Restoration Therapy: Let’s Save The Game Gears

[@IN-tm8mw]

I had one back in the 90s. I can't remember what happened to it but do remember i last seen it after my house caught on fire. When it was new, i just remember wishing for rechargeable batteries because of how much it ate up trying to beat Sonic 2.

[@Julayla]

I had one once myself, but I lost it when I moved. But it's all right, that's what retro consoles are for: to relive the good ol' days

[@OCDRex11]

First handheld console here as well. About 3 years ago I re-fell in love with the platform and have about 6 sitting around. One was built from scratch with a Raspberry Pi A in it. Has a from scratch PCB with 4 buttons, Retropie, etc. But I also recapped one as well for that 100% nostalgia build. Any way, love these! Great short vid. For those not in-the-know, RetroSix has a ton of mods and cases for these now!

[@ratykat]

I gotta say, even though I miss the voice over, this video is still absolutely top notch. Thanks for putting out consistently great videos Tito! Hope you have a great thanksgiving!

[@monikam419]

There’s a bunch of walkthroughs on this, but I’ve held out till now. This is exactly the video I need to have the confidence to tackle such a project. I’ve even had a kit just collecting dust so I’m very stoked to give it a go, thanks Tito!

[@maxrichards5925]

I can relate, but with my N64 digital kit. I’ve been holding off from working on it because of how complex it is lol. I’ll probably send it off for someone more knowledgeable to work on it instead so I don’t risk getting it ruined

[@hadesmcc]

What a coincidence, I've just recently restored a Game Gear myself as a gift for a friend and I have two more on the way. Mine had some more issues beyond the caps but I managed to fix them all in the end. Good video.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Nice! Glad you could save another game gear too!

[@hadesmcc]

@@MachoNachoProductions hopefully, I'll be saving some more.

[@NerdlyPleasures]

I recapped and resurrected a Game Gear, once. Watching Tito do it is far more relaxing than when I did it! A lot of tight spaces.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

Yes, he's had a lot of practice and this isn't your Game Gear. 😛 I'm probably just going to pay somebody to do this for me as I lack the time and energy to practice my skills ahead of time and I'd hate to destroy something that effectively can't be replaced.

[@mattfisher1916]

Mine works perfectly. A friend gave it to me about 22 years ago and I've played it once, just tested it a few days ago. Great video

[@alexenochss]

If I were you I would replace the caps or have it done the caps manufactured back then fail overtime because they were made cheaply and if they aren't taken care of they will do perminent and possibly irreparable damage to the mainboard

[@jessragan6714]

This is amazing ASMR when you're high, especially with that gentle techno music in the background.

[@rossmadibo]

Love the synthwave track. Awesome vid as usual.

[@lemagreengreen]

I never had one but my friend did and I was so jealous, it just always seemed to be on another level to the Game Boy with that color (!) screen. I do remember how many batteries it chewed through, if only we had good lithium batteries back then!

[@dwightdixon8508]

Excellent work bringing this Game Gear back to life! I wish that I hade those soldiering skills. As it’s is I’ve sent my 2 Game Gears out for cap replacement but also retrosix & McWill screen and it’s so worth it like seeing things in the games you’ve never seen before making it game play a new experience.

[@reddawn5297]

Same. I’m planning to practice soldering. Not sure where to start. It’s a great skill to have.

[@VideoGameRestoration]

Save em all!! 9024s are definitely the most common boards in North America! From what I've seen at least. Nice save!

[@MrBoop4345]

Excellent timing. I just ordered 3 cap kits from Console 5 for 3 Sega GG's that i'm going to try and revive. thanks for the excellent tips. Cheers 🍻

[@scottyparsonas6018]

Love your content Tito, I never owned a game gear, your videos inspire me to go buy and restore one. Thanks!

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Thank you Scotty!! 🙏 the game gear is a lovely handheld. I totally recommend it 👍

[@aaronfifty5]

I've found- after recapping over a hundred of these- that the standard vinegar swipe/IPA bath is not enough on these damn things. That fluid is *everywhere*; under all the chips, clogging up all the vias. Ultrasonic cleaner or if you don't have one, the dishwasher can do the job in a pinch as well. I was a GG kid, but like any good marriage, the years I've spent working on them has slowly turned my love into resentment 😂

[@Xray1281]

Just fixed my original gameboy today and turned on my game gear only for it to blow out and no longer turn on. So looks like I’ll be doing this next thanks for a very informative step by step.

