What is the general length of time an NES cart will last?

[guitargary75]

How long will these actually last for. I mean, one day will I get up and pop a game in 20 years from now and the game won't work!! Or, if kept in good condition will they last me till I'm 85 years young? Just wondering??

[jb143]

They should last quite a while although the contacts will probally corrode and need cleaned. Also, any with batteries will probally die if they havn't already. But those can be replaced. And the game should still work without it, you just won't be able to save. You'll probally have a harder time finding a working system 20 years from now.

[Xexyz]

We don't really know yet, but the speculation of course is that they won't last forever. The EPROM's that hold the game data will eventually erase, but aside from speculation, there really is no definitive time frame.

[tom]

346 years, 4 months, 26 days, 19 1/2 hours, 176 minutes and 17 seconds.

[PingvinBlueJeans]

The EPROM's that hold the game data will eventually erase, but aside from speculation, there really is no definitive time frame.

Huh? Aside from prototypes and perhaps some unlicensed stuff, 99% of NES games have masked ROMs (which don't erase). As long as you take care of your games (store them properly and clean them regularly), they'll work a hundred years from now.

[madman77]

We don't really know yet, but the speculation of course is that they won't last forever. The EPROM's that hold the game data will eventually erase, but aside from speculation, there really is no definitive time frame.
Very few production games used EPROM to store the data, most used mask ROMs.

[jb143]

I was going to say the same thing...except that nothing lasts forever. Eventually something in them will stop functioning. A hundred years probally isn't too far off though.

I just read that EPROMS only hold data for about 20 years but I'm pretty sure there's some out there older than that still working.

[debian4life]

Unlike CD and DVD games that can get scratched or broken easily, the cartridges will last forever. I still have Odyssey 2 carts that are playing well.

Regards,

Brian

[dcescott]

Man I found a Cobra Command cart with a crapload of gunk and hard oxidation deposits. The vendor sold it to me for .50 because he thought it was a dead game. I took it home, did my normal routine, even got some super fine sandpaper in the hard deposits, not the whole thing btw. And it works great! Cool to see a camo'd cart in the the collection! NES games will rock for quite a while.

[DefaultGen]

.....

[jb143]

I might have to rethink 100 years. Bad roms are a big problem for arcade machines right? That's about 20-30 years there(sometimes less). Of course, they've probally been under much more stress over the years being left on non-stop in the arcades then left to gather dust in storage for years. They're also more exposed so more prone to moisture and static. Cartriges are sealed and not played near as much so I'd imagine they'd last much longer but still...It could start happening eventually.

[PingvinBlueJeans]

I might have to rethink 100 years. Bad roms are a big problem for arcade machines right? That's about 20-30 years there(sometimes less).
No comparison...arcade machines are complex machines and can be subject to a variety of problems which do not affect simple game cartridges. Furthermore, "bad ROMs" are only prevalent on machines which have boards with suicide batteries (like many Sega machines from the mid-80's).


Cartriges are sealed and not played near as much so I'd imagine they'd last much longer but still...It could start happening eventually.
I have stacks of floppy disks that are over 25 years old...99% of them still work fine. Nothing is going to happen to your cartridges. Stop worrying...you'll be dead before they stop working.

[k8track]

What is the general length of time an NES cart will last?

Long past the time when I've stopped giving a crap.

[Superman]

I have a lot of NES games from the first few years of release. I haven't had a problem with any of them yet.

So, the average cart should certainly last more than 20 years.

[Eternal Champion]

As others have said, I think more concern is the lithium batteries in Zelda and Zelda II. My copies are the later, gray-cart re-releases - when did gold-cart batteries start dying?
Also, if the game isn't played very often, it would stand to reason that the battery would last longer, right?
I haven't checked my Phantasy Star II in a couple of years, but it still worked - bought in 1991.

I used to read around here that wear-and-tear on the cartridge contacts is a concern, especially with newer, replacement 72-pin connectors that really grab the carts.

[jb143]

The opposite might actaully be true. The batteries might last (slightly) longer the more you play. Since the battery just holds save data in the ram chip it could get power from the NES instead of the battery while playing...not sure though.

But I think my gold Zelda's battery died about 8 years ago. The game still works though. You just have to start over each time you fire it up. Battery replacent should be pretty trivial though.

[Eternal Champion]

Battery replacent should be pretty trivial though.
Really? Seems that some soldering is required. Is there a guide somewhere?

[Cobra Commander]

All my games still work fine and dandy.
Hell, my Zelda and Zelda II work great as do my Dragon Warrior's and Final Fantasy. I'll probably cry when my Final Fantasy dies.

[jb143]

Really? Seems that some soldering is required. Is there a guide somewhere?

Sorry...I guess soldering isn't trival to everyone. Buy yeah, the guide is:
1) Open Cart
2) Desolder and remove old battery
3) Replace and solder new battery
4) Close cart
5) Game Away

It really is that simple. (Just make sure you get the right battery)

[Eternal Champion]

Sorry...I guess soldering isn't trival to everyone. Buy yeah, the guide is:
1) Open Cart
2) Desolder and remove old battery
3) Replace and solder new battery
4) Close cart
5) Game Away

It really is that simple. (Just make sure you get the right battery)
Doesn't seem exactly "simple", but OK. So, what's the right battery?

[DogP]

For the most part, the games will probably outlive us. Although mask ROMs (typically used in released games) can't really be "erased", things can happen to cause them to go bad, even if they're not being used. One of the common problems is Electromigration, where conductors "move" on an IC, causing either an open circuit, or a short circuit with an adjacent circuit. It can also be a partial problem, which causes a weakened conductor, and then when you power it up, the power flows through the very weak connection and blows the connection like a fuse. If the case isn't sealed correctly, or there were contaminants during manufacturing, the ROM could also be rotting away over time. I'd guess we'll start seeing certain brands of games dying off over time, depending on the quality of the ROMs used.

DogP

[DarthKur]

...you'll be dead before they stop working.

Speak for yourself. I fully intend to live forever. :p

[PingvinBlueJeans]

Speak for yourself. I fully intend to live forever. :p

Okay...deities and other immortals can worry then. ;)

[rbudrick]

Okay...deities and other immortals can worry then. ;)

Fuck.

-Rob

[zdan80]

Doesn't seem exactly "simple", but OK. So, what's the right battery?

Try this (http://www.retrousb.com/index.php?productID=151)

This place sells other dev parts to build your own repro or homebrew, I assume this battery would work in replacing existing batteries.