The ONLY permanent fix for a dead Nintendo Virtual Boy

[@BorderlineOCD]

Update: I'm currently on a hiatus from KZbin, exploring and enjoying other hobbies. I initially launched this channel in earnest back in 2020 during the "event(s)" of that year, which made my time indoors both enjoyable and rewarding. Fast forward four years, and my passion for working on retro consoles remains strong - in fact, I've dedicated two rooms in my house to it! However, at present, I'm nurturing other interests and spending my free time outdoors with friends. While I do plan to return to console repairs at some point, for now, I appreciate your patience. If you're willing to stick around until then, I look forward to reconnecting with you in the near future.

[@cbrown15n12]

Glad to hear! Really enjoy your videos and tutelage! Look forward to new videos in the future.

[@RafaelOliveira-te6lm]

Glad to know you're ok. I'll be waiting

[@Swier3D]

Touching grass is super important. Looks forward to whenever you return.

[@gazlander]

I'm just happy you're ok! Was worried there for a second

[@somersetretrogames]

Great to hear. Your content is worth waiting for.

[@fenriswolfretro6729]

For those curious, I never worked on this Virtual Boy. It was given to me as-is, but I already had a working Virtual Boy. So I decided to just send it to Borderline, to do as he pleased. And I am glad to see how the full restoration turned out!

[@BorderlineOCD]

Would you say it took me 2 years to get to this donation? Lol. But I got to it eventually, and it turned out awesome. Thanks again for sending it over. Also noticed you uploaded some content recently, way to go. I don't see a ton of Famicom content and something about watching videos on that system makes me happy. You got yourself a new subscriber ;)

[@fenriswolfretro6729]

@@BorderlineOCD Much appreciated! I have other videos planned as well, I just need to get back into the groove of filming and posting. I don't mind how long it took for you to get to it, I am just happy to see you got it up and running!

[@NickyG_vz]

@@fenriswolfretro6729 I also appreciate donating it to someone who can actually get it fixed. It's a very specific set of skills.

[@davedarhk6838]

Hey bud where have you been? I enjoy your in depth videos and miss them. Hopefully all is well.

[@HellScream107]

Great repair! I liked that you show us the troubleshooting steps when things do not go as planned. Restorations rarely go as scripted, so all advice and insight is greatly appreciated!

[@BorderlineOCD]

Glad you found it helpful. It's a bit of a tricky install but worth the end result.

[@xxdeadxangelx6150]

​@@BorderlineOCDMAKE A NEW MF VIDEO NOW!!!!!!!

[@azelusnova]

I just found your channel and I am surprised that you haven't uploaded in 9 months. I hope all is well! You upload great and informative content :)

[@Nunya58294]

To be honest this little gadget laid the foundation for VR!

[@andrewpercival1427]

Love this channel...real shame there hasn't been any videos in the last year or so... i keep checking...hope everything is ok

[@TheDraugrDeathlord]

Health check! Let us know you are okay!

[@someonesusingmyname]

This! @BorderlineOCD let us know you're ok!

[@briancoulomb]

Been wondering myself. Hope he’s doing okay. Miss his content.

[@TragicMike]

Yeah hope all is ok! I keep coming back to check if there is any new content!

[@jackbanon491]

It appears he passed away last fall. His obituary is online :(

[@briancoulomb]

@@jackbanon491 That’s unfortunate and sad to hear. He will be missed.

[@ThickpropheT]

Have heard from you lately. Hope you and yours are well. Looking forward to whatever's next on your journey!

[@ItzNickyJ]

This guy just came to my mind, no upload in 3 months? I liked the videos man, guess imma have to backlog some vids

[@tangyorange6509]

I’m not a vintage game collector, but I do love tinkering so I can see why it was recommended to me. This was very entertaining and I got to say your background displays is probably my favorite out of all the game rooms I’ve seen. Plenty of space to breathe and not just a wall of games.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks for stopping by 😎

[@kbbbb7]

That's an awesome kit and a complicated repair. Well done.

[@BorderlineOCD]

The repair is a bit finicky but the end result was great.

[@Ryanahyde]

Just dug my Virtual Boy the attic, to find the left display dead. Thanks for posting this at the perfect time!

[@mrskimmer64]

Oh the irony of using “Sega Sonic Fan” parts to repair a Nintendo product, lol!

[@BorderlineOCD]

I know, right? 🤣

[@Adrian_Finn]

Noticed you haven't been posting new content for a while, hope you're ok, been missing you and your great content.

