ROM cartridge
A ROM cartridge, also simply referred to as a cartridge or cart, is the storage device in which many of the Pokémon games have been contained.
Throughout the Pokémon game series, all of the core series games have been stored on ROM cartridges, with many variances between them. Many side games have also been on cartridge but some have been for the GameCube and Wii (on discs, not cartridges). The ROM cartridges for the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo 64 are officially called Game Paks, while Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS ROM cartridges are officially called Game Cards.
Specifications
- Game Boy: 2.125 × 2.5 inches.
- Game Boy Color: 2.125 × 2.5 inches.
- Game Boy Advance: 2.125 × 1.375 inches.
- Nintendo DS: 1.25 × 1.375 inches.
- Nintendo 3DS: 1.25 × 1.375 inches. (Not counting anti-DS knob on side)
- Nintendo 64: 4.5 × 3 inches. (Measured from top of arch)
Core series
All main-series games are contained on carts. Each generation, save for Generation II, had only one type of cartridge, thus also defining the generations before Generation IV.
Generation I
Generation I is the only generation that changes console cartridges; this means that the first Generation I games were played in different consoles than the new Generation I games.
Japanese Pokemon Red and Green and American and Non-Japanese Pokemon Red and Blue were played in Game Boy. Japanese, American and Non-Japanese pokemon Yellow were all played in Game boy Color.
Generation II
Gold and Silver were featured in Game Boy cartridges. Crystal was featured in a Game Boy Color cartridge, being the only core series game to do so.
Generation III
All Generation III games were in Game Boy Advance cartridges.
Generation IV
All Generation IV games were in Nintendo DS cartridges. However, HeartGold and SoulSilver were on the newer model NTR-031 DS cartridge, which was black, as opposed to the older ones of NTR-005, which were dark grey.
Generation V
All Generation V games were in Nintendo DS cartridges. Like HeartGold and SoulSilver, they use the black NTR-031 DS cartridges.
Generation VI
All Generation VI games were released on Nintendo 3DS cartridges.
Generation VII
All Generation VII games set in Alola were released on Nintendo 3DS cartridges, while Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! were released on Nintendo Switch cartridges.
Non-handheld
Nintendo 64
The Nintendo 64 cartridge was seen in the Pokémon Stadium series, Hey You, Pikachu!, Super Smash Bros., Pokémon Snap, and Pokémon Puzzle League.
Irregular cartridges
Pokémon Pinball
Pokémon Pinball had a special Game Boy Color cartridge for a vibration feature.
Pokémon mini
The Pokémon mini was a special game system specifically for Pokémon. It had its own cartridges.
Gallery
- Pokemon Red Version.jpg
Pokémon Red cartridge
- Pokemon Blue Version.jpg
Pokémon Blue cartridge
- Pokemon Yellow Version.jpg
Pokémon Yellow cartridge
- PokemonGoldCartridge.jpg
Pokémon Gold cartridge
- Pokemon Silver cartridge.jpg
Pokémon Silver cartridge
- PokemonCrystalCartridge.jpg
Pokémon Crystal cartridge
- Pokemon Emerald cartridge.jpg
Pokémon Emerald cartridge
- Pokémon Pearl.jpg
Pokémon Pearl cartridge
- PokemonHeartgoldCartridge.jpg
Pokémon HeartGold cartridge
- PokemonWhiteCartridge.jpg
Pokémon White cartridge
This game-related article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games. |