Worst Selling Nintendo Console of All Time - Faulty Virtual Boy Retro Console Restoration
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ม.ค. 2025
- In this video I work on the Nintendo Virtual Boy, a 3D retro console that holds the title of the first mainstream "stereoscopic" 3D console in history. It was also one of the shortest lived consoles of all time, lasting only 9 months between launch and being discontinued due to negative reception and poor sales.
This unit arrived with a faulty lens (display), apparently a very common fault with the Virtual Boy. There was also an issue with focusing the picture due to physical internal damage due to some sort of trauma.
Despite its general negative reputation, I very much enjoyed both working on this system and experiencing it for the first time in person. I was impressed. It's one thing to be a 10-year old in 1995 and not enjoy this system. It's another to be a retro console junkie in 2021 and get your hands on one of these rare and beautiful puppies. It will be loved and played for many years to come, that is for sure.
🛒 Specialty products I used in this project
Gamebit Screwdriver Set (the proper one you need, not the one I hacked together): amzn.to/37GH9U2
Plastic Epoxy: amzn.to/3CSfbTt
🌎 Support the channel by buying some of my merch or one of my console builds
www.BorderlineO...
🔧 Toolkit
Screwdriver Set: amzn.to/2X7s0Gj
Automatic Wire Stripper: amzn.to/30F5TJm
🖌 Soldering Essentials
TS100 Soldering Iron: amzn.to/2YIJZUR
No Clean Flux Syringe: amzn.to/2NFUZvQ
No Clean Solder: amzn.to/2NHEAqQ
Desoldering Braid: amzn.to/312Grws
🔍 Soldering Add-ons
Fume extractor with hose: amzn.to/3hspLZi
Tip Tinner: amzn.to/31w2EF4
Helping Hands Soldering Aid: amzn.to/3ihgksP
🔥 Thermal Compounds
Arctic MX-4 Thermal Paste: amzn.to/2Ak2y8w
1.5MM Arctic Thermal Pads: amzn.to/2Vv1RQU
🖥 Composite and S-Video on my Mac
USB Capture Card: amzn.to/2YM4TT7
(Catalina 64-bit drivers can be found on the manufacturer's website)
🎵 Music
Scandinavianz X Limujii - Serenade
Music provided by Scandinavianz X Limujii ( / scandinavianz )
Aurora B.Polaris - Natsukashii (aurorabpolaris...)
Listen on TH-cam: • Aurora B.Polaris - Nat...
That’s a first time I really enjoyed the message from a sponsor
This was probably the best Virtual Boy repair I have seen on TH-cam :)
Using kapton tape to fix both the board and the ribbon cable in place was genius and modifying that screwdriver bit...well wish I was this good when it comes to improvisation :)
Thanks dude. There's definitely moments of despair in between that doesn't always make it on camera. But I figured worst case I had to wait another few days for the screwdriver and since I had a whole evening carved out I didn't have much to lose. Glad it worked out. The gamebit screwdriver still hasn't arrived...
Having struggled holding things in place for soldering, previously, I too thought the use of the tape to hold them in place was quite the genius move.
I love how you showed all the "failures" involved. Most videos make regular people feel like everything goes perfectly unless they are doing it themselves.
Lol at that determination with the gamebit! I'm glad you chose to include that in the video. Also, I'm so happy to see you use JB Weld epoxy instead of super glue. You really do put a lot of care into your repairs. Excellent content.
Thanks bud. Glad you enjoyed the jerry rigging lol. I'm sure my desperation came across in the video. I can't even describe the feeling of clearing my whole evening and getting everything ready to record and prepared to be up all night etc. only to realize the screwdriver doesn't fit...
Unbelievably resourceful and clever idea's to get around a problem without the right tool.
that beginning caught me off-guard haha
I’m not sure what’s worse, my crass attempt at that joke or a genuine sponsorship where I advertise Chinese garbage and pretend it’s a product I fully support and endorse 🤔
@@BorderlineOCD "Today our sponsorship is the "Crappy Screwdriver Set That Works For 2 Screws Then Strips Don't Buy This". It's great and I use it all the time. It totally doesn't strip! I love it (product falls apart on video)"
@@BorderlineOCD "a genuine sponsorship where I advertise Chinese garbage and pretend it’s a product I fully support and endorse"
That one, that's definitely worse.
Your repairs are top notch Borderline OCD. Keep up the amazing work.
Thanks very much my man
This one was a really impressive fix!
