Nintendo Game Boy 30th Year Restoration | Trash to Treasure

[@simonallen9339]

Loved the demonstration on how you fixed the dead pixels by reflowing existing solder. I also like how you walk through decisions you made, including mistakes. Super fascinating to watch!

[@threepwoodsthrifts]

Yes that was ace, dead pixel fixing

[@gionphoto]

This is stolen video

[@wickedlikethreesixes5167]

8:30 I didn't think t would be possible to make those dead pixels reappear. That was impressive.

[@RetroIslandGaming]

Looked like sorcery to me!

[@rajivraicharan5092]

@@RetroIslandGaming HAZA!!!

[@tobiasvl]

Dead vertical columns are pretty easily fixed, but dead horizontal rows are much harder!

[@dailydriven]

@@tobiasvl I never had any luck with horizontal.

[@jarodp1027]

I figured out how to fix my Gameboy :D

[@MattFowlerBTR]

Oooh that's a lovely end result. My inner 10-year-old who got an original Gameboy pretty much at launch was deeply satisfied to see it prettied-up and the mods are 100% young-me approved.

[@RMCRetro]

Thanks for watching! Did you buy a Game Boy and if so can you remember your first impressions? Please share your memories! And here are some useful links from the episode: ●See Elliot over at The Retro Future Channel | kzbin.info/door/efAbzsWZE4uXU-mqQMrr4Q ●Mod your own Game Boy | www.deadpanrobot.co.uk?tracking=5ce3f49ea7708/ And as always all the tools I use can be found here for your own toolbox: ● RMC Tool Shop - Find tools seen on the channel for your Cave here: USA Shop | www.amazon.com/shop/retromancave UK Shop | www.amazon.co.uk/shop/retromancave Neil - RMC

[@cr0m969]

I got a Game Boy as a birthday present back in 1991 when I was a kid. I loved the thing, never had a problem with using the screen and though the graphics were good. My main games playing machine at the time was an Amiga 500.

[@RedWolf777SG]

You gave that classic Gameboy, new life for generations to come.

[@googleboughtmee]

Really impressive! (I'm talking about the fact you found a few hours of decent sun during our summer, but the Game Boy looks amazing too)

[@Draknem]

Your restored gameboy looks like a 3d render - it is out of this world perfect!

[@AnimalFacts]

Gizmo is a beautiful fat cat :-)

[@chekote]

That end-result looks absolutely amazing! You did a great job.

[@PixelsAtDawn]

Great job. Reflowing the solder to fix the screen was something of a revelation. When I saw the dead pixels, I assumed a new screen was in the offing!

[@colinbaldwin3278]

Wow man, another fantastic video! Good job not ruining the screen. Great work on the restore!!!!! Again such an underrated channel! Keep it coming man!! Wow! OG is cool, but I feel most will agree no green tint, plus a backlit screen is a well needed update for sure!

[@BobbyOxygen]

Great result :) I'd consider putting a rechargeable battery in it as the next logical step.

[@insoft_uk]

BobbyOxygen or use rechargeable batteries easier

[@Tr6e9nT]

Seeing this brought back so many fond memories. I remember playing countless hours by a bright lamp to beat a level or game. Think I might dig mine out and give it a 30 year birthday upgrade as well. Great video!

[@MontieMongoose]

I never really liked the Gameboy when it came out either. But I can now see why it became popular. The game library is pretty great.

[@Chordonblue]

It reminded me too much of the 1978 Microvision. That was a system truly ahead of its time, but limited by its lack of RAM, visibility, and resolution. I couldn't understand how 10 years later, we were still playing with black and white screens and fairly large pixels. But all of the other color handhelds sucked batteries dry within four or five hours. And using the rechargeables wasn't much of an option either, since this is before lithium ion and NiCds had their own issues. Nintendo made some pretty smart decisions with the GameBoy. Smarter than I gave them credit for at the time.

