The NES it is still a highly valued console today. Many people continue to enjoy their games, even though they have accumulated a good number of years. But it is one thing to access these games with platforms like Nintendo Switch Online, and quite another to play with an original console found in the middle of a road.
The Nintendo Entertainment System was one of the most beloved consoles of the 80s. Despite the nearly 40 years that have passed for the NES, many people are still willing to let go more than 100 euros for getting one of these collectibles secondhand. So the idea of traveling a few kilometers to recover an abandoned unit is not silly at all, as well restored it can be sold for a good price.
An abandoned gem in the middle of the road
Now imagine the face that would be put on the youtuber Rob Ivy, aka The Obsolete Geek, when traveling by car and clearly recognized a Nintendo Entertainment System on the shoulder of a road from Texas. It didn’t take long for him to post his discovery on Facebook along with a Google Maps screenshot indicating roughly the location of the treasure.
Almost a full day passed and no one came for her, so Ivy got behind the wheel of her eighties Toyota Crown and drove down the same road until she found her again. And indeed, it was an original NES with minor flaws, but in pretty good overall condition. Would you have fallen out of a car during a move? Had she been thrown in the middle in an act of revenge? Those questions will surely always remain unsolved, but what the obsolete geek was clear about is that his colleague, too youtuber, The 8-Bit Guy He was the right person for this mission.
A job for 8-Bit Guy
The 8-Bit Guy is an acquaintance youtuber in the world of retro. It’s a expert in restoring old hardware, a handyman of what vintage which also produces very interesting outreach videos.
Already in his hands, this man discovered that the NES did not turn on. He cleaned the contacts to no avail and eventually replaced the part that reads the cartridge pins with a replacement he found on eBay. He then found that there was no way to close the console tray. He detected the tiny part causing the problem and was able to create a replacement with a simple paper clip. Lastly, the internal chassis, which had probably warped during its time on the road, was somewhat restored to the shape of the internal chassis. The NES came back to life.
Now restored and clean, The 8-Bit Guy has been testing several of its original cartridges with great success. He himself was surprised at how easy it had been to resurrect the console, as he initially imagined it might be beyond repair. Although it is not necessary to detract from the console itself, and it is that not many products that are sold today would be able to survive a fall and a run over like the old NES.
