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A '''Memory Card''' is a video game accessory that has been a part of many gaming consoles. Essentially, it is an external memory database where game data is saved, including for games of the [[Super Mario (franchise)|''Super Mario'' franchise]]. From [[Nintendo 64]] to [[Nintendo 3DS]], a non-standard measurement unit called a '''block''' (a '''page''' on Nintendo 64) was used for memory card capacity by Nintendo and in the consoles' system settings, and the size of the unit increased between console generations, though consistently became 128 KB in size throughout the [[Wii]], [[Nintendo DSi]] and Nintendo 3DS.<ref>{{cite|url=en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2808/~/how-to-check-available-blocks-of-memory-on-the-wii|title=How to Check Available Blocks of Memory on the Wii|publisher=Nintendo of America}}</ref>. Since the [[Wii U]], industry standard units like gigabytes and megabytes are used within the consoles' settings.
{{rewrite-expand|Highlight and write about its relation to games of the ''Super Mario'' franchise. Some of the information is also a bit too technical.}}
A '''Memory Card''' is a video game accessory that has been a part of many gaming consoles. Essentially, it is an external memory database where game data is saved.


From [[Nintendo 64]] to [[Nintendo 3DS]], a non-standard measurement unit called a '''block''' (a '''page''' on Nintendo 64) was used for memory card capacity by Nintendo and in the consoles' system settings, and the size of the unit increased between console generations. From [[Wii U]] onwards, industry standard units like gigabytes and megabytes are used within the consoles' settings.
==List of Memory cards==
 
===Controller Pak===
==Nintendo consoles==
===Nintendo 64===
[[File:N64 Controller Pak.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Nintendo 64]]'s Controller Pak (front and back)]]
[[File:N64 Controller Pak.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Nintendo 64]]'s Controller Pak (front and back)]]
The [[Nintendo 64]] was the first [[Nintendo]] system to have a memory card, officially known as the '''Controller Pak'''. It plugs into the controller's accessory slot. The Controller Pak, however, is not necessary for many games, as the cartridges that the system uses allow for data to be directly saved onto them (much the same as the cartridges for the [[Game Boy]]).
The '''Controller Pak''' is an accessory for the Nintendo 64 and the first memory card for a Nintendo console. It plugs into the controller's accessory slot. Many games just use the Controller Pak for storing non-main game data, mainly since cartridges allow for data to be saved directly onto them. One ''Super Mario'' game to utilize this is ''[[Mario Kart 64]]'', where all race data is saved onto the game, but Ghosts from time trials are saved onto the Controller Pak, where they take up either 121 (30.9 KB) or 123 (31.4 KB) blocks.
 
Many games just use the Controller Pak for storing non-main game data. An example of this is ''[[Mario Kart 64]]'', where all race data is saved onto the game, but Ghosts from time trials are saved onto the Controller Pak, where they take up either 121 (30.9 KB) or 123 (31.4 KB) blocks.


Most Controller Paks can only hold up to 123 pages (31.4 KB) of memory, and have 128 pages total (one page being 256 bytes), with the remaining 5 pages (1.2 KB) reserved for formatting purposes.{{ref needed}} However, an unofficial accessory was released in 1998 to allow users to transfer saves onto their PC known as the [[Wikipedia:DexDrive|DexDrive]], bypassing the need to buy multiple Controller Paks.
Most Controller Paks can only hold up to 123 pages (31.4 KB) of memory, and have 128 pages total (one page being 256 bytes), with the remaining 5 pages (1.2 KB) reserved for formatting purposes.{{ref needed}}
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===Nintendo GameCube===
===Nintendo GameCube===
[[File:Gamecube mcard.jpg|120px|thumb|A [[Nintendo GameCube]] memory card]]
[[File:Gamecube mcard.jpg|120px|thumb|A [[Nintendo GameCube]] memory card]]
Unlike the Nintendo 64, the [[Nintendo GameCube]] is very dependent on the memory card. As with many disc-using games, data is either saved on internal memory or on a memory card. The GameCube has no internal memory, and has two slots for memory cards. Games played without the memory card inserted act as if they were being played for the first time, and data cannot be saved.
Unlike the Nintendo 64, the [[Nintendo GameCube]] is very dependent on the memory card, since save data cannot be written on its discs, and the GameCube lacks any form of internal memory. Games played without the memory card inserted act as if they were being played for the first time, and data cannot be saved. Three types of memory cards were officially released, from lowest to highest storage and sporting color differentiation: the first type is gray and can store up to fifty-nine blocks (0.47 MB); the second is black and can store up to 251 (2.0 MB); and the third is white and can store up to 1,019 (8.1 MB). Nintendo of Europe lists the rate for GameCube memory cards as 59 blocks (4 MB),<ref>{{cite|url=www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Support/Nintendo-GameCube/Accessories/Memory-Card-59/Memory-Card-59-619188.html|title=Memory Card 59|publisher=Nintendo of Europe|accessdate=May 9, 2024}}</ref> which would result in 66-70 KB per block; other sources contradict this, indicating that Nintendo of Europe mistakenly measured in megabytes instead of megabits, instead resulting in 7-8 KB per block.
 
