How Long Will Retro Game Save Batteries Last For?
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- Опубликовано: 10 сен 2019
- Nintendo originally believed that the save batteries found inside of NES cartridges would only last about 5 years before drying up and no longer holding onto save data. Years later we can see that Nintendo's estimate was way off, although unfortunately not every game has been able to escape having its save battery run out.
In this video we will discuss what the future holds in store for these save batteries, as well as debunk a few misconceptions that already exist in regards to which retro games will still hold onto save data and which ones are already past their prime. Overall, it appears that Pokemon Gold, Pokemon Silver, and Pokemon Crystal have caused many people to become confused regarding what the real situation is.
If you have stories about save batteries or other hits which may assist in figuring out just hold long these batteries still have to go, please feel free to post in the comments down below! People will know that I have many save-loss related stories in regards to games like Donkey Kong Country 2, Paper Mario, Crystalis, and several others, although I believe these were more the result of glitchy, dirty cartridges rather than battery issues.
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My Kirby's Adventure still has my 100% file from '94
My Dragon Quest V (Super Famicom) that I have since 93 or something also still have my save files (2023). I wonder when it will last. It has save files that I used to play with my dad.
Yeah my Pokémon silver version that I had since 2001 dried up in 2014, but my Yellow version now, that I’ve had since it came out in September 1998 is still saving! But even that is amazing to me.
Interesting info. I was just reminiscing with a friend about retro games and systems, and in particular the GBC and GBA. I was painfully reminded that the battery was dead in my SMB Deluxe cartridge for GBC. Of course, each of my DKC games for SNES have had this happen at some point; especially DKC 1 and DKC 3.
It's funny how Donkey Kong games always seem to be a prime target for data loss! I think every single one of my DKC and DKL files has deleted at some point. That stinks about SMB Deluxe though. That's a game I hope someday gets a remake, as I'l absolutely love to play through the Challenge mode on a screen that's not so tiny!
Thank you for watching and commenting. :)
Also my childhood copy of pokemon red also has the original battery and still has my save from like 1994 on it.
You also have the option to wipe the save data by holding Start+Select and I think also A or B while turning on the Gameboy for the Pokemon and some Zelda games!
Thanks for this! You got a Sub!
My Legend of Zelda, Zelda 2, and Link to the Past cartridges are all still crushing it. Oh, and the batteries are still good too.
Great to hear! Thank you for watching and commenting! :)
It's incredible really just how long they last. I've still got a PAL copy of Zelda 2 that's has a working save from back in the day. It still works to this day and I've done a couple of different playthroughs. No idea when it will go but close to 30 years later it's amazing to see. I used to think for years that it was recharged by the console and like an idiot would leave the cart in the console for 12 hours every couple of years to top it up!
You're not an idiot for thinking that the battery would recharge by playing the game. I'm pretty sure even I had heard that one at some point back in the day. Probably one of those fake schoolyard rumors that used to go around before the internet. :P
@@TheGameDisplay A mod could be done that would charge the battery, but it's much more cost-effective to just drop $3 on a really good button cell every 30 years.
The one in my childhood copy of dragon warrior is a sony battery dated 1989 and still saves, I know it was never replaced because of the date and I owned it since new.
Thank you for the report! I have found NES games to be quite resilient when it comes to the save battery still working. It's just Koei strategy games like Romance of the Three Kingdoms or Nobunaga's Ambition which seem to have dried up quicker. I appreciate you watching and commenting! :)
Doubutsu no Mori on the N64 has a built-in clock on the cartridge. It was originally gonna be 64DD game come to think of it. They remade it on the GameCube as Doubutsu no Mori e+ which got localized as Animal Crossing.
Actually I have a question too tho
When I play Pokémon games on GBA and then it take Me back to the startup screen all my saves were gone but why when I play metroid fusion on GBA too and it also take me back to the startup screen all of my saves was still here how's that possible tho?
Does metroid fusion don't use battery to save?
