<s>
A	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridge	I-Protocol
,	O
usually	O
referred	O
to	O
in	O
context	O
simply	O
as	O
a	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
,	O
cart	O
,	O
or	O
card	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
replaceable	O
part	O
designed	O
to	O
be	O
connected	O
to	O
a	O
consumer	O
electronics	O
device	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
home	O
computer	O
,	O
video	B-Device
game	I-Device
console	I-Device
or	O
,	O
to	O
a	O
lesser	O
extent	O
,	O
electronic	O
musical	O
instruments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
allow	O
users	O
to	O
rapidly	O
load	O
and	O
access	O
programs	O
and	O
data	O
alongside	O
a	O
floppy	B-Device
drive	I-Device
in	O
a	O
home	O
computer	O
;	O
in	O
a	O
video	B-Device
game	I-Device
console	I-Device
,	O
the	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
are	O
standalone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
around	O
their	O
release	O
,	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
provided	O
security	O
against	O
unauthorised	O
copying	O
of	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
manufacturing	O
of	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
was	O
more	O
expensive	O
than	O
floppy	B-Device
disks	I-Device
,	O
and	O
the	O
storage	O
capacity	O
was	O
smaller	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
and	O
slots	O
were	O
also	O
used	O
for	O
various	O
hardware	O
accessories	O
and	O
enhancements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
widespread	O
usage	O
of	O
the	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridge	I-Protocol
in	O
video	O
gaming	O
applications	O
has	O
led	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
often	O
colloquially	O
called	O
a	O
game	B-Protocol
cartridge	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
were	O
popularized	O
by	O
early	O
home	O
computers	O
which	O
featured	O
a	O
special	O
bus	O
port	O
for	O
the	O
insertion	O
of	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
containing	O
software	O
in	O
ROM	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
most	O
cases	O
the	O
designs	O
were	O
fairly	O
crude	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
entire	O
address	B-Architecture
and	O
data	B-General_Concept
buses	I-General_Concept
exposed	O
by	O
the	O
port	O
and	O
attached	O
via	O
an	O
edge	O
connector	O
;	O
the	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
was	O
memory	B-General_Concept
mapped	I-General_Concept
directly	O
into	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
address	B-General_Concept
space	I-General_Concept
such	O
that	O
the	O
CPU	O
could	O
execute	B-Application
the	I-Application
program	I-Application
in	I-Application
place	I-Application
without	O
having	O
to	O
first	O
copy	O
it	O
into	O
expensive	O
RAM	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Texas	O
Instruments	O
TI-59	B-Device
family	O
of	O
programmable	O
scientific	O
calculators	O
used	O
interchangeable	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
that	O
could	O
be	O
installed	O
in	O
a	O
slot	O
at	O
the	O
back	O
of	O
the	O
calculator	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Hewlett-Packard	O
HP-41C	B-Device
had	O
expansion	O
slots	O
which	O
could	O
hold	O
ROM	B-Device
memory	I-Device
as	O
well	O
as	O
I/O	O
expansion	O
ports	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computers	O
using	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
in	O
addition	O
to	O
magnetic	O
media	O
are	O
the	O
VIC-20	B-Device
and	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
MSX	B-Operating_System
,	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
family	I-Device
,	O
TI-99/4A	B-Device
(	O
where	O
they	O
were	O
called	O
Solid	O
State	O
Command	O
Modules	O
and	O
were	O
not	O
directly	O
mapped	O
to	O
the	O
system	O
bus	O
)	O
and	O
IBM	B-Device
PCjr	I-Device
(	O
where	O
the	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
was	O
mapped	O
into	O
BIOS	B-Operating_System
space	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
arcade	O
system	O
boards	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Capcom	O
's	O
CP	B-Application
System	I-Application
and	O
SNK	O
's	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
,	O
also	O
used	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
precursor	O
to	O
modern	O
game	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
of	O
second	B-Application
