The same software my kids and I are using to make our Genesis game is getting an update in the near future that will let us develop for Master System and Game Gear, so I figured that was as good as excuse as any to get the real thing.

So far, very impressed with how it feels and plays. Super ergonomic, and the screen somehow feels bigger than on my Retroid with an objectively bigger screen. Any recommendations for Game Gear exclusives for someone who already has a Master System?

Hi guys, looking for a bit of advice. This is my first time recapping anything, just wanted to know if this was something I've done wrong, or the screen needs replaced? Thanks in advance

Hi all,

I hope someone can help or point me in the right direction.

Recapping a Game Gear I bought after having success recapping my dad's old one.

When taking this one apart, the power board cable was very stubborn coming out. As a result, two pins went with the cable (see images). I ordered a new power cable from Retro Six and assumed it would come with the harness that I could solder to the power board but it doesn't seem to be the case. I did message them beforehand but I may not have explained myself properly.

How do I go about connecting the new power cable when the harness is missing pins? Do I remove the harness and solder the cable directly to the board? Any help or links to help in my new hobby would be much appreciated! Thanks!

Just picked up a game gear from a thrift store for $6! Great condition. Very few micro scratches on the lens. No battery corrosion and came with the power adapter.

Hi everyone,

I sell Game Gear capacitor kits and I'm about to update my offers.

Before I do, I'd rather ask the people who actually recap these consoles what they want.

Single vs Twin ASIC: Separate kits for each board revision, or one universal kit covering both (with a few extra caps)?

Sound board: Electrolytic, ceramic, or a choice of both?

Power board: I currently use polymer aluminum. Do you see it as a real upgrade, or is a good electrolytic enough?

Motherboard: I use 1210 ceramics. Any reason to go another way?

Extras: Printed cap map / install guide, spare caps, flux, solder wick… what would actually be useful?

Options: Full kit only, per-board kits, or both?

Not posting any links, I'm just here for honest feedback. Criticism of current kits on the market is welcome too!

Thanks!

Not sure the exact length/width needed, I have box of hundreds of screws but don't want to break the threads when putting case back.

I have most of the motherboard ones but misplaced the case ones.

It's a common problem with consoles for me, I also need Mega Drive ones but I have generic ones that seem to fit for that.

Hehe,

Can someone try this out and let us know if it works on the original Game Gear?

That would be cool.

Thanks!

Second one I've successfully brought back to life, out of many....

Btw, make sure to clean everything, was having an issue with the image fading fast as soon as I turned it on, turns out I had a short near C47 C49, funny thing it wasn't solder, was flux maybe not sure.

It turned out to be a defective repair job...

It’s been a while since I’ve felt the dark side of the internet.

The capacitor had been replaced, but it looked suspicious, so I took it out—and that’s when I noticed! Where on earth did all the resistors and transistors go!?

With the board in such a mess—and some pads even peeling off—I doubt it’ll boot up properly even if I install the missing parts...

Found my old game gear that had been stored on the floor of my dad’s garage. I’m guessing it got wet at some point. Just curious if it would be worth trying to save. My daughters are real big into sonic so I thought it would be cool to let them have it but it looks pretty rough to me.

The guy gave it to me with Sonic 2 and Hispeedido replacement backlight LCD kit for $40. He said he wanted to replace the screen with the kit but got scared because it's not a drop in kit and requires soldering. I solder pickups on guitars so I have no problem with it.

When I power the console on it shows the screen in the photo but does seem to change slightly and things are moving. The sound is crisp and clear.

A few questions... I've read a little about it always being capacitors. Is that the first repair? Is that before or after replacing the screen? And do I even have the right kind of kit for these? The kit he gave me matches the one in the photo he provided.

