ROM cartridge

Last updated

A Star Raiders ROM cartridge for an Atari computer Star raider cart.jpg
A Star Raiders ROM cartridge for an Atari computer

A ROM cartridge, usually referred to in context simply as a cartridge, cart, or card, is a replaceable part designed to be connected to a consumer electronics device such as a home computer, video game console or, to a lesser extent, electronic musical instruments. [1]

Contents

ROM cartridges allow users to rapidly load and access programs and data alongside a floppy drive in a home computer; in a video game console, the cartridges are standalone. At the time around their release, ROM cartridges provided security against unauthorised copying of software. However, the manufacturing of ROM cartridges was more expensive than floppy disks, and the storage capacity was smaller. [2] ROM cartridges and slots were also used for various hardware accessories and enhancements.

The widespread usage of the ROM cartridge in video gaming applications has led it to be often colloquially called a game cartridge.

History

TI-59 programmable calculator with ROM software library module at right, showing gold-plated contacts. Via the modules, software for a broad spectrum of applications could be bought, even for navigational calculations at sea. WIKI TI-59 ROM Module 20161212.jpg
TI-59 programmable calculator with ROM software library module at right, showing gold-plated contacts. Via the modules, software for a broad spectrum of applications could be bought, even for navigational calculations at sea.

ROM cartridges were popularized by early home computers which featured a special bus port for the insertion of cartridges containing software in ROM. In most cases the designs were fairly crude, with the entire address and data buses exposed by the port and attached via an edge connector; the cartridge was memory mapped directly into the system's address space [4] such that the CPU could execute the program in place without having to first copy it into expensive RAM.

The Texas Instruments TI-59 family of programmable scientific calculators used interchangeable ROM cartridges that could be installed in a slot at the back of the calculator. The calculator came with a module that provides several standard mathematical functions including the solution of simultaneous equations. Other modules were specialized for financial calculations, or other subject areas, and even a "games" module. Modules were not user-programmable. The Hewlett-Packard HP-41C had expansion slots which could hold ROM memory as well as I/O expansion ports.

Computers using cartridges in addition to magnetic media are the VIC-20 and Commodore 64, MSX, Atari 8-bit family, [5] TI-99/4A (where they were called Solid State Command Modules and were not directly mapped to the system bus) and IBM PCjr [6] (where the cartridge was mapped into BIOS space). Some arcade system boards, such as Capcom's CP System and SNK's Neo Geo, also used ROM cartridges. Cassettes and floppy disks cost less than ROM cartridges[ citation needed ] and some memory cards were sold as an inexpensive alternative to ROM cartridges. [7]

First cartridge-like jumper card for the Magnavox Odyssey First cartridge of magnavox odyssey.jpg
First cartridge-like jumper card for the Magnavox Odyssey

A precursor to modern game cartridges of second generation video consoles was introduced with the first generation video game console Magnavox Odyssey in 1972, using jumper cards to turn on and off certain electronics inside the console. A modern take on game cartridges was invented by Wallace Kirschner, Lawrence Haskel and Jerry Lawson of Alpex Computer Corporation, first unveiled as part of the Fairchild Channel F home console in 1976. [8] [9] The cartridge approach gained more popularity with the Atari 2600 released the following year. From the late 1970s to mid-1990s, the majority of home video game systems were cartridge-based. [9]

The Fairchild Channel F was the first video game console to feature games on interchangeable ROM cartridges. Fairchild-Channel-F.jpg
The Fairchild Channel F was the first video game console to feature games on interchangeable ROM cartridges.