[@goatbone]

1:57 Just call that number, Mario will come fix it for you.

[@livefreeprintguns]

BTW, thank you for creating playlists! I often watch AVGN playlists when I'm winding down for the night and always appreciate channels who do this so I can just relax and binge watch a bunch of their videos!

[@BorderlineOCD]

You're welcome!

[@jasonmccomb280]

I am retired and immensely enjoy watching repair videos. I am big on reusing things and there is just something special about resurrecting old video games. You and channels like yours have inspired me to fix and mod consoles and controllers. I bought my first every soldering kit. So far I have only modded a handful of controllers. It is so much fun! Thanks again for another terrific video!

[@H3nshin]

I am impressed, that you have at least 2 virtual boys

[@bernardosantos430]

You made that soldering job look so easy. I only realized how small those contacts were when you held the resistor and the led on the tip of your finger

[@michael9613]

This man right here inspired me to get into soldering and repairing consoles 😎🤙

[@BorderlineOCD]

Happy to hear it.

[@MrNoobed]

I just wish there was more meat on that bone. I couldn't find a source of bad consoles and good and bad were selling for just as much as each other last time I checked ebay. 😢

[@TRJ2241987]

I had my soldered by a shop about 16 or 17 years ago. Still works great.

[@BorderlineOCD]

I own a "solder fixed" unit as well and mine still works too but the shortcomings of the stock cable were demonstrated in the video with the severe pitting. The superiority of the replacement ribbon cable is clear. Also if your unit is played by different people rather than one person, the IPD slider is constantly moving the LED assembly left and right to adjust for each player. That will fatigue a solder fixed ribbon cable but will not impact this repair kit. At a very minimum you might want to consider the 3D printed support brackets available for the solder fix to increase the life of your repair, as they support the solder fixed area so it cannot be stressed as much by the left and right movement of the LED assembly when the IPD slider is adjusted.

[@TRJ2241987]

@@BorderlineOCD haha yeah I always keep it in the middle and tell people they aren't allowed to move it, that's cool that the new ribbon rectifies that issue, though I've never had anyone come over that felt the need to adjust it anyway

[@TRJ2241987]

Also you say the console was never meant to last 20-25 years, but it seems to me most Virtual Boys were already failing after a few years. I picked mine up in 2002 and within a year I needed the solder fix. Easily the biggest shortcoming in Nintendo's quality assurance up until the launch of the Switch. Mine always went between 2 dead screens, and at best I would get two working screens but both screens had horizontal bars through the entire image. I would never have the confidence to buy one of these consoles in a gaming store that didn't have it labeled as soldered. There is a store by me asking $500 for a mint in box one but I wouldn't recommend anyone to buy it if they aren't capable of doing this fix.

[@someonesusingmyname]

Just popping in to say i hope you have more videos in the pipeline. It's been a while. Hope all is well.

[@takmk]

It actually took me a long while to understand how the virtual ribbon was actually being soldered to the bottom part being as thick as it is... o_O Thanks for the video!

[@sirpiken]

The virtual boy controller shape was way ahead of it's time.

[@Iktofed]

That looks like a really really easy repair. That's a huge relief after hearing how fragile and difficult the oem cable is. I look forward to doing this!

[@salsbar]

Great repair! Your series has gotten me into repairing consoles that I have. I had a PS2 slim in my closet for probably close to 15 years. I finally ordered a new laser and got it working again!

[@BorderlineOCD]

Glad to hear you started tinkering and fixing your own retro tech!

[@richardm5204]

i still got mine, saving this for the day it needs a fix.

[@frankgile1996]

This is a really cool repair! Like others have said, I love that you still showed us whenever things didn't go according to plan, and how you went about troubleshooting things afterwards!

[@granthelas4468]

🎉 50k subscribers congratulations 🎊 👏 hope things are going well for you mate, and if not hopefully they get better soon 👍

[@jamesgillre]

YES He is back! Love it

[@BorderlineOCD]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@djrkzr]

That ribbon cables are real ocd hell I can tell😂

[@BorderlineOCD]

Lol it's true.

[@libcrypt98]

Rest in peace mate. Taken way too soon. 😢

[@Marc-vr5vg]

What happened?

[@IrishReid]

What? You're joking right?

[@BananaSizzle]

Is this a joke?

[@Thee_Dr_Evil]

If only the headaches were virtual too. Nice job refurbishing!

