GameStop Sent Me A Broken Refurbished PlayStation One...So Let's Fix It!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2025
- This PlayStation system was sent to me from GameStop as a part of the retro unboxing that was done a few weeks ago. GameStop strangely refurbished this system and it is super clean, but the laser really struggles to read games. Today we are going to solve that with a new laser and save this PlayStation One system!
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#GameStop #PlayStation #PS1
Who else loves that PS start up sound? Man that brings back memories
*rises hand*
Sounds more "next Gen" than what we have right now imo
I remember getting my PS1 on xmas and being blown away by it to the point I turned it on and off like 10 times, noting to everyone in the vicinity "Do you hear that?!" It was the sound of the console future lol
Ken H the startup sound always scared me as a kid lol
The first time I heard the startup on a stereo system I felt like the dude in the Maxell cassette tape ad. 🔊
Funny thing about the PS1.
Because it just straight up stops spinning the disc when it's done loading everything, in some games, you can just take the disc out completely and the game will keep playing as normal.
Wait isn't that a thing in later consoles as well?
@@IERServer well the PS2 stops spinning the disc too, but if you open the disc tray it'll kick you back to the PS2 home menu.
In some games, the PS1 will do that too, but not all of them.
And the PS3 and 4 have front loading disc drives, so you can't remove the disc while it's running anyway.
a couple games had some fun exploits you could do by opening the lid and pulling the disc out to keep it from loading at certain points. kinda miss those days, when the easiest cheat code in the game was just opening the lid. probably part of why they changed that in the later ones.
@@GeneralNickles some ps2 games do that too.
I remember I did that with Lego Star wars ahhhh good ps2 times
I've quickly grown to love your tech video's despite never being interested as a whole with tech video's but the appeal you have when demonstrating to the pacing itself is very enjoyable, keep up the great work Spawn !
The know brought me, when u reported the off brand switch dock fiasco. Now a loyal fan 😎
Give him props. He gave up being attractive to any woman ever for us.
Agreed
same here
@@Buddhaspot8 huh could cost me my switch 🛄
GameStop: we have an original PS1
Spawn Wave: ok
GameStop: *by the way we destroyed the laser*
Fun Fact: it wasn't the laser. For those of you who don't know the first models (the ones with a back connector) of the PS1 had this common issue. It is caused by the spindle not moving correctly because of the cheap motor they used. They actually recalled these models of this system because of it.
gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps/916392-playstation/answers/59710-why-wont-my-disks-spin tilting it on it's side (right side) works sometimes.
@@TheNews1990 spawnwave: shock pikachu meme
Either he's requesting broken ones or he's breaking them himself. I've never heard of such issues until I found this guys channel.
I've had nothing but problems with older used disc games not working from GS and looking at his other videos it seems like its really a mixed bag. It all depends on what the condition was in when it was traded in.
Huh, I had no idea changing a PS1 laser was THAT easy.
@iVirtualPlays I still have nightmares about replacing the laser in my original Wii lol, so many steps.
Xbox 360 was fucked. I used to just superglue plastic bread bag sealers together and glue them so the laser couldn't go past the edge of the disk. It was a ghetto one month fix at beat.
Seriously. Gotta keep that in mind when I eventually buy a PS One. I know I don’t NEED it, but it’s a cool system to have.
iVirtualPlays
Some require soldering though. That’s something to keep in mind.
Егкдйкмлфстйллупгчпоохо
It's great that it was a simple fix but the fact that it was such a basic, obvious and frankly pivotal part that failed and GameStop totally missed it is unforgivable.
That's why I hate GameStop. Employees where destroying old school video games and throwing them away because they couldn't get them to work. Most of the times you just have to clean cartridge games with a q tip and alcohol. Imagine all of the classic games they threw away due to incompetence. When corporations get involved in hobbies usually everybody loses. Most games were usually cheaper at Walmart than GameStop. People only buying at GameStop lose money.
