All my Gamegears have flaked!

[fiddlepaddle]

I recently picked up some new Gamegear games and pulled out my trusty unit that I purchased new at Toys R Us. Now every other video line is black! So, I went and pulled out a few of the other units I've accumulated over the years and EVERY SINGLE ONE is now defective in one way or another. Most of them have problems with the video being either dim or not functioning at all. I did find one that works OK, but I basically have to play with the lights off and hold the screen at a 45 degree angle to see it.

 

I looked this issue up and discovered how common this problem is, and that "merely replacing the caps should clear everything right up". Well, I guess I could probably do it, but I'm not really a hardware mod fan, nor do I enjoy soldering small wires. Besides, I still have too many other systems and games calling my name if I ever started on a project like this... I'd probably get 10% started, and end up leaving a mess on the kitchen table for a few weeks before eventually putting everything in a box "to be finished later".

 

Then I started thinking: the Gamegear could be improved tremendously by having a modern-style higher-resolution three or four-inch screen like they use on all those nice GPS devices and phones. Seems like that would be a better solution than just to replace parts that have gone bad and expect the same problems to occur in a few more years. My favorite related dream would be for Hyperkin to make a Gamegear replacement like they did with the FC Mobile II (though maybe with a bigger screen).

 

I'd hate to abandon my GG collection, but I don't really want to tinker with finicky hardware any more that I have to already.

 

Anyone beefed up a Gamegear this way? or want to?

[Lendorien]

I recently picked up some new Gamegear games and pulled out my trusty unit that I purchased new at Toys R Us. Now every other video line is black! So, I went and pulled out a few of the other units I've accumulated over the years and EVERY SINGLE ONE is now defective in one way or another. Most of them have problems with the video being either dim or not functioning at all. I did find one that works OK, but I basically have to play with the lights off and hold the screen at a 45 degree angle to see it.

 

I looked this issue up and discovered how common this problem is, and that "merely replacing the caps should clear everything right up". Well, I guess I could probably do it, but I'm not really a hardware mod fan, nor do I enjoy soldering small wires. Besides, I still have too many other systems and games calling my name if I ever started on a project like this... I'd probably get 10% started, and end up leaving a mess on the kitchen table for a few weeks before eventually putting everything in a box "to be finished later".

 

Then I started thinking: the Gamegear could be improved tremendously by having a modern-style higher-resolution three or four-inch screen like they use on all those nice GPS devices and phones. Seems like that would be a better solution than just to replace parts that have gone bad and expect the same problems to occur in a few more years. My favorite related dream would be for Hyperkin to make a Gamegear replacement like they did with the FC Mobile II (though maybe with a bigger screen).

 

I'd hate to abandon my GG collection, but I don't really want to tinker with finicky hardware any more that I have to already.

 

Anyone beefed up a Gamegear this way? or want to?

 

FYI, The capacitors used in the game gear are notorious for failing. Replacing them often revives the Gamegear to playable status. Granted, I'm not sure about the black line issue, nor how easy it would be to replace the screen.

[DickNixonArisen]

I'd probably get 10% started, and end up leaving a mess on the kitchen table for a few weeks before eventually putting everything in a box "to be finished later".

 

 

 

Hey, at least you're honest with yourself.

 

I did the fix and it worked well. It wasn't that hard (I'm no electronics wiz) as long as you have the proper equipment. I'm sure you could pay someone on this site to do it for a relatively reasonable price.

[Video]

All my Gamegears are dead too, and I know I'm chronically lazy, I'd do the same thing, rip the poor thing all apart on the table, and maybe fiddle with some of the guts, but never finish.

 

A new system would be cool, but the newest ones out there are at this point over 10 years old.

 

It's not that there's all that great of library for the GG, but the few games I want, that's the only way you can play them.

 

Yeah, recapping them would fix them (I'm sure most, if not all, worked originally when they were last used) But....like the above poster said, it would just crap out again a few years later. Unless the modern day equivalent of the GG's caps are just that much better, then recapping isn't a permanent solution.

[SEgamer]

Replacing the caps is your best bet. They might dry out over time and have to be replaced again, but I'm sure that they'll last longer than the original ones Sega put in the Game Gear. You can get them on digikey.com or newark.com, or if you have some other broken electronics, they might have the right ones.

 

As for replacing the screen, I'm not sure if there is a readily available screen similar to the Game Gear's screen. If the Game Gear had AV out, then it would be really easy to replace it with a small LCD screen.

[figgler]

This is a big fear of mine, especially since I have what I feel is a pretty great GG collection.

We need clone hardware, stat