[@danyoutube7491]

I was never a big fan of handhelds (play it in the back of the car on a long journey, I suppose, but where else outside the home is a little kid going to want to sit down for several minutes?). The Game Boy was obviously considerably better than the cheap one-game gadgets I would occasionally be treated to from toy shops. I understood that it was made by the same Nintendo responsible for the NES, which I had enjoyed at a friend's house, but I couldn't see the appeal in the little monochrome screen. The Atari Lynx looked more exciting to me. But the Game Boy was immediately on peoples' lips as soon as it was available and continued to have a high reputation even after its day was over. Even if I had wanted it, I think it was the best part of £100 at launch and not something my parents would have considered buying for me.

[@youdontneedtoseehisidentif4939]

I think what most amazes me about your Game Boy is that it still has the link cable cover - I think I lost mine in… er, 1989..? ;P

[@ianflannery8672]

I never knew they were supposed to have one.

[@nickwallette6201]

Exactly my thought too. Missing battery cover, but link cable cover intact?!

[@phalanxHH]

Mine has grooves on d pad and battery cover but no gamelink cable cover.

[@gionphoto]

This is stolen vids of Retro Future

[@Th3OmegaPoint]

I still have my original gameboy, received for Xmas 1990 and it has been really well looked after, still in a mint condition box...and even that is missing the link port cover...lol

[@burkezillar]

I'd have kept the green tint, but you did a good job.

[@ZipplyZane]

Yeah, if you want to get rid of that, use a GB Pocket. That said, the backlight seems to be blue, so it wouldn't have looked right. You need a white backlight with the original green filter.

[@ZombifiedDuder]

@@ZipplyZane Good to know that it would at least be possible to install a backlight mod while still keeping the iconic green tint, if one would want to do-so.

[@CptJistuce]

@@ZombifiedDuder If I recall, the green tint is from the polarizer, which has to be removed if you're inverting the display(which I understand is strongly recommended when you add a backlight). That said, you can get a greenish-yellow backlight that should be a close match for the original display color. I can't verify how close it is, as I've never gotten around to installing mine. I am VERY nervous about wrecking the screen.

[@bombjack1984]

Excellent job there, watching the dead pixels come back to life while you went over the solder was particularly interesting.

[@No1BRC]

I got mine around 1991 which I bought from my best friend. I was sooo happy. Unfortunately I sold it later for a game gear. In 2006 I got myself a used one for just 5€. It even is a 1989 model- and for its 30th anniversary I modded it with a backlight! It was basically the reason why I sold my original gameboy for a gamegear xD

[@Dvlx1]

That was genuinely fantastic - I couldn't believe how good the screen looked when you finally showed it in action. Great job dude.

[@thedevilbunny]

Nice tip on that dead pixel screen repair, Neil. I'm with you...wasn't sold on the Gameboy...boy it sure showed me I was dead wrong.

[@MsToshi1990]

This was beautiful. It want me to go out buy an old gameboy now and relive my nostalgia I had with it. Super well done!

[@fensoxx]

Fantastic job. You should have seen in America the 3rd party screen lights available. I swear as a kid every single road trip the fam went on we started with a new third party screen lighting gizmo. They more often than not did not survive the trip but there were countless options out there. I remember some being quite top heavy. Great video thank you!

[@Techokami]

You did the correct amount of work on that DMG, Neil. You cleaned it up, replaced the battery cover, fixed the vertical lines on the LCD, and did a bivert+backlight mod. Well done.

[@springbay1]

Man, my heart missed a few beats when I watched you play Tetris

[@005AGIMA]

And wow mate. That game boy looks amazing when finished. Makes it look like something you'd be happy to buy in the shops today. The blue tinge on the screen really makes it pop into a modern look. Stunning.

[@RetroBoxRoom]

Not that I've really seen or used a GB that much, but I have to say, there's something about the green - I think I'd personally keep if possible. I do like how the backlight and contrast has been greatly improved. An interesting video as always!