@@brodude3709
Yeah unfortunately people have to remove the nostalgia goggles they might have for what GameStop once was or at least what they thought they once were and see them for the monsters they truly are.
The sad fact is they did more damage than good to the hobby of gaming unfortunately. When I hear about the tons and tons of retro games being tossed out and all the other stuff they would just throw out it really does stab you right in the heart. They were the villains all along.
@@brodude3709 There is nothing more frustrating than people throwing things away because THEY can't get it to work. Most normal people don't have a clue that some things can be so easily fixed. This goes way beyond video games even. So much waste and loss because of laziness/ignorance
The quest to destroy GameStop by Spawn Wave continues.
It's not like he goes out of his way or has a vendetta... The results speak for themselves 😂
Will they go out of business? If that's the case, will there be a time where we ever buy physical games?
GameStop destroys themselves, no one has to do it for them.
This guy is crazy, all his reviews about GameStop are like this... They should sue him for this ...
@@ForeverMan They must have really pissed him off because GameStop lives rent-free in his head. lol
These tech videos have improved my speed of opening electronics you have fast hands I usually be very extremely slow and careful with them at first and now after watching several of your tech videos I'm not afraid at all opening at quick speeds.
Just be careful of exposed circuit boards from older systems. These fast hands have been shocked quite a few times.
@@SpawnWave yeah especially with the delicate knobs that ps2 and ps3 have where the drive is connected PS1 is pretty sturdy.
Thanks for replying! And I hope you can educate us more with your tech videos do you know how to solder things on board like mod chips?
I've had a few TV's apart and always afraid inside them because there's some heart stopping voltage in there like 50,000 or more volts and I read never have both hands on electronics at once because provides path through the heart.
The fuck are you talking about?
I opened my PSX the other day and was surprised how clean it was for something I bought in '99.
@ 7:18 I thought the system was gonna fly away,lol. Great video!
That’s the quality of GameStop.
Yeah, it's Game Stop's fault that a 2 decade old console stopped working. Brilliant comment.
@@maroyo3805 How do you know it wasn't damaged in transit? How do you know the unit wasn't working when Game Stop had it? The point is, shit happens. It's not automatically a problem with Game Stop's quality. By the way, how many Playstations are still "working in the field today"? Any idea?
You are one gigantic fucking moron. You probably work there.
@Michael Phillips I doubt it as if it's anything like their used games, a lot of gamers don't take very good care of their games. I just bought a used Red Dead Redemption 2 (XB1), Spider-Man (PS4) and FIFA 19 (Switch) and the case for Red Dead Redemption was cracked and broken. I asked for a new case, which I got. The case for Spider-Man was better but there was still a nick on it so it's bothering me a little as all my games look brand new. I bought them used because of the buy 2 get 1 free sale.
@@ttv_mister_vic467 wtf did I just read.
You have such a great channel spawnwave! Seriously like all your content n_n
@npc102117 -.-
That's mister spawn wave midget to you...
I really enjoyed this because I remember back in the 90s this was the exact same sound my PS1 made when it "died"
Who had the ps1 with the rca inputs on the back that's the best one
Internet legend has claimed for years that the original model has superior audio output, however, many people have ran it into audio analyzers and found it to be identical to the later consoles. I'm not sure how the rumor of the analog output models being superior started.
jay nyc or what about the parallel port one that’s the same one right?
I had one of those hooked up to a Sony receiver, it was a great CD player once you memorized which buttons to press on the controller.
@@TooBokoo I think it was easier to mod for CD playing or something. I cannot remember much anymore.
@iVirtualPlays I'm not sure but it was so much easier to hook up because every one had like 100 rca cables lol so if one don't work it was easy to replace
I bought my first PSP refurbished from Gamestop 15 years ago and the thing came to me half a$$ put together.
The system had a small gap between the top of the system because they didn't put it back together properly.
I didn't send it back because I didn't want to go through the hassel of waiting for it to ship back and then wait as they drag their feet to send me out a replacement system that might be worse. I would never get a Gamestop refurbished console because they are junk and a waste of money.
