Virtual Ribbon Replacement Kit for Virtual Boy

16 Reviews

• 1

  Waste of money, horribly designed. Have fun buying new led arrays.

  Posted by AJ on May 12th 2026

  Before starting this review I`d like to mention that I`ve be soldering and repairing consoles for roughly ten years. I have taken on many difficult projects such as the Triple Bypass for Genesis, RGB for 3DO, and many many more. I am not new to soldering, and while I could always improve, I assure you that skill was not the issue here.
  The fundamental flaw and realistically the entire point of this upgrade exists is the final step after the boards are populated and the LED arrays have been tinned. There is no reliable way to actually gauge the necessary gap between the LED array and the mod`s PCB. You will absolutely struggle with this step, and spend an absurd amount of time here hoping that you`ll actually be able to create a connection between the two for all of the necessary points.
  The official website does not contain written directions, which is a big red flag. Instead there are two videos with instructions featured. Some people might prefer this, but there is a step that`s not clear in either video. (Segasonicfan and Borderline OCD). It is not clarified if the underside of the PCB needs to be tinned or not, and regardless of if it is or not you will likely still run into spotty continuity between the LED array and PCB.
  A clue that this isn`t reliable and can lead to headache is Borderline OCD`s comment `It`s a bit fiddly` when he fails first attempt on literally both boards. This process took roughly 5-6 attempts on the first board for me, and despite cleaning the flux in between both attempts, the suggested smattering of flux between the boards and constant heat needed to attempt to connect these two boards will cause the suggested flux to melt and travel into the plastic protector lens (plastic) and harden there.
  It`s also worth mentioning that once you`ve attached the board, you have virtually no chance of removing it to attempt a better alignment. This is factoring in the included alignment board with the kit as well.
  The big problem boils down to lack of clarity on instructions, and the fact that it`s seemingly luck if you distanced the two boards apart from each other properly with the included bracket/screw. You have one chance to align this, as you won`t know it`s not aligned unless it`s very visually unaligned before getting started attempting to solder them together. The only way you`re removing them once you`ve gotten a few legs soldered is a hot air rework station, and there is a very very good chance you will a pad with that approach.
  I apologize for the long review, I just want to be thorough and explain the issues the best I can. Stone Age Gamer`s shipping was lightning fast, and their support is always great. This review is not a reflection of their service in any way. You are better off just soldering the ribbon cable to the LED array directly.

• 5

  So Glad This Exists!

  Posted by Noel T Bilbro on Mar 19th 2026

  Amazing product thanks to SSF and the passion of the upgrading community. It`s a challenging but rewarding install.

• 5

  A MUST-own for any Virtual Boy Gamer

  Posted by Stephen D Cowart on Nov 25th 2025

  Like most Virtual Boy enthusiasts, I started getting lines through one of the displays. These replacement ribbons had the VB playing like new! Definitely recommend picking up the EZ Mount device as well. Makes for a much easier install. Be sure and watch your tutorials!

• 5

  Wonderful

  Posted by Matt on Aug 16th 2025

  I`m so glad that SAG keeps these things regularly in stock. Getting a Virtual Boy and having it not work is one thing, but having an easy to replace and commonly in stock fix is even better.

• 5

  Virtual Boy Fixed

  Posted by Dan on Jun 17th 2025

  Excellent kit. Pretty difficult soldering, but with the complete soldering guide I found for this on YouTube it made it easier. The LED was too tiny for me to solder, so I didn`t install it. I recommend a really nice soldering iron and a bunch of flux in a syringe. Other than that, great kit and well designed.

• 5

  Nothing Virtual About This Fix....

  Posted by Paul on Jun 2nd 2025

  An absolutely amazing, permanent, and brilliantly designed repair kit for the Virtual Boy`s long known display problems. I`ve fit two of these so far, and both have been rock solid - highly recommended

• 5

  Virtual Ribbon Replacement Kit

  Posted by david on Nov 26th 2024

  A great product for Nintendo Virtual Boy. The Virtual Ribbon Replacement Kit is made to fix the display glitches. It comes with a clear and detailed installation instructions, but requires a little bit of soldering skills to apply, but the final effect is long lasting and removing he display issue. A must for every Nintendo Virtual Boy user!

• 5

  Good quality!

  Posted by Alberto Nannini on Apr 18th 2024

  I have not mounted it yet but it seems very well manufactured with good quality materials.

• 5

  Virtual Ribbon Replacement Kit

  Posted by Matt on Nov 29th 2023

  The Virtual Ribbon Replacement Kit for Virtual Boy presented a bit of a challenge during installation, but the clear and detailed instructions provided made the process surprisingly manageable. Once installed, the improved performance and revived gaming experience were truly worth the effort. Highly recommend for Virtual Boy enthusiasts! Lovely to see these unique bits of gaming history working like new again :)