[@MarkyShaw]

Beautiful job :-) I've been on a Game Boy binge the past couple weeks. A friend let me borrow their original DMG to restore, but I couldn't get past the scrambled Nintendo Logo even after a big cleaning. If I would have got it working, this backlight mod would have been *perfect*. What a hassle taking off all those layers. End result was totally worth it. It preserves the romance of the original GB without the annoyances of not being able to see the screen, which really does affect one's enjoyment of the experience. Would love to see a backlight mod on the Gameboy Color too! I didn't play much GBC during the time it came out, but picked one up recently and have been enjoying it quite a bit.

[@JapanPop]

I got a gameboy for my 11th birthday. I loved it! I didn’t care if the screen was hard to see. Tetris and Dr. Mario and Qix! I still have my original, and in quite decent shape. My dad and I put many hours on it, and it is a treasured relic from my youth.

[@SamM-oh2cx]

I remember buying mine from Rumbelows in the late 80s, it come with Tetris and a link cable, the hours and days I spent connected to a mates with the enclosed link cable playing Tetris! happy memories!

[@EightNineOne]

Re: The text, I noticed the same thing , from what I can see, real GameBoys do come with both thin and bold type on the logo, I think there was some branding changes at some point at Nintendo. I feel like the heavier font is the more “legitimate” but not sure of the ratio of thin vs thick type GBs.

[@MBOFOYH]

I think the green tint makes it more original, and wasn't a mistake to leave on.

[@StephenBates_IT]

The bit with the dead pixels was amazing. I never knew you could do that. Not that I'd have the nerve to try, especially with the power on. Brilliant.

[@DubiousEngineering]

Epic advice on reflowing the LCD cable... thanks for another great video Neil!

[@6581punk]

Loved mine. Managed to play it on a bus going home after my work placement. Many memories of Gargoyles Quest. The only backlight options back then was high voltage cold cathode tubes or incandescent bulbs.

[@leisergeist]

It's pretty amazing how much better that screen looks with a backlight... I didn't expect it to be *that* dramatic! I'm not sure about the color and brightness of it, but it's great anyway

[@Neffers_UK]

Glad you opted not to swap the case as if you notice there's slight contouring round the D-pad and buttons on the original. Nice job Neil :)

[@Decipher13]

The contouring is on the repro, but barely visible due to lighting angles and the it not being as shiny as the original which comes with decades of hands wearing away the texture.

[@Neffers_UK]

@@Decipher13 Oh yeah I can just about make it out, looking back. I'm talking from previous cases I've used in the past, I've had flat ones and they are garbage.

[@ItsKapow]

My jaw dropped when you revealed it after the peroxide treatment! Amazing!

[@the5gen]

I had the Gameboy as a kid and was used to the green/black dot matrix screen, and your backlight modifications make it look amazing.

[@vgtheory]

I love the finished product. Great job. I would love to try my hand at restoring one of these - leaving aside the sheer terror working with the rear layers of the screen prompts within me.

[@atkelar]

I did manage to peel off the back foil just fine - but had other problems with the screen... ahem... as visible in my latest video. Having fun with Tetris since. Also, I still have the camera and printer here for another project.

[@ColdRFusion]

Looks much better, you’ve added another 30 years of fun to it!

[@97channel]

I'm a purest. And it makes me wince to see old tech modded. However, that was a beautiful job. I'm willing to let this one go. The backlight is a very complementing upgrade. The finished job on the whole thing looks stunning. Nintendo should take note, a rerelease in this form would make a killing.

[@firstnamelastname-we6rt]

Wow! Difference is night and day. The clarity of that screen and the sprites are so easy on the eye. You are a gadget god and so of course your cat is named Gizmo!

[@pieternaude1469]

Woa... when a restoration actually looks better than the original! Well done!