As compact disc technology came to be widely used for data storage, most hardware companies moved from cartridges to CD-based game systems. Nintendo remained the lone hold-out, using cartridges for their Nintendo 64 system; the company did not transition to optical media until the release of the GameCube in 2001. [10] Cartridges were also used for their handheld consoles, which are known as Game Cards in the DS/3DS line of handhelds. These cartridges are much smaller and thinner than previous cartridges, and use the more modern flash memory for game data rather than having built-in ROM chips on PCBs for the same purpose. With the release of the Nintendo Switch in 2017, the company went back to using cartridges for their systems, moving away from their own proprietary optical disc media since the release of the GameCube in 2001. These cartridges are known as Game Cards like previous Nintendo handhelds. They are much smaller and thinner than previous cartridges for consoles as well as Nintendo's own Game Cards for their handhelds, and also uses the same flash memory technology as featured in the aforementioned Game Cards for their handhelds but with larger storage space.

In 1976, 310,000 home video game cartridges were sold in the United States. [11] Between 1983 and 2013, a total of 2,910.72 million software cartridges had been sold for Nintendo consoles. [12]

Use in hardware enhancements

ROM burner for the Nintendo DS Intelligent-Systems-Nintendo-DS-Nitro-Burner.jpg
ROM burner for the Nintendo DS

ROM cartridges can not only carry software, but additional hardware expansions as well. Examples include various cartridge-based chips on the Super NES, the SVP chip in the Sega Genesis version of Virtua Racing , [13] and a chess module in the Magnavox Odyssey². [14]

Micro Machines 2 on the Genesis/Mega Drive used a custom "J-Cart" cartridge design by Codemasters which incorporated two additional gamepad ports. This allowed players to have up to four gamepads connected to the console without the need for an additional multi-controller adapter. [15]

Advantages and disadvantages

The N64 used cartridges when most home consoles had shifted to CD-ROMs. N64-Console-Set.jpg
The N64 used cartridges when most home consoles had shifted to CD-ROMs.

Storing software on ROM cartridges has a number of advantages over other methods of storage like floppy disks and optical media. As the ROM cartridge is memory mapped into the system's normal address space, software stored in the ROM can be read like normal memory; since the system does not have to transfer data from slower media, it allows for nearly instant load time and code execution. Software run directly from ROM typically uses less RAM, leaving memory free for other processes. While the standard size of optical media dictates a minimum size for devices which can read discs, ROM cartridges can be manufactured in different sizes, allowing for smaller devices like handheld game systems. ROM cartridges can be damaged, but they are generally more robust and resistant to damage than optical media; accumulation of dirt and dust on the cartridge contacts can cause problems, but cleaning the contacts with an isopropyl alcohol solution typically resolves the problems without risk of corrosion. [16]

ROM cartridges typically have less capacity than other media. [17] The PCjr-compatible version of Lotus 1-2-3 comes on two cartridges and a floppy disk. [18] ROM cartridges are typically more expensive to manufacture than discs, and storage space available on a cartridge is less than that of an optical disc like a DVD-ROM or CD-ROM. Techniques such as bank switching were employed to be able to use cartridges with a capacity higher than the amount of memory directly addressable by the processor. As video games became more complex (and the size of their code grew), software manufacturers began sacrificing the quick load times of ROM cartridges in favor of greater storage capacity and the lower cost of optical media. [19] [20] Another source of pressure in this direction was that optical media could be manufactured in much smaller batches than cartridges; releasing a cartridge video game on the other hand inevitably includes the risk of producing thousands of unsold cartridges. [21]

An opened Game Boy cartridge with battery-backed volatile memory for game saves for Pokemon Silver Version. Measures 2.2" x 2.56" x 0.32" (or 56 mm x 65 mm x 8 mm) PokemonSilverBoard.jpg
An opened Game Boy cartridge with battery-backed volatile memory for game saves for Pokémon Silver Version . Measures 2.2" × 2.56" × 0.32" (or 56 mm × 65 mm × 8 mm)

Electronic musical instruments usage

Besides their prominent usage on video game consoles, ROM cartridges have also been used on a small number of electronic musical instruments, particularly electronic keyboards.

