Game Genie cartridge for the Mega Drive/Genesis.

The Game Genie is a series of cheat cartridges designed by Codemasters and sold by Camerica and Galoob for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, Mega Drive/Genesis, and Sega Game Gear that modifies game data, allowing the player to cheat, manipulate various aspects of games, and sometimes view unused content and functions. Although there are currently no Game Genie products on the market, most video game console emulators feature Game Genie support. Also, emulators that have Game Genie support allow a near unlimited amount of codes to be entered whereas the actual products have a much smaller limit that usually tops between 3 and 6 codes. The Action Replay, Code Breaker, and GameShark are similar hacking devices that acted as a spiritual successor on later generation consoles, although they were created by entirely different companies. Image File history File linksMetadata Game_Genies_2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Game_Genies_2. ... The Sega Mega Drive ) is a video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988, North America in 1989, and the PAL region in 1990. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Codemasters (earlier known as Code Masters) is one of the oldest British video game developers. ... Camerica is a video game company that was notable for producing unlicensed Nintendo Entertainment System games and hardware. ... Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc. ... “NES” redirects here. ... The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES (also called SNES and Super Nintendo) was a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia, and Brazil between 1990 and 1993. ... For the entire Game Boy series of handheld consoles, see Game Boy line. ... The Sega Mega Drive ) is a video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988, North America in 1989, and the PAL region in 1990. ... The Sega Game Gear is a handheld game console which was Segas response to Nintendos Game Boy. ... Computer and video games redirects here. ... Game console redirects here. ... This article is about emulators in computer science. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Cryptanalysis (from the Greek kryptós, hidden, and analýein, to loosen or to untie) is the study of methods for obtaining the meaning of encrypted information, without access to the secret information which is normally required to do so. ... GameShark is the brand name of a line of video game cheat cartridges and other products for a variety of console video game systems and Windows based computers. ... Spiritual successor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

Operation and design

The Game Genie attaches to the end of a cartridge and is then inserted into the cartridge port of the console for which it was designed. The loading mechanism of the NES makes the use of the NES Game Genie awkward, as game cartridges for the NES are inserted into the console, then depressed down into the console. The addition of the Game Genie causes the cartridge to protrude from the console when fully inserted, making the depression impossible. Therefore, the Game Genie was designed in such a way that it did not need to be depressed in order to start the game. However, this design made it very difficult to insert into a newer top-loading NES. An adaptor was made to deal with the problem, but few were requested; today they are hard to find since the stock was liquidated. Cartridge for the VIC 20 homecomputer In various types of electronic equipment, a cartridge can refer one method of adding different functionality or content (e. ... Game console redirects here. ... “NES” redirects here. ... The NES 2 alongside its similarly redesigned dog bone game controller The NES 2 is a compact redesign of the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) video game console from Nintendo. ...

Upon starting the console, the player may enter a series of characters referred to as a "code" or several such series that reference addresses in the ROM of the cartridge. Each code contains an integer value that is read by the system in place of the data actually present on the cartridge. For other uses, see Cheat code (disambiguation). ... Read-only memory (usually known by its acronym, ROM) is a class of storage media used in computers and other electronic devices. ... In computer science, the term integer is used to refer to any data type which can represent some subset of the mathematical integers. ...

The Game Genie screen on the NES.

Because they patch the program code of a game, Game Genie codes are sometimes referred to as patch codes. These codes can have a variety of effects. The most popular codes give the player some form of invulnerability, infinite ammunition, level skipping, or other modifications that allow the player to be more powerful than intended by the developers. In rare cases, codes even unlock hidden game features that developers had scrapped and rendered unreachable in normal play. Nonetheless, inputting a random code is as effective as using PEEK and POKE operations randomly. The results can yield a useful code, but will most likely result in anything from a mundane or highly unnoticeable change to freezing the game and possibly corrupting saved data. The Game Genie was usually sold with a small booklet of discovered codes for use with the system. However, these booklets would eventually become inadequate as new codes were discovered and new games were released that were not covered. To address this, an update system was implemented, where subscribers would receive quarterly booklet updates for a fee. In addition Galoob also ran ads in certain gaming publications (such as GamePro) that featured codes for newer games. Today, these codes and many others discovered by players can be found for free online. Image File history File links Game_Genie_(NES). ... In computing, a patch is a small piece of software designed to update or fix problems with a computer program or its supporting data. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games. ... In computing, PEEK is a BASIC programming language function used for reading the contents of a memory cell at a specified address. ... Look up hang in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... GamePro is an American video game magazine published monthly. ...

The Game Genie does not work with Super Nintendo games that contain a performance enhancing chip (e.g. Super FX and S-DD1 chip) such as Star Fox, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, and Street Fighter Alpha 2. These game cartridges contain additional pins that insert into the slots located left and right of the main center slot. Cartridge adapters made before the release of Star Fox (the first game to need the expansion slots) like the Game Genie did not have a connection to these previously unused slots, so cartridges that contain an additional processor (and thus need to be connected to those slots to do I/O with the system) could not be plugged into these devices. However, some games with these extra contacts worked perfectly nonetheless, most notably Mega Man X2 and Mega Man X3. Super FX-rendered 3D polygon graphics in the SNES game Star Fox The Super FX is probably the most widely recognized coprocessor chip used in select Super Nintendo (SNES) video game cartridges. ... The S-DD1 chip is a powerful ASIC decompressor made by Nintendo for use in some Super Nintendo Entertainment System Game Paks. ... Star Fox ) (also known as Star Wing in Europe due to trademark issues) is the first game in the Star Fox series of video games. ... The Street Fighter Alpha (in Japan and other parts of Asia, Street Fighter Zero) series of fighting games is part of the Street Fighter series developed by Capcom. ... Energy Input: The energy placed into a reaction. ... Mega Man X2 was released in 1994 by Capcom and is the second game in the Mega Man X sub-franchise. ... Mega Man X3 was released in 1995 by Capcom. ...

