Game consoles are not impervious to the rigors of time. Eventually, something will fail, and if a console is discontinued or out of warranty, there aren't many options for the average consumer outside of buying a replacement or doing the repairs manually. Fortunately, sites like iFixit do well to show do-it-yourselfers how to fix a number of the common problems that plague our favorite systems. Now, those who wish to go the self-repair route don't have to do so blind.

A few weeks ago, the staff at the site chose to "showcase the roots of today's game consoles" by taking apart five systems from the 70s, 80s, and 90s and including step-by-step instructions and high-resolution photos. They even included brief history lessons to remind us of the impact (or lack thereof) that these particular systems had on future design. The consoles chosen for teardown include the Odyssey 100 (1975), the RCA Studio II (1977), the Atari 2600 (1977), the Famicom (1983), and the Virtual Boy (1995).

LINK Week of Console Teardowns @ iFixit
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