with that statement lol. I was trying to say that it’s the only dedicated handheld. But in all seriousness the Sega Nomad is awesome!

[@RedLine_Renesis]

Game Gear was not the only handheld SEGA made. Nomad enters the chat.

[@LIRetroGaming]

I should’ve been more specific. What I meant was that it was only dedicated handheld

[@icantthinkofaname2176]

Looks like it's all the same type of wire. Did you get some bulk wire spools?

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yeah it’s 28 gauge wire that actually comes with the kit itself

[@icantthinkofaname2176]

@@LIRetroGaming Nice. Maybe you can invest in assorted spools of wire. It's more tidy than "random wires from a wire bundle I had laying around"

[@waldox4040]

AFAIK removing most of those components is unnecessary. If you look at the install guides for the other screens available, they usually only have you remove a few. In fact, BenVenn's only has you remove one, the L2 coil, because that is enough to disable the 34 volt circuit. Also, you can get 3D printed mounting brackets that make aligning the screen easy peasy. Nice video though, thanks!

[@LIRetroGaming]

That’s some thing I’ve wondered about myself, but I always just stick to the official install documents. One of these days I’ll experiment and just remove the L2 coil and see how that turns out

[@waldox4040]

@@LIRetroGaming Thanks for the great modding videos, you got me through a nomad recap / lcd upgrade, and the same again on a PC Engine GT!

[@retro-af]

nice job! one of the more tedious lcd screens

[@LIRetroGaming]

Thanks! It definitely does take more time and effort than other screen mods

[@blackomega2526]

I thought it was 2 handheld consoles. Wasnt the Nomad a handheld version of the genesis? Like the game gear was the held mastersystem really?

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yes the nomad is a handheld version of the Genesis, but the game gear is the only dedicated handheld system that Sega made. Its shares architecture with the master system but it’s not the same as the master system

[@blackomega2526]

@@LIRetroGaming gotcha

[@brandicus]

What made you choose Mcwill? I thought in 2022 the other options (Benvenn and Retrosix) have far outstripped Mcwill in terms of power consumption, viewing angles, colors etc.

[@LIRetroGaming]

It wasn’t my choice actually, a customer asked me to do this and they provided the McWill. The other two screen options are excellent as well

[@Sheevlord]

Yeah, the difference is quite apparent. I wonder if there is a mod that retrofits this device with a lithium battery. That would be more convenient than using disposable AA batteries.

[@PrettyBlueThings]

I prefer to use rechargeable AA batteries, very easy to swap out if you want to play longer and no need to charge your console before use, just my 2 cents :)

[@LIRetroGaming]

I think there are battery mods but it’s some thing I have not done much research on yet

[@97JoMiller]

I agree the screen is absolutely horrible but man, this mod looks like a huge pain in the rear... I guess I will see how bad the capacitor replacement is before deciding to tackle this one.

[@jyesucevitz]

wasn't the Nomad a Sega handheld too?

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yes it was. What I was trying to say is that the game gear was the only dedicated handheld

[@bryandrobny7690]

I just want to get a gamegear again with this mod even better if it has a better spaker then the original one i had a game gear when i was a kid and the screen was aweful and another downside i didn't have many games for it at the time so i sold it

[@GiovanneTorres]

Does the game gear have a battery upgrade/mod?

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yes, there are some options for battery upgrades on the game gear. At some point I’ll probably do a video on that

[@yeolemillinial8295]

batteries died within 3 hours back in the 90s, today its like 6 hours though because they are just better

[@LIRetroGaming]

That’s true, batteries are better now. But it’s also true that the game gear no longer needs +24 volts after the mod

[@yeolemillinial8295]

@@LIRetroGaming true. Batteries are part of the nostalgia for me though. I want to get one of them mod chips I saw on bennvenns site that let's you charge rechargable Barrie's with the gg itself. There is no video guide for that ATM but sadly it's out of stock

[@danmcbride8756]

This was not Sega’s only hand held… they made the Nomad..

[@LIRetroGaming]

Correct. I was trying to say that the game gear is their only dedicated handheld

[@RBKing80]

The McWill screen is out of date now. How come you didn't use a RetroKai, BennVenn or CleanScreen screen mod ? All of which are much better than McWill

[@LIRetroGaming]

I think that the image quality from all of these different screens is about the same, but the newer screens are definitely much easier to install. In this case, a customer had sent me the McWill to install

[@moandaindesigns]

I never understood why people solder to the pads for the video connection and do not use the via. Could someone explain why?

[@LIRetroGaming]

You can use the vias, nothing wrong with that as well. But you need to scrape away the solder mask on each via and you also have to use 28 gauge wire which may not be as well insulated

[@jojoh404ify]

Hello, does it work with pc engine turbographix ?

[@LIRetroGaming]

No, this screen will only work on the game gear

[@Fraiyia]

What would you charge me to upgrade the screen on mine?

[@LIRetroGaming]

You can reach me at 1uprestorations.com

[@mirabilis]

It's not SEGAs only handheld.

[@LIRetroGaming]

There is the nomad, sure, but this was the only dedicated handheld console that Sega made. The nomad is a handheld version of a home console.

[@jasonpistorio3651]

Just make as many mod videos as you can handle! Mod videos are my late Friday nights. Voultar doesn't make enough content lol

[@LIRetroGaming]

Thanks, I really appreciate that! It’s time consuming to get these videos done but I always want one per week