[@zacharyrollick6169]

I wouldn't mind if Nintendo made a Virtual Boy 2.

[@moggimoggi]

dude its been a while since you last uploaded, hope everything is fine with you 🌷

[@videogamepolak0]

damn that 1090 is still kicking bro lovin it!

[@BorderlineOCD]

Are you referring to the soldering iron? Mine's actually a TS100 but maybe they look a bit similar on video.

[@AceUndergeekBunny]

Great work ! The Virtual Boy is not a common piece of tech so know than we can fix those who've been broken is a great new for preservation !

[@Monhamd1000]

Here we are, fixing a flop that could've been something.

[@hadesmcc]

I too have recently bought the stand and that kit from StoneAgeGamer. I haven't gotten around to installing it yet. Great video as usual. 😀

[@BorderlineOCD]

Good luck with the install!

[@hadesmcc]

@@BorderlineOCD cheers. 😄

[@JASPACB750RR]

We need more content from you. Your videos are some of the best I’ve seen.

[@BorderlineOCD]

I appreciate that!

[@p4thos]

Missing your videos!

[@snowman5020]

Nice work, that's a great looking VB you've got there now.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Indeed it is. Thanks buddy.

[@nostalgiaflipnfix]

Very nice. FYI, you’ve mounted the Virtual Boy onto the stand backwards. The legs should be pointing forward

[@BorderlineOCD]

Just learning about the intended orientation. Looks a little odd but you're right.

[@nostalgiaflipnfix]

@@BorderlineOCDsuper common mistake! I’m sharing because I also used to have it on backwards. Looks really weird the “correct” way lol

[@wwbodywork5582]

Really love the channel and cant wait to see more videos from you. Slowly working my way through all your uploads and really learning so much. Really well explained and gives me the confidence to refurbish my own consoles. Look forward to seeing more!

[@jonsmith6496]

Been awhile, glad you’re back!🎉

[@BorderlineOCD]

Glad to be here!

[@rynhanson]

I had one as a kid. I want one so bad

[@MAXTORRACER]

Been waiting on a new video from you. Great as always. Thanks!

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks for watching!

[@MAXTORRACER]

@@BorderlineOCD And here I am, again. Checking to make sure KZbin hasn't skipped my notification. Dying for the new video.

[@bolex17]

Come back mate! Your videos are so therapeutic!

[@Ragesauce]

never owned a virtual boy, but my cousin had one and I tried it out, I loved it. As a kid this thing was really fun, I would have liked to try all the games for it.

[@BorderlineOCD]

I'd like to try the full library too but the flash cart options for the VB leave a lot to be desired. I've messed around with the library on emulation but it's not the same of course.

[@signorpaldoni]

VB is really a fun console, get it if you can because it is worth it. I love it, Wario Land is one of the best and almost all the puzzle games are really addictive (the only one I can't really "get" is 3d tetris)

[@cactoidpinata]

This is a phenomenal repair guide. It still looks extremely difficult, but I think I'm going to try it anyway when the kit comes back in stock.

[@RBKing80]

Hope everything is ok with you. Not had any new content I'm a few months.

[@Gecko1993HogheadIncOfficial]

Is everything alright? It’s been two months since anything was uploaded.

[@JBITProjects]

Hopefully just waiting on parts to finish off some videos! I hope all is ok

[@noneyabiz0987]

Man, I've been waiting to get my fix from watching you solder & repair stuff! As always, excellent video. Can't wait for the next video.

[@olivierauberger]

Sweet a new video! Really cool donation and repair!

[@BorderlineOCD]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@splugereport]

I finally ended up using bodge wire and soldering every single last wire. What a pain! Lol

[@BorderlineOCD]

I'm assuming you mean the "solder fix" where you melt the plastic and attach the ribbon. That's how I repaired my other unit.

[@splugereport]

@@BorderlineOCD not quite. I tried that way too but it ended up never completely getting good contact before the plastic melted and turned to goop. Instead I cut wires and ran them from the vb header on the unit to the LCD directly. I soldered each 5 inch wire to each pad under a microscope.

[@serialtoon]

I remember going to a Sears back in the day to play this bad boy. Ended up feeling sick from all the red LEDs blasting into my retinas. I was one now working or not just as a cool piece for the man cave. Thanks for the vid.

