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Difference between revisions of "Game Card"

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With the release of the [[Nintendo DSi]], several developers began to release games on '''Nintendo DSi Enhanced Game Cards'''. While these game cards are similar to normal Nintendo DS Game Cards and can play on older models of the hardware, these games have exclusive features only accessible when playing on a Nintendo DSi system. In addition, while Nintendo DSi exclusive games were typically released for the [[DSiWare]] digital format, certain games were released on '''Nintendo DSi Game Cards''', white Game Cards which are only compatible with Nintendo DSi systems.<ref>[http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/03/25/gdc-09-dsi-hybrid-exclusive-carts-soon GDC 09: DSi Hybrid, Exclusive Carts Soon]. IGN (March 25, 2009). Retrieved April 16, 2016.</ref> Both models of Game Card are also forward-compatible with the Nintendo 3DS.
 
With the release of the [[Nintendo DSi]], several developers began to release games on '''Nintendo DSi Enhanced Game Cards'''. While these game cards are similar to normal Nintendo DS Game Cards and can play on older models of the hardware, these games have exclusive features only accessible when playing on a Nintendo DSi system. In addition, while Nintendo DSi exclusive games were typically released for the [[DSiWare]] digital format, certain games were released on '''Nintendo DSi Game Cards''', white Game Cards which are only compatible with Nintendo DSi systems.<ref>[http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/03/25/gdc-09-dsi-hybrid-exclusive-carts-soon GDC 09: DSi Hybrid, Exclusive Carts Soon]. IGN (March 25, 2009). Retrieved April 16, 2016.</ref> Both models of Game Card are also forward-compatible with the Nintendo 3DS.
  
Certain Nintendo DS titles, such as {{pver|HeartGold|SoulSilver}} ''Versions'' and {{pver|Black|White}} ''Versions'' use special Game Cards with infrared capabilities. While the Nintendo DS does not natively support infrared communications, a transceiver is built into the cartridge, which allows the system to communicate with peripherals such as the [[Pokéwalker]] as well as with other players. These Game Cards are a darker color than previously released ones.
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Certain Nintendo DS titles, such as {{pver|HeartGold|SoulSilver}} ''Versions'' and {{pver|Black|White}} ''Versions'', use special Game Cards with infrared capabilities. While the Nintendo DS does not natively support infrared communications, a transceiver is built into the cartridge, which allows the system to communicate with peripherals such as the [[Pokéwalker]] as well as with other players. These Game Cards are a darker color than previously released ones.
  
 
===Nintendo 3DS===
 
===Nintendo 3DS===

Revision as of 04:57, 29 June 2016

Game Card

Release year: 2004
Manufacturer: Nintendo
SanDisk
Macronix
Compatible: Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS
Model no.: DS: NTR-005 (regular)
NTR-031 (infrared)
3DS: CTR-005

The Game Card is the physical format used for games released on the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS family of systems. Similar to the Game Paks used on previous Nintendo handheld systems and home consoles before the Nintendo GameCube, Game Cards are small, slim ROM cartridges manufactured by Macronix.

Functionality

Nintendo DS

Nintendo DS Game Cards are small, black cards used as the physical medium by all systems in the Nintendo DS family, and are forward compatible with Nintendo 3DS systems. These Game Cards can hold as little as eight megabytes of data, while the largest game cards produced have a capacity of up to 512 megabytes. According to certain developers, larger Nintendo DS Game Cards have a slower transfer rate than the smaller capacity cards.[1] Unlike the Game Paks on previous systems, which used battery backups for saving game data, most Game Cards use a type of flash memory or EEPROM to store data, though some games lack any form of saving.

With the release of the Nintendo DSi, several developers began to release games on Nintendo DSi Enhanced Game Cards. While these game cards are similar to normal Nintendo DS Game Cards and can play on older models of the hardware, these games have exclusive features only accessible when playing on a Nintendo DSi system. In addition, while Nintendo DSi exclusive games were typically released for the DSiWare digital format, certain games were released on Nintendo DSi Game Cards, white Game Cards which are only compatible with Nintendo DSi systems.[2] Both models of Game Card are also forward-compatible with the Nintendo 3DS.

Certain Nintendo DS titles, such as Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions and Pokémon Black and White Versions, use special Game Cards with infrared capabilities. While the Nintendo DS does not natively support infrared communications, a transceiver is built into the cartridge, which allows the system to communicate with peripherals such as the Pokéwalker as well as with other players. These Game Cards are a darker color than previously released ones.

Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo 3DS Game Cards are the physical format used by all Nintendo 3DS family systems. While they look similar to the Nintendo DS cards, they are white in color, similar to Nintendo DSi Game Cards, and have a small tab on the top right of the card, preventing them from being inserted into the previous generation systems. They can hold between one to eight gigabytes of data.[3]

While developers released games that take advantage of the improved hardware of the New Nintendo 3DS hardware as well as titles exclusively for it, Xenoblade Chronicles 3D is currently the only physical game released exclusively for the system. The Game Card is no different from previous ones, and while older model systems will recognize the game, they cannot play it.

External links

References

  1. Creating a 3D Game on the Nintendo DS. IGN Blogs (June 16, 2006). Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  2. GDC 09: DSi Hybrid, Exclusive Carts Soon. IGN (March 25, 2009). Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  3. 3DS Cartridges Could Store Up to 8GB. Nintendo World Report (December 17, 2010). Retrieved April 16, 2016.