I got a Game Gear, i tested it was working before buying. Also got a issue that when i turn it on it immediately turns back off and if i hold it at a very specific angle and then turn on it works fine and doesn't turn off. Then i got a flash cartridge (yesterday), it also worked, games worked fine it was nice. Today i turned on the GG again, played Sonic Spinball for a minute, then it started "rebooting", giving me artifacts on screen and then turned off and didn't turn back on. I disassembled it and noticed the "new" capacitors already there. I don't know about solder much but this looks not too good, maybe burnt. What exactly could be the problem?

https://makerworld.com/models/3404167

I recently purchased a Game Gear from a local Disc Replay (Terre Haute, IN) with a 6 month warranty for $60. How can I tell if it was recapped without opening it? Its a 2110 model. Screen and audio work greats. Came with a third party case. I think it has a small speck of dirt on the screen. How can I remove that too?

first time i recapped a Game Gear and it did power on, sound worked too and also read games because i could hear the game playing

first issue is that the screen is just black, the backlight is fine and i could not find any trace damage or bad solder joints anywhere

second issue, i decided to reflow various joints on the power and audio board to see if that would help, i also cleaned all the boards and main board again but after doing that it started acting weird

power light flickered, unstable power, and a warm electronic smell, turns out theres now a short somewhere on the 5v line and the main big chip gets quite warm after a minute

checked the power and audio board those have no shorts but the main board has a short, i only cleaned it and i cant find anything that got loose ( other than maybe c51 ) or debris that could cause a short

third issue, while trying to find the short i was checking various parts on the 5v line and accidently knocked off c51 with one of the pads

c43 is also no longer hooked up to ground on minus side after c51 fell off

tried to solder it back on but it just would not stick and i have no idea how to fix that now, checked various schematics but cant find proper info on where it connects and how other than basic ones that i dont feel confident about being true or correct for my model

its a japanese VA2 i think ( 837-8560 )

the pictures of the board is right after i recapped, i have reflowed all the caps and checked that they do connect up to where they should etc

i had one issue and ended up with three, can i get some help on the problems im having?

I bought a battery pack from AMGamer two years ago, but sadly not playing my Game Gear for several months caused the pack to swell and crack.

https://www.amgamer.tech/Products/GG-Lithium-Pack-Wired-For-the-Sega-Game-Gear/#wbs1

I'd like to hear recommendations on any alternatives. So far, I've only come across vintage battery packs which I don't trust due to their age. I've seen some battery mods but so far they all seem to require alterations to the shell and/or internal soldering. Am I better off using rechargeable batteries?

Thank you for any help/advice you may offer.

Not sure if anyone has made any posts like this recently, but any recommendations for any IPS or just overall screen mods for the Sega Game Gear? A couple of years ago I did get a Game Gear modded with McWill's LCD Screen, but I ended up not being as much of a fan as I thought it would. It looks great, but the screen had shimmering issues when it scrolls and the screen options it had didn't do a whole lot to eliminate or at least tone it down.

Been thinking of just replacing the McWill Screen with a different Screen Mod, but I have no idea if any of the other screens out there also have the shimmering issues, or if they do a much better job at scaling the picture compared to McWill. Any recommendations?

(I'd prefer not to use whatever screen mods that are hanging around Aliexpress as I don't use that site and don't really trust the stuff that comes from there.)

I've heard good things about the BennVenn IPS screens, but IDK if those also have shimmering issues.

Start up issue here

We have a VA0 unit that we received in non working condition with no power cord. To repair it, we have done the following:

Hispeedio laminated IPS kit
New power board with rechargeable batteries
New sound board

Recap all capacitors on the main board
New D1 D2 D3 and D4
Removed Q3 and Q4

Cleaned as much corrosion as we could. It was pretty bad.

It is working now, sort of. It struggles to turn on, with the power light blinking at first and then it stabilizes and works fine. If you turn it off and immediately turn it on, it works perfectly. It is only cold starts that mess up.

We are out of ideas. What have we missed? Thanks for any suggestions.

I’ve seen questions of assortments and quality control so I made this video addressing some things fans should know before picking up the Game Gear blind box figures.

Hi
I just wanted to share the
sega Gamegear
dynamic wallpaper i made for retroarch emulator!

I thought the stack of batteries was a funny nod to how it ate batteries back in the day! 👍