Gamestop is absolute garbage! They sent me a used game with no proper protection, just a paper sleeve so it got cracked through shipping. These pieces of shits had the nerve to blame UPS for the cracked disk and they wouldn't help me! Smh 😣.
@@xDarkAngelxc they sent me four PlayStation 4 games that didn't even work, you would think they would at least test them before shipping
@@PotatoPL- Nope....just gamestop being gamestop. "No need to test the games because we are gamestop."
I got a ps3 2 years ago still works lmao guess I'm lucky
I went through the same crap as well. I had to fix the screen myself and the casing for it because they wouldn't take it back and I couldn't fight it cause I was only 16 at the time lmao
This troubleshooting video was really fun to watch! It's really interesting to see you pick apart the PS1, identify the problem, and then patch it back up for us to see it being given a nice second wind. Little tips and advice for people to look at when they buy stuff like this blind online would be super helpful :D
Great video, I like seeing old non-working systems being brought back to life.
You should probably look at the "bad" laser assembly, it's possible the lens shifted past the ridges on the track arm during shipping and is failing to move back and forth because it's past the ridges, in which case you can likely manually push the laser back into the middle of the track arm and it may start working.. Just a thought.
Man, I love these repair videos and tech wave videos. It's so satisfying to see these systems taken apart and put back together easily. It kind of makes me feel confident enough to open up my systems even though that's a terrible idea and I'll probably break them lmao.
You not being nominated for content creator of the year at The Game Awards is a travesty. I check daily for new Spawnwave videos and could care less about anything Ninja does. Thank you for all the hard work.
This made me so happy. I love seeing old broken tech get another chance.
It's always cool to see an old piece of electronics be brought back to working order. I still have my original PlayStation 1 since new in '97. My PlayStation 2 new since '02. I got my true fat backwards compatible PlayStation 3 at the beginning of 2016. And now recently I pulled the trigger on a Spiderman bundle 1tb PlayStation 4 Slim brand new here at the end of 2018. I already have 11 games for it and am just waiting for it to arrive at my house.
I have enjoyed off and on watching your videos, especially your tech, fix it, restore videos. As I love to work on, restore electronics myself. Keep the cool content coming and happy gaming!
You might want to add some lithium grease to the new lasers gear assembly , it definitely sounds scratchy and due to the age of it it's probably bone dry
That's what I thought too, maybe it works again with grease.
@@Rickenbacker451 sadly the grease won't save the original laser, that one sounds like it has tracking problems meaning the laser diode is probably very weak
This guy's a hack. He probably won't if he doesn't attempt to clean the laser before trying again. OR even try readjusting the laser intensity using an oscilloscope on a test point to make the waveform non-capped.
@@pcguy619 Oh right because everyone just has an oscilloscope laying around to test lasers that are known to fail over time.
i would just use bacon grease
Man I wish he would do this for all major systems now find a broke one see what's wrong and talk about it and fix it nice stuff man u earned a sub from me 🖒
Refurbished means going over it with a damp rag once for gamestop
Ran into this issue with one i was working on. The platter that actually secures the cd was missing bits that helped hold it in place. The motor would spool and the disc would slip so you got read errors left and right. You could use a piece of scotch tape on the disc eye as a shim and it fix it temporarily.
Got an ad for libresse maxi pads
For some reason youtube thought it was related to Playstation
First time I bought my PS1 it was refurbished from Funcoland. It was indestructible. We used to set it on the foot of the bed railing which was about 8” or so, and it fell off many times from controller pulling. Always worked perfectly. I loved that store. The manager “John” was so nice to me and my teenage friends. I remember they used to print out the monthly paper showing what they’ll give you in cash or trade for your games. It was like a Beckett price guide.
I love watching you repair old, damaged consoles. Never stop doing it.
I love Tech wave, you always learn something new. I didn’t know that the disc stops spinning, after it’s loaded that section of the game.
