Skip to Content

Will NES Games Quit Working?

*This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

 

Have you ever wondered if your NES games might ever stop working? Maybe you are having problems with some of your NES games working on your console and wondered if someone else is having this issue. Have you wondered if you are going to have to replace your entire collection? Well we have the answers to all of your questions! 

So, will NES games quit working?

Although you may have a problem with a specific NES game working, as of now NES games should always work properly. Below we will explain why they will always work and why you might be having problems. 

Although we cannot promise that your NES games will work forever, there is no reason as of right now of why they could not last forever. If you are having a problem with one game or multiple games not working when you put them in the slot, you may need to purchase a Game Genie. They fix the cartridge issue that most people experience. You can purchase one here.

If you want to know more about NES games and the console you will want to keep reading. If you don’t like to read, you may simply watch this video which will explain all there is to know about the NES and games. 

Are you a huge Nintendo fan? Then you have to check out the Mario and Nintendo gear that you can get. Whether you want a Mario wallet, a Nintendo sweatshirt, or a classic NES hat there are plenty of choices to choose from. You can find them all by clicking here.

Paladone Nintendo NES Cartridge Retro Drink Coasters for Game Lovers - Super Mario Bros Accessories

Do you love Nintendo? Then you have to check out this amazon NES cartridge drink coaster set!

This set includes 8 double sides drink coasters that look just like the classic NES cartridges.

This set is a perfect gift for the gamer in your life!

NES History

The Nintendo Entertainment System has various pivotal games. Super Mario Brothers which spearheaded side-scrollers, and The Legend of Zelda which advanced battery-upheld spare usefulness. 

Nintendo’s was so close to restraining infrastructure on the home computer game market that it left a predominant impact on the business. The Atari on the other hand, never effectively sought after outsider designers (and even went to court trying to drive Activision to stop the creation of Atari 2600 games).

Nintendo had envisioned and empowered the association of outsider programming engineers, however carefully on Nintendo’s terms. A portion of the Nintendo stage control measures was embraced in a less stringent manner by later comfort producers, for example, Sega, Sony, and Microsoft.

Validation Chip

Because of unlicensed games, a 10 NES validation chip is in each console and in each formally authorized cartridge. In the event that the reassures chip can’t distinguish a partner chip inside the cartridge, the game wont work. Nintendo started taking these measures because it expected to encounter problems as well as it wanted to fight back against low-quality games and set a brilliant seal of endorsement on completely authorized games. 

Nintendo was not as prohibitive as Sega, which didn’t even allow outsiders to distribute until Mediagenic in 1988. Nintendo’s aim was to hold an enormous piece of NES game income for itself. Nintendo wanted to be the sole maker of everything and it wanted to be equal. It also wanted the distributor to come up with all the required funds before the cartridges for that game be delivered. 

Cartridges couldn’t come back to Nintendo, so the distributors took on all of the risks. Since Nintendo controlled the creation of the games, they were able to make sure their games were made with high standards. All of the outsider engineers which were required to sign an agreement by Nintendo that would limit them to making just five games every year.

Designing of Games

The designers of the NES games had a different mindset than what we see today in most designers. They wanted something that was simple and fun, but yet was challenging enough for the users to not win in a day. They even went as far as to embed hidden areas into some of the most famous games! You can find out about those hidden areas by checking out this video. 

Development of games

The Nintendo Entertainment System was such a hit, that it was in almost every home in the United States. Even video rental places began to purchase NES games and rent them out as a way to make some extra money as the games were such a big hit. 

Nintendo realized that they were not getting any profit from these rentals besides the original price of the game it sold, and they didn’t like that. It became such an issue that people could rent the games the same or the following day 

Nintendo didn’t formally come after rental companies until Blockbuster Video started to make game rentals a big part of their stores. Nintendo then filed a claim saying that Blockbuster and video game rentals were hurting sales and needed to stop. Although Nintendo lost the claim, they didn win the case of copyright encroachment. This meant that Blockbuster was prohibited from including unique, copyrighted booklets with its leased games. Because they were not actually prohibited from renting the games though, Blockbuster just wrote up their own user manual for every game they rented and put that inside the rental. 

The NES utilizes a 72-pin configuration, compared to the 60 pins on the Famicom. To decrease expenses and stock, some early games released in North America were essentially Famicom cartridges joined to a connector to fit inside the NES equipment. 

Early NES cartridges are held together with five little opened screws. Games released after 1987 were upgraded to join two plastic clasps shaped into the plastic itself, eliminating the requirement for the main two screws. The back of the cartridge bears the name as well as the  care instructions. 

The generation and programming modification codes were engraved as stamps on the back as well as the product rendition and maker. All authorized NTSC and PAL cartridges are a standard shade of plastic, except for The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, which was fabricated in gold-plastic cartridges. 

Unlicensed cartridges were created in dark, robin egg blue, and gold, and are largely  unexpected shapes in comparison to standard NES cartridges. Nintendo additionally created yellow-plastic cartridges for inward use at Nintendo Service Centers. It is too bad these yellow cartridges were never made available to the public.

All authorized US cartridges were made by Nintendo, Konami, and Acclaim. For the advancement of DuckTales: Remastered, Capcom sent only 150 gold NES cartridges of the first game. These 150 included the remastered craftsmanship as the sticker. The guidance name on the back incorporates the opening verse from the show’s signature tune, “Life resembles a sea tempest”. 

Famicom cartridges are formed somewhat in an unexpected way. The official Famicom cartridges were created in numerous shades of plastic, not at all like the NES games. Connectors similar to the well-known Game Genie, permit Famicom games to be played on an NES. 

Unlicensed Games

Organizations that would not pay the permitting expense or were dismissed by Nintendo discovered approaches to evade Nintendo’s verification framework. A lot of these organizations made circuits that used a voltage spike to briefly impair the 10 NES chip. To battle unlicensed games being sold, If Nintendo found a retailer with an unlicensed game, they would seize their unlicensed games as well as all of the licensed ones. Along with their games being taken, they would no longer be able to sell Nintendo products. 

Conclusion

So now that we know the history behind the Nes games, it is fairly easy to say that they should continue working for a long time to come. It is good to know that Nintendo takes their items being sold without their consent seriously, and they work hard to uphold the Nintendo name as well as the quality of Nintendo products.