mängukassette

Mängukassett, often referred to as a game cartridge or ROM cartridge, is a portable, read-only memory device containing the software for a video game. These cartridges were the primary storage medium for video games from the early days of home consoles up until the late 1990s and early 2000s. They typically consist of a plastic shell housing a printed circuit board with ROM chips that store the game's code and data.

The advantage of cartridges over earlier methods like floppy disks was their speed and durability. Games could load almost instantaneously, and the solid-state nature of cartridges made them less susceptible to damage from physical shock or environmental factors compared to magnetic media. This reliability was crucial for a consumer product intended for frequent use.

Notable consoles that utilized mängukassetid include the Atari 2600, Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64, and Game Boy. Each console generation introduced improvements in cartridge technology, such as increased storage capacity and more advanced features like memory-mapping for larger games or battery-backed RAM for saving game progress.

As technology advanced, the limitations of cartridges, particularly their cost of production and relatively smaller storage capacity compared to optical media like CDs and DVDs, led to their gradual phasing out in favor of these newer formats for home consoles. However, they remain popular in retro gaming communities and for certain handheld devices.