As your game cartridge grows older, it slowly gathers dust and debris. Since many original games have been out in the world for a few decades at this point, you can imagine what might be lurking on the inside. An unclean cartridge loses its readability, which gives way to issues ranging from not being able to read/write save files or not being recognised properly to having trouble running the game itself.
Your first instinct may be to blow into the slot; however that has not been proven to be the best method since most times the dust just moves around inside, but is not eliminated efficiently. 'Dirty' pins are one of the most common causes why a cartridge might not function as expected, along with a depleted internal save battery.
To ensure that your game carts work efficiently with the GB Operator we have a step-by step guide below on how to properly clean the pins of the cartridge.
You will need: a cotton swab, 99% IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol), and a game cartridge of your choice.
1) Damp the cotton swab in IPA.
2) Gently rub the pins found at the bottom of the cart with the wet end of the swab.
3) Leave the cartridge to dry for a few minutes.
4) Pop it in and play!
If your game cartridge has been properly cleaned, yet still fails our Playback app's integrity check, there is a high probability that the cartridge is not official. This is not an issue, just something to keep in mind since unofficial cartridges have a different architecture and saving mechanism compared to official ones.