2:09 "alright, getting this guy off now" 🤙
Might have to do this for my 1995 PS1 to get it running again.....thanks for the DIY
Spawn I love these news wave and spawncast are good but it's nice seeing these too 😀👍
I had a PSX doing the same thing to me when I was a kid. Turned out the black pastic spindle the CD clicked onto was slightly fractured, which caused the motor to slip, and fail to spin it, when it tried to go to spin faster. I discovered this after the spindle basically flew apart when I was doing what you did there. In the absence of parts, in rural Australia, I fixed it with super glue and hope. It lasted for a few more years before the mechanics of the laser arm failed.
How did you learn all this stuff? Just from working at game stores?
He used to work at GameStop and serviced consoles
@@mr.l2751 that’s ironic
I dunno if it sounds crazy or not, but those tabs on the original drive, right in the middle. Those are originally covered. My first run PSX had those tabs fall off. When they fell off I had to have the system upside down to get it to read games right. When I saw what that one looked like I knew it was the drive right away.
So GameStop sent a broken refurb, I really don’t trust them.
That’s so cool. I was bored one weekend last year at my apartment. Got ahold of an OG PlayStation. Came across the same problem! I took it apart myself and played around with the insides. Probed around, seeing what does what, and figured out the problem. The laser 😭 totally the most nerdy thing I ever done. Took it to video trade Co. they said it’s common but I might as well get another ps1 because of the cost. So I did. But I always wondered what if I went through with ordering a laser and fixed it. So I found this video very enjoyable to watch personally. Thank you 😭😭😭
You do a better job than gamestop like usual!
So what was wrong with the original laser and sled assembly? it was likely a tracking issue? were the sled guides clean and lubricated? was the drive motor and disc platter spindle centered and ballenced? clean and lubricated worm gear? did you try cleaning and reseating the ribbon cables? was the lens clean and clear of debris? what about the focus and tracking coils? were they binding or have open windings? I have 2 old compact disc decks from 1986 that work flawlessly, one of them i had to put on the oscilloscope to bring the laser gain back into spec, and adjust the focus bias circuit back into spec, but after adjustment works like new. Realistically unless there was physical damage to the laser diode, lens or assembly itself it should still work. lasers usually only fail if they are over driven. in that case there may be a power supply issue or regulation issue that could make short work of the new one.
You kill me with the way you pronounce syphon filter. Syph ON filter lmao.
Lol! I noticed that too.☺️
@iVirtualPlays No it's not. It's pronounced syphin not on.
Thank you! Did it kill you when he said it wrong and right in the same sentence near the end? Ha!
@@aowbsx You noticed too! Haha
thanks for the comment, I scrolled down to look for it. Had to make sure that all this time I had not read the title wrong. Its a game I have never played, but saw it in the store... At a glance I thought I read "syphon" as in... syphon... like the act of syphoning, or a device like a hose used to syphon or that may itself be called a syphon. So, what a stupid name for a game? I read this, picture a syphon with a filter on it. Now I want to go watch that TPB episode where corey and trevor syphon gas and get sick and lahey tries to get a blowjob from his own daughter or something but gets that wicked perm instead
Former GameStop employee, and I can attest that I trusted traded consoles more than anything from the ROC (Refurb ops center). Had one kid that I sold, and exchanged, 2 Refurb XBOnes in maybe an hour. Switched to a used that we had taken in, never saw him again.
Can you do one for PS4, Xbox one and switch?
I believe he already did. Just go to his channel and search on the box there... I found out through my recommendations to be honest lol
IERServer lol alright thanks I go check it out right now
One of the most common problems with PS1 was the laser head leaning out of alignment, due to heat inside the console warping the cradle over time. I recall that by the time the PS2 arrived, the PS1 was renown for consistently crashing because of the laser!
I'd be returning that junk for a PS2. PS1 console is totally worthless because the discs can be played in anything and even emulated.