So I have an interesting story about the game Pokémon Red and losing the ability to make save files. It was only this year that I learned from a stream conversation that these batteries were responsible for keeping save files. I had started a new file and I did something different that I had never done before. Instead of making my own name I used the default name Red. So I played to just after beating the second gym if I remember right, saved, turned off the game and when I turned on the game again, my data was gone. Because, of that one difference I made (and I was very young) I assumed for years that selecting that default name put the game into a glitched state where you could never keep save data again. I should mention that the game wasn't even a year old yet from when I bought it/my parent bought it, so I must of had a faulty battery or something if I was supposed to get at least 7 years. Pokémon Yellow came out shortly after my Red stopped working while later anyhow so I don't think I got too angry. I was just sad that I couldn't get any deeper into the game anymore. You can bet that I never picked default names again though. Thanks for the addition explanation of what was expected from these batteries.
That's a crazy story! Thanks for sharing it. It almost sounds like the kind of problem that can occur if the game is turned off in the middle of saving and the data becomes corrupt. Things like that can also happen if your cartridge is dirty, but as you stated it was a new game that probably wasn't the case. It's great to hear that not long after you were able to enjoy Pokemon Yellow though! :)
I have a Dragon Warrior 1 cartridge that still has saves from when I was a kid (1993 or so), lol. And I didn't take care of it very well at all.
Thank you so much for commenting and sharing your experience with save batteries! It will be interesting to see just how long NES games last. Thankfully they're still going! :)
My Link's Awakening from '93 still has all of my game saves.
Batteries must have been made better in the 80's then! Now batteries last a fraction of how 30+ years.
I bought my Metroid Fusion cartridge in 2002, and it’s still working fine now, 21 years later. I wonder if at some point they switched to eeprom storage after I bought it.
I remember loosing a zapdos due to the battery dying very early on, like a year after gold and silver was released, in my red version. I think I will take out the old batteries in my old cartridges to prevent battery acid problems.
Both batteries for Gold & Silver that I picked up at a flea market years ago were dead. I replaced the battery for Gold but flubbed up when doing it for Silver so that's toast haha. I think I had one instance with an SNES cart where I had to replace the battery, but I don't remember the game... it was an RPG. Might have been Breath of Fire. Overall though, I'd say 95%+ of all batteries still work a-ok.
I'm nervous about changing batteries for exactly that reason, although I suppose you don't learn and get better from being afraid to try! I'm just thankful that most games aren't at the point where this needs to be worried about yet.
Thanks for the comment! :)
Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal was notorious for the battery problem.
Thanks for the info!
Good thing the pokemon gen 2 games got remade for the ds.
Thankfully none of my batteries have died
I'm glad you found the video informative! The remakes are definitely the way to go when it comes to playing Gen 2 these days. I suppose that's part of why they're now so expensive. Glad to hear all of your games are doing well! Thank you for watching and commenting. :)
Just found my Pokemon Gold, red, and yellow all of them original bought from me cutting grass all summer when I was a kid. They still work and have my old save files I dont know how but it brought back so many memories and how horrible my decision making was when it came to TMs and HMS lol. My pokemon gold storage names were all the girls I had crushes on... oh to be 11 again.
It's amazing that your Pokemon Gold would still retain its save data after all this time! I have personally never found an original cartridge with an original battery that can still save.