On the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis, the Game Genie can function as a country converter cartridge since most of these games are only "locked" to their respective regions by the shape of the cartridges and a set of a few bytes in the header of the ROM. The Sega Mega Drive ) is a video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988, North America in 1989, and the PAL region in 1990. ...

Because it bypasses the lock-out chip, the NES version of the Game Genie allows the user to play games from other countries (excluding Japan, whose Famicom games have a 60-pin connector, as opposed to the 72-pin NES cartridges).

The SNES version of the Game Genie can also allow the user to play games from other countries (such as European games and Super Famicom games) because the Game Genie also bypasses the lockout chip like the NES version.

The Sega Game Gear's game genie had a very interesting design. When inserted into the cartridge slot, another slot would pop-up to insert the Game Gear cartridge. It also had a compartment which contained a book of codes. The codes were printed on sticky labels to put on the back of the Game Gear cartridge. When entering codes, the player could easily see what to type in rather than looking through the book. The Sega Game Gear is a handheld game console which was Segas response to Nintendos Game Boy. ...

The Game Genie's innovations are covered by US Patent #5112051, "Interfacing device for a computer games system", filed May 30, 1990. For other uses, see Patent (disambiguation). ... is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ...

Three interfacing designs from Codemasters' US patent.

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 727 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (800 × 660 pixel, file size: 124 KB, MIME type: image/png)Images of sample Game Genie-like devices from US Patent #5,112,051, Interfacing device for a computer games system, filed May 30, 1990. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 727 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (800 × 660 pixel, file size: 124 KB, MIME type: image/png)Images of sample Game Genie-like devices from US Patent #5,112,051, Interfacing device for a computer games system, filed May 30, 1990. ...

Legal issues

The introduction of the original NES Game Genie was met by fierce opposition from Nintendo. Nintendo sued Galoob in the case Galoob v. Nintendo, claiming that the Game Genie created derivative works in violation of copyright law. Sales of the Game Genie initially stopped in the U.S., but not in Canada. In many gaming magazines of the time, Camerica placed Game Genie ads saying "Thank You Canada!" However, after the courts found that use of the Game Genie did not result in a derivative work, Nintendo could do nothing to stop the Game Genie from being sold in the U.S. Sega, on the other hand, fully endorsed the product with their official seal of approval. Before the lawsuit was filed, Galoob offered to make the Game Genie an officially licensed product but was turned down by Nintendo. Nintendo Company, Limited (任天堂 or ニンテンドー Nintendō; NASDAQ: NTDOY, TYO: 7974 usually referred to as simply Nintendo, or Big N ) is a multinational corporation founded on September 23, 1889[1] in Kyoto, Japan by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. ... Civil action redirects here. ... Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc. ... Not to be confused with copywriting. ... A video game magazine is a magazine that talks about video games on PC, other computers or video game consoles. ... This article is about the video game company. ...

Distribution in the UK

Distribution of the Game Genie product in the UK was handled by Hornby Hobbies, usually associated with model railways and the Scalextric brand. Working closely with Codemasters they were also responsible for setting up a dedicated telephone helpline to cater for the ever increasing need for newer codes required to cheat/enhance the latest games. This service was manned by the Game Genie Guru of the early 90s, Mark Stoneham, who also regularly featured in console magazines listing his latest collection of up-to-date codes and making the odd guest appearance on Channel 4's Gamesmaster and Sky's Games World. Hornby Railways is the leading brand of model railway in the United Kingdom. ... 6-lane Scalextric layout with colour-coded lanes Scalextric is a major international brand of slot car racing that first appeared in the late 1950s and is currently owned by Hornby. ... Codemasters (earlier known as Code Masters) is one of the oldest British video game developers. ... This article is about the British television station. ... This article is about the television series. ... Bob Mills and Dave Perry present The Eliminator in Series 3 of Games World. ...

Little known facts

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (August 2007)

Around the time of the lawsuit with Galoob, Nintendo used other methods in attempts to thwart the Game Genie. Nintendo had made minor modifications to the NES and SNES systems that caused many games not to work with the Game Genie, with the addition of a lock-out chip designed to prevent other companies from making games for the NES without paying fees. This was done with little publicity. The only way one could tell is by the manufacture date or serial number. This is not to be confused with the later redesign of top-loading consoles for the NES and the smaller, sleeker SNES. Nowadays, using emulators to play these games as ROM dumps on the computer with a software Game Genie will work as the pre-Game Genie consoles did. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... In a general sense, a lock-out chip is a chip within an electronic device to prevent other manufacturers from using a companys device to perform certain functions. ...

External links

• The official Game Genie website (archived copy from archive.org)
• Technical explanation of how Game Genie and its codes work

References in Media

• Game Genie 2: An independent film loosely based on the Galoob product and the powers it could possibly give mankind.