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Big Mac · Apr 15, 2006, 09:41 PM

A few years ago my younger brother got me back into playing my NES games, and yesterday I was playing Adventure of Link - my original gold color NES cartidge on my original NES. After I was finished, I decided to read through my manual, and near the end it gives information on the cartridge's battery. The last statement on the page states the battery is designed to save game information for five years. It has now been eighteen years, and the battery is fine. That's a quality product. If you still have your AOL or LOZ cartridge, is the battery still alive?

goMac · Apr 15, 2006, 09:51 PM

Originally Posted by Big Mac

A few years ago my younger brother got me back into playing my NES games, and yesterday I was playing Adventure of Link - my original gold color NES cartidge on my original NES. After I was finished, I decided to read through my manual, and near the end it gives information on the cartridge's battery. The last statement on the page states the battery is designed to save game information for five years. It has now been eighteen years, and the battery is fine. That's a quality product. If you still have your AOL or LOZ cartridge, is the battery still alive?

Yep, my LOZ still has working battery.

macaddict0001 · Apr 15, 2006, 11:16 PM

I think they did that so nobody sued over lost data. and yes no dead batts that i know of.

meelk · Apr 15, 2006, 11:19 PM

even if the battery dies you can open the cart and put another in

I believe the smaller 'gamebit' screwdriver opens those fine. There are 2 gamebits, the larger opens all nintendo consoles up the gamecube.

Aquataris · Apr 15, 2006, 11:37 PM

I have an extensive NES library. Not one battery has ever croaked on me or lost data. And I revisit games a lot over the years.

starman · Apr 15, 2006, 11:41 PM

Is there a way to back up the data just in case? These can't last forever.

Aquataris · Apr 15, 2006, 11:44 PM

Originally Posted by starman

Is there a way to back up the data just in case? These can't last forever.

As far as I know there isn't any way to back it up... But Nuby made a lot of peripherals during the NES' long run, maybe a backup device was one of them. If it were, I'm sure you could get it for under $5.

sek929 · Apr 15, 2006, 11:45 PM

I have a NES and LOZ and my original save game is still present. Along with my SNES Link to the Past orginal save game.

Nintendo rocks

misc · Apr 15, 2006, 11:50 PM

FF1 has worked fine for me for years and years. It only lost a game once.

Aquataris · Apr 15, 2006, 11:53 PM

LOL, I just love the hidden "Blow in the bottom of the cart" minigames that you unlock after a couple of years of use.

Big Mac · Apr 16, 2006, 12:01 AM

Originally Posted by Aquataris

LOL, I just love the hidden "Blow in the bottom of the cart" minigames that you unlock after a couple of years of use.

Never did that, and never had to do it. I have only had one cartridge fail on me - Ninja Gaiden - and it failed not too long after its original purchase. My brother believes many of the problems people report with their NESs are actually cartridge problems caused by blowing into them or storing them improperly. I was always very careful with my cartridges.

Aquataris · Apr 16, 2006, 12:05 AM

Originally Posted by Big Mac

Never did that, and never had to do it. I have only had one cartridge fail on me - Ninja Gaiden - and it failed not too long after its original purchase. My brother believes many of the problems people report with their NESs are actually cartridge problems caused by blowing into them or storing them improperly. I was always very careful with my cartridges.

I think you're right cause I only had to blow in used games I bought. I babied the hell out of the ones I bought new.

P.S. Ninja Gaiden owned all other ninja games of the time... and in it's day, there were at least 100 ninja games. I coveted Ninja Gaiden Trilogy for the SNES.

ort888 · Apr 16, 2006, 12:39 AM

I have a few games with wonky batteries that delete games, and one of them is indeed an original Zelda. The other one is Ogre battle for the SNES.

turbopants · Apr 16, 2006, 12:53 AM

I have not played my LOZ in years, and sure enough, it has my previous game saves intact. Always liked the gold cartridges.

Jim Paradise · Apr 16, 2006, 12:57 AM

Nintendo's dead! Blue-ray! Hi-definition!! Errr, wait...

Chuckit · Apr 16, 2006, 02:01 AM

Originally Posted by Big Mac

Never did that, and never had to do it. I have only had one cartridge fail on me - Ninja Gaiden - and it failed not too long after its original purchase. My brother believes many of the problems people report with their NESs are actually cartridge problems caused by blowing into them or storing them improperly. I was always very careful with my cartridges.

I think it was the Game Genie that did it.

Gamoe · Apr 16, 2006, 05:11 AM

Not only were they relatively reliable, cartridges were also very durable, and needed little load time. I understood Nintendo's decision to keep going cartridge on the N64.

Even many years after the practice started, I still don't agree with selling naked optical discs. Why couldn't they have put a plastic cover on the discs at least? It's funny how many newer games don't play after just a few years, yet most cartridges still play just fine, and after many falls to the floor and scratches, a decade or two later.

kick52 · Apr 16, 2006, 05:48 AM

i have a snes with a couple of games. great machine. but i use the snes9x emulator.

my super mario all stars batt. still works.

has anyone played harvest moon for snes? i cant get past the first bit. the lady keeps on telling me that i need to speak to the villagers.

JoshuaZ · Apr 16, 2006, 08:33 AM

Maybe I should break out my old copy of Zelda and open up my saved game...

