Why did my Gamecube age like a Super NES?

[c0ldb33r]

My Gamecube has been in storage for awhile. I'm cleaning up my collection and noticed that my Gamecube has ages terribly! It's coloured orange/yellow everywhere except where the memory card and wavebird receiver were sitting. It's aged a lot like my SNES :(

I've tried rubbing it clean and wiping it with water and it didn't help at all.

Any ideas?

*pics attached*

[s1lence]

Looks like the plastic is just like the SNES, cheap.

[theChad]

Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for you, but my top-loading NES aged in the same way, except only on one side of the system, then fading over the top and the other side is totally clean as if whatever was exposed to light or something got it the worst. You can even see a stained "shadow" where the controller port side covers the switch side.

My SNES is in perfect shape, however.
I'm just posting because I'm curious as well.

See attached pictures.

[eskobar]

Those plastics have a very low resistence to chemical factors. Sun exposure was the obvious cause for this discoloration, you can confirm this with the 1st controller port that has the original color, helped by the wavebird transmitter.

Low chemical resistance means that this plastic was discolored with slight sun exposure, not necessary an intense or direct exposure to sun all day long.

[ooXxXoo]

That's ABS plastic gentleman, combined with a horrible paint, as well as day to day factors such as: close in-direct or direct exposure to sunlight( UV rays, having the systems near windows).....Extreme or drastic temperature changes (for example, having the system in a hot closet, attic or basemant and bringing into a cold room and viceversa...

[SnowKitty]

My Gamecube has been in storage for awhile. I'm cleaning up my collection and noticed that my Gamecube has ages terribly! It's coloured orange/yellow everywhere except where the memory card and wavebird receiver were sitting. It's aged a lot like my SNES :(

I've tried rubbing it clean and wiping it with water and it didn't help at all.

Any ideas?

*pics attached*

try going over it with a mr. clean magic eraser, it might take some of it off

[TheRealist50]

if it really bothers you, you can buy a replacement piece off ebay. Or try using peroxide/bleach.

If your whole system is yellow you could try to find the same color spray paint or some sort of paint and paint over it. Or you now...customize it.

[skaar]

I think Sega's somehow responsible.

[megasdkirby]

That's ABS plastic gentleman, combined with a horrible paint, as well as day to day factors such as: close in-direct or direct exposure to sunlight( UV rays, having the systems near windows).....Extreme or drastic temperature changes (for example, having the system in a hot closet, attic or basemant and bringing into a cold room and viceversa...

Is this also dependent on the are where one lives?

Because I've noticed that when I lived in one area on Bayamon, nothing happened to the plastics. But when I moved, discoloration occurred.

[izarate]

This happens to every console made out of ABS. My Xbox and one of my PS2 have the yellowing too. The Xbox looks greenish, due to the plastic being black, and the PS2 looks like it has a light gray coat all over the top of the console. That being said, several of my SNES and NES still have their original color while others have become yellow. Even my Platinum GCN has suffered the same fate. I bought a spare one recently and could see that my old one has lost a little it's original glossines compared to the new one.

The key for the yellowing is the ammount of butadiene and antioxidants used in the mix. Any excess of those will accelerate the aging process of the plastic.

[megasdkirby]

Is there a protective type covering that can help prevent future yellowing? What about repair it? I know that it may be unrepairable at the molecular level, but as least help it a bit.

[sylvestor]

armer all? I use it on my older systems and I haven't had that problem. I don't use very much so as to avoid greasy ness.

[megasdkirby]

c0ldb33r, I looked at your pictures and one of them perplexes me...the SNES one.

How come the top cover is unaffected but the bottom cover is all yellowed? Shouldn't it be equal?

I've seen this many times before, and I don't understand why. My theory? Perhaps since the bottom portion houses the motherboard, heat from the motherboard circulates the bottom plastic and accelarates (a catalytic event) yellowing.

Maybe?

[InsaneDavid]

How come the top cover is unaffected but the bottom cover is all yellowed? Shouldn't it be equal?

Different plastics. Nintendo got cheap during the SNES lifespan.

