Did Blowing Into NES Cartridges Actually Work?

Everyone who grew up playing the NES is familiar with the idea of blowing into the cartridge to make it work, right? Here’s how the process went and why it worked… or rather, why it didn’t.

You’d slide the cartridge in, push it down to lock it in place, and turn on the console. But the screen would fill up with glitchy blocks that looked like distorted letters and broken fragments of Mario. Did blowing into Nintendo cartridges actually work?

You’d pull the cartridge out, blow into it, put it back in, and turn on the NES. Now the screen was completely purple.

You’d take it out again, blow into it once more, reinsert it, turn on the console, and fight the urge to yell at your NES. But no—now the screen just cycled between purple and the first 1.5 seconds of the game’s intro.

Finally, the game would work. But did blowing into it actually do anything? Let’s uncover the truth that always eluded us.

What Exactly Are We Talking About?

If you’re not familiar with the Nintendo Entertainment System, the example above sums up the essence of the "blowing method." People also blew directly into the NES slot to get games to work.

But why? What made us think blowing would help?

The idea was that the cartridge wasn’t working because dust was blocking the connection between the cartridge and the console. So, if you blew the dust away, the game should run properly.

However, a much simpler explanation is "monkey see, monkey do." We saw our friends blowing into their cartridges and assumed that’s just how NES games worked. And, to be fair, the games did eventually start after several rounds of blowing.

"It worked when Steve blew into it. You must be doing it wrong."

What We Got Right (Sort Of)

Back to the main question: Was there any truth to this? A little.

It’s true that display issues were caused by a poor connection. And sometimes, a dirty cartridge or slot was to blame.

More importantly, blowing into the cartridge meant taking it out and reinserting it multiple times. These steps did make a difference because they readjusted the cartridge’s position in the console. After enough tries, the cartridge usually aligned correctly and made contact.

What Nintendo Got Wrong

So, what was really happening when your NES game wouldn’t load? Unfortunately, the real culprit was the infamous design flaws of the original NES.

The bottom edge of the cartridges had copper pins meant to connect with the nickel pins inside the console. But copper is prone to corrosion, so the pins could oxidize to the point of losing contact.

Even worse, the nickel pins inside the console wore out over time. Inserting a cartridge pushed the nickel pins slightly outward, and when you removed the game, they were supposed to spring back into place.

Over time, the nickel lost its elasticity, and the pins stayed permanently bent, preventing a proper connection.

Why Blowing Into the Cartridge DIDN’T Work

As we’ve seen, the connection problem had nothing to do with dust. So blowing to remove it was pointless.

The reason the game eventually worked was basically luck. You kept readjusting the cartridge until, by chance, it made contact.

Why Did We Keep Doing It?

The truth is, the NES had design flaws—something easy to prove. It should’ve been obvious that blowing into it was a meaningless superstition.

So why did we keep believing this myth? Ironically, it was because a series of logical fallacies tricked our brains into mixing up truth and fiction. Examples include:

• Confirmation bias
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to common belief

These are the official psychological terms explaining why we were crazy for blowing into our Nintendos.

What Psychology Says

For example, the already-mentioned "monkey see, monkey do" illustrates the appeal to common belief. Since everyone did it and said it worked, we convinced ourselves it must be true.

Confirmation bias reinforced this belief—when the game finally started, we took it as proof the myth was real.

The post hoc fallacy claims that "if Event B happened after Event A, then A caused B." But if it rains after you put on a hat, that doesn’t mean the hat caused the rain. Similarly, blowing into a cartridge didn’t make it work.

"How funny—last time I did this, the game worked."

Did Blowing Into the Cartridge Make Things Worse?

The most ridiculous part of this habit is that, from the very beginning, Nintendo explicitly told us NOT to do it. Every official NES game included a slip of paper that said:

"Avoid touching the connectors with your fingers. Do not blow on them or let them get wet or dirty."

The NES troubleshooting guide on Nintendo’s official website said the same thing:

"Do not blow into the cartridges or console. Moisture from your breath can corrode and contaminate the connectors."

So, officially, blowing into the cartridge made things worse, not better.

Don’t do it.

What to Do Instead of Blowing Into the Cartridge

Option 1: Keep removing and reinserting the game (carefully). You’ll notice the cartridge has some wiggle room to shift slightly left or right in the slot. Try repositioning it each time.

Option 2: Take your faulty NES to a professional who can restore it. Or just buy a new pin connector for the NES.

Option 3: Swap it for another NES. If you do, try to get the top-loading model (New-Style NES), which completely fixes the original version’s design flaws.

Did Blowing Into NES Cartridges Really Work?

We’re sorry if this shocking truth has made you question your entire childhood. But it’s important to know that blowing into an NES cartridge or console is just plain harmful.

Follow this warning to avoid damaging your NES. And of course—spread the word! Share this article with your gamer friends.

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