I had a friend over once who was playing my copy of Pokemon Blue. He caught a Nidoran and called it ASSSSS. I so afraid my parents would somehow find out and get mad. XD
Thanks for watching and commenting! :)
Ommggg I have been thinking about getting a GBA SP like on with a better screen or whatever because I have my Pokémon Red and Silver cartridges I literally haven’t put into a console since probably as soon as I beat the red one for it, and then I barely got to where you’re searching for Suicune I think? That’s aroundabout the last thing I remember doing before I stopped playing due to either the GameCube we got or Xbox 360? I can’t even remember. But when I found out people were saying the batteries die in them I never thought that was even a thing and I’m terrified I’m gonna get that dang 150$ console, only to find my saves are no longer there…;(
My sonic 3 cartridge has still got all the saves on it after 1994
The battery for my copy of super mario bros deluxe it's a little bit dead , when i save , it saves , but when i turn it off for like 1 week , the saves disappear, and that's why i use the 3ds version
Very interesting! Thankfully the 3DS eShop is definitely a great way to play some classic GB games. Thank you so much for watching and commenting! :)
Luckily i bought every eahop games that makes that mot a worry
None of my game carts with batteries have stopped saving yet. You are right about Dollar Store batteries, never buy them, they are not even worth $1
My Pokémon yellow cart still has my old save file in 2024
Capacitors have a greater likelihood to cause trouble to chips in older equipment, and most game carts don't have capacitors in them.
Most CR2032 batteries are lithium batteries, which don't leak as easily as alkaline batteries do.
You don't need to tell me about capacitors being a problem! The TurboDuo console is particularly bad for having capacitors go bad, and a couple of years ago I had to have mine repaired as a result.
Are the saves on these games actually in the battery or are they just powered by the battery? My Pokémon silver battery crapped out and I’m worried about my data being lost if I change the battery
Thank you for watching! The battery sends power to a chip even when the game is off, and it is because that chip continues to get power that the save data does not disappear from it. Unfortunately, if the battery dies or is removed, it means that the save data stored on that chip will be lost.
@@TheGameDisplay thank you so much for responding years after the video. It wasn’t much progress, so I’ll be fine, but now I know!
@@CursedDiscordian You're welcome! My most recent video may also interest you if you're curious about batteries in Game Boy games. :)
@@TheGameDisplay ooh alright
lol NES saves might actually last 50-100 years
I'd wanna try.
My Pokémon yellow died this year, battery was dated 12-99, so I changed it
Earlier this year I made a video where I extracted the save data from my Pokemon Yellow cartridge. It would be scary if now all of a sudden it was dead as well! Thank you for watching and commenting. :)
ruclips.net/video/Y26_r7EDYiY/видео.html
This is luckily a problem I never have, as an emulation enthusiast. All of my saves are backed up online.
For the saves which are suddenly gone, it's probably either a corruption of the save data or the game being unable to read the saves (due to a bad connection or something). I'd say if your saves are gone, you should just restart the game ASAP because if the game saves at any point it will overwrite your existing data.
As long as your keep your computer files backed up, you should never lose your saved data then! There are tools like the Game Action Replay that I've introduced which I suppose one could use to avoid losing their saved data of their favorite games, but it's certainly not as convenient as just copying and pasting a file on a computer!
I like emulators, but love original hardware. I'll settle for clone chip topology, like in official everdrive ROM players
So, does anyone know if my Pokémon Red and Silver would still have their saves if I literally have never touched them since like, the new console came out to replace the SP? I can’t remember but I maybe had like 40-50 hours if that on each? Beat red didn’t touch it, annd Silver got to hunting Raikou or Suicune can’t remember which one. Annd not sure if I should shell out for a dang AGS-101? Or 001 whichever is cheaper cause it’s probably gone. D: Hate the day, last week actually, where I found out they used batteries that freakin’ die and lose the saves! D: lmao fml.
Thank you for watching! Unfortunately, the chances are very, very likely that your Pokemon Silver will have lost its save data. Pokemon Red should be fine though!