[@kaox44]

Modders need to create a big laminated IPS screen for this system and maybe a slim down shell.

[@kazinwho]

Bread and butter, baby. These videos are important. The first thing I ever screwed up was recapping a Game Gear haha

[@Kevin-finity]

Amazing production as always. Love your channel! ♥️♥️♥️

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Thank you Kenin 🙏 so glad you’re enjoying the channel!

[@Evercade_Effect]

Great video as always and love the music. Can't wait to see the consolizer mod.

[@robert_roland63]

Recapping a Game Gear is one project I really want to do especially with my old one and a couple of others I've obtained over the years. My soldering skills are non-existent, but it is something that I want to learn and of course have the necessary tools to do this type of project so that I can enjoy playing my Game Gear on the go if I wanted to. This is a great video, and I hope I'll use this to refer to when I am ready for this project. Naturally my original GG is a VA5, but I won't be using that for consolizing.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

The best way to learn that is with one of those soldering practice kits. You can get one that's a basic electronics kit, or one that's just a soldering kit. It will allow you to practice without having to worry about destroying an impossible to replace piece of history. I do think that the capacitors will have to be replaced in all these units eventually, even if it means that they're no longer 100% authentic to how they were new. It's not something that really matters much as these components are more or less the same, although some have better or worse durability and quality, they don't affect the function of the unit.

[@robert_roland63]

@@SmallSpoonBrigade I did know about those kits, and I will get one of those to see how it goes because tackling a project like capacitors in a very well loved gaming system is going to be one that will have to be done. Hopefully I’ll feel comfortable doing that when the chance comes up.

[@Der_Kleine_Mann]

Last year I did a recap and battery replacement on my two SNES consoles and my 31 games😮‍💨 It was a lot of work, but now I can sleep much better knowing that everything is replaced.

[@joeymacmods]

I could watch this stuff all day!

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Glad you enjoyed the video!!

[@splugereport]

These are so easy to fix. Love it

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Glad you enjoyed the video splugereport!

[@TheAnimeexpansion]

Perfect timing! Just ordered myself a Game Gear (never had one growing up), a new laminated IPS kit and replacement capacitors

[@lolcat]

I might do the same I wonder if there's any flashcarts

[@TheAnimeexpansion]

@@lolcat yep, the Everdrive

[@sanrasuzumaki942]

Another nice video Tito, that beat was killer too! Thanks Man!

[@supercattelephone]

mine still has a decent screen and the sound still works! Love this console, my dad found it sitting at a swap shop with a ton of games and got it for free!

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

That happens sometimes, but far less often now that there are sites like ebay that make selling a lot easier. I've definitely gotten things for free that weren't really worth the hassle of trying to give away and the shop just wanted it gone. People often times don't realize just how expensive shelf space at a store can be and if something doesn't sell, it doesn't take that long for it to become too expensive to house hoping for a sale.

[@DweezilBubbadown]

Oh, I have two game gears that I would like to do this too! One that I bought from eBay recently and mine from when I was a child! I have started a playlist of things that I want to fix and this is going in for my reference! Well done!

[@PiroKUSS]

Why'd you buy 2?

[@yourhalf01]

There is a lot you do here to clean and prep the pads that could be reduced to one step by use of solder wick.

[@sinistermoon]

Plus no one should ever break the caps out like he did.

[@IdealIdeas100]

Im sure glad you removed that "White Vintage" stuff off with a QTip after you rubbed White Vinegar on the contacts

[@cho03]

My wife still has her childhood game gear. I never had one, but I'm keen to recap and replace the screen one day

[@graufuchs88]

Retrosix sells caps that you don't have to watch the polarity and are easier to fit within the spaces

[@officialgameboxsystems]

Another commenter brought to our attention the issues with using these caps, which we were unaware of. We will be purchasing higher quality caps and shipping those with the GGHD kit instead.

[@lukegamerzw]

You probably haven't heard of, for example, the Bermuda Triangle, the Bridgewater Triangle, the Bennington Triangle, the Dragon Triangle, the Alaska Triangle, the Philadelphia Experiment, the Montauk Project, or the Stargate Project. So never say never. I forgot to add the Nevada Triangle too. For example, time travelers are Sergei Ponomarenko, Andrew Carlssin, Madman Markum, John Titor, Alfred Bielek, Duncan Cameron, Rudolf Fentz, John Zagreus, Andrew Basiago.