There have been three different kinds of GameCube memory cards that were released. The first could store up to fifty-nine blocks (0.47 MB); the second could store up to 251 (2.0 MB); and the third could store up to 1,019 (8.1 MB). These cards were often color-coded to differentiate themselves: 59-block cards were light gray, 251-block cards were black, and 1,019-block cards were white. Despite 1,019 blocks being the highest capacity of any first-party GameCube memory card, the console is capable of supporting ones up to 2,043 blocks (16.3 MB) in size, a utility alluded to in unused text in various games and in GameCube development tools.<ref>https://tcrf.net/GameCube#Memory_Card_2043</ref>


Nintendo of Europe lists the rate for GameCube memory cards as 59 blocks (4 MB),<ref>[https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Support/Nintendo-GameCube/Accessories/Memory-Card-59/Memory-Card-59-619188.html Memory Card 59 — Nintendo of Europe]</ref> which would result in 66-70 KB per block; other sources contradict this, indicating that Nintendo of Europe mistakenly measured in megabytes instead of megabits, instead resulting in 7-8 KB per block.
Below is a list of the different ''Super Mario'' games and their respective block size, and conversion to kilobytes.


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{{Rewrite-expand|The section contradicts itself on whether pre-Switch consoles could handle more than 32 GB, e.g. 64 GB.|section=yes|May 4, 2024}}
{{Rewrite-expand|The section contradicts itself on whether pre-Switch consoles could handle more than 32 GB, e.g. 64 GB.|section=yes|May 4, 2024}}
[[File:SecureDigitalCard Wikimedia Commons.svg|right|115px|thumb|Design of an SD card.]]
[[File:SecureDigitalCard Wikimedia Commons.svg|right|115px|thumb|Design of an SD card.]]
Starting with the [[Wii]], [[Nintendo]] became less dependent on proprietary memory cards. The Wii has files of internal memory for saving game data (unlike the GameCube). It does, however, have a slot for an [[wikipedia:Secure Digital|SD card]] (also used in cameras and other devices). SD cards can store the Wii's channel data and some game data. Pictures taken on a camera saved on an SD card can be displayed on the Wii's Photo Channel. Some games also use the SD card to store non-save game data. An example of this is the snapshots that can be taken in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''. These snapshots can be saved onto either the Wii itself or the SD card.
'''[[wikipedia:Secure Digital|SD cards]]''' are very common types of storage mediums that Nintendo began using since the [[Wii]] era. The Wii, unlike the Nintendo GameCube, has internal memory where players can save their game data, or even on SD cards, especially in cases where the internal memory runs out of storage. SD cards can store the Wii's channel data and some non-save game data, such as [[smashwiki:Snapshot|snapshots]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', though the game also allows snapshots to be saved on the internal storage. The Wii, [[Nintendo 3DS]], and [[Wii U]] all support SD cards up to 32GB in memory, though in the Wii's case, before the System Menu 4.0 update in March 2009, it could support only up to 2GB standard SD cards, not any SDHC cards. ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' and many other games are incompatible with SDHC cards, especially if they were released before the Wii gained SDHC card support.  
 
Before [https://wiibrew.org/wiki/System_Menu_4.0 Wii System Menu 4.0] was released in March 2009, Wiis could only use standard SD cards, which could store up to 2 GB of memory. System Menus 4.0 and later gained the ability to use SDHC cards that could store a maximum of 32 GB of memory. However, most games do not support SDHC cards, such as ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''. [[Nintendo 3DS]] and [[Wii U]] also retain the 32 GB limit.
 
