Does Blowing Into Video Game Cartridges Actually Work? - Retro Bird

Does blowing on video game cartridges really work or is there something else going on?
Does Blowing Into Video Game Cartridges Actually Work?
If you'd like to vote on which video topics I choose or just support the channel, you can find my Patreon here: / retrobird
New Videos Uploaded Every Tuesday and Friday! Be sure to ring the bell if you subscribe!
Follow me on Twitter here: / retrobirdgaming
or on Instagram here: / retrobirdmatt

[@EmpressOfEgo]

"You've got to wipe to keep it clean." ~Retro Bird 2020

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Ya know, going by the date on this video maybe that explains why so many people started hoarding Toilet Paper?

[@gp63]

I don't know how you don't have more subs, but you produce some great content man. I grew up on the 8/16 bit era so vids like this hits me right in the nostalgia. Anyways it's silly in retrospect to think blowing the cart had any positive effect on getting a game to work, but it's one of those things people often bring up when talking about retro gaming, at least in my circles.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

I really appreciate the compliments. I'm hoping the subs will come in due time.

[@diegog1853]

To be perfectly honest, as a kid I blew on games, as an adult I was told it doesn't work and then as a collector I'm back to doing it ocassionally. I think everyone has been in that situation in which you put the game in and out a couple of times and it doesn't work, you give it that one blow and now it works. so I'm now not entirely sure if it is completely useless or not. It happens to me mainly on the gameboy where there is not a lot of wiggly room for the cartridge.

[@Bonesph]

Go with your gut. It works.

[@blackwalls]

Not only did we blow on the cart, but we blew into the system as well. My friend had a nes that we thought was broken, but their parents got a cleaning kit one day and it worked every time. There was so much dirt in that thing.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Haha and it's like "where did the dirt even come from?"

[@jasonstroud01]

Don’t forget to flip the system on its side and upside down too to get it to work .

[@pswr2009]

LOL, my friends and I used to do it all the time. At some point some adult must have told me that that was probably a bad idea and didn't really work and it made sense to me... but I just kept doing it out of superstition 😂. Now, kind of related, I worry about the natural wear of the cartridges I own. For me these games are like a form of art and the thought of losing them because of natural use wear is not cool. I'm thankful for initiatives such as sanni's cartreader that can help preserve our games.

[@fernandoramos5031]

Not only did I used to blow my cartridges as I also used to blow on the cartridge slots. This was very common thinking back in the day. Thanks for helping to bring down this myth !

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Hahah people are far from done doing it!

[@716Video]

Yes. Blowing was very common back then. So was suckling.

[@TheRealFutureMillionaire]

Underrated youtuber!

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Thank you!

[@Anastasia2048]

Definitely deserves more views and subs.

[@GeneralKrangsArmy]

I remember blowing into the cartridge so often, and I would position the cartridge so it would whistle; the louder the whistle (the harder the blow), the better. Currently, I know I’m not supposed to do this, but it’s so tempting to blow into the cartridge when a game doesn’t work after a few tires (and a good cleaning). Old habits are hard to break!

[@blitheringrando1410]

I catch myself starting to do it, it's just a reflex from childhood 😂

[@jakek5417]

Great topic! I did blow into my NES carts as a kid! This technique was all we had. These days, I have 3 levels of cleaning power: (1) alcohol/q-tip, (2) magic eraser and alcohol, and (3) baking soda for the really corroded pins. I haven't damaged any pins or traces to the point of not working; yet. I have heard of some people using Brasso as well. Great video bud!

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Thank you! Baking Soda sounds intense!

[@8BitGlitch79]

Yeah I found wiggling the cart in the NES and then pressing reset work more often then blowing.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Yes! Good Man!

[@metaldiceman]

Very entertaining video. I remember blowing into NES cartridges with my friends. Giving a few solid bangs to the top of the console with the strength of your dominant arm, enough to make the cartridge door rattle open a few times, we found was also an effective measure. If we saw tears stream down the sides then we knew that it worked. 3:57 I think you mean "condense" and not "oxidize"? Hot vapor moisture condensing into liquid moisture on the cool(er) surface of the metal pins.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Hahah banging on the console! As for condensing/oxidizing all the research I did said "oxidizing" but you may very well be right. Either way, the point is something bad is happening to the pins haha :)

[@Jarod_Schultz]

I used to blow on the cartridges as a kid, but now I use a Q-tip instead. I just use a dry Q-tip without alcohol, and it works everytime. I think alcohol or windex may only be necessary if you have corrosion on the connector pins. Vinegar will also remove corrosion. As a kid, I did some science experiments where I would put a corroded penny in vinegar, and it would get shinny.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Sometimes I'll run across cartridges that are dirty enough that a dry q-tip isn't enough. I'll have to try that penny in vinegar trick! It's too bad vinegar has such a strong smell though :(

[@TeaManDan]

Alcohol and cotton swab is definitely the way to go. With that said, is should absolutely not be rubbing alcohol, as rubbing alcohol will likely contain a lubricant which can build up a residue over time. It should be isopropyl with no added ingredients, at least 91% (99% is even better). Anything under 91% will have too much added water which won't all evaporate away quickly enough and can cause corrosion as a result (similarly to blowing). 99% isopropyl and cotton swab is ideal. For really dirty pins, a pencil eraser can be used. Open the cartridge and erase the grime. This will help get the pins extra clean if a game still doesn't work after alcohol and swab.

