Game Cartridges
ROM on a board
Game cartridges provided instant-loading software on ROM chips, enabling the console gaming industry while influencing game design through their constraints.
Overview
Game cartridges (or “carts”) contain ROM chips that connect directly to a console’s bus, providing instant access to game code and data. This direct connection enabled features impossible with disk-based storage and shaped game design for decades.
Technical Advantages
- No loading times: Code executes directly from ROM
- Direct hardware access: Cartridges can contain custom hardware
- Reliability: No moving parts to fail
- Copy protection: Physical format harder to pirate
Custom Hardware
Cartridges often contained more than ROM:
- Mappers: Bank switching for larger games (NES)
- Co-processors: Enhancement chips like the Super FX
- Battery backup: Save game functionality
- Extra RAM: Working memory expansion
Limitations
- Cost: More expensive to manufacture than disks
- Size limits: ROM chips have fixed capacity
- No patches: Software fixed at manufacture
- Distribution: Physical inventory required