Remembering Cartridges

Before optical media, there were the cartridges. A game cartridge basically consists of a printed circuit board which is housed by a plastic casing. It has a connector that allows the device to interface with the console. At the minimum, all cartridge games contain a read only memory with the software written on it.

Most cartridges carry components that may increase the original console’s power. An increase in the original hardware’s functionality may be provided by additional components. Cartridges were able to hold its rein on consumers due to the continued improvements in capacity that was done. High manufacturing costs however paved the way for optical media to replace them for use in home consoles.