[@Morgorath30]

Hope you're still doing well. Always enjoyed your videos 👍

[@djm9937]

It's been ages since we've seen any content. I hope you are well and enjoying life :)

[@sinistermoon]

Good as new! Nicely done.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks!

[@Dark_Jaguar]

I did this the older method, "melting" a little of the plastic to directly solder the older ribbon cables to their spots on the board (and cleaning up that nasty residue along the way). I took my sweet time doing it because it's VERY fine work (involving binding everything down onto my work mat with packing tape to prevent as much movement as possible). I did mess up a few times, since once that plastic is melted, the wire contacts are left "floating", but the end result after taking numerous breaks to keep myself calm and then come back, was a fully functioning unit. Since my cables didn't show any signs of rusting, and I tend to keep my things well packed in moisture free environments, this fix should last too. Alright so this one is meant as a more permanent fix, but from what I can tell, it also has a lot of moving parts that could go wrong and is still a complicated fix. If the cables are damaged, this is a good way to go, and in the long term if they should go bad down the line a second fix will go a LOT smoother, but for the price I'd say it's more of an alternative than a vastly superior way to go about it as it stands right now. Oh I usually attach the stand in the reverse of how you have it, with the "knees" facing towards me and hold the controller behind the stand. It gives me a lot more free range from my experience.

[@QsTechService1]

Pretty nice Mod Thanks for sharing

[@BorderlineOCD]

No problem 👍🏻

[@tycoinreno]

22:54 I found when doing this install (using the older 2-piece version of @SegasonicfanDesigns's mod) that trimming the ribbon cable allows the ribbon to fully mate into the ZIF connector on the mod, sit straight, and sit all the way in. It appears the cable is the right size for the connector on the VB, but just a fraction of a millimeter too wide for the ZIF connector on the mod. The trim I performed was to take just a hair's width off of either side of the ribbon cable, very carefully, with very sharp scissors. A craft knife would also work well if you're more comfortable with that. I am very pleased to see that there's now a one-piece design for the mod, which is a nice improvement!

[@splugereport]

Funny story is that all the reproduction stands are actually attached to the wrong way. The feet are supposed to point forward in the original

[@BorderlineOCD]

Just learning about this. Looks odd the way it's meant to be but you are right.

[@MatSpeedle]

Repaired all 3 of my VB's with these kits, they are an amazing piece of kit and you can finally use your VB and adjust it without fear of dead lines coming up. There was no easy mount at the time I got my kits last year but with care an patience it's really not too hard to do it without them :) Mine was a bit trickier though as I had the older V3.7 kits. These v4 kits looks far easier in comparison :)

[@davedarhk6838]

Love the videos. recently got into console repairs a few months back for my buddy's retro game shop and your videos have taught . first thing i repaired was a snes . found the problem and ran a jumper wire. my buddy asked where i learned that and i showed him ,lol

[@Somnifuge]

I still regret selling my VB off many years ago. I picked it up for basically nothing right after it was an unsellable failure, and don't think I even kept it a year. Made sense at the _time,_ since it was basically a moderately-fun way to give yourself a massive headache after 20 minutes, but in retrospect it was still really cool.

[@signorpaldoni]

I never had a headache while playing Virtual Boy and I still play today. I think it is just a myth or at least an exaggeration of an issue that SOME might have had.

[@goatbone]

Nintendo didn't even keep it for a year themselves.

[@x1ic1x]

Thanks for this video lol I was gonna sell my virtual boy for parts now I can fix it

[@physalis17]

Glad to see you making repair videos again. Love your vids!

[@splugereport]

There was a guy who made a ribbon cable but he accidentally put the contacts on the wrong side. I remember trying to get those things to work for a long time. There was no way to get the enough solder to bridge the ribbon to the LED....what a pain

[@BorderlineOCD]

What does unintended wage mean?

[@splugereport]

@@BorderlineOCD lol not sure.. voice to text remnant I suppose.

[@vtbn53]

As a mechanical TV aficionado I have always been intrigued by the Virtual Boy which is a relatively modern day incarnation of an old technology. Funny thing is there are more examples of mechanical TV now than there has been since the dawn of the CRT.

[@DanLinden]

And there we have it! 🤗

[@BorderlineOCD]

That's how I know you're a returning subscriber :)

[@israelmejia697]

Love the hair man, great video!