Yamaha has made several models with such features, with their DX synthesizer in the 1980s, such as the DX1, DX5 and DX7 and their PSR keyboard lineup in the mid-1990s, namely the PSR-320, PSR-420, PSR-520, PSR-620, PSR-330, PSR-530 and the PSR-6000. These keyboards use specialized cards known as Music Cartridges, a ROM cartridge simply containing MIDI data to be played on the keyboard as MIDI sequence or song data. [22] [23]

Casio has also used similar cartridges known as ROM Pack in the 1980s, before Yamaha's Music Cartridge was introduced. Models that used these cartridges were in the Casiotone line of portable electronic keyboards. [24]

Cartridge-based video game consoles and home computers

A disassembled Nintendo 64 Game Pak N64-Game-Cartridge.jpg
A disassembled Nintendo 64 Game Pak

Amstrad

Atari, Inc.

Bandai

Blaze Entertainment

Coleco

Fairchild Camera and Instrument

Fisher-Price

IBM

Interton

LeapFrog

Magnavox / Philips

Mattel

Milton Bradley

NEC

Nikko Europe

Nintendo

Sega

SNK

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ColecoVision</span> Second-generation home video game console

ColecoVision is a second-generation home video-game console developed by Coleco and launched in North America in August 1982. It was released a year later in Europe by CBS Electronics as the CBS ColecoVision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Handheld game console</span> Portable self-contained video game console

A handheld game console, or simply handheld console, is a small, portable self-contained video game console with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are smaller than home video game consoles and contain the console, screen, speakers, and controls in one unit, allowing players to carry them and play them at any time or place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of video games</span>

The history of video games began in the 1950s and 1960s as computer scientists began designing simple games and simulations on minicomputers and mainframes. Spacewar! was developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) student hobbyists in 1962 as one of the first such games on a video display. The first consumer video game hardware was released in the early 1970s. The first home video game console was the Magnavox Odyssey, and the first arcade video games were Computer Space and Pong. After its home console conversions, numerous companies sprang up to capture Pong's success in both the arcade and the home by cloning the game, causing a series of boom and bust cycles due to oversaturation and lack of innovation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Video game console</span> Computer system for running video games

A video game console is an electronic device that outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home consoles, which are generally placed in a permanent location connected to a television or other display devices and controlled with a separate game controller, or handheld consoles, which include their own display unit and controller functions built into the unit and which can be played anywhere. Hybrid consoles combine elements of both home and handheld consoles.

The video game crash of 1983 was a large-scale recession in the video game industry that occurred from 1983 to 1985, primarily in the United States. The crash was attributed to several factors, including market saturation in the number of video game consoles and available games, many of which were of poor quality. Waning interest in console games in favor of personal computers also played a role. Home video game revenue peaked at around $3.2 billion in 1983, then fell to around $100 million by 1985. The crash abruptly ended what is retrospectively considered the second generation of console video gaming in North America. To a lesser extent, the arcade video game market also weakened as the golden age of arcade video games came to an end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memory card</span> Electronic data storage device

A memory card is an electronic data storage device used for storing digital information, typically using flash memory. These are commonly used in digital portable electronic devices, such as Digital cameras as well as in many early games consoles such as the Nintendo Wii. They allow adding memory to such devices using a card in a socket instead of protruding USB flash drives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM PCjr</span> Home computer

The IBM PCjr was a home computer produced and marketed by IBM from March 1984 to May 1985, intended as a lower-cost variant of the IBM PC with hardware capabilities better suited for video games, in order to compete more directly with other home computers such as the Apple II and Commodore 64.

The fifth generation era refers to computer and video games, video game consoles, and handheld gaming consoles dating from approximately October 4, 1993, to March 23, 2006. For home consoles, the best-selling console was the Sony PlayStation, followed by the Nintendo 64, and then the Sega Saturn. The PlayStation also had a redesigned version, the PSone, which was launched on July 7, 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Home video game console</span> Stationary video game console

A home video game console is a video game console that is designed to be connected to a display device, such as a television, and an external power source as to play video games. While initial consoles were dedicated units with only a few games fixed into the electronic circuits of the system, most consoles since support the use of swappable game media, either through game cartridges, optical discs, or through digital distribution to internal storage.

