/vr/ - Retro Games

[Anonymous No.5455101]

does anyone here have experience with reshelling old handhelds? i used to be a retarded kid and i didn't take care of my handhelds and i kinda want to fix them. should i avoid chinese ebay sellers?

[Anonymous No.5455151]

The replacement shells are all imperfect copies that have weird gaps and feel cheap.

[Anonymous No.5455163]

you could buy a broken one and just switch the guts around

[Anonymous No.5455286]

All the aftermarket shells I’ve gotten have felt just a little bit off in some ways.

[Anonymous No.5455290]

>>5455286
>that different font for the gameboy logo
ew. still, i guess it's worth it if some of my handhelds are missing parts?

[Anonymous No.5455291]

To the point where they feel like they don’t quite fit together well.
They are servicible, but if you can get an otherwise non functioning handheld to harvest its shell i’d recommend that

[Anonymous No.5455349]

>>5455290
Yeah, it’s always gonna look and feel a little off model next to the real thing but overall it’s servicible.
Except the link port cover.
That didn’t fit tight at all, fell out and got lost.

[Anonymous No.5455351]

>>5455151
I bought a few different ones and they all had problems like that. Made me really disappointed, especially since all the nintendo sperglords before me on the internet touted them like the coming of christ for their destroyed handhelds.

[Anonymous No.5455365]

>>5455351
Nah, that’d be those fancy metal ones

[Anonymous No.5455480]

I bought a replacement GBA SP shell from China and can confirm it feels noticeably cheaper and the parts don't fit together as well as stock. It was worth it for me though because the original shell on the SP was completely destroyed.

[Anonymous No.5455694]

i bought a psp on ebay from some mexican lol the screen started messing up real hard in a few hours because a ribbon cable got loose or something. sent it back got my money back because the dipshit refused to pay me so i could fix the screen so i got a new one on craigslist that came up shortly after

[Anonymous No.5455737]

>>5455101
I mean god damn did you actually break it or scar it in some way? Otherwise open it, clean it, and at most get some replacement buttons if you want. DMGs are piss easy to work with, and you can get a triwing scew bit from Harbor Freight for like 6 bucks

[Anonymous No.5455753]

>>5455737
not just a DMG, i have an advance too that needs some replacements. shit like that happens when you have a little sister and a dog.

[Anonymous No.5455758]

>>5455101
>does anyone here have experience with reshelling old handhelds?
For a 1st edition game boy, just buy one with a broken screen on ebay for $20. I have one I just found and was going to sell it, and it is 100% fucking worthless. It works somewhat, but is missing the protective screen over the glass.

[Anonymous No.5455759]

>>5455753
I'd say just bid on one of the better looking GBAs that shows up on eBay. There's a Japanese seller that posts a shitload of them. 7 bucks shipping but they mostly look to be in okay physical shape. You can always grab a new screen plate separately. Everyone in here is right, tho. A lot of the replacement shells have fitting issues. I tried to re-shell a DSLite back in the day for a cracked hinge and the new shell felt awful.

[Anonymous No.5455764]

>>5455759
that's a damn shame though. are the plastics just really hard to come by?

[Anonymous No.5455769]

>>5455101
>Blue text for replacement shells, especially the clear plastic ones
This triggers me hardcore. Why does everyone only sell them in blhe text, not the fucking pink text they came with originally?

[Anonymous No.5455773]

>>5455764
No, it's just working with shitty old/inferior molds. I wouldn't mind trying one of the completely new shells, like the one without the signature curved speaker corner

[Anonymous No.5455790]

If you get aftermarket shells I’d recommend you get the display lens in glass.
It’s very slick. A little more scratch resistant but a little less drop resistant.

[Anonymous No.5455942]

I "inherited" an original DMG that was in poor condition, stained piss yellow by the years, the screen cover was held in place by adhesive tape. Seeing as it was an absolute eyesore, I bought a cheap/standard issue chinese aftermarket replacement shell. I can confirm what the others say - the quality is definitely inferior to the original. The two halves of the shell don't fit together perfectly (there's a tiny gap), there's minor discrepancies with the writing, etc. Also I exchanged the new buttons and rubber pads that came with it and opted for the original ones. The new D-Pad was horrible, diagonals barely registered. The A and B buttons were sitting too low and the rubber pads were so tight I could hear/feel the metal shielding inside the case go "pling" every time I pressed them. Not sure if they would have worn out over time and become more comfortable, but the old buttons/pads get the job done just fine.

Other than that, it was a definite upgrade over the previous state for aesthetic reasons alone. The unit is nice to look at again and I feel that it was definitely worth the (very small) investment. Holding it in your hands and playing it, you don't notice any of the imperfections. Your mileage may vary.

>>5455790
Can confirm, I got a glass lens for my GBC as the original one was scratched and it is absolutely gorgeous to look at. Only noticed when applying it that the color of the frame differed from the original one (original is dark grey, new one is pitch black), but I actually like the look of it.

[Anonymous No.5455959]

I've replace about 8 shells and my experiences were mostly positive

[Anonymous No.5456526]

>>5455101
considering it doesn't change gameplay at all: no.