[@BloodSinEngraved]

I'd be blown away by some love for the PSP Go. Screens and backplates for expanded storage need better exposure if any are out there.

[@graymars1097]

That was incredibly satisfying Thank you, for uploading the video and for saving a Game Gear

[@Daniel-it1dp]

I ended up with a few GameGear systems last year. None of them worked despite at least two listed as “tested and working in great condition”. One was “recapped” and sold as “working perfectly” but of course that wasn’t at all the case so I need to recap them all myself and see if they added more aftermarket LCD screens compatible with other MB revisions.

[@TheCoolDave]

I really should do this with my OG one.... I put batteries in it a few weeks ago and it played perfectly. No problems besides the trails on the screen, a trait by those days.... Something that I have a hard time playing today. Glad I have other options to play these games today... Maybe I will take on this project soon..

[@SirVG]

I got a couple of old broken game gears lying around for years that I had intended to repair and just haven't. I really need to get off my butt and fix them.

[@mr.flex3017]

The game gear is lovely ❤ i have around the 30 laying around 😅cal me a addicted collector 😊

[@MachoNachoProductions]

I would say passionate, not addicted 😁 I love the game gear also! I think i have like 5 😅

[@anthonyyu2722]

Excellent soundtrack.

[@mrpunjana4019]

Anyone know what the synthwave artist is for this track? Thanks

[@mikefisher4834]

I’ve played video games with one hand my whole life Hold up your pointer finger and pinky finger like you’re throwing up devil horns at a rock concert and that’s how I play Game Gear💯🎮💙🔥

[@crt_rex]

Beautiful production as usual, Tito. I loved the music format while doing the repair work, capital idea.

[@ramiy2843]

Another great video as always!

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Thank you Rami 🙏

[@sharptoothtrex4486]

Even finding unworking Game Gears is a tough one to find on Amazon, Ebay, and Kijiji. Even at thrift stores.

[@robertthompson5084]

Brings back memories. I've seen some of the OLED replacements and it makes me drool... Should increase battery life considerably.

[@rayzoarage]

I still have my busted game gear due to leaked batteries after being kept in storage for a long time. Haven't really find the time to troubleshoot let alone repair it. Your vids inspired me to revive it all my other busted sets..GBC..Ps2 and ps4. I have the tools but not the time and patience..lol. Hopefully one day am able to.

[@Tye2K]

Oh alright, I *guess* I’ll be getting a Game Gear after all.

[@enannoter]

It was therapeutic watching this video i loved it, but i did missed the handsome voice guiding me.

[@prla5400]

Love your vids mate!

[@RetroGamerBB]

I want a mod that plays the master system boot sound on the gg when you turn it on.

[@cdramanomore]

I also want to know what solder sucker you use... which you'd recommend?

[@astout94]

Always a great video tito. I am also trying my best to save all these old consoles. i have a yellow game gear that will be next to repair.

[@Mrx7tloma]

I actually had to give up on the one I purchased to get fixed. I don’t have the stuff or any solder skills so I had a friend working on it. They got busy and couldn’t make time to do the cap replacement it needed. Recently just sold a bunch of modded Gameboys and some cards. Took the money made and purchased a fully modded GameGear instead. I still have the other GameGear listed on my Mercari page with the cap kit no one has shot me an offer to me 45 with the cap kit and the power board repair kit with a game gear sounds like a steal.

[@josega8365]

awesome work like always

[@HybridDivide]

Great video, and really loving the music you chose to use, too! Got a link for it? :D

[@crisXD2010]

Nice video tito

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Thank you Christopher 🙏

[@zincmann]

Great Video would love to have seen you also do a McWill LED / LCD Screen conversion as well, those are a tough one I am told.

[@James_D.]

Nice!

