Where do cartridge batteries go when they die?

By Stephen Munn | April 10, 2008

So, I’m just back from an adventure here. I’ve worn my Castlevania addiction on my distressed leather sleeve for some time now, and it should come as no surprise that my collection of Castlevania software is pretty comprehensive. Of course, that doesn’t help much when a particularly rare game craps the bed.

Some might not be aware that cartridge-based games in many cases contain a small battery. This supplies constant current to the game so that it doesn’t forget its game saves when switched off. The Legend of Zelda for NES was notable as the first cartridge to do this, eliminating the need for password saves in console games (as seen in Zelda’s contemporaries, like Metroid).

While I have yet to encounter an NES Zelda cartridge (from 1987, people) with a dead battery, my copy of 2002’s Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance surprised me last year by forgetting all the saves on it. It didn’t take me too long to figure out the battery had died.

I contacted Konami, and their response was that they don’t repair or replace these games. They suggested I contact a games retailer, who would be able to. I raised my eyebrows and called Gamestop, who clarified that no, they don’t do that. I enlisted some skilled help and tried to replace the battery myself, but as you’d expect, that didn’t turn out well, and the cartridge ended up in the trash.

This was when I started thinking about replacing the game. However, since it’s been out of production for several years, it occurred to me that I might do better to look for the 2006 re-release, which was a compilation of this game and the next one in the series, Aria of Sorrow. Surprisingly, despite it being less than two years old, this compilation is also out of production, though it is still available (for full price and an exhorbitant shipping charge) directly from Konami through their website.

Deciding to go for it through another retailer who had the item marked as “backordered,” I placed an order and decided to sell Aria of Sorrow on eBay to help make up the difference, seeing as how that game is just as rare and pricey and might make half the money for me. However, it wasn’t long before I realized the game had been backordered for far too long and was never going to come in. I cancelled the order.

I called a Gamestop and asked them if they could find a store in the area with a used copy of the Castlevania Double Pack. There turned out to be one, but I was in for one final surprise. When I got to the store that had it, they only had the loose cartridge. I asked about boxes and manuals, and they said they don’t keep those. If someone trades in a Game Boy game, they just throw away everything that comes with it due to space constraints. The good news was that for $16.99, I have the Castlevania Double Pack, and my copy of Aria of Sorrow will likely sell for at least that much on eBay…. a happy ending.

4 Responses to “Where do cartridge batteries go when they die?”

1. Paul Munn on April 10th, 2008 at 11:01 pm Says:
2. 
   

   This is one of the reasons I really like the PSP’s reliance on flash memory. You can back it up, upgrade it, and rent games for the system and not worry about losing your progress until you buy it outright.