Module (computer games)

Module for the Commodore VC 20

Game Boy game circuit board with battery-powered memory

Game modules

A module (English cartridge , "cassette") is a storage medium that was used in game consoles and home computers as a data carrier for game software. In this context, it is also referred to as the game ( s ) module . With the beginning of the Fairchild Channel F and Atari 2600 platforms , it was initially used almost consistently, but was largely replaced by optical memories and memory cards in the 21st century . After that, modules on consoles were mostly only used as memory cards for backing up saved games until they became obsolete through the use of memory located within the console.

The data (program, graphics and sound) are stored on electronic modules ROMs or PROMs . To save a game object used on most subsequent modules EEPROMs .

The housing is made of plastic; Inside there is a circuit board on which, along with other electronic components, the ROMs are located. The conductor tracks that are connected to the components end in gold-plated contacts that protrude from the underside of the module. By inserting it into the card slot of the game console (which should be done when the device is switched off), the microprocessor has access to the external program data.

Special modules are the double-enders from Xonox , which have contacts on both the top and bottom and thus accommodate two game modules in just one housing.

advantages

Short (barely perceptible) loading times compared to optical and magnetic storage media, as no mechanics are required to read out the data.
From the manufacturer's point of view, it is advantageous that copying a module is extremely time-consuming and therefore practically not practiced. However, with special equipment it is easily possible to read out the mostly copyrighted content of a module and to save it as binary data on other media such as a hard drive or a flash module.
Modules are compact, robust and insensitive to vibrations as they contain no moving parts (especially important for portable game consoles).
Modules can contain additional hardware that go beyond the originally intended options of the console, for example a graphics chip to generate special effects. A prominent example is the Super FX chip that was used in some SNES game modules.
Modules are more energy efficient than optical storage media.
Modules are quieter than optical storage media because no moving parts are required to read the data.

disadvantage

High production costs compared to optical storage media such as CD-ROM and DVD .
Due to the comparatively small storage capacity , hardly any video and audio sequences can be integrated into the games.
Games that are stored on the module with the help of batteries are lost when the battery is empty. This can be replaced manually.
No equipment is available for end users to make backup copies of modules that can be used normally again as a module. With special hardware, backup copies can be written to other media such as flash memory or hard disk. ROMs on hard drive can be emulated on computers using an emulator .

Misuse

Since a portable game console represents a complete electronic hardware environment (processor, screen, power supply), game consoles and their modules are used for other purposes in order to carry out measurement or control tasks. The modules are modified in such a way that the game consoles use these modules to execute a corresponding control program and there is an electrical connection to the outside world.

For example, the magazine Elektor has published projects that describe how modules for game consoles of the Game Boy series must be converted in order to be able to use the game console as a digital storage oscilloscope , as a programmable logic controller or as an electrocardiograph .