View source for Game Pak

{{Product infobox
|image=[[File:SMB Game Pak.png|150px]]
|caption=
|released=1983
|manufactured=[[Nintendo]]
|usedfor=[[Family Computer|Famicom]] / {{NES}}<br>[[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]]<br>[[Nintendo 64]]<br>[[Game Boy]]<br>[[Game Boy Color]]<br>[[Game Boy Advance]]
|model='''SNES:''' SNS-006 / SHVC-006<br>'''N64:''' NUS-006<br>'''GB:''' DMG-13 (rumble), DMG-20 (tilt)<br>'''GBC:''' CGB-002<br>'''GBA:''' AGB-002
}}
The '''Game Pak''' is the physical medium used by Nintendo for all of its video game devices up through the [[Game Boy Advance]]. Game Paks are {{wp|ROM cartridge}}s with the game programmed onto a circuit board. Although certain consoles had peripherals that allowed the system to play games on formats other than Game Paks, the Game Pak format would not be retired for home consoles until the [[Nintendo GameCube]], which uses the [[Game Disc]] format, and on handheld devices until the [[Nintendo DS]], which uses [[Game Card]]s.

==Features and functionality==
===Famicom / NES===
{{stub|type=section}}
After the system was redesigned into the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] for the American and European markets, the cartridges were also redesigned. The Nintendo Entertainment System Game Paks are long, grey cartridges with an indent on the top left allowing players to pull the cartridge out of the system's loading tray. The console also used a 72-pin cartridge connector, as opposed to the 60-pin one on the Family Computer. Many early games, especially those released during the soft launch of the NES, use the original Famicom cartridge board attached to a 72-pin adapter.

To prevent another situation like the {{wp|North American video game crash of 1983}}, [[Nintendo of America]]'s licensing terms required that all NES Game Paks be produced internally. All licensed NES Game Paks also have a "CIC" (Custom Integrated Circuit) chip that allows the game to play on the console, acting as a key for the [[10NES]] lockout program.

Many later games incorporated custom chips on the game board that allowed developers to make larger games and take advantage of features beyond what the system hardware normally allowed. For example, the NES port of [[Capcom]]'s ''{{wp|Ghosts 'n Goblins (video game)|Ghosts 'n Goblins}}'' was the first game to make use of a 128 KB cartridge<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9PuSrn_H1c Famicom Disk System - Gaming Historian]. Gaming Historian (YouTube; July 14, 2016). Retrieved February 6, 2017.</ref>, while the Famicom version of Konami's ''{{wp|Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse}}'' features a custom "VRC6" processor that allows the game to use additional sound channels. Later Game Paks also received a slight design revision; while earlier cartridges use five screws to hold the two shells together, those released later use a pair of plastic clips to secure the tops together, eliminating the need for the two screws at the top.

When converting {{FDS}} games to the Game Pak format for international release, the base Game Pak hardware did not have the capacity to save data unlike a [[Disk Card]]. For most games, such as {{ga|Kid Icarus}} or {{ga|Metroid}}, the developers implemented a password system in place of the save feature. However, some, such as {{ga|The Legend of Zelda}} and [[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link|its sequel]], use a {{wp|button cell|cell battery}} to record players' progress.<ref>[http://thegaminghistorian.com/5-interesting-facts-about-the-legend-of-zelda/ 5 Interesting Facts About The Legend of Zelda]. Gaming Historian (November 16, 2011). Retrieved February 6, 2017.</ref>

===Game Boy===

===SNES===

===Nintendo 64===

===Game Boy Color===

===Game Boy Advance===

==External links==
*{{wp|Nintendo Entertainment System Game Pak|Nintendo Entertainment System Game Pak on Wikipedia}}
*{{wp|Super Nintendo Entertainment System Game Pak|Super Nintendo Entertainment System Game Pak on Wikipedia}}
*{{wp|Nintendo 64 Game Pak|Nintendo 64 Game Pak on Wikipedia}}

==References==
{{ref}}
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{{Nintendo Entertainment System}}
{{Game Boy and Game Boy Color}}
{{SNES}}
{{Nintendo 64}}
{{Game Boy Advance}}