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

The end result for me is if a thing is more enjoyable modded than not then you've done the right thing. Some people are purists and that's fine, but those old Gameboys just don't work well without a backlight anymore it isn't an enjoyable experience. In my personal opinion modding things to make them better and more enjoyable to a modern person is very important. Nintendo should have had a program to have all the old Gameboys modded with lights.

[@Tsukasa941]

Nice upgrade, I said out loud “wow” once I saw the screen reveal

[@alanhammerton]

Cracking job on that Neil! Really glad you found some love for the Game Boy - Hope you get many years of enjoyment out of it. Now I need to crack on with the other three that came with that one. They are in equally poor shape but will be fun to restore.

[@RMCRetro]

Thanks again for donating this one Alan I'm really enjoying playing on it

[@TheSmarsden]

Once again, amazing attention to detail. Quite right to pay such attention to the Game Boy, wish I kept mine. Thanks for the Amazon Channel store link also. My cave consists of Commodore Plus4, Amiga A500, A500+, A1200 with CF card, Sony PS1 x 2, PS2, Sinclair ZX81, all working, and have just sourced a C64C with PSU and datasette to work on. Big fan of this channel, just signed up as a Patron.

[@doctorsmiles2209]

16:51 -- It genuinely looks like something you'd see off an old magazine article from way back when, that looks top-notch!

[@StudioBebopUSA]

Great video, my dude! That turned out awesome.

[@threepwoodsthrifts]

RMC your videos just get better and better! Absolutely awesome. Nintendo should be happy with that birthday!

[@abdulm9812]

Repairing things to actually use them rather than collect dust on a shelf gets a thumbs up from me

[@Rocky1138]

Taking the green tint away was absolutely the right decision. I wish I had these mods done to my own unit.

[@AnimalFacts]

Great, now I feel old!

[@SgtHamster]

I never thought I'd see an old Gameboy take a bubble bath, or it would be so relaxing to watch !

[@12201185234]

I loved my original Game Boy. I also hated it at the same time. Once my parents got me 16 rechargeable AA batteries and the Game Boy "Light Boy" adapter, it really made a huge difference for me. I could play it in bed at night, etc. We used to take a lot of family road trips, so the Game Boy *really* came in handy there.

[@steve8bitsinclairzxspectru895]

I remember buying one from HMV with Tetris for a holiday. Almost missed last call for the plane I was so addicted. Love the refurb it looks great. Another good job.

[@KesMonkey]

I love how bright it is now, but dislike the blue screen. It's just not the same without that green tint.

[@RMCRetro]

I can understand that and kind of wished I'd got a green one, but it's an option so others can take that step for sure

[@thedopplereffect00]

I don't know why people constantly complain about the screen. That is just what LCD screens were like back then. If you just sit in one place and get the right lighting it's just fine. I used to sit under a lamp and the screen worked just fine for me.

[@RMCRetro]

I agree it was tech of the time and the best Nintendo could do on the budget of the build, but I would argue that sitting under a lamp isn't practical for a portable gaming device. If you ever played it in the back of a car at night with the street lights passing overhead it was impossible. That's my memory of it anyway.

[@ParadoxdesignsOrg]

Great video. I think its time I refresh my original Gameboy I've kept all these years.

[@endersftd]

This looks fantastic! I have no problem with this kind of upgrade. IIRC, the "ink" in the screen will degrade overtime anyway, so you might as well.

[@francescolavilla271]

I agree with you modding the screen, It looks amazing.

[@patriotbarrow]

There's something about unevenly lit monochrome LCD displays that stir my nostalgia like nothing else.

[@dingdongbells3314]

I never treated this Game Boy with the love and respect it deserves, mainly, because as a kid sometime in 2003, I begged my parents for "a game boy" expecting they'd buy me a "Game Boy Advance" so naturally, they went and got one of these old original ones from a 2nd hand shop instead, and I, not wanting to hurt my parents feelings because they seemed super excited to have gotten me a Gameboy, kept my mouth shut and begrudgingly played Tetris on it for a few weeks and then never touched the thing again. I'm sorry, but then again, maybe I'm not sorry? At the very least, I didn't disappoint my parents and throw a fit like brats now days might. And in the end, I suppose it was actually a pretty nice little console.