my copy of sonic 3 will not save at all but that is saved on a chip not through a battery and ive had a few problems with the battery in my copy of fire emblem monsho no nazo (mystery of the emblem) but to be fair that was caused by using the game on a retron at first and then moving to a super famicom at another place and while It didn't keep the save after 2 weeks of not playing the game I played the game and miraculously it saved me completing the first chapter and this was before I was about to replace said battery. another problem I had was with my favourite game boy colour game Wario land 3 my original copy I owned from when it was released I had gotten to the second last chest of the game before the final boss and put the game down for the day as I had been playing non stop that whole day and I left it for 2 hours as I was at a tae kwon do lesson I believe and when I came back to play the game my save was at the first time you visit the desert ruins and I thought this was odd so naturally I turned the game off and on again after a quick blow and thought it would work again. turns out nope it was reset to the very beginning like no save was ever on it and after choosing into the woods the whole level was corrupt and it wasn't working how it should I could always record what it is like since I still have that cartridge as I thought it was the battery causing the trouble and before my papa passed away he showed me how to solder so I could replace the batteries on my own and he deduced the battery was in fact fine and still had a lot of life in it to save it was just the cartridge that was faulty. I have since gotten a new copy of wario land 3 and had to replace the batteries in my copies of Links awakening,wario land super mario land 3,pocket monsters gold twice and pokemon crystal which came to its end last year luckily just after I had beaten red on mt silver so I was officially done before going for pokedex completion and link's awakening is funny with the saves sometimes they will be there other times they will be gone and this is for the original black and white game boy version.
Thank you for your amazing comment! It sounds like you sure have had quite the experience when it comes to games saving and having other types of issues. I'd absolutely love to see footage that Wario Land 3 cartridge you mentioned! That sounds like it's be really bizarre. Even weirder is that one time when you turned the game on, it had save data that you hadn't even created on it, that's so interesting!
That was really awesome of your dad to teach you how to replace batteries though, it's a really great skill to have. :)
It is damn depressing to know that the Gen 2 games are all doomed to fail. Was wondering why all 3 of mine have all crapped out at around the same time despite some not being played as much. I thought it was because I overused the GameShark on them, which has also crapped out. Does changing the batteries do anything to stop the excessive power draw due to the clock cycle the games use? Just saw these kinds of videos pop up on my RUclips, and now its' got me all paranoid my old Red and Blue cartridges are gonna crap out. Never changed the batteries in them, or any other game for that matter.
Thank you for watching! It is sad thinking about the inevitability of battery depletion. Unfortunately, even after changing a battery you're still likely looking at that same 10-15 year window of life as the original batteries would have had. The good news is that with modern technology, there are ways to backup your old save files to a computer. That way you won't lose them! I'll actually be making a video about this in the future, so be sure to stay tuned! Thanks again, and take care. :)
I'll give the Zelda battery till 2050 before it goes by
It's so sad that .y favorite generation dies so quickly. Also I cant tell you how jealous I am that you have the boxes lol I have every game in the series but no boxes but hey great video I didnt know it was because of the clock feature. Hey atleast we dont have to worry about that with heart gold soul silver
Thank you for watching and commenting! I definitely understand what you mean, it really is a shame that Gen 2 is so greatly impacted by the battery problem. And even if you were to get an original cartridge replaced, you'd only have just under a decade before the problem occurs again. like you said though, at least there's HG&SS which you don't need to worry about! :)
They put the 5 year thing to cover their ass when some go out earlier then expected. It's all about if you take care of your games or not.
For sure! I just wonder what made them choose 5 instead of say 10. If they really wanted to be safe they could have even used a number like 3. :P
Just to report... I have a 1993 Dragon Quest V (Super Famicom) that is still with my save files (2023).
Glad to hear your save battery is still going strong! Even games form the late 80s like Legend of Zelda look to still be holding up. Here's hoping that they still have lots of time left to go! Thank you for watching and commenting. :)
I have Pokémon silver right now that’s authentic and I’ve put in 82+ hours and it’s working fine like a 💎
I wonder if playing the game works to recharge the battery in any capacity?
