Nintendo Switch Cartridge - EPROM or MASKROM?

[Nintendo Switch Cartridge - EPROM or MASKROM?]

The cartridge itself is small and exhibits 16 connections to the console on what appears to be a PCB. The first step of this teardown is to open the cartridge to further assess its construction. Opening the cartridge is fairly easy and can be done with a scalpel for example. Once opened, a single chip is visible with the PCB visible from the outside being part of the chip. The chip is labelled with the manufacturer name being MXIC and has a number of reference. Two chips are standing inside the package epoxy which makes the MXIC device a System In Package. The biggest chip may be a memory that stores the game while a second one can serve as an authentication device and can possibly be used to decrypt the main memory content.

 

Some assumptions can be made at this early phase of the study. The memory can be either ROM or Flash based. This can be easily verified by etching the chip interconnections and looking at the patterned silicon. The memory can use a proprietary protocol which would require a custom chip design which would not be necessary and would add an extra cost for the design and manufacturing. It is also likely that the chip is a standard flash storing encrypted data. In this condition, the second chip would be used to decrypt data on the fly when needed. [sOURCE]

 

the above article was written by someone who had taken the game cartridge apart and then posted all those pics of the cartridge's internals on his website. according to him these switch game carts are possibly ROM or flash memory based, though he seemed unsure.

 

 

 

in addition, i've also found this diagram which appears to have originated from Macronix's website quite some time ago.

the diagram clearly shows that Macronix does not manufacture Mask-ROM chips higher than the capacity of 128mb.

in other words, Nintendo Switch Game Cartridges are most likely not Mask-ROM based, as they are rated with a storage capacity of 32GB which would far exceed the 128mb limit of Macronix's own Mask-Rom chips. this means that all those Macronix chips that you see inside every switch game carts can't possibly be Mask-ROM based because Macronix does not produce Mask-ROM chips with that high of a storage capacity.

 

 

Earlier this spring, nevertheless, reminiscence producer Macronix introduced that it anticipated to offer chips for the upcoming NX console.

The corporate’s personalized XtraROM is out there in as much as 32Gb densities (4GB per chip), however detailed efficiency information on these options isn’t obtainable. [sOURCE]

 

currently the only product lineup from Macronix that DOES offer high capacity storage solutions would be their HybridFlash "XtraROM" chips which could store up to 8GB of data. however, Macronix also produced a custom variant of this chip called "Gaming Machine XtraROM" which has a maximum storage capacity of 32GB. in terms of both appearance and storage space, these custom "Gaming Machine XtraROM" chips seems to closely match the configurations of the Macronix chips that were commonly found inside most Nintendo Switch game cartridges. Regardless, as Macronix themselves had stated earlier, they are using their own propriety "XtraROM" technology as a storage solution for nintendo switch games. so at the very least, we know for a fact that nintendo switch game cartridges does indeed uses "XtraROM" chips to store its games, that much is certain. the bigger question is how long will this "XtraROM" chip be able to retain its data before data-rot sets in, seeing that it's not really maskrom technology.

 

 

- Memory flexibility and reliability factored in by Macronix's new HybridFlash

When the value of a byte or more bytes changes from 1 to 0 during NAND flash read and write, a read disturb error tends to happen. If many times of reading (tens of thousands sometimes, depending on technology) of a page happen before erasing, the error can be even worse. This means that the raw bit error rate (RBER) increases with the increase of NAND flash reading. When there are too many bit errors to be corrected by Error Checking and Correcting (ECC), NAND flash reliability and data storage ability will drop to an unacceptable level, and the issue cannot be completely resolved only by built-in ECC.

In order to resolve the aforementioned issue during micro NAND flash development and provide a high quality solution to embedded storage devices, Macronix has launched its new generation product HybridFlash that factors in both flexibility and reliability. According to Kilguss, HybridFlash consists of XtraROM, flash memory and controller, which can respectively serve OS storage, boot loader/code update, and interface purposes.

XtraROM is able to provide ASIC design based on customer DRM schemes, does not need bad block management and extra ECC, is free from write/read disturbance, requires fewer masker layers than other technologies, and enjoys its exclusive wafer foundry capacity. So many strengths of XtraROM help maintain considerable reliability after product size reduction and do not need the extra backup code image required by other NAND flash technologies.