Thanks bud, glad you enjoyed it.
Man, I TOTALLY admire your TENACITY and your determination when you are really wanting to get into something and fix it. Sometimes, when you don't have the right tools available at the moment, you have to be creative and I LOVE seeing you be creative and showing others your "workarounds" for getting things fixed. I never owned one of these but they look really cool and, honestly, ahead of their time. You have to give props to Nintendo for basically creating an early Oculus type of device way back in 95. Awesome video!
Thanks bud, glad you enjoyed the jerry-rigging haha. When theres a will there's a way!
Amazing work! I used to renovate old sash windows and the old flathead screws were a night mate to take out. So I used a metal grinder and cut a new line through each screw head and they came out no problem!
Awesome work on that ribbon cable! I love seeing things like this in console repair videos. Goes to show that a lot of stuff is fixable if you're prepared to give it a go.
This soldering job totally shows the importance of quality tin, flux, a good temperature controlled iron and a steady quick hand. Nice fix !
damn. I never seen a repair of a VB.. that was a hell of a good soldering, amazing channel
This was fun to watch. I still have one of these practically new in the box. Bought it at Target when they were blowing them out for like $20 and the games were a few bucks each. It's fun for a short while but it's obvious why it failed. Amazing to see these on eBay for hundreds of dollars now.
Well done sir! Thank you for the video and excellent repair.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.
With the right knowledge and the right tools so many repairs are possible. Enjoyed watching. Nice upload my friend 👍
Wow, amazing video. This deserves way more views, keep it up!
That was really well done, great repair on the focusing knob, plastics like that rarely fix well especially after quarter or a century
Great repair also thanks for expanding my music playlists.
11:34
That looks pretty alright honestly, kinda expected the plastic curl more.
I was also thinking you might tin the board and then sneak up the ribbon. I wonder how well that may work.
I had one when I was little. I begged my dad to buy me one and after a month of bugging him he got it for me. I managed to have enough money saved up to buy two games for it Mario tennis and a shooter. Then around 08 when I moved out of my Moms house she sold it in a yard sale for cheap!
You were a lucky kid. I still remember begging my dad for MONTHS to get me the original Gameboy DMG. The closest we ever got was going into a shop at the mall and asking about the price, to which my dad told me to continue dreaming. I never got one. It's traumatic memories such as this that have clearly contributed to my retro console addiction during adulthood 🙃
That's how I got into flipping. My parents were generous and did offer me a new DMG. But I knew they would never say yes to a Neo Geo. It took me years to get there. I flipped the Genesis, Snes, Game Gear, countless games and finally bought a Neo Geo. I still own it.
I wanted one as a kid, then I played one at Toys R Us, and NOPED out pretty hard.
wow, i never knew about these, nice work, i have an old motorbike and often have to make tool bits to fit the job.
I don't understand how your channel didn't get viral yet.
I really like all your videos. I'm watching them all this week.
Thanks for watching, cheers.
Another top repair. My favourite repair channel!
Thats high praise considering how many repair channels are out there. Thank you very much.
That was honestly an ingenious idea on how to modify a tool to make it work to your advantage to get that console apart. I say well done!
Did not know this console existed. Nice work on that ribbon cable.
Nice vid I've been waiting for another upload of urs keep up the good work
Thanks bud much appreciated.
@@BorderlineOCD i was wondering what type of machine can I use so i don't have to keep buying compressed air. Sorry for the question if it's a bother
impressive soldering on the ribbon cable!
If for whatever reason you couldnt get the the other screen to work, you could have spoke with shankmods and had him Handheld it!!! :) Great job dude!!!
Awesome work I love your videos🙂👍
You make it look easy! Congratulations on adding a Virtual Boy to your collection. I think the VB community has actually managed to get link cables and 2 player gaming going for these, but it looks like its a bit of a job. It seems you could get non genuine stands and eye shades for awhile too, but I can't find any listed anymore? In any case, a fascinating system that is almost more fun to play with with the power turned off :p
Interestingly the plastic eyeshade holder is available on Amazon with Prime shipping for $10 as of this writing. The eyeshade itself though is nowhere to be found. The aftermarket ones were made by Hyperkin and they are out of stock (or no longer in production). I think the one I have might be salvageable with a little stitching or I get creative and repurpose one from those cheapo cell phone VR headsets that you see everywhere for throwaway prices.
Great video and really like your music.