VxWolfxV · Apr 16, 2006, 09:00 AM

I played Dragon Warrior 3 the other day, hoping to see my saved games. After the title screen passed the "curse" music played and then it said "Quest Log 1 has been lost" followed by Quest Log 2 and 3...

Millennium · Apr 17, 2006, 07:43 AM

Originally Posted by Gabriel Morales

Not only were they relatively reliable, cartridges were also very durable, and needed little load time. I understood Nintendo's decision to keep going cartridge on the N64.

Even many years after the practice started, I still don't agree with selling naked optical discs. Why couldn't they have put a plastic cover on the discs at least? It's funny how many newer games don't play after just a few years, yet most cartridges still play just fine, and after many falls to the floor and scratches, a decade or two later.

But... but you can't put FMVs on cartridges! The shock! The horror! OH, THE HUGE MANATEE!

starman · Apr 17, 2006, 08:10 AM

I'd prefer discs anyway. They're cheaper, you can fit more on them, and you can store the saved games externally.

Gamoe · Apr 17, 2006, 08:35 AM

Originally Posted by Millennium

But... but you can't put FMVs on cartridges! The shock! The horror! OH, THE HUGE MANATEE!

Actually, I'm sure you could... limitations are probably more with the software side, though there may be hadware memory limitations as well. (Now, as for actually playing the FMV on the system, that's another matter).

Originally Posted by starman

I'd prefer discs anyway. They're cheaper, you can fit more on them, and you can store the saved games externally.

They're certainty cheaper for distributors. But are they cheaper for you?

scaught · Apr 17, 2006, 08:58 AM

my copy of FFII (FF4 for you nerds) for SNES had the battery die. I had the game done, all characters maxed out, and was cruising that stupid room fighting pink puffs for another chunk of adamantium. I would play randomly, like every month or few months when I would get bored. One day I turned it on and all my save info was gone. I went and did something else.

So ya, they do die.

Aquataris · Apr 17, 2006, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by scaught

my copy of FFII (FF4 for you nerds) for SNES had the battery die. I had the game done, all characters maxed out, and was cruising that stupid room fighting pink puffs for another chunk of adamantium. I would play randomly, like every month or few months when I would get bored. One day I turned it on and all my save info was gone. I went and did something else.

So ya, they do die.

I noticed that you obviously are not a hardcore nerd as you didn't cry profusely and give the cart a Viking Funeral when it passed on, yet you must be a hardcore nerd to have maxed out on a FF. And you even fight pink things for MORE adamantium when the game is 100% beaten. Are you some type of hybrid nerd that can play an FF into utter submission and yet not consider suicide 15 years later when the the battery finally dies and your legacy is lost?

scaught · Apr 17, 2006, 09:21 AM

well, see, the game wasn't 100% beaten as I didn't have that extra chunk of adamantium to make some fancier armor (I think that was what was going to happen). You get one chunk of it at some point, and some dwarf on some island somewhere in the game makes you a fancy sword. With the tail (it wasnt another chunk of adamantium, i just looked it up) that the pink puff drops you got some armor. So it wasn't 100% done, just damned close. And the odds of getting the adamantium were lofty. One in 4096 or something.

as far as the rest, i am an gaming enigma.

Aquataris · Apr 17, 2006, 09:26 AM

Originally Posted by scaught

well, see, the game wasn't 100% beaten as I didn't have that extra chunk of adamantium to make some fancier armor (I think that was what was going to happen). You get one chunk of it at some point, and some dwarf on some island somewhere in the game makes you a fancy sword. With the tail (it wasnt another chunk of adamantium, i just looked it up) that the pink puff drops you got some armor. So it wasn't 100% done, just damned close. And the odds of getting the adamantium were lofty. One in 4096 or something.

as far as the rest, i am an gaming enigma.

You are indeed a rare (and patient) gamer.

ort888 · Apr 17, 2006, 10:15 AM

Originally Posted by Gabriel Morales

Actually, I'm sure you could... limitations are probably more with the software side, though there may be hadware memory limitations as well. (Now, as for actually playing the FMV on the system, that's another matter).

They're certainty cheaper for distributors. But are they cheaper for you?

Yes they are cheaper for us. They are cheaper for everyone. Cartridges were killing the industry.

Most small to mid level game developers would be out of business right now if we still used cartridges. There would be no $20 budget games if we still used cartridges.

Stradlater · Apr 17, 2006, 10:36 AM

Originally Posted by starman

Is there a way to back up the data just in case? These can't last forever.

I think some of the devices that rip roms can also rip the save files.

JHromadka · Apr 17, 2006, 03:03 PM

My gold LOZ's battery still works.

The Godfather · Apr 17, 2006, 05:24 PM

Originally Posted by macaddict0001

I think they did that so nobody sued over lost data. and yes no dead batts that i know of.

The bastards. They didn't even give us a chance to sue them

goMac · Apr 17, 2006, 08:30 PM

Originally Posted by ort888

Yes they are cheaper for us. They are cheaper for everyone. Cartridges were killing the industry.

Most small to mid level game developers would be out of business right now if we still used cartridges. There would be no $20 budget games if we still used cartridges.

True. But at least today indies could do download games and the big boys could use carts.

I'm still a fan of carts for durability and loading times, although the Gamecube discs aren't bad for loading time.

TailsToo · Apr 17, 2006, 11:08 PM

Originally Posted by JHromadka

My gold LOZ's battery still works.

Same here!