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Physical Collectors "Should Plug In" Switch, 3DS And Vita Game Cards "Every 5-10 Years" To Avoid Data Loss
(www.timeextension.com)
this post was submitted on 24 Jun 2025
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What about old gameboy and NES/SNES carts? Are they made differently, or also subject to whatever issue? The article really didn’t say, but idk if those older carts are the same sort of flash or whatever, I mean they are like 40 years old at this point.
Didn't those have a battery in them?
Yes. Most original NES, SNES, and Gameboy cartridges have probably lost their saved data by now, but the batteries can be replaced relatively easily. If I remember right, they're a standard type, like the ones used for watches or hearing aids.
I know that some my old NES games retained their data at least into the 2000s. Been a while since I pulled them out and checked.
Edit: I realize this article is talking about the game data, not save data. I don't know what type of memory older games used for the ROM or if it needs periodic power. I think the batteries were only for the writeable save data.
There's some variety, but it's either a 1616, 2025, or 2032. I believe they're all 3V.
The numbers represent the physical size. 1616 is 16mm in diameter and 1.6mm thick.
I didn't realize this before looking it up just now, but they're interchangeable, as long as you can get the battery to physically fit (and watch out for surprise voltage exceptions).