What is the 4.5mm and 3.8mm Gamebit Screwdriver Needed to Disassemble Retro Video Game Cartridges?
When it comes to retro gaming, whether you're a collector, someone who loves to repair and restore old gaming cartridges or you simply just want to see what the inside of a retro video game cartridge looks like, then understanding the tools required to disassemble these games is essential. One of the most crucial tools in your gaming kit when dealing with classic game carts such as, but not limited to, the Nintendo NES, SNES, and the Sega Genesis is the Gamebit screwdriver. These specialized tools are designed to handle the unique screws used in these systems, particularly the 3.8mm and 4.5mm variants. These games aren’t getting any younger and if you want to really get in and clean those dirty carts or just study a board, then let’s educate ourselves on the gaming bit required to disassemble those bad boys!
Dude… What Are Gamebit Screws?
Gamebit screws are distinctive, five-pointed screws used in many retro gaming cartridges. Their unique shape is designed to prevent tampering and unauthorized repairs, making them a pain for anyone trying to disassemble these devices without the right tools. Remember, Amazon didn’t have cheap and super-fast shipping back when this preventative measure was first implemented. Although, back in the 80s and 90s, people still got their hands on these bits and would sometimes switch out the boards in game cartridges from the video rental store. Remember those? To open up these game cartridges, you need a 3.8mm or 4.5mm Gamebit screwdriver... most of the time. We’ll dive deeper. However, these sizes are the most common for accessing the internal cartridge components safely and effectively
A List of Nintendo 64 (N64) Game Titles with a Color Cartridge Variant
A List of Nintendo 64 (N64) Game Titles with a Color Cartridge Variant
We have all seen different color cartridges for retro video games. The early NES and SNES game cartridges were mostly grey in color. There were some cartridges that had more visual appeal than the standard grey color, however. A few did come in fun colors, such as Doom for Super Nintendo, which came in red. There were also two variants of The Legend of Zelda on NES, which featured a shiny gold finish.
When the Nintendo 64 console hit the market, Nintendo released quite a few lovely colors for their games, more than they ever had before. These colors included gold, red, and yellow. Later on in this article, we will give a complete list of all the game titles that were produced in a color other than grey, so keep on reading!
Looking back, there were 42 game titles that were released as colored cartridges for Nintendo 64. There were 268 N64 game titles released in total. So, only about 15% of the game titles released for Nintendo 64 had colored variants available. Interestingly, some of the color options that Nintendo offered to publishers were never released commercially for any game. For example, there were never any beige or pink cart