[@smashino]

Had to run up to the attic to get my old Game Boy out. Now I too want to give it som tlc. Great job and as always, great video. Thank you!

[@DerMartexus]

Great job! I think there's still billions of old Game Boys to restore and keep in museum like condition. If you want to play with it in the 21st century, give it an upgrade! ;)

[@theghettogentleman]

I couldn’t find any peroxide the other day, so I went to Poundland and literally purchased the exact same 40% hair product - that made me laugh. 😆

[@RMCRetro]

I think it's 2 for £2 in Boots here, always fun buying peroxide as a bald man

[@StuffWePlay]

Another brilliant videos! I had no idea that dead pixels were fixable like that!

[@Richie1245]

The end result was certainly worth the work, looks impressive!

[@francesconicoletti2547]

As long as there is an unmodified Gameboy in the museum somewhere to show the young ones what their grandparents had actually to put up with , making the old machine more playable is fine.

[@AdiSneakerFreak]

Best job Neil, well saved mate, beautiful result 👍

[@PCReboot]

The quality of these videos is amazing

[@synaesthesia2010]

that green tinge was always pat of the charm of the gameboy, but why remove it? would it have prevented the upgrade from working correctly? also, show more of Gizmo, he's a very handsome chappy

[@RMCRetro]

The bivert mod needs that replaced BUT... green is an option so you can certainly do that. Gizmo says hi! 😺

[@phreeze83]

depending on your kit, the green is mixed with the blue/bluish white, and doesn't result in a proper display

[@colinjohnston8519]

Plenty of cat videos on KZbin. This is a retro tech channel...

[@ahandsomefridge]

I don't mind modding at all, but I also would prefer ye olde green colors for a more genuine Gameboy experience. I do like the contrast though.

[@synaesthesia2010]

@@colinjohnston8519 but none of them are Gizmo

[@Colin_Ames]

Nice work Neil. I have never owned a Gameboy, but if I did have one it would get modded in the same manner. Made a world of difference.

[@RealSnarb]

That's actually incredible. Well done.

[@CanuckGod]

Pedantic mode... Actually, the OG Game Boy entered its fourth decade (not its third) since the first decade started when it came out 😁 Either way, still remember using it as a kid/teen, and it's always fun to see RMC restore stuff, so I'm in. EDIT: Just realized this came out on my birthday, great gift!

[@kins749]

Like it, got a Gameboy in 1990, didn't think about how bad the screen was back then. Loved Gizmo too!

[@user-bp5py6bh3g]

What an awesome video, thanks a lot for making this! Great result, would be amazing if I found my old Gameboy again.

[@jameslangridge8849]

Keeping things original would mean not replacing leaky capacitors etc. You've got to accept upgrades it to some extent, and IMO upgrading the features to make it more useful is a really good idea. The result was really great!

[@RDJ134]

This video was briljant. I have 2 broken (dont start up with batteries in it and no PSU). I wont mind the upgrade, it makes it much better. For purists there is always the mint condition.

[@alanreader4815]

I think you did a good job. No point if you cant see the screen. Great blast from the past watch.

[@ChozoSR388]

Well, since you asked, I love the upgrades. I remember having a rough time playing mine in a lot of different (even some lit) environments, and trying to play the thing in the car at night was impossible for obvious reasons. I did eventually get one of those NYKO Worm Light things (the ones that plugged into the EXT. port), but overall, I do have fond memories of it. It was the first real console I'd ever had back in '94. I got an Atomic Purple GBC after that in '99, I think it was. That being said, for personal reasons, and for those of nostalgia, if I were doing this to a DMG-01 of my own, I would want to find a way to keep the original green color to the screen. As I said, for nostalgia; I just think it looks good on the OG Game Boy.