Thanks bud. Glad to hear it.
like your videos, interesting/informative and amusing all at once
legendary. good job friend
Suggestion for future plastics repair: Superglue + baking soda. It creates a makeshift plastic and binds really well to most plastics.
great job my man ☺️👌
keep up the amazing work.
Thank you very much
Yay! Waiting for this. Happy you put new music in your video. Quick question. Does the 35$ hot air station still work? or did it caught on fire?
Yeah bud it’s alive and kicking. Although I don’t use it much so it’s a suitable unit for occasional use for my needs. I don’t have faith that it would hold up to daily use by someone that needed to use it much more often.
@@BorderlineOCD yeah of course it wouldn't but if lets say someone wants to use it to like reflow a laptop gpu its suitable.
No idea. I've only used it for smaller components and ICs. Have you started soldering since we last chatted about you getting into the hobby? You were considering getting your parents involved to supervise and get you started with your first soldering set. How's everything coming along for you getting started on the hobby?
@@BorderlineOCD not yet:(
Great repair. Nintendo has always cared about innovating game platy and the virtual boy was a great if failed attempt at it.
That intimidating guy in the beginning made me hit subscribe.
The best decision you made today, congrats bud and welcome aboard.
Broooooo where were you? It was like ages
Lol glad to see I am missed. I’ve been spending a few weekends in the garage so the console repairs took a bit of a back seat last month. I am considering sharing a few garage projects here and there as my hobbies expand a bit so we’ll see.
I don't think I've ever seen a Virtual Boy even opened. That ribbon cable repair seemed like such a pain. lol
When all else fails and you don't have the right bits, MacGyver it XD. I was always intimidated to repair Virtual Boys as they looked like a mess inside but now I see it's not AS bad as I imagined. Half of it is electronics and the other half is mechanical parts. I would have soldered the other ribbon cable as well just to prevent issues in the future but I get it, the cable is old and delicate. Probably best to not take any chances.
It's definitely an approachable console to repair but we'll see as I come across other units in the future. I did consider soldering the second cable preemptively, I believe some folks do it to both cables before they ever have any issues in the first place. Now that I'm a bit more confident with the repair approach, melting the plastic to expose the pins etc. I would consider doing it preemptively in future.
Awesome fix i have two one which i use and a very rare unopened sealed box one...
Nice to hear from all the folks that enjoy the system. There's more out there than I expected.
Nice Dexter clip...
Quality programming of the highest order
@@BorderlineOCD yeah for the first 4 seasons then went down hill fast.. but nice fix.. did you get a headache after playing for 5 minutes?
Not at all. We played in turns for 10-15 mins at a time. You do need to readjust both the lens spacing (IPD) and focus slider for each individual person every time. If it’s adjusted well, it’s fairly comfortable to play. But I don’t know what playing on it for an hour straight would feel like. Will have to report back over time.
Really interesting vid, I forgot to request this forgotten console.
You mean request one as a kid growing up or request a repair video now lol?
Yea.
Yay a new episode 🤜🔥🤛
Lesssss gooooooo
Only nintendo console released in NA that I don't own. I would love to get one. I remember playing a demo unit in a wal-mart back in the day.
Even though I knew that everyone said this console was bad, I still would drool over it every time I went to the mall. I am just a gaming/gadget/electronics junkie. :D
I bought one of these in 95 or 96 when they were getting clearanced out at Target. I played it for about 2 weeks and returned it, as I wasn't really interested in any of the games, though Warioland and Nester's Funky Bowling were some time killers. Ultimately, it was cumbersome to use and could not be used for extended periods without eye strain and headaches. In hindsight, I probably should have kept it from a collecting standpoint, but at that time, I had other things I'd rather spend $50 on.
So I've had a bad eye on my VB since I've owned it. 12-13 years now. Like 10 years ago I looked to youtube for a repair, and it looked pretty simple, I've just never gotten around to it after all this time. However, that youtuber also had the same issue with his gamebit and he also had to grind one down to make it fit. After all these years, it's still an issue with the VB repair.
Is it just me, or did anyone else see that ghosted image of an eyeball on the right eyepiece at 11:30?
I think i had one of these growing up. Or was there another similar console with a tri/bi-pod.. I belive it was red. It very well could've been a virtual boy.
I was quite surprised indeed by your sponsor 🤣
You've been on board for a long while. It's targeted towards inviting the newcomers into the fold.
I love my Virtual Boy!!
You said melt plastic on the ribbon cable. How? What was it that you used to do it?