One block on the Wii, [[Nintendo DSi]] and [[Nintendo 3DS]] is 128 KB.<ref>[https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2808/~/how-to-check-available-blocks-of-memory-on-the-wii How to Check Available Blocks of Memory on the Wii — Nintendo of America]</ref>
 
If the 512MB capacity of the Wii internal memory were split into 256MB for user use and 256MB for system use, the user gets 2048 blocks ideally.{{ref needed}}
 
[[Nintendo Switch]] supports MicroSD cards up to 2 TB.
 
====Game storage====
The Nintendo Wii has an SD card button in the lower left corner of the Wii Menu. If the button shows up as blue instead of gray, meaning the Wii acknowledges that an SD card is inserted, clicking on the button will show a special menu with gray boxes on black, showing [[Virtual Console]] and [[WiiWare]] games that are stored on the SD card.


[[File:Nintendo 3DS SD card write protection error.png|thumb|The enabled write-protection error message]]
The Wii has an SD card button in the lower left corner of the Wii Menu. If the button shows up as blue instead of gray, meaning the Wii acknowledges that an SD card is inserted, clicking on the button will show a special menu with gray boxes on black, showing [[Virtual Console]] and [[WiiWare]] games that are stored on the SD card, including any of ''Super Mario'' franchise.
From the Nintendo 3DS onwards, inserted SD cards are fully integrated in the console main menus, and games can be launched from them normally. If the SD card is ejected while on the main menu, the theme will revert to the default white, and only system apps, [[DSiWare]] games, [[Mii]]s, and the card slot launcher will be shown. The missing content will be restored once the SD card is inserted again.


The Nintendo 3DS is able to detect whether an SD card has the lock slider on the left set to on, and will show an error message if this is the case, resulting in the same aforementioned restored main menu. Wii and Wii U can show similar error messages, but on a much smaller scale. The Wii can load games from a write-protected SD card, and can store save data from such games to the internal memory, but will show an error when copying or moving save files to it. The Wii U shows an error in [[Mii Maker]] when trying to add a photo of a [[Mii]] to it.
The [[Nintendo Switch]] uses MicroSD cards for internal storage, allowing for up to 2 TB. Two official Nintendo microSD cards designed especially for the Nintendo Switch are ''Super Mario''-themed: the red 128GB microSD card with a [[Mushroom]] and the yellow 512GB microSD card with a [[Super Star]] symbol.


====Save game file sizes====
For Wii games whose save files can be copied normally to an SD card in the Data Management settings.
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Revision as of 19:58, May 9, 2024

A Memory Card is a video game accessory that has been a part of many gaming consoles. Essentially, it is an external memory database where game data is saved, including for games of the Super Mario franchise. From Nintendo 64 to Nintendo 3DS, a non-standard measurement unit called a block (a page on Nintendo 64) was used for memory card capacity by Nintendo and in the consoles' system settings, and the size of the unit increased between console generations, though consistently became 128 KB in size throughout the Wii, Nintendo DSi and Nintendo 3DS.[1]. Since the Wii U, industry standard units like gigabytes and megabytes are used within the consoles' settings.

List of Memory cards

Controller Pak

N64 Memory Card
The Nintendo 64's Controller Pak (front and back)

The Controller Pak is an accessory for the Nintendo 64 and the first memory card for a Nintendo console. It plugs into the controller's accessory slot. Many games just use the Controller Pak for storing non-main game data, mainly since cartridges allow for data to be saved directly onto them. One Super Mario game to utilize this is Mario Kart 64, where all race data is saved onto the game, but Ghosts from time trials are saved onto the Controller Pak, where they take up either 121 (30.9 KB) or 123 (31.4 KB) blocks.

Most Controller Paks can only hold up to 123 pages (31.4 KB) of memory, and have 128 pages total (one page being 256 bytes), with the remaining 5 pages (1.2 KB) reserved for formatting purposes.[citation needed]

Nintendo GameCube

Nintendo GameCube memory card
A Nintendo GameCube memory card

Unlike the Nintendo 64, the Nintendo GameCube is very dependent on the memory card, since save data cannot be written on its discs, and the GameCube lacks any form of internal memory. Games played without the memory card inserted act as if they were being played for the first time, and data cannot be saved. Three types of memory cards were officially released, from lowest to highest storage and sporting color differentiation: the first type is gray and can store up to fifty-nine blocks (0.47 MB); the second is black and can store up to 251 (2.0 MB); and the third is white and can store up to 1,019 (8.1 MB). Nintendo of Europe lists the rate for GameCube memory cards as 59 blocks (4 MB),[2] which would result in 66-70 KB per block; other sources contradict this, indicating that Nintendo of Europe mistakenly measured in megabytes instead of megabits, instead resulting in 7-8 KB per block.

