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Game Gear not working...

Posted: May 31st, 2017, 12:28 am
by zetax
Seems like this has come up before, but just wanted some fresh input.

Tried playing some Game Gear tonight. Tried with both batteries and AC adapter. When switched "On", the red LED and screen backlight came on for about a half-second before everything went black. Also, tried several carts, no difference.

Does this sound like a capacitor related issue? How difficult is it to replace the little buggers? I see a couple of kits on Amazon.

Thanx for any input.

Re: Game Gear not working...

Posted: May 31st, 2017, 8:14 am
by Rookie1
zetax wrote:Seems like this has come up before, but just wanted some fresh input.

Tried playing some Game Gear tonight. Tried with both batteries and AC adapter. When switched "On", the red LED and screen backlight came on for about a half-second before everything went black. Also, tried several carts, no difference.

Does this sound like a capacitor related issue? How difficult is it to replace the little buggers? I see a couple of kits on Amazon.

Thanx for any input.


These things are a pain in the butt to fix. The back light is basically a mini florescent light bulb that is well past its prime. That might be the issue. There are some good kits that upgrade it to an LED backlight, but they are complicated.,

Re: Game Gear not working...

Posted: May 31st, 2017, 8:28 am
by scotland
Here is some info on the screen mod from RetroRGB:
http://retrorgb.com/gamegearmcwilllcd.html
Interestingly, there are no prices listed for this mod. That's kinda scary.

They not only have a screen mod, but they can mod it for tv out. Another option, if you have any interest in a Retron 5 (which does not have glowing reviews I hear) is that they have a Game Gear adapter as well.

Re: Game Gear not working...

Posted: May 31st, 2017, 12:54 pm
by Retro STrife
I know how you feel..I own 3 Game Gears and none of them work! On mine, I just get blank white screens on each of them when I turn them on, no matter which game I use. I've researched it and can't get a definitive answer on what's wrong, but everyone seems to say that the capacitors go bad easily in GGs, so I figured I'd start there. I bought a kit and watched a video....it definitely looks time-consuming and tedious, and you definitely need decent soldering skills for it. I've had the kit hanging around a few months and still haven't been able to sit down for the repair! I think your first step is to open your GG up and look for any obvious signs of capacitors leaking. With the GG it almost always tends to be bad capacitors or a screen issue, so worst case scenario you fix both (or just search out a working one on ebay...which is close to being my solution).

P.S. When the Critic does his system review of the Game Gear, I sure hope he gives them a D or F for reliability. They definitely don't hold up well over time.

Re: Game Gear not working...

Posted: June 1st, 2017, 9:59 am
by zetax
I've seen some Youtube videos showing replacement of the capacitors. Looks like...fun.

The way it behaves is different than what the videos show, though. They tend to show the unit on, with a whitish washed-out screen. Mine doesn't even seem to be able to keep the power on. Maybe it's still a capacitor thing, just more severe.

My Game Gear is like a guy who jogs and eats lots of veggies and fiber, then dies of a heart attack... So much for clean livin'!

Re: Game Gear not working...

Posted: June 1st, 2017, 5:27 pm
by VideoGameCritic
I would suggest using this guy - he fixed my Turbo Duo and now it works like a champ!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Service-Repair- ... xyMxpRwfFS

Re: Game Gear not working...

Posted: June 1st, 2017, 7:03 pm
by Rev
I would agree with Dave, I've used the same guy before when I got my Turbo CD. I haven't had a single issue with it since I got it like 7+ years ago. He's really professional and quick.