Do Nintendo DS Games Go To Sleep If Not Used For Years?

[R-a-c-h]

Hi People,

I was sorting through my sons old Nintendo DS games and testing them as I was going along, everything was going fine until I came across a strange Hamsterz 2 game.

My son has the very first version of the DS, I put the Hamsterz game in, switched it on... but the game isn't recognised.

I cleaned the game, although it was already in good condition, put it back in and... it still wasn't recognised, I fiddled around with it tried several more times but it still wasn't recognised.

So then I decided that before throwing it out I would try the game in my daughters DS Lite, so I put in the cartridge, switched it on, it worked first time, switched and removed the game and put it back in a few times and every time the DS Lite recognised the game.

I then put the game back into my sons first version DS... and now it works, every time, despite taking it out and putting it back again lots of times it works every time.

So it seems the DS Lite console brought it back to life, is that just a coincidence or do the games go to sleep if they are not used in a few years or something?

 

[Technicmaster0]

Hi People,

I was sorting through my sons old Nintendo DS games and testing them as I was going along, everything was going fine until I came across a strange Hamsterz 2 game.

My son has the very first version of the DS, I put the Hamsterz game in, switched it on... but the game isn't recognised.

I cleaned the game, although it was already in good condition, put it back in and... it still wasn't recognised, I fiddled around with it tried several more times but it still wasn't recognised.

So then I decided that before throwing it out I would try the game in my daughters DS Lite, so I put in the cartridge, switched it on, it worked first time, switched and removed the game and put it back in a few times and every time the DS Lite recognised the game.

I then put the game back into my sons first version DS... and now it works, every time, despite taking it out and putting it back again lots of times it works every time.

So it seems the DS Lite console brought it back to life, is that just a coincidence or do the games go to sleep if they are not used in a few years or something?

Maybe the contacts of the cartridge oxidated and you had to remove the oxidation layer before you could use them

 

[JaapDaniels]

Maybe the contacts of the cartridge oxidated and you had to remove the oxidation layer before you could use them

Could also be the DS cardridge conncector contacts being bend wrongly, had it a few times now.
Some games might need a new battery (for sram saves).

 

[Technicmaster0]

Could also be the DS cardridge conncector contacts being bend wrongly, had it a few times now.
Some games might need a new battery (for sram saves).

I don't think that any ds games used battery backed sram saves

 

[Kwyjor]

is that just a coincidence or do the games go to sleep if they are not used in a few years or something?

I can offer no explanation, but this is one of those things where you would expect a billion posts on the subject even if it was slightly uncommon. The DS is hardly obscure.

 

[R-a-c-h]

Could also be the DS cardridge conncector contacts being bend wrongly, had it a few times now.
Some games might need a new battery (for sram saves).

That had crossed my mind as I remember changing a battery on a GBA game years ago so wondered whether the DS Lite may have booted the battery back to life,

I will check the pins in the game slots to see if there are any that look out of place

 

[JaapDaniels]

That had crossed my mind as I remember changing a battery on a GBA game years ago so wondered whether the DS Lite may have booted the battery back to life,

I will check the pins in the game slots to see if there are any that look out of place

Maybe @Technicmaster0 is right with: I don't think that any ds games used battery backed sram saves.
I don't know the DS cartridges from inside, i thought they used the same tech as most other cartridge consoles.
On the console side i'm sure however i've seen more than a few DSlite and normal DS consoles having a pin in the cartridge slot forced in a wrong position, i fixed 2 of these devices with a dentalhook.

 

[impeeza]

There is a software to "revive" some cartridge which uses a type of ROM what fade with the time due the class of Memory used what if you don't apply voltage to them in some time they erase.

There are a example for the 3DS, I don't know if the DS have the same problem:

https://gbatemp.net/threads/corrupted-cartridge-fixer-release.628539/

But by example even the main NAND chip of the WiiU have it and so many consoles are dying because that.

 

[Kwyjor]

There are a example for the 3DS, I don't know if the DS have the same problem:

this is one of those things where you would expect a billion posts on the subject even if it was slightly uncommon.

 

[Shroudednightmare]

never happened to me personally lol