True. But it just doesn't beat having that old boot up screen on the old PlayStation, And looking at it by your TV. But if you want to just play old ps1 games then yeah definitely go for a ps2/ps3 or emulate it
I had a PS1 that wouldn't even get to the startup screen but would output a black video signal to the tv. Opened it up, cleaned off all the whiskey that was spilt on it and it still didn't work. So I baked the board in the oven, cleaned more whiskey that came to the surface of the board and then it worked. After I changed the disc drive.
It was easy and glad to see a tech wave on this.
You should call game stop and laugh in there ear
*their
Ew...GameStop.
How would you react if they went out of business?
ohsaywhatistruth id be very happy. They’re a piece of shit company that would deserve it
The laser was the weak point of the PS1, They malfunctioned eventually and when it struggled to read the games, we flipped the console upside down so Newtons law could give us a little longer playtime. But its damn hard to find a decent replacement. All the china-ebay-replacements breaks after just short time. I had a few. Worst one lasted for 5 minutes and it broke.
Playstation one?
Tsk tsk, Sony stealing from Microsoft again
Jarrod Moore ?
Is joke
I love these Videos thanks for sharing. Could you do a PS2 laser change? And where did you get the parts for that?
That's not a PlayStation One it's an original PlayStation
Too bad it's not an original original PlayStation, with the composite audio outs.
@Moogle Midgar no the ps1 was a revision of the PlayStation. Basically the different revisions had different names.
People call the original PlayStation PS1 so people don't get confused. "PlayStation? You mean the PS2?" and on and on and on until you specify the original.
So, don't be a pedantic bitch.
... Who cares?
Big fucking deal 🙄
I just love the Tech Wave videos. Learning about consoles both new and old makes me realize how intricate and sometimes how silly they can be. Thank you Mr. Spawn Wave for these videos! Coming from a new subscriber!
People complaining about GameStop. It was clean and the laser just stopped working. A 25 year old system is struggling. Wut??? Lol
it had a refurbished sticker on AND THEY SOLD IT AS WORKING
so yes, people complain about GameStop selling defective consoles... it's almost as if people want shit to work when buying it advertised as such
My *40* year old atari works fine thank you :)
GameStop always says they try it before they sell it. Complete bullshit. Gamestop is trash. I’m so happy they’re about to go bankrupt
@@kevboard true but it was a common issue for a 1st model PS1 back then. (wht he showed was a 1st wave PS1 in the vid) The spindles broke in many of them bc of them cheaping out on it.
It culd've worked when Gamestop "refurbished" it but the spindle culd've broke during shipping and handling of it.
Both of my 36 year old Vectrexes work fine.
As an aside, one reason to repair a PS1 instead of just using a PS2 is the colors. I went from Tony Hawk in a PS1 straight to playing it through PS2 and the colors displayed were distinctly different. Downhill Jam had a vivid orange tint.
One thing you missed I think is to check whether rumble works. Sometimes the 8V fuse blows, but that power rail is required for rumble. Most cartridges for the parallel port won't work then as well.
Ahhh.. mostly u have to adjust the poti on the laser.
I did this just 20minutes ago and it works.. this works instead of changing the hole laser-unit.
Hope the next guy will read this :D
But you have to find a sweetspot of voltage :)
Keep in mind that the refurbishment sticker from gamestop doesn't indicate that the system was fixed by them recently. It could have been years ago and then it conked out again and that is the system they wind up sending you.
i own an original playstation that does this. i never got it fixed, but the way i got it to work was that i had to tilt it up onto its left side up against my tv stand and it would work. before i figured that out, some games would load, most wouldn't, but all games that did load would skip like crazy with in game music and especially cut scenes.i think i remember reading somewhere that the original disk drives motor couldnt properly support the weight of the disk after a while of use. i took many of games back thinking they were defective until i figured out that trick.
Hey Spawn, I love these tech videos and I have a question. When did you learn to tinker and fix tech?
The Saturn and Dreamcast have similar power supplies. I've fixed several Dreamcast consoles replacing the electrolytic capacitors and the battery on the controller board.