[@moandaindesigns]

As a Kid I would help my dad clean the connectors on old servers, and I took what I learned there and used it to clean my games. I used Denatured alcohol and some soft leather for the most part and sometimes I have to use an eraser to do the hard one. I even set up a game cleaning business in my local neighborhood when other kids were doing lemon aid stands. $1 per game, but only if I got it working.

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

It is funny to look back and think that blowing out a few specs of dust would help. I remember some people would use their shirts and blow into them. As if that helped. I've always wondered who started the blow into carts rumor. They should be world wide famous by now.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

I never heard of using the shirt before. How did that work? Also, I bet you there's a ton of people who claim to have been the first to blow into a cartridge.

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

@@RetroBirdGaming You put the game under your shirt and blow into it. I think it creates more moisture which got the game working but ended up doing more damage in the long run.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

@@GoodVibeCollecting Interesting. I don't remember seeing anybody do that.

[@awesomeaustin5704]

I used a q tip and alcohol on my nes games I turned the q tip from white to black

[@andrew84848]

Guilt of doing this as a kid. Now my weapon of choice is Isopropyl alcohol and a q-tip, which works every time :-)

[@dad7275]

I've been guilty of doing this myself, but what I like to do now is alcohol and q-tips. Like you said the highest percentage of alcohol the better. I've also just used standard dry q-tip. I think that COULD help polish the pins for a better connection, but i dont know for sure. I've noticed like you sometimes to just slightly reposition the carts seem to help too. But somthing also is blowing into carts can be damaging also by unintentionally blowing small particles of spit on pins and causing corrosion over time. I've actually seen green corrosion on pins! 🤯

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Yes, the green corrosion on pins is definitely what you don't want. I've seen that before myself!

[@richardsullivan8783]

In addition to blowing on NES cartridges, I would also jam a VHS tape into the opening of the NES after reinserting the cartridge (which would keep the cartridge pushed all the way down in the spring mechanism thing). I had good success with this. It probably ensured a tighter connection between the cartridge and the pins, although I didn't know that at the time. A bored kid desperate to get his Nintendo working again will resort to a lot of trial and error.

[@hotwax9376]

I distinctly remember both myself and others blowing on N64 cartridges as a kid. Although I saw the warning label on the back that said not to, I never experienced any ill effects from it that I can recall. In fact, my old N64 console AND cartridges both still worked the last time I checked. While we're on the subject, I'd like to add that I always preferred to play with cartridges versus discs, though that may just purely be for nostalgic reasons. Certainly they're more durable (hence more kid-friendly) and harder to pirate. It would be nice if more companies besides Nintendo offered them.

[@randominternetuser2]

Another example of logical fallacies that we fall for. Very similar to banging on the old tvs “to fix the signal”. All it takes is one time for the signal to happen to fix itself after your banging, for you to remember that “hey, assaulting my tv fixes the signal”. When in reality if you just waited and didnt smack the tv the signal would come back.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Oh, I remember smacking the CRAP out of some of our TVs

[@cactoidpinata]

I constantly blew into my cartridges as a kid and I still do it out of habit. Everyone's been saying for years that the moisture from your breath will oxidize the pins and ruin games. I actually have a kit I bought pretty cheaply that included the security bit screw driver and an abrasive rubber eraser. You just take the game apart and rub the pins down with the eraser. It kinda just scratches the pins up, but exposes enough clean copper to get a good connection. I recommend this for cleaning cartridges, as it's similar to resurfacing a disc. I still have 2 questions: 1. Are we sure that the moisture from blowing into them isn't adding a conductive medium for the pins? 2. All of my childhood games still work fine after years of hot breath being blown into them. So, how much do you have to blow into them to actually ruin them?

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Those are great questions and both things that I've thought about. For the second question, it would probably take a lot to cross the line from cosmetic damage to damage that actually prevents it from working. Also, a lot of it has to do with getting actually spit in the cartridge on top of just hot breath. Spit will age much more poorly on those contact pins. I see little green chunks on cartridge pins every now and then, which I suspect is from that. As for whether or not the moisture makes the pins more conductive, I think that actually could potentially be true but it's not worth it in the long run and especially given the alternatives (the isopropyl alcohol and q-tips seems pretty safe). I would also still say that reseating the cartridge was by far most likely what was getting the games to work rather than a bit of moisture.

[@cactoidpinata]

@@RetroBirdGaming totally agree, thanks for the response!

