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TurboGrafx-16 u/quartertank ·

Why are TurboGrafx-16 games flat like credit cards instead of thick cartridges?

I recently saw a TurboGrafx-16 console and some games for it at a retro shop. The games are these tiny flat cards called HuCards instead of the big bulky cartridges like the Genesis or NES used. Why did Hudson and NEC design them this way and did they have any drawbacks compared to normal carts?
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3 comments

  • u/crt_glow ·
    The flat card-shaped games for the TurboGrafx-16, officially called HuCards in Japan and TurboChips in North America, were designed to make the console and the games as compact and portable as possible. Hudson Soft and NEC wanted a media format that was extremely durable, cheap to manufacture, and small. Because they are so thin, they do not require a bulky plastic casing, which made them easier to store and ship. Inside the card, the ROM chip is protected by a thin layer of epoxy, making them highly resistant to physical damage.
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  • u/mode7mike ·
    While the slim form factor was a great marketing point, it came with some technical trade-offs. The main drawback was the limited memory capacity compared to traditional cartridges. Standard cartridges have plenty of room inside the plastic shell for multiple chips, extra RAM, or battery-backed save memory. Because TurboChips were so thin, they could not fit a battery inside them, meaning that players could not save their game progress directly to the card. Instead, players had to rely on passwords, or purchase external accessories like the TurboBooster Plus or the CD-ROM system which had built-in backup RAM to save their progress.
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  • u/rewind_ray ·
    Another minor issue was that the exposed pins on the bottom of the card were prone to getting dirty or scratched from repeated insertion, which could lead to boot issues or graphical glitches. Since there is no outer shell protecting the contacts, users frequently touched them with their fingers, transferring oils that corrode the contacts over time. Cleaning them with isopropyl alcohol usually fixes it, but they require gentler care than a standard cartridge.
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