I believe this is a myth, as simple watch batteries don't normally have recharging capabilities as far as I'm aware. I've also come across many games which likely haven't been played for over a decade that still have working batteries. You never know though, and it might be a fun thing for a more technical channel to look at. Thank you for watching! :)
I rarely come across NES batteries that are dead. It seems to be a more common issue with SNES games. Not sure why because they use the same size battery. Maybe it uses more power to save? If a 30+ year old battery still works, should you replace it? Probably. Even though it still works fine, I guess better safe than sorry. How you store your games definitely has an impact on the batteries life. I've seen games that were stored in extreme temperatures and the battery completely burst open ruining the board.
Thank you for watching! For those with bigger collections, that will be a lot of batteries that need to be changed! I guess the question then becomes "how long until the battery explodes in a a game that is stored under normal conditions". In my experience, these watch-like batteries very rarely leak or explode, but I guess the possibility is always there!
What is the point with battery anyway?
The cart needs constant power otherwise the save data stored in RAM will be lost. This battery is what keeps is going even when the console is turned off!
I used to be a game boy game kinda guy but then went to emulators for convenience but now I’m back to physical copy of gameboy games because it’s just more of an experience than playing on my Xbox controller
Your Voice Sounds like Steve Jocz A.K.A. Stevo32 (Former Drummer of Sum 41) I don't know if you were told that before
I haven't heard that one before! Although I've also been told that I sound like other gaming RUclipsrs including Scott the Woz and Pat the NES Punk, and it's funny because they don't sound anything like each other! :P
How about cartridges that that hold multiple games?
I'm a part reseller and have sold a lot of games. Console games have the best chance of having the battery work, they use a bigger battery. First Gen Pokemon have the second best chance, batteries are a little smaller. GBA Pokemon have the worst chance, they use the smallest battery. I have sold hundreds and hundreds of Pokemon games and i have found less than 5 GBA pokemon games with good batteries. It's a rarity.
Paper Mario does't have a battery, it uses flash memory. That is one of my favorite games of all time. :-)
It it 7 years from when you get the game or playing it for 7years worth
Good job on the videos as always my friend it is nice to see a video from you its been awhile since my phone alerted me to watch your videos umm I never had a problem with my game batteries ever since I downloaded the Homebrew Channel for Wii I just collect game cartridges for fun now just to add for my collection oh yeah if you wanna watch me on RUclips I record at 8pm Monday through Friday today I am completing my RUclips studies be sure to tell your other friends about my channel I am trying to earn a Silver Play Button it has always been my dream to earn one well take care my friend it was nice talking to you again I missed seeing your videos oh yeah I almost forgot can you email me some editing tips if you have any my older brother and i bought a video capture card and I told him about RUclipss copyright polices and we are stumped on how we should edit thanks my friend I really appeariciate it
Hey there Jake! Thank you for watching and commenting. I've been away for a few weeks, so sorry for not getting back to you right away! I will check out your video and email you soon. Thank care! :)
Well crap i ordered pokemon red blue green gold silver and crystal i hope they last forever
Were the batteries replaced by the seller? The Red, Blue, and Green batteries should last a long time! You'll probably get 10-15 years out of a freshly changed Gold, Silver, and Crystal battery. Thank you for watching. :)
I have quite a few really old games using batteries from the Master System to NES, SNES and Mega Drive. So far, they all work, even the real ancient stuff from the 80's like Legend of Zelda, Startropics, Ultima IV and Miracle Warriors. The only battery so far that died from my collection curiously is Donkey Kong Country 1, a much "newer" game compared to those previously mentioned.
Thank you for watching! It's curious why that DKC cart would be the outlier. Sometimes the environment a game is kept in can affect how long the battery lasts, so if it was kept in the garage or something and the other games were kept warm indoors, that could do it. Or, I'm curious if your DKC cart is one of the later ones made in Mexico? Maybe the batteries they used down there were lower quality. Save batteries are a mysterious thing, but it's good to hear that the majority of yours still work! I dread they day when they all hit their limit and start dying.
@@TheGameDisplay I'm from Germany, so i strongly doubt, we ever got mexican cartridges. DKC is an original pal release, bought close to release day (since it was one of the games me and my brother got for Christmas 94) and says made in japan like all the games do.
