on cartridge battery life

[SignOfZeta]

My Saturn battery died,

Everyone's Saturn battery has died. At this point in time the newest Saturns are something like 14 years old. No CR2032 lasts that long.

...but worse than that was that my Gameshark (where I had all of my saves) won't read in my Saturn anymore.

Its the cart slot.

[Arkhan]

a dirty contact

You're a dirty contact.

 

You know what, who really cares. To me they are just bricks of plastic gold, covered by cardboard, and drapped in durlar. They will stay that way because I am not taking them out for a very long time.

Only LoZ1 and 2 on NES are plastic gold.  Is that all you own?

[RegalSin]

I see your trying to be funny, ha ha ha. Try again. That is what I call videogames, plastic gold, along with all this other techno monstrocity.

[DragonmasterDan]

I've had quite a few NES, SNES, N64 and even an SMS cartridge with dead battery backups. I have some that are over 20 years old and still saving, and others that are still working fine. I think it depends on the quality of the battery, storage condition and just luck.

[xelement5x]

My Saturn battery died,

Everyone's Saturn battery has died. At this point in time the newest Saturns are something like 14 years old. No CR2032 lasts that long.

I actually have a Saturn that still has that little piece of fabric you had to pull out to touch the contacts to the batter stuck in it.  I've no clue if it's still a functioning battery, but it's kind of neat to know it's the original.

[Sparky]

all my SMS batteries are holding there saves still, Phantasy Star, Miricle Warrriors etc....
I think i need to go back and kick "Dark Falz" ass again in PS hell, even maxed out that guy is still tough to beat.

[SignOfZeta]

My Saturn battery died,

Everyone's Saturn battery has died. At this point in time the newest Saturns are something like 14 years old. No CR2032 lasts that long.

I actually have a Saturn that still has that little piece of fabric you had to pull out to touch the contacts to the batter stuck in it.  I've no clue if it's still a functioning battery, but it's kind of neat to know it's the original.

Yeah, real neat...until is starts leaking and ruins your Saturn. Recycle that f*cker before it ruins the system. There are a LOT of arcade boards and Gameboys  in dumpsters because of what the batteries did to them.

[Shrapnoid]

How about the Dreamcast's VMU's going dead super quick? I got tired of that in a hurry so, I modded one with a 4x AAA enclosure with an on/off switch and long braided wires for positive and negative.
After that, no more replacing batteries while training Chao creatures.

[Tatsujin]

Yeah, real neat...until is starts leaking and ruins your Saturn. Recycle that f*cker before it ruins the system. There are a LOT of arcade boards and Gameboys  in dumpsters because of what the batteries did to them.

Reminds me of a friend who collects every GB(C,A) hardware in existence as NEW/unopened versions, and recently faced the horrible fact that 90% of the bats started to leak and ruined the inside of the box completely.

[ChuChu Flamingo]

The batteries do seem pretty random in how they die. Thankfully we don't need them anymore to contain data. It amazes me that GBA pokemon games had batteries, almost seems like planned obsolescence to me.

[SignOfZeta]

Well, the alternative is flash, like the Neo Geo Pocket or DS use. This will probably lead to the entire game disappearing some day, and not just the ability to save.

[Bernie]

Well, the alternative is flash, like the Neo Geo Pocket or DS use. This will probably lead to the entire game disappearing some day, and not just the ability to save.

Dont scare me like that!!! 

[xelement5x]

My Saturn battery died,

Everyone's Saturn battery has died. At this point in time the newest Saturns are something like 14 years old. No CR2032 lasts that long.

I actually have a Saturn that still has that little piece of fabric you had to pull out to touch the contacts to the batter stuck in it.  I've no clue if it's still a functioning battery, but it's kind of neat to know it's the original.

Yeah, real neat...until is starts leaking and ruins your Saturn. Recycle that f*cker before it ruins the system. There are a LOT of arcade boards and Gameboys  in dumpsters because of what the batteries did to them.

I've never seen a CR2032 leak, but I'll take your word for it.  It's more of an oddity than anything else.

I don't think the guy who owned the system ever figured it out because when I picked it up there was a memory cart that looked like it had been put in the system once and never removed!