[@blackishjustin]

Oh great, look--another awesome video from Tito. :) I appreciate the work. Question for you (regarding capacitors): I've been having issues restoring my old GG and replacing the screens. My amateur skills ended up shorting out the RetroKAI screen and motherboard I got over a year ago. I recently did the RetroSix CleanScreen to much better results, but after a few weeks, it started shorting out consistently. I'm going to attempt again on another GG, with another CleanScreen, and hoping the third time will be the charm. I was using the ceramic capacitors for the other two, and I was wondering if you notice any difference between using those or the more standard original types regarding power draw and things of that nature with the ones you've worked on.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Hey Justin! Great question! I’ve installed both the ceramic and regular electrolytic caps in a game gear and I haven’t noticed any difference. However, I’m not certain what the long term effects of using the ceramic caps are. Because the GG was designed with electrolytic caps, I recommend using those. Also, one thing to be aware is to make a sure nothing is shorting when closing the console, that could potentially causing some issues with your installation. Cheers buddy!

[@chochix]

Can you replace all electrolytes cap with solid tantalum ones?

[@richardbriansmith8562]

Awesome Video

[@mathieuberthalay21]

Thank you for the video

[@nubatman]

As I watch this I still think about my opened system that is yet to work. I need to change the caps on the power and volume board. I may have to clean the main board as I didn't fully remove the fishy solder.

[@KoharuXenon]

I actually replaced the caps on my mega drive a couple years back, interesting to see this done on other consoles, also what is the name of the music you used in this video?

[@therealsnowwhite1937]

You should do a video on replacing the NEC Tokin caps on a PS3. Those are a notorious trouble spot and I had those replaced on mine a year ago.

[@abram-green]

I got one recently. I attempted to recap it but just ended up burning myself because I’d never soldered before lol. Still sitting on my workbench, gotta find someone who’s better at soldering than me to fix it.

[@mrdrybonestv]

I still have mine and I would love to fix it up.

[@chriskeith988]

I still have my original Game Gear which has been dead for a few years now and would love to attempt a recap and revive it. I see the tools list you have there but is there a more budget friendly tool list you could recommend? Also do you happen to have a link for replacement caps you would recommend? Even though there wasn't any voice over I oddly found this video extremely helpful. Thank you!

[@dlroto]

I still have mine from when I was a kid

[@EhrenGross-f1g]

Hey Macho, This video is newer than your 2020 Restoration of Game Gear titled "Never replace another compacitor" Do you recommend the ceramic compacitors from Retro 6 or the compacitors from Console 5?

[@skatespyx]

I was wondering the exact same thing. Would definitely like an answer for this....

[@raffern]

Hi, I broke the coil of my PSU above the C13. Do you know what I could replace this with? Thank you

[@my2k2zx2]

I replaced my GG capacitors with a kit from another site that sent tiny ceramic ones. I'm wondering if those are good or if I should pull them and get a Console5 kit.

[@lurkerrekrul]

I have three Game Gears that I've gotten from various sources. None of them work. They will power on, but the screens are messed up. It's been a while since I tried them, but I think they just showed stripes on the screens.

[@eol6632]

I've done 3 Game Gear recaps now. Not hard but definitely not fun. If anyone decides to do one, take the time to clean the boards the right way. It's tedious but worth it. Also... The Sega CD Model 1 power supply board is a pain in the ass when damaged by electrolytic fluid. Def don't sit on those, clean & cap those asap is you got one.

[@cheddercheese4910]

Is there a consolised game gear kit

[@bentibz2750]

in my sound board it's missing a part called LF1 or line filter, I tried to search the net I can't find anywhere that sell those

[@DarthSimous]

Very nice work, Tito ... Well done :) .. A question: One of the two white connectors has it's wires twisted like spaghetti ... Is it supposed to be like that from the factory? Cheers ...

[@hughjanus6975]

I saved one, recapped it, and played it for a while. It died again years later. Perhaps the kit I used was bad. I would source my own nichicon caps, like I do now, if I were to do it again.

[@AWalYT]

Never play mine, but I should probably looking into fixing it up, as it's probably gone bad by this point...Not sure where it is exactly at the moment tbh...

[@DavideNastri]

Seeing that you use my same technique gave me strength and joy! I have fully recapped one unit but... Black screen, no sound :( Any hints?

[@JungleJeffarnold]

Does the old power adapter give it any power? Is the battery compartment ruined? If it's neither of those you could try testing continuity on the traces? No expert got lucky fixing 2 need to replace a sound board on a 3rd

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Hard to say but sometimes the pads delaminate from the traces so you may need to solder directly to the traces. Did you replace the sound and power board caps?