I also value my game collection and wouldn't throw it into the garage or any other ill-fitting place. Most of my Nintendo games still have the original cardboard boxes even (not all, some did get destroyed or were mauled by my cats :D ) and i bought sleeves for the Cartridges, so they are as safe as they can be. They are stored in a closet. I value my game collection
Personally i always thought the Game Boy games with batteries would be the first to die, as they use the smaller, weaker CR2025 batteries instead of the CR2032 used for the console games and usually they get manhandled even more (the bane of schoolyards and having friends with Game Boys, i think everybody experienced that back then, trading games, getting them back looking dirty and all that), but even my original Link's Awakening (non DX) works, loads and saves perfectly fine.
I'm glad most work to this day, replacing batteries is a bit annoying ,especially with Nintendo cartridges and their weird screws :D I did it with DKC and it works perfectly fine again.
Hoping this doesn't spell the end of your uploads already
Hello there! :)
Thanks for looking forward to new uploads! I'm hoping to have a new video up next week. I've actually been in Japan for the last while, so it will probably be related to that and what I picked up there.
Otherwise I've been busy working on some other things. But don't worry, my channel or uploads won't truly be over until I officially say so myself! I'm just not able to upload with any kind of consistency at the moment unfortunately. So even if there's some longer breaks here and there, I'll be back!
Thanks again for your support! Take care. :)
I'm kinda disappointed by this video. The title made it seem like it'd be a more technical discussion, maybe explaining what specifically could cause batteries to lose/keep their charge and by how much, then giving an estimate on how long the average battery *would* last in different scenarios (you know, answering the title question). Instead, all you really said is that batteries for GBC games with internal clocks last around 7 years, with your only evidence being forum posts (meaning that's closer to the minimum they'd last, and we don't know what conditions those people had their games in, either). All you said about other games' batteries is that yours still work, and any save loss could be a result of a faulty connection between the cartridge and the console (with your only evidence being what happened with your Paper Mario, a game which another comment said doesn't even use a battery for saving).
P.S. After reading the rest of the comments, I just want to say that my Super Mario Bros. Deluxe battery is still working fine. ☺ No idea for how much longer, though, which is why I came here...
Thank you for your feedback! It'd be a cool question for someone with more technical capabilities to tackle. You also have to take into account things like if the quality of batteries used in NES games is the same as those used in GBC games, or if later production runs of a game had different batteries. Once dead Zelda 1 batteries become a common issue I think we'll have a better understanding of how long SNES, N64, and GB games might last. Although assuming the batteries in all non-clock games last about the same length, your SMB Deluxe has at least 10 years left to go before it needs to be worried about!
Again, I apologize for maybe not providing you with the exact info you wanted. My main desire for making this video came from the fact that so many people seem to incorrectly think that dead non-clock based game batteries is now a common thing, which it's not. Still, hopefully the video helped a little. :)
Back in 2001 my friend traded me Pokémon yellow for Mario golf because yellow it would not save
How Old are you now? Since 2001 was almost 2 Decades Ago
@@zpushy633sora8 29 but game came out in 1999 so i was shocked that battery died in that amount of time
@@MrJ0mmy I asked because my Sister was Born in 1989 and she grew up in the 90's and 2000's and I was Born in 1998 and I grew up in the Early and Mid 2000's as a Child but I still remember a Little Bit from 2000-2001 when I was 2 going on 3 now I'll be 22 in January
1,180 views
Thank you for viewing! :D
@@TheGameDisplay You're Welcome.
haha I got a better idea, use a PC emulator to play any of the retro games and then create a save state and save that will last eternally :D
You also have the option to wipe the save data by holding Start+Select and I think also A or B while turning on the Gameboy for the Pokemon and some Zelda games!
You also have the option to wipe the save data by holding Start+Select and I think also A or B while turning on the Gameboy for the Pokemon and some Zelda games!