And what type of tape are you using?
Amazing!
Great Sponsor! Hope we see more sponsored content
Definitely. I'll be sure to find more quality sponsors like this to come on board.
did you end up sourcing a replacement eye shade?
If at al possible acetone is a much better bet for any compatible plastic the epoxi or any kind of glue. It evaporates pretty quicly to so there is not much need for clamping.
Wow I've had a virtual boy for almost 20 years and had no idea you could plug a snes adapter into it
You still need the adapter for the back of the controller. Well bodging wires would be an option I suppose, but aesthetically anyway.
The adapter was a game changer instead of eating through 8 AAs at a time.
The thing I never understood about the virtual boy was why didn't it have a headband instead of a stand, it would have made more sense for it to be strapped to our head like vr headsets are today, the only reason I can see for it having a stand is because it might be to heavey.
Not sure, I wondered this as well. It could be that the electronics were too sensitive to be in constant motion (like the vibrating/pulsating mirrors). Maybe risk of injury given the target market was kids rather than today's VR headsets which are geared a bit more towards a mature audience.
I personally would have waited for the proper GameBit screw driver to come in the mail before doing the project.
Very impressive.
Thank you! Cheers.
@@BorderlineOCD No worries. Only subbed yesterday, after watching and thoroughly enjoying the Jaguar eBay bundle video. Will work my way through the back catalogue, as I like your presentation style, humour and also feel like I’m learning something. Many thanks for the quality content.
Incredible
Glad you enjoyed it.
@@BorderlineOCD I just love restoration videos, especially technology related. There is something Zen about it.
I've been wanting one of these for years but sadly the prices of a working one is out the roof.
Hell I'll sell you mine 😂
Time for my fix 🙏🏼
Enjoy it 👍🏻
Congrats, I spent many an hour rewiring these stupid connectors
If R&D had been allowed to finish making it before marketing took it away to sell, it was intended to be head mounted. So I wouldn't bother with the joke of a stand it sold with at all and work out a way to attach some straps.
I remember buying mine at K-Mart for $20.
I would use low melt solder
If you're referring to something like Chip-Quik, that is generally intended for safe removal of components at lower temperatures but it's not a reliable alloy to solder components as it is very brittle when solid. I have some low-melt in my tool kit for this purpose but I have never used it for soldering anything.
I personally enjoy playing The Virtual Boy while laying down on my back. So the stand isn't super important in my opinion.
I hadn't considered that, thats a neat idea especially if you have a hard time sourcing a stand. While I can't seem to find an original, there are a number of 3D printed adapters on eBay that allow you to thread in a regular camera stand. That's what I'm leaning towards at the moment.
We are back!
Haha I can’t stay away for too long I always come crawling back
You know the way we ('boomers') did it? For the SNES, we just got a biro pen, took the ink stopper off, melted the back over a hob fire to soften the plastic, then placed it over the Nintendo screw to mould the biro into a screwdriver that would be able to remove those pesky screws. No shops sold that screw bit back in the day, it was intentionally that way, and Nintendo knew it.
Sorry to be tardy to this party, but I just ran into this video looking into this Virtual Boy. Borderline OCD if you’re ever needing custom tooling similar to what you did in your video, I have a home machine shop I don’t mind volunteering.
Just give me tool design or ideas I can make one offs or modify existing tools you have on hand.
Thanks very much, I appreciate the offer and will definitely keep it in mind.
Holy shit that Dokes intro 😂. Too bad I can't sub again without unsubbing
Ha you're forgiven thanks for already being a subscriber 👍🏻
👍
The subscribe man make me laugh haha,I have a video game Chanel too check it!
Bicho eh bom mesmo.....
Okay, why would anybody keep a Virtual Boy? Everybody knows that product was a bust.
It was a commercial flop but it shows the risks companies like Nintendo took to innovate and try new things. Perhaps they got the formula wrong or it was ahead of its time considering the available technology back then. The fact it failed and is somewhat rare makes it special to own as a piece of video game console history, at least to folks that enjoy retro consoles.
Wow this was amazing. I have the exact same problem with mine . The left lens is shot. I have the stand for mine but it's a little wobbly. What is that gel you put on when you on soldering?? I need to do this but I'm more nervous about taking it apart and remembering how to put it back. Lol. I work on cars for a living so you would think this was nothing but I'm a big hesitant. I love this thing I don't know why the hate. Especially they are expensive as hell to buy one now on eBay. Great video bro.