
Did Blowing into Nintendo Cartridges Really Help? (2012) - chungy
https://mentalfloss.com/article/12589/did-blowing-nintendo-cartridges-really-help
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ghostbrainalpha
TLDR

"So the Answer is No

So, dear readers, all signs point to no: blowing in the cartridge did not
help. My money is on the blowing thing being a pure placebo, offering the user
just another chance at getting a good connection. The problems with Nintendo's
connector system are well-documented, and most of them are mechanical -- they
just wore out faster than expected.

Having said that, it's true that kids can be grubby, and getting crud into the
cartridge or slot was a real problem -- I suspect that most of that crud was
not just dust, though, and required a more thorough cleaning than a moist
mouth-blast could provide. In fact, Nintendo released an official NES Cleaning
Kit in 1989 in an attempt to keep both the slot and cartridges clean.
Ultimately, Nintendo redesigned the NES console, releasing an NES 2 console in
1993 that's commonly known as the "top loader." Its main feature? A top
loading slot. It was more like the original Famicom, using a slot that held up
better to abuse. Similarly, the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) was
a top loader."