- XtraROM's superiority over NAND flash in many areas

HybridFlash provides a very stable medium to contents and OS, enabling storage as long as 20 years at 85 degrees centigrade and it also works normally from 40 degrees below zero to 85 degrees centigrade. Its security control mechanism effectively guards against hacking, viruses, and unauthorized alterations.

According to Kilguss, Macronix has conducted repeated reading of three sets of XtraROM's single page at 25 degrees centigrade with Vcc set at 3.6V and a data rate at 1MByte per second to test whether the data in XtraROM is affected. After more than 109 tests lasting for 168 hours, 80 units of each of the three sets of XtraROM were randomly sampled (a total of 240 units sampled), and no error was found. According to Kilguss, testing of general SLC/MLC NAND flash under the same settings would show errors of disturbance within one hour.

Compared to SLC NAND flash or MLC synchronous NAND flash, XtraROM performs better in Random Read, Sequential Write, Random Write, and Read Cycle. Therefore, XtraROM is now widely used in closed consumer systems (e.g., printers, set-top boxes, and digital TV), network devices (e.g., switches, routers, and base stations), industrial applications (e.g., programmable logic controllers, industrial PCs, rugged PDAs/tablets, and point-of-sale systems), and home appliances (e.g., coffee makers, ovens, and refrigerators).

HybridFlash can replace CDs and DVDs traditionally used to install or distribute Windows, Office, Visio, Project, Visual Studio, Visual FoxPro, Adobe Acrobat, Games, etc. According to Kilguss, the data written into HybridFlash can be preserved longer, free from virus attacks, and can do without any wait for downloading. HybridFlash also helps netbooks, tablets, smart phones, and slim notebooks do without the space for CD players to make them even more compact.

 

Ralf Kilguss, Senior Segment Marketing Manager, Macronix

 

[sOURCE]

 

the article above seems to have technical inputs by Ralf Kilguss from Macronix, in which he clearly stated that the company's "XtraROM" HybridFlash technology will have a data retention time of around 20 years when stored at room temperature of 85 degrees centigrade. so there you have it; Switch Game Cartridges, which employs Macronix's "XtraROM" as its storage solution, will have a data retention span of at least 20 years according to the manufacturer Macronix.

 

in the end, it seems that Macronix's "XtraROM" chips are not really Mask-ROM chips afterall, but merely a different kind of Flash Memory technology developed proprietorially at Macronix's R&D labs, and as such it would most likely be susceptible to Data-Rot as well, just like any other flash memory would to date. unfortunately this could mean that Nintendo Switch game cartridges might not be able to last forever like your old nintendo maskrom game carts from the 1990s would. as macronix had stated themselves, their "XtraROM" HybridFlash technology are guaranteed to hold data for at least 20 years, and that definitely doesn't sound like it's Maskrom to me. the fact that macronix had explicitly given us this estimate leads me to believe that they've already done all the relevant testing on these XtraROM chips beforehand which led to their 20 year estimation of data retention for this particular product. if i had to take a guess, i'd say that Macronix had probably done some kind of accelerated life testing on these XtraRom chips that eventually resulted to data decay as soon as they tried to go past the 20 year timespan in a simulated environment, hence the reason why macronix is telling us that these "XtraROM" chips will only retain data for 20 years because that's really what their lab results showed. though i for one am glad that they're atleast being honest about it.

 

the thing with flash based technology they will eventually lose its charge and have all their 1s revert back to 0s, thus resulting in complete loss of data inside the game cartridge, aka Data-ROT. So while it might not happen today, it will surly happen someday. And in all honesty, that's just too much for me to bear.

 

 

well that's pretty much all the information i could find regarding these switch game cartridges, if anyone has more to add in, please don't hesitate to let me know.

[Do capacitors inside an N64 game cart leak?]

thanks for the informative replies!

 

also just curious, do you think the game cartridge will still work if i desolder the capacitor for now?

[Do capacitors inside an N64 game cart leak?]

 

so there are capacitors inside every single N64 game cart right?