Below is a list of the different Super Mario games and their respective block size, and conversion to kilobytes.

Game Blocks Kilobytes (KB)
Super Mario Sunshine 7 56
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! 4 32
Mario Party 6 5 40
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! 8 64
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (each Time Trial ghost) 5 40
Super Mario Strikers 5 40
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door 17 136
Mario Party 7 6 48
Mario Power Tennis 3 24
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour 13 104
Donkey Konga 3 JP 5 40
Wario World 10 80
Nintendo Puzzle Collection 6 48
Mario Party 4 2 16
Mario Party 5 5 40
Luigi's Mansion 3 24
Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix 2 16
Mario Superstar Baseball 10 80
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat 3 24
SSX on Tour 59[3] 472
NBA Street V3 15 120

SD cards

It has been requested that this section be rewritten and expanded to include more information. Reason: The section contradicts itself on whether pre-Switch consoles could handle more than 32 GB, e.g. 64 GB. (tagged on May 4, 2024)

An icon whose design and intention are to demonstrate an SD card.
Design of an SD card.

SD cards are very common types of storage mediums that Nintendo began using since the Wii era. The Wii, unlike the Nintendo GameCube, has internal memory where players can save their game data, or even on SD cards, especially in cases where the internal memory runs out of storage. SD cards can store the Wii's channel data and some non-save game data, such as snapshots in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, though the game also allows snapshots to be saved on the internal storage. The Wii, Nintendo 3DS, and Wii U all support SD cards up to 32GB in memory, though in the Wii's case, before the System Menu 4.0 update in March 2009, it could support only up to 2GB standard SD cards, not any SDHC cards. Super Smash Bros. Brawl and many other games are incompatible with SDHC cards, especially if they were released before the Wii gained SDHC card support.

The Wii has an SD card button in the lower left corner of the Wii Menu. If the button shows up as blue instead of gray, meaning the Wii acknowledges that an SD card is inserted, clicking on the button will show a special menu with gray boxes on black, showing Virtual Console and WiiWare games that are stored on the SD card, including any of Super Mario franchise.

The Nintendo Switch uses MicroSD cards for internal storage, allowing for up to 2 TB. Two official Nintendo microSD cards designed especially for the Nintendo Switch are Super Mario-themed: the red 128GB microSD card with a Mushroom and the yellow 512GB microSD card with a Super Star symbol.

Game Blocks Kilobytes (KB)
Super Mario Galaxy 1 128
Super Mario Galaxy 2 1 128
New Super Mario Bros. Wii 1 128
Super Paper Mario 1 128
Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition 1 128
Mario Strikers Charged 1 128
Super Mario Sluggers 2 256
Mario Power Tennis 1 128
Mario Party 8 1 128
Mario Party 9 1 128
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (each custom stage or replay) 1 128
Donkey Kong Country Returns 2 256

Channel and WiiWare game sizes

For Wii channels and WiiWare games that can be copied in their entirety normally to an SD card in the Data Management settings.

Game Blocks Megabytes (MB)
Mario Kart Channel 86 11.0
Dr. Mario Online Rx 83 10.6
WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase 86 11.0

SD card support table

Wii Wii U Nintendo DSi Nintendo 3DS New Nintendo 3DS Nintendo Switch
SD
An icon whose design and intention are to demonstrate an SD card.
An icon whose design and intention are to demonstrate an SD card.
An icon whose design and intention are to demonstrate an SD card.
An icon whose design and intention are to demonstrate an SD card.
 An icon whose design and intention are to demonstrate a MicroSD card.3 An icon whose design and intention are to demonstrate a MicroSD card.3
SDHC Check mark.svg1 Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg3 Check mark.svg3
SDXC Check mark.svg2 Check mark.svg2 Check mark.svg2 Check mark.svg2 Check mark.svg2 3 Check mark.svg3

1 - Needs to be on Wii System Menu 4.0 or higher. Most older games are incompatible.
2 - The SDXC card has to be formatted to FAT32 with 32k clusters.
3 - MicroSD only

References

  1. ^ How to Check Available Blocks of Memory on the Wii. Nintendo of America.
  2. ^ Memory Card 59. Nintendo of Europe. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  3. ^ The PAL and JP releases instead state 7 blocks. The reason for this discrepancy is not yet known.
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