generation	I-Application
video	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
was	O
introduced	O
with	O
the	O
first	B-Device
generation	I-Device
video	I-Device
game	I-Device
console	I-Device
Magnavox	B-Device
Odyssey	I-Device
in	O
1972	O
,	O
using	O
jumper	B-Device
cards	O
to	O
turn	O
on	O
and	O
off	O
certain	O
electronics	O
inside	O
the	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
modern	O
take	O
on	O
game	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
was	O
invented	O
by	O
Wallace	O
Kirschner	O
,	O
Lawrence	O
Haskel	O
and	O
Jerry	O
Lawson	O
of	O
Alpex	O
Computer	O
Corporation	O
,	O
first	O
unveiled	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Fairchild	B-Operating_System
Channel	I-Operating_System
F	I-Operating_System
home	O
console	O
in	B-Application
1976	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
approach	O
gained	O
more	O
popularity	O
with	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
released	O
the	O
following	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
the	O
late	O
1970s	O
to	O
mid-1990s	O
,	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
home	O
video	B-Device
game	I-Device
systems	I-Device
were	O
cartridge-based	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
compact	O
disc	O
technology	O
came	O
to	O
be	O
widely	O
used	O
for	O
data	O
storage	O
,	O
most	O
hardware	O
companies	O
moved	O
from	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
to	O
CD-based	O
game	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
remained	O
the	O
lone	O
hold-out	O
,	O
using	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
for	O
their	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
system	O
;	O
the	O
company	O
did	O
not	O
transition	O
to	O
optical	B-Device
media	I-Device
until	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
in	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
still	O
uses	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
in	O
some	O
form	O
for	O
their	O
handheld	B-Application
consoles	I-Application
known	O
as	O
Game	B-Device
Cards	I-Device
,	O
although	O
these	O
are	O
much	O
smaller	O
and	O
thinner	O
than	O
previous	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
and	O
use	O
the	O
more	O
modern	O
flash	B-Device
memory	I-Device
for	O
game	O
data	O
rather	O
than	O
having	O
built-in	O
ROM	B-Device
chips	I-Device
for	O
the	O
same	O
purpose	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	B-Application
1976	I-Application
,	O
310,000	O
home	O
video	B-Protocol
game	I-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
were	O
sold	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Between	O
1983	O
and	O
2013	O
,	O
a	O
total	O
of	O
software	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
had	O
been	O
sold	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
can	O
not	O
only	O
carry	O
software	O
,	O
but	O
additional	O
hardware	O
expansions	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
include	O
various	O
cartridge-based	B-General_Concept
chips	I-General_Concept
on	I-General_Concept
the	I-General_Concept
Super	I-General_Concept
NES	I-General_Concept
,	O
the	O
SVP	O
chip	O
in	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
Virtua	B-Application
Racing	I-Application
,	O
and	O
a	O
chess	B-Application
module	O
in	O
the	O
Magnavox	B-Application
Odyssey²	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Micro	B-Application
Machines	I-Application
2	I-Application
on	O
the	O
Genesis/Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
used	O
a	O
custom	O
"	O
J-Cart	B-Device
"	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
design	O
by	O
Codemasters	O
which	O
incorporated	O
two	O
additional	O
gamepad	B-Device
ports	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
allowed	O
players	O
to	O
have	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
gamepads	B-Device
connected	O
to	O
the	O
console	O
without	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
an	O
additional	O
multi-controller	B-Device
adapter	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Storing	O
software	O
on	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
has	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
advantages	O
over	O
other	O
methods	O
of	O
storage	O
like	O
floppy	B-Device
disks	I-Device
and	O
optical	B-Device
media	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridge	I-Protocol
is	O
memory	B-General_Concept
mapped	I-General_Concept