[@DavideNastri]

@@JungleJeffarnold Battery compartment looks clean

[@DavideNastri]

@@MachoNachoProductions This is good point! I swapped both boards with a known working unit: no joy.

[@JaysCashVault]

Is there a mod to help the battery life on my game gear

[@MachoNachoProductions]

I think replacing the screen with a modern display helps quite a bit. I actually have a fun and hopefully easy game gear battery video coming up 👍

[@JaysCashVault]

@@MachoNachoProductions awesome thanks! 😁

[@chikoavena3407]

Does it have any battery mod?

[@NerdyWeaponXGames]

I remember when modding my GG, all I could question was why the hell the inside of the shell looked and felt like brick dust. Still not sure why it bothered me so much 😅

[@ZainJahangir-i1k]

If i buy new caps do i keep change caps over time

[@anasevi9456]

Capxon are not terribad capacitors, so I would not fret. Still if they wanted to go cheap Chinese caps; Taepo would have been a better choice to instil confidence. Those these days are up there with the best in reliability.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

These cap kits are great, but I'd love somebody to create a replacement connector for the cartridge slot. I've been wanting to backup my own cartridges and save data and I can't find anybody that's selling the connectors other than ones that were scavenged off of a Game Gear or a Game Genie. I've been toying with just building my own using pogopins and a 3d printed holder, but I haven't got a lot of time to do things like that with work and school.

[@TaroKunLife]

When is the thing not the original anymore? Like replacing the sound and button board on a DMG GameBoy.

[@Rebelphoenix]

The Ship of Theseus question.

[@Spardin]

Grandpa's Gameboy lol

[@davidcameron648]

in my book, as long as the cpu/gpu is original -- it's original. Everything else in it is just off the shelf parts.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

I’m sure that everyone has their own answer but I’d say having the original CPU and other custom components makes it original. All of the passive components can be replaced.

[@Kalvinjj]

You say it's a restoration but there's no mud everywhere nor suspicious case holes? I smell a fake! Jokes aside, great job at keeping another console from just dying as it was going to. Good soldering and clean end result, the only one thing I would add to the job is a dab of hot glue on each of the SMD-fied electrolytic capacitors, to avoid them flapping even the small amount they can in that mount style. Should make it far more durable if it's going to be played. This is often done for heavier components, or components that have to be mounted in non-standard ways specially in vibration prone environments.

[@chrisarena7543]

I love your videos! I currently have a game gear with bad caps but I’m worried about taking the job on myself. Where could I go to get it repaired?

[@chrisarena7543]

@machonachoproductions668 awesome! How do I do that?

[@lurkerrekrul]

@@chrisarena7543 You don't, it's a scam. This spammer has posted the same message in reply to dozens of comments. They do this on MANY videos, using the profile pic of the channel owner.

[@Timbo37]

Love this, but I wish you spoke over the main bit of the vid! Bad eyes lol x

[@2WheeledPatinaThomasC]

Is it gameover if one of the capacitors has exploded??

[@michaelllaurence3617]

Hey tito, good day to you , i have a question i have a brand new ps5 controller that flicks orange light three time when you press the ps button then turns back off even when its plugged in or when you press reset button it only lights orange three times then turns back off, you got any idea what to do or should buy new one eventho its just one month old , thanks in advance

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Hm strange, I would try to exchange it if you still can at the store you bought it from. It should also be under warranty so Sony should be able to repair it for you. You could call them as well

[@michaelllaurence3617]

Alrite thnx

[@cdramanomore]

why remove the solder before actually soldering the caps?

[@mattetch12]

I have two, they need recapping

[@nyquilforthekill1620]

When are we gonna get VA3 support :( there's no lcd or battery kits that work for VA3-4 systems whyyyy.

[@modermonkula]

Remember having one as a kid, mum could only afford one game Sonic, so i played that to death. 8 year old me thought the screen was amazing compared to the Gameboy

[@counterhit148]

Not fully voiced this time, huh? Besides that great video

[@dragonspeedz]

I have one and it doesn't work. I don't know how to solder so don't want to break something. Wish I could send it out to get fixed.

[@shinystar777]

I replaced the capacitors on my game gear and it was working fine for a few minutes, but now it is just a red screen.

[@mjc0961]

I think I would have preferred the sounds of soldering and whatnot instead of the music, but otherwise interesting video format. Nice work saving that Game Gear!