[ooXxXoo]

c0ldb33r, I looked at your pictures and one of them perplexes me...the SNES one.

How come the top cover is unaffected but the bottom cover is all yellowed? Shouldn't it be equal?

I've seen this many times before, and I don't understand why. My theory? Perhaps since the bottom portion houses the motherboard, heat from the motherboard circulates the bottom plastic and accelarates (a catalytic event) yellowing.

Maybe?

It is the same ABS plastic, just that the bottom and upper side were manufactured in different runs and at different times and the plastics mixtures were different as well when built....

Like in your case, the bottom part of the shell had more oxidation levels components than the upper side did....
This happens all the time,at first, for some is only the top, others the bottom and yet for others, only the cartridge port..

[ooXxXoo]

Unfortunately, there's nothing that can be done once the yellowing has taken over, other than a paint job that is....

But if you system still is on its original color, a clear coat of "KRYLON UV" rays protectant can help to slow down the process....

[ooXxXoo]

One last thing....Please do not smoke near your systems and games...Tobacco smoke stains helps the quick yellowing process too....

[MrSparkle]

oh was that the storage unit i was always smoking tons of blunts in!?

[c0ldb33r]

One last thing....Please do not smoke near your systems and games...Tobacco smoke stains helps the quick yellowing process too....
QFT!

Just FYI, none of my system's colouring is caused by smoking.

[Superman]

I have never heard of a Gamecube changing colors. I thought we were past the dark ages of super cheap materials!

Although, when I think about it, from a business perspective, it makes sense. The coloring isn't something that happens right away so the inital consumers won't know the difference unless they keep the system for an extended period.

They can continue to use the same or similar materials, which may even be a carryover from the previous system. The end result is a lower cost.

What a plan!!

[Greg2600]

The SNES problem units were the earlier, heavier type. By around 1994, the newer, lighter models have from what I've seen, failed to yellow. The cause I believe was the amount or type of flame retardant chemical used, and obviously also due to the lighter color of the console.

I am extremely surprised this would also be happening to a Gamecube, because I would have assumed Nintendo would have learned their lesson by then. Very dumb.

[ooXxXoo]

I've seen this effect in early as well as in late revisions of the SNES,NES (front Loader and Top loader) systems and other home electronic devices too (computers,printers, monitors,phones,etc....)

[Rogue]

Yeah... sadly, there's nothing to do nowadays...

White Saturns and Dreamcasts suffer from it too... =/

The Sun! The Oxygen!

Oh, I've seen in some researrch about it: incandescent lamps are better than fluorescent. The fluorescent has some UV emission.

[alxbly]

I only very recently noticed that my Gamecube was beggining to discolor. It's not as badly affected as c0ldb33r's but the plastic does have a noticable yellow tint to it now. The first memory card slot is unnaffected and still the original grey, probably because I hardly ever took out the memory card. Anyway, my own idea for solution is this...

...keep the Gamecube boxed up until I need to play it! I've no idea if that will work or not though. Does the discoloring only take place when the plastic is exposed to sunlight or does that just trigger the start of the process? Or will the discoloration continue now regardless of whether the plastic is exposed to sunlight? If it's only UV that affects the plastic then I'll play my cube in the dark. Of course, then I won't notice the discoloration either, lol.

[izarate]

Oxidation happens in the presence of oxigen, sun light just seems to accelerate the process. I had a SNES in storage and the cartridge slot turned yellow. Althought not as bad as in the pics, it was noticeable. That SNES was the lastest revision (SNS-CPU-1CHIP-01) just before the SNES Jr. (SNN-CPU-01).

[The Manimal]

Lucky or just coincidence, I haven't had any yellowed systems.


Original SNES (control set; didn't come with SMW version)- fine
Redesigned SNES - fine
Redesigned NES - fine
Original NES (power? set; came with SMW/DH) - fine
Original Game Boy (didn't come with Tetris version) - fine
GameCube - fine
Dreamcast - fine

Of course, I keep everything in a cool, slightly more than average humidity (though I do use a dehumidifier) basement. Usually the lights (fluorescent) are off.