Remove yellow color from old consoles/Controllers?

[KenaiPhoenix]

I have my old trusty PSone with a controller that is more yellow than its original white color. When I see more "preserved" Dual Shock 1 or PSone I feel embarassed, looks like I put my console in a really bad place when I was a kid.

So I think I might try to clean it up, and see if I can recover some of its original color. I searched online and the one that always shows up is Retr0Bright, which is probably somewhat difficult to get here, and probably expensive. I have also read that is not that good, and that leaving the plastic to the sun is not as good as they said it is.

So I was wondering if any of you have try to "repair" the color of your console/controller. What did you use? Did you know Retr0Bright?

Do anyone knows a good technique that hopefully doesnt needs to open the system? My PSone and its controller are probable 20+ years at this point, and they work perfectly, so I would love to avoid being the one that breaks them

Thanks!

 

[Tonberry]

I remember The 8-Bit Guy having a pretty in-depth video about this particular topic a bunch of years ago.
Maybe you'll find something in this video that helps:

Here's a pic of him having tried a bunch of methods on keys:

 

[Boofytan]

Its good to open up the system & get out dust and whatnot anyway.

 

[TruxtonTatsujin TruxtonTatsujin]

I've used cream peroxide before to remove some of the Yellow on white electronics. Cover it in the developer, wrap it in plastic then leave it in the sun for many hours (a UV lamp also works well). This is basically the same thing as retrobright.
Regardless you should be opening up your old electronics and giving them a clean. It's also a lot easier to treat the plastic when it's removed from the rest.

Post automatically merged: Dec 10, 2025

Used it on my Dreamcast. It's not perfect but it's a lot better.

 

[Don Patch]

This is also a pretty good way(s)

 

[Guinea]

My brother took the casings off his old PS1 controller, put it in a bucket full of Dawn dish detergent and degreaser and scrubbed the casings with a toothbrush for a while. Looked good as new when he was done. Idk what kind of degreaser he used though.

 

[ThunderBoy]

That's why I prefer black consoles.

0 problems

 

[Infasis]

I actually was just saw this last week:

 

[Boofytan]

I actually was just saw this last week:

At a certain point, you have to ask yourself how much of your time and sanity is worth it.

Surely there must be someone on Etsy who does custom console repaint jobs like they do with vintage toys.

There's acrylics & primers that adhere to plastic. There's masking fluid to protect the parts you don't want painted. I don't see why a color matched repaint would be impossible. Better for the plastic, too.

 

[evercaptor]

At a certain point, you have to ask yourself how much of your time and sanity is worth it.

Surely there must be someone on Etsy who does custom console repaint jobs like they do with vintage toys.

There's acrylics & primers that adhere to plastic. There's masking fluid to protect the parts you don't want painted. I don't see why a color matched repaint would be impossible. Better for the plastic, too.

Be the change you want to see?

 

[GuyZero32k4]

View attachment 134454

Its good to open up the system & get out dust and whatnot anyway.

This. Even if you take good care of your shit, even cover it when you're done; you'll be surprised how much dust and shit can get in there. I was very surprised when I first took apart my systems.

 

[TruxtonTatsujin TruxtonTatsujin]

I actually was just saw this last week:

It's possible that the yellowing can resurface after retrobrighting. It only removes the surface layer that has risen to the top. The yellowing is caused by a chemical reaction after all. There's no guarantee that the process that caused the yellowing in the first place just stops. But not all plastics are the same, and sometimes it will stay white after retrobrighting. How do I know this? because I've done this more than once.

Streaking happens if you apply the cream unevenly. The blame falls on the person who applied it. It also needs more than one passthrough. He never said how long it sat for or how many times he applied it.
The more yellowed the plastic is, the more brittle it gets. This has nothing to do with retrobrighting. I've had a SNES turn solid yellow and basically shatter before I had a chance to do anything to it.

 

[KenaiPhoenix]

Thank you guys

I guess at least on the near future Im opening my PSone, I will be really delicate, I really dont want to mess it up. Its been with me for a really long while.

And for the chemical, i havent found Retr0bright here, so at least for now I will have to leave it as it is or try something else. I will take the dirt and dust that have been there forever tho, specially on the sticks

Thanks again!

 

[NeonKnights]

I recommend 3% H2O2.
I had some PS1 memory cards I wanted to try retrobrighting. I put the shell in a ziploc bag and submerged them in H2O2 and left them on a window sill in direct sunlight for a few days. It worked great and I got an even brightening effect.
My only other recommendation is to clean the shell as much as possible.

 

[FrootyLoopsSamurai]

I've thought about retrobrighting some of my consoles and peripherals, but I don't really think the patina that comes with age is something I care enough about to try and solve. The effects are usually temporary, and it's not good for the plastics to expose them to more UV light. Old consoles are old, and I don't mind it if they look it as long as they are clean.

 

[Badseed Badseed]

I'm not very knowledgeable about the subject, however i do remember hearing very recently
that the retrobrite or whiting or whatever thing is actually harmful for your retro plastic.
Here's a link I just found: https://hackaday.com/2025/12/05/warnings-about-retrobright-damaging-plastics-after-10-year-test/

 

[TruxtonTatsujin TruxtonTatsujin]

I'm not very knowledgeable about the subject, however i do remember hearing very recently
that the retrobrite or whiting or whatever thing is actually harmful for your retro plastic.
Here's a link I just found: https://hackaday.com/2025/12/05/warnings-about-retrobright-damaging-plastics-after-10-year-test/

That article is based solely off the same video that was posted here earlier. A lot of what he said was either misinformed or incorrected. You can't do a sample size of one and then claim to be an expert on the subject.

 

[Badseed Badseed]

That article is based solely off the same video that was posted here earlier. A lot of what he said was either misinformed or incorrected. You can't do a sample size of one and then claim to be an expert on the subject.

Sorry everyone, like I said I'm not knowledgeable about the subject. Just trying to help

 

[TruxtonTatsujin TruxtonTatsujin]

Sorry everyone, like I said I'm not knowledgeable about the subject. Just trying to help

oh no worries, sorry if I came across as a little harsh. It's just that I've seen that video going around for a little bit now. I just hope someone more reputable than me makes a video or something to debunk it soon.

 

[TechBlisSTer]

Don't use creams. It's possible that people will look for the yellowing as a patina in the future. Most of the time it's just not worth it unless the color really bothers you. My wife's SNES from her childhood is a very unsightly brown with the green Mr. Yuck sticker she stuck on it as a child. It's not getting retrobrighted.
As another example I have a Super Famicom that has a yellowing and browned case that's become brittle and some of the thin fins on its grills have broken off of it already. It's not getting retrobrighted either, but I did buy another Super Famicom for cheap with a bad motherboard but a perfect case if I ever decide to transplant the good board into it.

 

[SoThankful]

View attachment 134478

Looks good though.

 

[ThatOneLum ThatOneLum]

Personally, I'd recommend completely new shells for your older consoles rather than trying to retr0bright your old ones.

There are a few places where you can buy cool new-made shells for retro systems that offer plastic that is less likely to change colour over time.

I've done a few like my older 360 and a GBsp from ZedLabs, but I know you can even get them for things like the C64c and other microcomputers.