The history of video game consoles, both home and handheld, began in the 1970s. The first console that played games on a television set was the 1972 Magnavox Odyssey, first conceived by Ralph H. Baer in 1966. Handheld consoles originated from electro-mechanical games that used mechanical controls and light-emitting diodes (LED) as visual indicators. Handheld electronic games had replaced the mechanical controls with electronic and digital components, and with the introduction of Liquid-crystal display (LCD) to create video-like screens with programmable pixels, systems like the Microvision and the Game & Watch became the first handheld video game consoles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PC game</span> Electronic game played on a personal computer

A personal computer game, also known as a computer game or abbreviated PC game, is a video game played on a personal computer (PC). They are defined by the open platform nature of PC systems.

Homebrew, when applied to video games, refers to software produced by hobbyists for proprietary video game consoles which are not intended to be user-programmable. The official documentation is often only available to licensed developers, and these systems may use storage formats that make distribution difficult, such as ROM cartridges or encrypted CD-ROMs. Many consoles have hardware restrictions to prevent unauthorized development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassette Vision</span> Home video game console

The Cassette Vision is a second generation home video game console made by Epoch Co. and released in Japan on July 30, 1981. A redesigned model called the Cassette Vision Jr. was released afterwards.

A dedicated console is a video game console that is limited to one or more built-in video game or games, and is not equipped for additional games that are distributed via ROM cartridges, discs, downloads or other digital media. Dedicated consoles were very popular in the first generation of video game consoles until they were gradually replaced by second-generation video game consoles that use ROM cartridges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second generation of video game consoles</span> Second video game console generation, including the Atari 2600

In the history of video games, the second-generation era refers to computer and video games, video game consoles, and handheld video game consoles available from 1976 to 1992. Notable platforms of the second generation include the Fairchild Channel F, Atari 2600, Intellivision, Odyssey 2, and ColecoVision. The generation began in November 1976 with the release of the Fairchild Channel F. This was followed by the Atari 2600 in 1977, Magnavox Odyssey² in 1978, Intellivision in 1980 and then the Emerson Arcadia 2001, ColecoVision, Atari 5200, and Vectrex, all in 1982. By the end of the era, there were over 15 different consoles. It coincided with, and was partly fuelled by, the golden age of arcade video games. This peak era of popularity and innovation for the medium resulted in many games for second generation home consoles being ports of arcade games. Space Invaders, the first "killer app" arcade game to be ported, was released in 1980 for the Atari 2600, though earlier Atari-published arcade games were ported to the 2600 previously. Coleco packaged Nintendo's Donkey Kong with the ColecoVision when it was released in August 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Game backup device</span> Device for backing up ROM information from a video game cartridge

A game backup device, informally called a copier, is a device for backing up ROM data from a video game cartridge to a computer file called a ROM image and playing them back on the official hardware. Recently flash cartridges, especially on the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS platforms, only support the latter function; they cannot be used for backing up ROM data. Game backup devices also make it possible to develop homebrew software on video game systems. Game backup devices differ from modchips in that modchips are used in conjunction with systems that use generally available media such as CDs and DVDs, whereas game backup devices are used with systems that use cartridges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Home computer</span> Class of microcomputers

Home computers were a class of microcomputers that entered the market in 1977 and became common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single, non-technical user. These computers were a distinct market segment that typically cost much less than business, scientific, or engineering-oriented computers of the time, such as those running CP/M or the IBM PC, and were generally less powerful in terms of memory and expandability. However, a home computer often had better graphics and sound than contemporary business computers. Their most common uses were word processing, playing video games, and programming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nintendo 64 Game Pak</span> Nintendo 64 storage medium

Nintendo 64 Game Pak is the brand name of the ROM cartridges that store game data for the Nintendo 64. As with Nintendo's previous consoles, the Game Pak's design strategy was intended to achieve maximal read speed and lower console manufacturing costs through not integrating a mechanical drive, with a drawback of lower per dollar storage capacity compared to a disk. From the console's first year from late 1996 through 1997, Game Pak sizes were 4 to 12 megabytes with a typical third party retail price of US$75.99, then available in 32 megabytes in 1998, and finally 64 megabytes from 1999 onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Home video game console generations</span> Video game consoles released during the same period