 

does that mean they will eventually leak and thus cause damage to the game cart?

 

or are these not capacitors at all, and something else entirely?

 

 

 

here's an example of capacitor leakage inside an NES game cart.

 

 

 

thanks for letting me know!

[Nintendo Switch Cartridge - EPROM or MASKROM?]

 

does anyone know if Switch game cartridges are EPROM or MASKROM?

 

the images above shows 2 types of configuration for these game carts; one that looks like a NAND chip and the other is a wafer sized flash memory chip that closely resembles to what's found inside a PS Vita cartridge.

 

 

Thanks for taking your time in reading this and letting me know!

[A pocket-size Windows laptop]

 

i remember seeing this jolly old thing back in 1998 at a PC-World Store. So many fond memories.

[PS Vita Cartridge - EPROM or MASKROM?]

 

-EPROMs can't be erased electrically, and are programmed via hot carrier injection onto the floating gate. Erase is via an ultraviolet light source, although in practice many EPROMs are encapsulated in plastic that is opaque to UV light, making them "one-time programmable".

 

-During storage, the electrons injected into the floating gate may drift through the insulator, especially at increased temperature, and cause charge loss, reverting the cell into erased state. The manufacturers usually guarantee data retention of 10 years or more.

 

-If a floating-gate memory device with a guaranteed data retention spec of 10 years, on average you can probably expect it to last longer than 10 years, but for the reasons above, every year that it continues to operate reliably past the 10 years should be considered a bonus, since there is no expectation of reliability past that time.

 

-Solid-state media, such as EPROMs, flash memory and other solid-state drives, stores data using electrical charges, which can slowly leak away due to imperfect insulation. The chip itself is not affected by this, so reprogramming it once per decade or so will prevent data decay.

 

-Estimation of flash memory endurance is a challenging subject that depends on the SLC/MLC/TLC memory type, size of the flash memory chips, and actual usage pattern. As a result, a USB flash drive can last from a few days to several hundred years

 

-All EEPROMs (Flash ROM), and EPROMs chips have a finite data retention time. Typically 10-15 years and after that they just start to forget their data.

 

 

More info below.

 

Basically, EPROMs are programmed through the accumulation of electrons on

the floating gate of an N-Channel EPROM cell (see Figure 1) by the process

of hot-electron injection. Hot-electron injection is where electrons,

flowing as a current between the drain and source of a saturated EPROM

cell, gain enough energy from the high electric field to jump the oxide

barrier between the channel and the floating gate (see Figure 2). Before

programming, the MOS threshold voltage, VTH (otherwise known as the

gate threshold voltage) of the erased floating-gate EPROM cell is about

1.0V to 2.0V (see Figure 3). After programming, its threshold voltage

is about 6.5V to 9.0V, due to the accumulated electrons on the floating

gate. In read mode, the address decoding circuitry in the chip selects the

desired cell by pulling the gate voltage of the cell to VCC. Since VCC is

typically 4.5V to 5.5V, an erased cell with a VTH = 1.5V would be turned

on (Figure 3), while a programmed cell with a VTH = 7.5V would remain off

(see Figure 4). This floating-gate process is how a single MOSFET-like

transistor can provide for the two logic levels used in digital circuitry.

 

 

If VCC is gradually raised in voltage to a point near the threshold voltage

of a programmed EPROM cell, the cell would just begin to conduct, and

would no longer appear to be programmed. This point, where the programmed

EPROM cell begins to look unprogrammed, is defined as the programming

margin (see Figure 5). The value of the programming margin can, in some

cases, be simply equal to the value of the VCC voltage present during

programming. This is why the RAPID algorithm holds the value of VCC

constant at 6.5V during programming; to insure that each EPROM cell has a

programming margin of at least that voltage. This margin is verified by

reading each byte twice, once during the initial programming operation

and again during the final read (or verify) operation, where the data

from the EPROM is compared to the desired data. The difference between

the value of VCC during programming (the guaranteed programming margin)

and the 5.5V VCC maximum supply rating (from the data sheet) serves as a

reliability guardband for long-term data retention and, more importantly,

for system noise immunity. Poor programming margin can reduce system noise

immunity and lead to EPROM chip instability due to power-supply noise on

the VCC pin. This instability can cause oscillations and read-mode data

glitching that can be a problem in even in the slowest and most noiseless

of systems. Since powersupply noise is a somewhat random occurrence, data

errors can happen intermittently, which can undermine the reliability and

integrity of the host system. These problems can be avoided by using the

programming algorithm recommended by the EPROM chip vendor. The higher

the guaranteed programming margin, the less likely any problems will occur.