The laser seems outnof focus, because when you flip it upside down the laser would end up close to the disc. There are adjustment pots somewhere on the moving laser assembly to refocus. Yes it is better to replace, but you may have been able to get that old one going, a little bit with those adjustments.
That laser can be fixed..its as simple as taking the small board on the laser assembly and reflowing the solder on all contact points..it worked with one ps1 I fixed that was acting the same way..also some synthetic grease on the moving parts connected to the motor.
I don't remember the plastic clip on the power cord and controller port ribbon cable. It has been 20 years though.
Seeing that double ps1 intro brings back so many memories 😊
They have also definitely replaced the "POWER" and "OPEN" buttons from an old SCPH-100x/SCPH-3xxx series unit onto a newer SCPH-550x series one. The SCPH-550x should have buttons with symbols, not text :)
12:10
"The More You Know"
Actually, I can say that about everything he said in this video.
Awesome facts and awesome video, dude! :)
My PSX had the exact same problem. I'm glad the solution looks pretty easy, so I'll start with cleaning the laser.
Thx very much for the parts link. I have 2 Ps Ones that need new lasers one broken and the other is missing it. Keep up the good work.
You can go and find these playstations for like $5-$10 at thrift stores for spare parts if you look hard enough. Its risky but I've been pretty lucky. I bought a ps3 super slim for $30 at a thrift store and it works. Just needs to be cleaned up.
This console encapsulates my childhood. Castlevania Symphony of the Night and that grey badboy were my first video game console and video game I ever owned specifically to myself. Had to share the NES and Sega Genesis with my sister and the SNES was my brother's.
It could have been the mechanism itself that moves the laser that was causing the issue. I remember back in the day I had a ps1 I hadn’t used in awhile and it made that grinding sound cause the gears very sticky. I applied a gear lubricant on the rails and moved it up and down. Then it was fine and read the disc. I think when the ps1 detects that there is a resistance in the laser mechanism moving it will stop the disc moving.
I suspect GameStop replaced some of the electrolytic capacitors on the power supply. Note how some have black marker and others don't. Marking capacitors is one way refurb shops track which caps are good and which ones are bulging/leaking and need replacement. The problem with that method, though, is that electrolytic caps can fail and not show physical signs of damage.
The ultimate trolling is giving someone a broken ps1 instead of a xb1/ps4 ”well i thought i heard playstation one loll”
Back in the day, it seems like game system makers didn’t mind you having a system opened up to be fixed. I remember when I was younger NES basically encouraging people to bring their NES to shops to have parts replaced and fixed opposed to just buying a new one. They made the systems and parts for the systems accessible.
Watching videos like these have helped me fix or mod my consoles myself without thinking it's impossible. Recently installed a 2tb SSD in my Xbox one x.
Broken spindle. It's the most common failpoint in vintage PS1's. They break when idiots try to swap disks (for copied or foreign games) while it's still moving, and it's best to always start with swapping out new laser assemblies. Trying to re-glue the spindle down never holds up after a few spins.
Another great video! If you ever have to replace the lens on a PS2 Slim, please post that video. I'm going to have to do that before too long on my slim.
I love this series of disassembly/fixing/diagnosing/inspecting consoles and or controllers.
I have two that doesn't work. One I had just stopped reading disc. The other I bought on eBay was a dud even though they say it worked. I replaced the lasers and no luck. 😥
Great video. I recently bought an SNES, and as the system is nearly as old as me, the controller isn't feeling the greatest. Any TechWave tips on reconditioning old controllers?
Pretty cool seeing how it works. I'm not tech savvy so it's always mind blowing for me when people explain it and it seems so simple. Thanks man, very interesting.
Thanks for doing a video on this. You have an extra Playstation with a new optical - any chance we could get videos of some mods done to the case and internals??
