Refurbishing & Grading Standards

REFURBISHING

Every video game console and controller we sell gets fully refurbished and thoroughly tested. Units gets disassembled, deep cleaned, serviced, and repaired as required. We provide a detailed refurbishing checklist with most consoles, so you can find out exactly what was done to your device.

General servicing and cleaning

After a few years of use most home consoles require some general servicing. That includes replacing of aged out thermal paste and clock batteries, as well as deep cleaning. We do a thorough dusting of motherboards, heatsinks, fans, drives and other components. We don't just "blow out" loose surface dust, we spend the time to remove more stubborn dust and contaminants as well to ensure optimal cooling performance. We often wash or ultrasonic clean certain more heavily contaminated components.

Cartridge connector servicing

One of the most common faults with cartridge-based systems is connector contamination or corrosion. We do a thorough flush of cartridge connectors (or ultrasonic cleaning where possible) and ensure all pins are making a good connection to restore them to a great working condition. We pay particular attention to NES 72-pin connectors which have more problems than others

Disc drive servicing

Disc drives are one of the most common failure points of console systems. Laser lenses may become contaminated or fail, trays and lid mechanisms can get stuck, spindles may break down, and in some cases the drive boards may experience capacitor or resistor failures. We perform any required services specific to each disc drive by using the best parts and tools available.

Capacitor inspection & replacement

Certain capacitors are known to be highly failure prone and we always replace them as general preventive maintenance as it can significantly increase the lifespan of motherboards and disc drives. Some examples include clock capacitors and some CPU capacitors on Original Xbox consoles, GameCube disc drive capacitors, and many more.

Cosmetic restoration

We have developed advanced processes to bring systems and controllers back to looking as close to factory fresh as possible. We ultrasonic clean and/or wash shells, buttons, membranes, and more to remove dirt and other contaminants. We also do light resurfacing of cosmetically significant surfaces such as top covers where possible. That includes removal of minor scratches/scuffs, power polishing glossy finishes (such as PS3 and Xbox 360 S shells), and conditioning the plastics.

Retrobrighting

Some console shells, particularly on lighter coloured older systems like NES, SNES, Dreamcast, and more may have fairly significant yellowing. In certain cases we may use advanced retrobrighting techniques to restore those finishes as close to the original factory look as possible.

Controller refurbishing

Controllers go through a lot of wear and tear over the years, so we make sure that all OEM controllers we service are back to factory spec and looking as good as possible. We service or replace analog sticks as needed and in many cases we can do upgrades as well. We also replace worn out thumb caps, membranes, damaged cables, and more. We then perform rigorous testing of the analog sticks, buttons, and vibration motors. We pay equal attention to cosmetics and perform a deep cleaning of every shell, as well as a light refinish of the surface where needed.

COSMETIC GRADING

While grading is subjective, our grading system should give you a good idea of what to expect when you receive your item. All consoles and controllers are in good working order regardless of their cosmetic condition.

Refurbished console and controller cosmetic grades:

• Excellent: Minimal signs of cosmetic wear such as the occasional faint mark or scratch. Typically only 5-10% of all units we work on qualify for this condition.
• Very good: Some noticeable signs of wear such as minor marks and scratches. These units will satisfy all but the most passionate collectors. Most items we sell fall under this category.
• Good: Some more noticeable cosmetic flaws such as deeper marks and scratches, minor chips, etc, but these items still look good overall and are just as clean as any other unit we service.