[@inceptional]

Lovely. I honestly wanna see Nintendo release a slightly smaller and quite a bit thinner Game Boy Mini with a whole bunch of included digital games (say 50) and an improved screen like this (but also still with as high a battery life as humanly possible, and rechargeable at that).

[@marissaklein3970]

I like what you did to it! I think that whether or not people want to keep the green tint is up to them and subjective.

[@RedneckIrishman]

I'm with you, GameBoy never fired me up at all! Great resto though! With the zillions of these that sold, I am sure there are plenty of originals in museums! Upgrading this to a usable state is no issue, the upgrade is sympathetic and I am sure if Nintendo had the technology available to them in '89, it would have come with these features in the first place.

[@djvinylkiller]

Liked how you said you were unimpressed with it, I owned a gameboy from launch and loved it. Would be different if we had the choices of handhelds we have today but you appreciate what we had back then.

[@AerikForager]

Not a bad job; the mistakes taught you a lot that will serve you well in future projects. I am both a purist, and not, at the same time. I have PiGame DMG, a modded DMG, and my original DMG 101 from 1990. The purist in me wouldn't let me gut even a broken Gameboy for the shell. I got an aftermarket colored shell, and built a Raspberry Pi Zero W based handheld console. I upgraded a broken DMG gifted to me, with a backlight, a Gorilla glass screen, and battery mod. I repaired and cleaned my original. Keep up the great content, I look forward to your videos. :)

[@Lucasrainford]

Great job! that new screen looks awesome :)

[@DerRoflator]

The bivert mod makes the screen a lot better! Great work Im not sure but i think that I will do it on my gameboy too

[@Ojref1]

The reasons why the plastics turn yellow (for those who wonder) is due to bromine compounds mixed into the plastics to make them flame-retarded or less prone to participate in a combustion cycle. UV light over time causes them to concentrate at the edges of the plastic, making them appear brownish/yellow.

[@machomanOOOOHYEEEAH]

Really good results, I’ve no problem with making upgrades to classic icons like this, especially as the main look was the same as original. I would have personally left the green layer in the screen though 100% the GameBoy has to have a green hue to the screen, it’s how they were made from day one 1989. Apart from that, great video

[@QunMang]

I once purchased an original Gameboy and my opinion was pretty much the one you had. As for the mod, it looks much really good- especially that backlight which is worlds better than those clunky external light solutions back in the day. If I were to get a Gameboy today it would likely be the GBC variety which would play more carts.

[@BobbyS1981]

Still have my Gameboy, though it is a few years newer but still the DMG-01. I have the box, manuals and pack in game, The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening. I’ve been playing it lately getting ready for the games release on the Switch in September. I’m now considering buying a second hand Gameboy to mod so as to keep mine original. Yours looks great and better to play at night without a nearby lamp. Great work!

[@Turnbull50]

Your video's are brilliant and your voice is so calming. The Gameboy was so much better well done.

[@RMCRetro]

Hey thank you Tom 🖒

[@jean-francoisraymond6458]

Beautiful ! I still have my Gameboy and might do the same now that I saw how you did it.

[@DrSalvador555]

4:24 I got that exact toolkit myself. "ifixit or nothing!" my foot, Oria's kit you got there is damn useful.

[@AltimusPrimeG1]

I used to take mine apart all the time to fix the dead pixels, that was one of the most frustrating things on the original GB. I remember taking mine with me to class to play after exams and we would pass it around the class.

[@JemyM]

I could never get around the fact that GameBoy looked like it was made in the earlier 80'ies as a slightly improved Game & Watch... Even as a portable device... Still today I can't bear myself playing the games unless at least I get their color upgrades. I rooted for GameGear and Lynx even if admit today that they had their own issues.

[@druidboy76]

I love everything about you, this channel and this video. I am envious of your abilities.

[@RMCRetro]

Thank you for the kind words

[@brianwalker7771]

Great job and thumbs up for the Fat cat cameo. Can't beat a big cuddly kitty.