[@coyoteink]

I didn’t think it was dust as a kid, i thought it was making the connectors moist made them connect better

[@dongeraci8599]

I used to just wiggle my games back and forth with a finger without even taking them out of the NES. Worked every time.

[@jasonstroud01]

I felt like a genius when I was kid figuring out the true problem what’s causing the games not to work . I used to fix Nintendo’s for money when I was 9 yrs old . Take them apart ,tighten the 2 screws on each side the cartridge slot , Put it back together. Afterwards showed the kids how to properly line up the game inside system in case it happened again very gently moving the game side to side . Wallah done . Thats how I got money to buy my games lol !

[@brandonjorgenson7633]

My grandma used to play Dr. Mario all the time but they smoked in their house and that was always the problem to get her game working with all that smoke going everywhere.

[@CrossSavedMotivation]

I always thought maybe the moisture of our breath helps the pins make a connection, like licking a battery

[@CasperEgas]

If rubbing alcohol doesn't work, opening the cartridge and using a pencil eraser on the contacts works even better.

[@NoxSicarius1]

I always expected it was improved initial contact from condensation in the breath. Id usually insert and remove 5 times and if that doesnt work, a blow does. Still do this on my genesis. Usually contact cleanong works, but i have 1 that just doesnt work without a blow. Friken Pinocchio

[@thebrandonshow241]

I have a copy of Mach rider and I have tried using isopropyl alcohol and nothing worked still I even used 1up cards but still nothing do you have any other recommendations

[@wulver810]

I've been off the blow for many years now.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Haha well said!

[@tony2763]

I always gave my NEs carts a good blow but I really don't remember doing it to any other systems. I also wasted money on Doc's Fix it products that were just rubbing alcohol and cotton.

[@blakeamerica]

And now you know...

[@thedinobros1218]

I still do it, but I now use an HDMI NES.

[@xXSpongeBroBrownPantzXx]

Luckily I HAVE...rubbing alcohol and about 5,000,000 q tips.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Then you're all set!

[@xXSpongeBroBrownPantzXx]

oh yeah...I love alcohol.

[@srstabalot]

Yeah, it works at fucking up your shit.

[@JesseStrachman]

Recently I bought a SNES system and none of my games would work. Repeatedly taking them out and putting them back in and repositioning them did nothing. Blowing on them worked 100% of the time. I have no idea why. It makes no sense. I even repeated the experiment in front of my spouse. Switch to a new cartridge, didn't work, take it out, blow on it, worked. I cannot explain this. I even brought it in to the shop I bought it from to see if he could get it working better and he also replicated the experiment. 100% of the time, blowing on it worked. And if you didn't blow on it, it didn't work. I'll reply to this later if I get different results in the future but I'm just baffled. This might be one of those things that absolutely shouldn't work but does.

[@xXSpongeBroBrownPantzXx]

Sorry for the third comment but one time I cleaned a sonic 3 pin with water and it didn’t break so I don’t know lol

[@RetroBirdGaming]

If you dried it off okay and only did it once then it might not be as bad.

[@ronaldhenson3379]

Never blow in game cartridges use rubbing alcohol glass cleaner and q tips its how I cleaned my games

[@jarredlustgarten3372]

I used to take a qtip and clean it with alcohol !!! Hahahaha

[@manirahnema9585]

Im not sure about blowing but i remember i always solved the problem by licking the cartridge!

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Yikes! haha

[@VamosViverFora]

Yes.

[@RetrofIex]

My childhood was a lie. the blowing did nothing!!

[@HaidarAL]

it is actually insane to think about it. there was no internet. no connection whatsoever. and yet the who world 🌍 did blow into the cartridges. and felt relief when the game worked hahahha. personally i think it helped. even though it makes no sense. what makes sense is to clean the pins to get better connection. but blowing was just fun haha

[@megadan2988]

hey man it works lol lol no i use the alchohol and the q tips

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Ya know, it's funny because I haven't been able to buy rubbing alcohol anywhere lately and I need it!... for my games!

[@onidensetsu3721]

You're doing it wrong! Put the Cart under your shirt & blow hot air into the cart through your shirt like a filter so you don't get spit in your cartridge. Its not about how much air you blow at all. Its probably the heat causing the pins to expand just enough for a great contact and BOOM your game is now working. Also it wont damage your games. Just about every NES game has been blown into & there's still millions of them that are just fine. This is the Correct way to blow into your games if you decide too. I always refurb my pin connectors in the system & cartridges BUT even then some games are still a pain. Blowing in them the correct way gets them a booting every time. - A NES Tech

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Since this video came out, I have changed my mind and now believe that the heat does indeed make the pins more conductive. I still don't think you want moisture on the pins (I see corrosion on the pins of cartridges all the time), so sounds like your shirt method would be a good bet!

[@gamecubeguy214]

I blow on my Paperboy N64 cartridge because the game sucks and it deserves it

[@MrMuaythai84]

blowing in the cartridges smells for me because my house has roaches and they poop in there lol