N64 Gamebit

[Wools]

I?ve got a Japanese N64 at home and want to convert it so it can play American N64 games.

I?ve read up online so I?m confident with doing the mod myself (Removing a piece of plastic so the cartridge can be accepted) but I realise I need to purchase a Gamebit to open the N64 up.

From a quick Google, this seems like one of the few retailers in the UK offering one for sale.

http://www.rewind-bits.co.uk/gamebit-4-5mm-283.html?gclid=CIqug7e9sKcCFRIRfAodhkchBg

Has anyone brought from them before and does anyone recommend any other retailers to buy one from?

[nakamura]

I have just done my US snes with some long nose pliers and a file, looks neat and works well.

I have no idea about that site but here is another. http://www.consolegoods.co.uk/
A friends ordered a scart lead from them 2 days ago from their Ebay store and it arrive in 24hrs. Very good lead too.

[Wools]

Thanks for the link, I'll take a look.

[egparadigm]

The consolegoods one is a good one to go for. There are some in existence that are the wrong shape to fit the hole. I know the consolegoods one will work because I have one myself.

The tabs on the N64 are a bit bigger and tougher than the SNES ones, so pliers would be difficult. The previous owner of my N64 used a soldering iron for the job and buggered up the cart flap in the process. Not a bad idea to do the job right.

[nakamura]

The tabs on the N64 are a bit bigger and tougher than the SNES ones, so pliers would be difficult. The previous owner of my N64 used a soldering iron for the job and buggered up the cart flap in the process. Not a bad idea to do the job right.

Indeed I would agree there. On the SNES it is in easy reach and took all of ten mins for an easy finish. Once I order a screwdriver thing myself I will whip it open to tidy it up more.

[moonwhistle]

I’ve got a Japanese N64 at home and want to convert it so it can play American N64 games.

I’ve read up online so I’m confident with doing the mod myself (Removing a piece of plastic so the cartridge can be accepted) but I realise I need to purchase a Gamebit to open the N64 up.

From a quick Google, this seems like one of the few retailers in the UK offering one for sale.

http://www.rewind-bits.co.uk/gamebit-4-5mm-283.html?gclid=CIqug7e9sKcCFRIRfAodhkchBg

Has anyone brought from them before and does anyone recommend any other retailers to buy one from?

That one looks good although you need the 45mm one for N64 consoles. Good price too if that's inc postage.

I think £7 is overpriced for the screw driver one considering you can get a multi screw driver with 15 odd bits for a quid in pound shops.

Speaking of which, a quick look on ebay came up with this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Gamebit-professional-Handle-Driver-4-3-8mm-4-5mm-tool-/190473638639?pt=UK_VideoGames_VideoGameConsoles_VideoGameConsoles&hash=item2c591d12ef

£20!! And they're selling. They're just cheap generic hex head screw driver handles and probably costing him about 30p each. A fool and his money.......

[Rivera-zmoke]

You don't have to purchase a gamebit to open your console or cartridge for the N64. There is a well documented trick that you can use with a bic pen. Some ppl also like to use needle nose pliers. If you are considering to buy then it might be a good idea because you won't destroy or damage your N64.

The Rewind bit is a good one because it is made by a company called Newelectronx. Newelectronx has been making gamebits since Nintendo has been making video game consoles. Actually any gamebit is good, just make sure the teeth are not malformed. Generally those black gamebits have malformed teeth on them and chew up your screws when you try to twist the N64 security screws off. So I would recommend you stand clear of those. Most of the good gamebits I see come from Newelectronx and cost relatively less than £7, actually that's high.

Most of them come with free shipping. Before you buy ask the merchant if the gamebit is from USA or if the gamebit is from Newelectronx. Most of them will be honest and let you know. Most of the merchants that offer the Newelectronx gamebit offer a money back guarantee for a reason - because they know you won't send the game bit back. Check with Rewind, but from what I can see the gamebit there looks like the one that I have from Newelectronx.

[charlesr]

Welcome to the forum dude. Thanks for the detailed info!

[crazymadone]

That one looks good although you need the 45mm one for N64 consoles. Good price too if that's inc postage.

I think ?7 is overpriced for the screw driver one considering you can get a multi screw driver with 15 odd bits for a quid in pound shops.

Speaking of which, a quick look on came up with this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Gamebit-professional-Handle-Driver-4-3-8mm-4-5mm-tool-/190473638639?pt=UK_VideoGames_VideoGameConsoles_VideoGameConsoles&hash=item2c591d12ef

?20!! And they're selling. They're just cheap generic hex head screw driver handles and probably costing him about 30p each. A fool and his money.......

A bit misleading, if you click the "5 sold" link you will see the rest sold for ?3.45!

[Rivera-zmoke]

No worries charlesr, happy I could help. I just hope someone finds it useful.

crazymadone, i just checked the link and looks like the seller is only selling the handle. I can't see any gamebit in the picture s/he took. I'm not sure if moonwhistle notice that when he was searching for good pricing.

If you need the links for the gamebit then let me know. I'll google it and post it.

[rewindbits]

Hello!
Someone tipped me off about this post, so I thought I'd come and add my 2 cents.
For the record, I own rewind-bits so don't expect this to be impartial

Gamebits: Only 2 factories currently produce gamebits that I'm aware of. Well, as far as the market is concerned anyway. There's the ones you see on MCM USA, and the ones from NEX (newelectronx) as pointed out above. It's very easy to tell the diff, the NEX ones are shiny silver, and the MCM ones are black. The former, I believe, are manufactured in the USA (possibly) but the latter in Taiwan. The latter are inferior, as they're soft. Sorry, to avoid confusion..
black, MCM version: soft, but cheap. Unlikely to destroy screws, but may self destruct
silver NEX version: very hard, but not nearly as cheap.

The NEX ones really are superb - and I'm not saying that because I sell them. Anyone who has one will testify that they're practically unbreakable. And the mould quality is almost perfect too (usually!)


Handles: Those black handles are not available, from me, at least. I can't talk about other suppliers for privacy reasons (and respect) but I can tell you that I doubt I'll be getting them any time soon. However..
- you can normally operate a gamebit with just hand tightness, and no handle.
- for stubborn screws, you might need extra "oomph", the bits are all standard "hex" so will fit any screwdriver with interchangeable bits, or electric driver/drill etc.

poundland is an excellent place to get the drivers from - I cant match that price. Be careful though, recently theyve started doing some "mini hex" sized ones. Oh and the ratchet ones (right angle) are rubbish, so don't buy those.

Who said £7? *confused* I sell the bits for about £2.60 dont I? :P
I agree - £7 is way over the top, if someone's charging that? But, importing stuff from the USA is not a cheap endeavour either. So many import duties and taxes

So there you go. Hope that helps!
Cheers
Tim@rewind

[Rivera-zmoke]

great post rewindbits, i couldn't have said it better myself. LOL
I think they were talking about consolegoods with the cost of £7, not you. Haha
I agree the bits from MCM aren't that good, that is not a slam but a fact. Anyone who has ordered those bits in the past know for sure what you and I both mean. So they are dirt cheap for a reason.