 

Another important benefit of high-programming margin is that it extends

the long-term data retention of the device. If the 6.0V programming

margin (FAST algorithm) on the EPROM gradually diminishes to 5.5V over a

10-year time span, the randomly occurring noise spikes on the VCC line can

cause the EPROM to yield faulty data. On the other hand, given the same

discharge rate (as a function of the silicon processing), an EPROM with a

programming margin of 6.5V (RAPID algorithm) would take over 20 years to

reach the 5.5V threshold that would lead to faulty data yield. All things

being equal, better programming margin leads to longer data retention.

 

well i think that's all there is to know for EPROM, if anyone has more to add in, please don't hesitate to let me know.

[PS Vita Cartridge - EPROM or MASKROM?]

That's going to happen with any media though.

 

*sigh* you're right, i guess nothing really last forever, somehow i keep forgetting that.

 

With cartridges there's component rusting & bit-rot, then with discs there's disc-rot / CD-bronzing.

 

Years ago i had to get rid of all my floppy games because most of good ones had become un-readable or corrupted (police quest/wing commander 2/doom).

 

Even so, i still very much prefer physical releases than digital releases, even though it would be painful to see the game carts die off eventually. I'm a strange person really.

 

Reminds me of the time when I picked up Metroid for the GameCube on launch day and I actually got a bad disc. The game would always crash in the same spot no matter what. Went back to Target and swapped it out and the new one worked perfect. Thinking about it makes me want to get the game again .

 

I read that disc-rot is now a widespread issue for a lot of gamecube collectors, a number of the discs are quite literally falling apart from the inside. Very scary.

[Nintendo Proto Discovered - Happily Ever After]

wow this is amazing! they really should have released this on retail.

[PS Vita Cartridge - EPROM or MASKROM?]

Looks like some Vita Game Carts have already started to fail...well, that's kind of depressing actually.

 

 

RevQuixo

Dead copies of Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth3 V Generation

Looks like a bad batch was received by ebgames Canada and Best Buy (based on threads on Gamefaqs...and my own personal copy).

Vita doesn't recognize the cartridge at all.

 

thedrewcruz

I had my Mortal Kombat fail after about a year so

 

Xero--

I say it's actually pretty easy for one to die.I had a game that died after a year

 

Andrew129260

My killzone mercenaries game cartridge died. I was so pissed.

 

 

 

Also, would it be possible to move this thread to the Hardware section?

 

Thanks for the help!

[PS Vita Cartridge - EPROM or MASKROM?]

Good question. Sony is pretty secretive about that kind of stuff. I always figured they were based off SD cards.

 

I like your avatar!

 

Thank you! i like your avatar too, it reminds me of Dune!

 

If it turns out that playstation Vita game carts does indeed use flash memory as storage, then i supposed it would only be a matter of time before all the game data inside the cartridge begin to degrade and disappear entirely, effectively rendering the vita game cartridges unplayable.

 

i think it's possible that 15-20 years from now, people are going to start complaining about their vita game carts suddenly not working or booting up at all. When that happens, then we'd know the Vita game cartridge does not store its game data permanently.

 

For now it seems, we can only wait and see what will happen in the next decade or so, i guess only time will tell whether these Vita game carts are meant to last or not.

[PS Vita Cartridge - EPROM or MASKROM?]

 

there's very little information on what type of memory chip is used on Vita game cartridges, though it would appear that it uses some kind of flash memory as its storage medium, but i could be wrong, can anyone here confirm this for me?

 

Questions:

 

- Do Vita game carts use EPROM or MASKROM?

 

- If EPROM was used, does that mean the game data inside the cartridge is not permanent?

 

 

 

Thanks for taking your time in reading this and letting me know!