[@No1BRC]

just one tip- whenever you're using a brand new ribbon cable- always clean the Contacts with alcohol. I remember once installing a new one in a small repajr which didnt work, the seller of the part was very kind and send me a new unit... same fault worked for hours then I let it rest for 1 year and after picking it up again I tried cleaning the contacts of one silly ribbon cable... which was the solution.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks for the tip, I’ll keep that in mind.

[@TheLatinoExplorer]

Just stopping by to say thanks for your video’s. Best retro game channel!

[@cautious_bin86]

Why aren't you posting anymore ?

[@ApexOT]

Great work! I hope to see one in real life one day.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Dreams can come true :P

[@randyjack9584]

Check out your local used video game shops, they get VB's in from time to time.

[@Abauto84]

nice repair loved the ribbon cable adapter boards looks so cool

[@Manticore_007]

I love this video. Repair videos are always nice, another console saved. I really love your relaxed energy and explanation while repairing it! I'm gonna check more videos!

[@nikolaszisoudis8408]

Hey man where are you? Long time no see!

[@briancoulomb]

I’ve been wondering the same thing. Hopefully everything is good. I miss the content.

[@watchingdanny]

This was somewhat of a precursor to VR headsets. Pretty cool they were thinking that far ahead of their time.

[@Jebbreh]

This is awesome. Always love Virtual Boy content. Mine currently has the mirroring/double vision issue. One side projects wrong.

[@benben9794]

I see this channel has its name for a reason I would’ve probably been pretty peeved by that slant

[@Tiigsi_Retro]

I’m like a mind reader. Was watching the Master System videos today, and I said to myself ‘I bet we get a new video today’ And here it is 😂

[@joemck85]

As someone who hasn't seen a Virtual Boy in person but has taken apart 3DSes, it's interesting seeing how Nintendo's first attempt at stereoscopic 3D is put together. Also, that's some excellent soldering technique.

[@PSAK_47]

i found one of your shirts at the goodwill, bought it and i wear it often.

[@michaelmay9728]

Great repair job! When I was a kid I traded my Game Gear for a virtual boy after I got my Sega Nomad.

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

You can probably buff out the scratches on the lens piece. The virtual boy was indeed unique for it's time. It was basicly like a VR headset in the 90's.

[@ramiropena2325]

That was amazing! Great job!

[@zooblesdoobles7298]

I love watching your videos, they are very peaceful to watch after a day of work. Please keep making these...specially Dreamcasts :>

[@alexsmith6914]

Ready to go to fry the user’s optic nerve!

[@fezwhy]

Thanks for sharing! I plan to purchase a virtual boy and do the same fix for it.

[@sirpiken]

I remember trying this thing in the store back in the day.

[@Syngekhoomei]

4 months ago? Are you ok dude

[@justinmoravetz4544]

Excited to get this fix once they're back in stock. I have 3 VBs in various state of functioning due to the ribbon cables going bad.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Nice! Good luck with the mod/repairs. Btw just in case you’re not aware the left and right lenses are interchangeable so you might get away with assembling a working unit between the 3 as-is if there are at least a pair of good lenses between them.

[@justinmoravetz4544]

@@BorderlineOCD haha! Yep! That’s why I have one “good” VB and two for parts. I have 2 VB flash carts if you would like to see some software. Lots of indie stuff too.

[@jeremy2283]

It looked so uncomfortable when you were playing it! I guess they're made for a kids height though. Awesome repair!

[@Not-Great-at-Gaming]

About 10 years ago, I bought 2 VBs that had one working lens on each and viola, one completely working and one completely dead VB. Unfortunately, one working lens is now dead too. So, I need to fix (at least) 3 of them. It's amazing how much is available now. Back then, I had to piece together and repair everything manually. My one working stand is actually epoxied.

[@Kazuo1G]

I have an idea in-place for replacement *LED ARRAYS*. It's in the rudimentary stages, but I have an idea of how they work, the logic involved, and LEDs have gotten small enough in the past decades to where they can be used to produce a comparatively small display in physical size, but also produce a display that takes up more room (rather than the small kind that Nintendo used).

[@RobertKliethermes]

That is some clean soldering work Sir! Great repair kit. I just re-soldered the original cable to the daughter board, but even though it works it was not a clean looking repair. I'll have to pick up this kit and repair is right.

[@BorderlineOCD]

I've done the "solder fix" repair on my previous unit. It's still going strong. If it fails I plan to replace it with this kit. Time will tell.

[@Jman0951]

Great troubleshooting and mod/repair! …if we want to donate hardware to your channel, what’s the best way to get ahold of you?