I remember when my first one had that exact same issue and spent an ungodly amount of time having to play it upside down. Till one night I got annoyed by it so took the top off and when I checked the laser it turned out there was a massive hair wrapped around the worm gear on the motor. Put it back together and I still have it to this day 20 years later 😊
If it sometimes reads a disc you should have tried adjusting the trimpot, not a permanent fix but it does work. My Wii would only randomly read discs and I adjusted the trimpot and haven’t had a problem since, although not sure of the procedure on a ps1
I bet they tested the faulty laser with pirated games. Good video. I love to see those kind of fixing stuff.
What about a quick isopropyl clean of the lens before replacement?
GameStop system refurbishing procedures: 1. Open system and blow out dust from inside system. 2. Close system and clean outside. 3. Place warranty seal. 4. Sell to customer who has to fix system himself.
Awesome stuff.
I have to change out the laser on my ps2 slim when I get my ps2 out of storage. One of the little nobs on the spindle to hold discs in snapped years ago so now discs are uneven when placed on. Feelsbadman.
I actually went and bought a PS1 system from Gamestop after watching your video. The console was not working, like yours, but, it was the spindle motor that was broken. I ordered another and it got here today, and, this one seems to work kinda ok, but, it looks reconditioned and skips occasionally. Probably the laser mech is dry.
take Q-tip. dip it to rubbing alcohol. Squeeze the extra rubbing alcohol out of the tip and make circular motion GENTLY on the laser's lens. Then use the dry side to wipe it. That should clean it and make it like brand new one.
Mine didn't read any disks until i made that. Wave, you should try it and let us know did it work.
I wish I had known to look for a whole assembly for my PSOne over a decade ago.
I had two PSOnes and a Discman where the plastic spindle fell apart.
All of them were used when I got them, and they saw some heavy gaming/music playing.
That Playstation laser assembly looks identical to the PSOne, and the Walkman.
Edit: I meant Discman, instead of Walkman.
Love your tech waves Spawn. Just watched your ps4 video. Maybe do the slim next?
If you watch pretty closely.... Notice how the first laser assembly has clips missing on the disc spindle? Those help hold down the disc when it starts spinning. On older Playstations they are always broken and this screws up the laser reading the copy protection. Which is why the games won't load always and you have to tilt or turn the machine upside down in some cases. PS1 game copy protection relies on a CD wobble built in the disc and that's how the machine knows if the game is real or not. If the disc is not held in place properly when spinning, it will wobble a little bit (not noticed on camera) and will mess up the Playstation trying to read it. That old laser might still be fine, so hold on to it just in case.
BTW add some lubricant to the new laser assembly gears (on the bottom) to prevent it from wearing out quickly. Usually these new ones don't come with any grease/lubricant applied from the factory. The old one has like a white lithium grease on those gears.
So it was probably the laser to blame, rather than gamestop. xD So rather the creator of the system might be the real problem here.
@@TheUltimateRare Oh no... It's Gamestop faults hands down. They just tested the system a few times (maybe once), saw that it worked and shipped it to be sold. Instead they should have at least swapped the spindle for a new one. But I bet they just don't do laser/spindle repairs because it would cost them around $10 ~ 20 to do it..... and the system sells for $35. So there is little to no profit for them, hence why they skip it and just sell the ones that are "working" as is.
something we used to do with our original playstation when we thought it was having issues reading a disc was to turn the console upside down. and that actually used to work most of the time.
3:15
I've never heard someone say Siphon filter that way but looking at the spelling it sounds right. Am I going crazy?
I recently started watching your videos because I had bought a couple of GameCube games at GS. Funny enough they sent me one of the games in the paper sleeve but INSIDE the hard original case. To me it seemed that someone just grabbed the sleeve and the case and slapped them together rather than just taking the game out of the paper sleeve and into the case
7:25 LUBE THAT WORM GEAR... LOLS that sounded like the worm gear motor or something else besides the spindle motor.
it's possible the small plastic gears in the laser assembly wore out or broke over the years of use.
More than likely it just needs some lithium grease on the laser track and maybe check the drive belt for the spindle, I've seen a lot of them just have a loose or dirty belt thats keeping it from spinning fast enough for the disk to be read.