into	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
normal	O
address	B-General_Concept
space	I-General_Concept
,	O
software	O
stored	O
in	O
the	O
ROM	B-Device
can	O
be	O
read	O
like	O
normal	O
memory	O
;	O
since	O
the	O
system	O
does	O
not	O
have	O
to	O
transfer	O
data	O
from	O
slower	O
media	O
,	O
it	O
allows	O
for	O
nearly	O
instant	O
load	O
time	O
and	O
code	O
execution	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Software	O
run	O
directly	O
from	O
ROM	B-Device
typically	O
uses	O
less	O
RAM	O
,	O
leaving	O
memory	O
free	O
for	O
other	O
processes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
standard	O
size	O
of	O
optical	B-Device
media	I-Device
dictates	O
a	O
minimum	O
size	O
for	O
devices	O
which	O
can	O
read	O
disks	O
,	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
can	O
be	O
manufactured	O
in	O
different	O
sizes	O
,	O
allowing	O
for	O
smaller	O
devices	O
like	O
handheld	B-Application
game	I-Application
systems	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
can	O
be	O
damaged	O
,	O
but	O
they	O
are	O
generally	O
more	O
robust	O
and	O
resistant	O
to	O
damage	O
than	O
optical	B-Device
media	I-Device
;	O
accumulation	O
of	O
dirt	O
and	O
dust	O
on	O
the	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
contacts	O
can	O
cause	O
problems	O
,	O
but	O
cleaning	O
the	O
contacts	O
with	O
an	O
isopropyl	O
alcohol	O
solution	O
typically	O
resolves	O
the	O
problems	O
without	O
risk	O
of	O
corrosion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
typically	O
have	O
less	O
capacity	O
than	O
other	O
media	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PCjr-compatible	O
version	O
of	O
Lotus	B-Application
1-2-3	I-Application
comes	O
on	O
two	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
and	O
a	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
are	O
typically	O
more	O
expensive	O
to	O
manufacture	O
than	O
discs	O
,	O
and	O
storage	O
space	O
available	O
on	O
a	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
is	O
less	O
than	O
that	O
of	O
an	O
optical	B-Device
disc	I-Device
like	O
a	O
DVD-ROM	O
or	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Techniques	O
such	O
as	O
bank	B-General_Concept
switching	I-General_Concept
were	O
employed	O
to	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
use	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
with	O
a	O
capacity	O
higher	O
than	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
memory	O
directly	O
addressable	O
by	O
the	O
processor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
video	O
games	O
became	O
more	O
complex	O
(	O
and	O
the	O
size	O
of	O
their	O
code	O
grew	O
)	O
,	O
software	O
manufacturers	O
began	O
sacrificing	O
the	O
quick	O
load	O
time	O
of	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
for	O
the	O
greater	O
capacity	O
and	O
lower	O
cost	O
of	O
optical	B-Device
media	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
source	O
of	O
pressure	O
in	O
this	O
direction	O
was	O
that	O
optical	B-Device
media	I-Device
could	O
be	O
manufactured	O
in	O
much	O
smaller	O
batches	O
than	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
;	O
releasing	O
a	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
video	O
game	O
inevitably	O
came	O
with	O
the	O
risk	O
of	O
producing	O
thousands	O
of	O
unsold	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Besides	O
their	O
prominent	O
usage	O
on	O
video	B-Device
game	I-Device
consoles	I-Device
,	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
have	O
also	O
been	O
used	O
on	O
a	O
small	O
number	O
of	O
electronic	O
musical	O
instruments	O
,	O
particularly	O
electronic	O
keyboards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
keyboards	O
use	O
specialized	O
cards	O
known	O
as	O
Music	O
Cartridges	B-Protocol
,	O
a	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridge	I-Protocol
simply	O
containing	O
MIDI	O
data	O
to	O
be	O
played	O
on	O
the	O
keyboard	O
as	O
MIDI	O
sequence	O
or	O
song	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Casio	O
has	O
also	O
used	O
similar	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
known	O
as	O
ROM	B-General_Concept
Pack	I-General_Concept
in	O
the	O
1980s	O
,	O
before	O
Yamaha	O
's	O
Music	O
Cartridge	B-Protocol
was	O
introduced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Models	O
that	O
used	O
these	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
were	O
in	O
the	O
Casiotone	O
line	O
of	O
portable	O
electronic	O
keyboards	O
.	O
</s>