In the video game industry, the market for home video game consoles has frequently been segmented into generations, grouping consoles that are considered to have shared in a competitive marketspace. Since the first home consoles in 1972, there have been nine defined home console generations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polymega</span> Home video game console

Polymega is a home video game console developed by American company Playmaji, Inc. It is a retro gaming console offering backwards compatibility with several CD-based platforms: PlayStation, TurboGrafx-CD, Neo Geo CD, Sega CD, and Sega Saturn. It also supports cartridge-based platforms, including Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Sega Genesis, Sega 32X, Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), and Nintendo 64. It includes a built-in CD drive, while separate add-ons known as Element Modules provide support for cartridge-based games.

References

  1. ↑ "CARTRIDGE | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary". Dictionary.cambridge.org. May 25, 2022. Archived from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  2. ↑ Novogrodsky, Seth (April 1984). "Plug in a Program". PC World. Vol. 2, no. 4. International Data Group. pp. 2–5. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Texas Instruments software catalog for TI-58C/TI-59" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  4. ↑ USpatent 4485457A,Richard K. Balaska, Robert L. Hunter, and Scott S. Robinson,"Memory system including RAM and page switchable ROM",issued 1984-11-27, assigned to CBS Inc.
  5. ↑ Pollson, Ken (October 30, 2008). "Chronology of the Commodore 64 Computer". Archived from the original on January 16, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
  6. ↑ Hoffmann, Thomas V. (March 1984). "IBM PCjr". Creative Computing. 10 (3): 74. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2008.
  7. ↑ "What MSX? (GB)". February 11, 1984 – via Internet Archive.
  8. ↑ Edwards, Benj (January 22, 2015). "The Untold Story Of The Invention Of The Game Cartridge". Fast Company . Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  9. 1 2 "1976: Fairchild Channel F – First ROM Cartridge Video Game System". CED Magic. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
  10. ↑ Kent, Steven (September 6, 2001). The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon--The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World. Crown. pp. 450–453, 584. ISBN   978-0761536437.
  11. ↑ "The Replay Years: Enter 1976". RePlay. Vol. 11, no. 2. November 1985. p. 150.
  12. ↑ "Consolidated Sales Transition by Region" (PDF). Nintendo. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 20, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  13. ↑ Horowitz, Ken (March 17, 2006). "Sega's SVP Chip: The Road Not Taken?". SEGA-16. Archived from the original on October 21, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  14. ↑ "C7010 Chess Module Service Manual". Manuals. Internet Archive. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  15. ↑ "A Small History Of Micro Machines". Retro Gamer . No. 113. Bournemouth: Imagine Publishing. pp. 60–67. ISSN   1742-3155.
  16. ↑ NES Cleaning Kit manual
  17. ↑ Cook, Karen (March 6, 1984). "Jr. Sneaks PC into Home". PC Magazine. p. 35. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  18. ↑ Trivette, Donald B. (April 1985). "Lotus 1-2-3 For IBM PCjr". Compute!. p. 63. Archived from the original on December 20, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  19. ↑ "The SNES CD-ROM". Gamer's Graveyard. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
  20. ↑ Isbister, Katherine (2006). "Interview: Ryoichi Hasegawa and Roppyaku Tsurumi of SCEJ". Better Game Characters by Design: A Psychological Approach. San Francisco, California: Elsevier Inc. p. 99. ISBN   978-1-55860-921-1. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
  21. ↑ "Who You Pay to Play". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 82. Ziff Davis. May 1996. pp. 16–18.
  22. ↑ Curtis, Jason (September 26, 2017). "Yamaha Music Cartridge". Museum of Obsolete Media. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  23. ↑ Johnson, Jacob (November 5, 2020). "Yamaha DX Series". Perfect Circuit. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Casio ROM Packs". www.crumblenet.co.uk. Archived from the original on December 17, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.