View source for Memory card

{{Not to be confused with|Memory module}}
[[File:Memory-card-comparison.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Miniaturization]] is evident in memory card creation; over time, the physical card sizes have become smaller.]]
[[File:Pentax K10D with SanDiskSD card.jpg|thumb|Memory card in a digital SLR camera]]
{{Short description|Electronic data storage device}}
{{use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
A '''memory card''' is an electronic data storage device used for storing digital information, typically using [[flash memory]]. These are commonly used in digital [[Mobile computing|portable electronic devices]], such as [[digital camera]]s as well as in many early games consoles such as the [[Neo Geo]]. They allow adding memory to such devices using a card in a socket instead of protruding [[USB flash drive]]s.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Sahoo |first1=Reeta |last2=Sahoo |first2=Gagan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y7BADAAAQBAJ&dq=%22memory+card%22+%22data+storage+device%22&pg=SA1-PA10 |title=Infomatic Practices |publisher=New Saraswati House India Pvt Ltd |isbn=978-93-5199-433-6 |language=en}}</ref>

Common types of flash memory card include [[SD card]]s (including microSD), [[Memory Stick|Sony's Memory Stick]] and [[CompactFlash]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Matt |date=2022-04-27 |title=A Complete Guide to Memory Cards |url=https://petapixel.com/memory-cards/ |access-date=2025-04-27 |website=PetaPixel |language=en}}</ref> {{asof|2024}}, SD cards are the most common type of memory cards.

== History ==
The basis for memory card technology is [[flash memory]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Micheloni |first1=Rino |last2=Crippa |first2=Luca |last3=Marelli |first3=Alessia |title=Inside NAND Flash Memories |date=2010 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=9789048194315 |page=2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vaq11vKwo_kC&pg=PA2 |language=en}}</ref> It was invented by [[Fujio Masuoka]] at [[Toshiba]] in 1980<ref>{{cite web |last=Fulford |first=Benjamin |title=Unsung Hero |work=Forbes |date=24 June 2002 |access-date=18 March 2008 |url=https://www.forbes.com/global/2002/0624/030.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080303205125/http://www.forbes.com/global/2002/0624/030.html |archive-date=3 March 2008 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{patent|US|4531203|Fujio Masuoka}}</ref> and commercialized by Toshiba in 1987.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=1987: Toshiba Launches NAND Flash |url=https://www.eweek.com/storage/1987-toshiba-launches-nand-flash |website=[[eWeek]] |date=April 11, 2012 |access-date=20 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=1971: Reusable Semiconductor ROM Introduced |url=https://www.computerhistory.org/storageengine/reusable-semiconductor-rom-introduced/ |website=[[Computer History Museum]] |access-date=19 June 2019}}</ref>

The development of memory cards was driven in the 1980s by the need for an alternative to floppy disk drives that had lower power consumption, had less weight and occupied less volume in laptops. Some were also marketed as a lower cost alternative to [[ROM cartridge]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/WhatMSX/What%20MSX%3F%20Vol1%20No4%201985%20Winter/page/n5/mode/1up?q=%22Bright+alternative+to+cartridges%22|title=What MSX? (GB)|date=1985|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> Several competing and incompatible memory card formats were developed by several vendors,<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4DAEAAAAMBAJ&dq=japanese+computer+card+jeida&pg=PA25|magazine=InfoWorld|author=<!-- not stated -->|title=In The Cards|page=25|date=February 5, 1990|publisher=InfoWorld Media Group, Inc.|via=Google Books}}</ref> such as for example the [[Bee Card (game cartridge)|Bee Card]], Astron SoftCards,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/MSXComputing/MSX%20Computing%201985-12/page/n21/mode/1up?q=Astron+SoftCard|title=MSX Computing (GB) : Haymarket Publishing : Free Download, Borrow, And Streaming : Internet Archive|date=1984 }}</ref> Sega Cards, [[NEC UltraLite]] memory cards,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Machrone |first=Bill |date=November 15, 1988 |title=NEC's 4.4-Pound UltraLite Sets a New Standard for Portable Machines |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yFs-_3jT-5kC |website=PC Magazine |publisher=Ziff Davis, Inc. |pages=33, 35}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nzAEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%2260-pin%22+memory+card&pg=PA21|magazine=InfoWorld|first=Patrick|last=Dryden|title=Vendors Move to Set IC Card Standards|page=21|date=October 30, 1989|publisher=InfoWorld Media Group, Inc.|via=Google Books}}</ref> and the Mitsubishi Melcard which came in variants using 60 and 50 connector pins. The [[Sega Card]] was developed as a cheaper alternative to game cartridges.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DbFxAgAAQBAJ&dq=sega+card+cheaper&pg=PA17|title=Service Games: The Rise and Fall of SEGA: Enhanced Edition|first1=Sam|last1=Pettus|first2=David|last2=Munoz|first3=Kevin|last3=Williams|first4=Ivan|last4=Barroso|date=December 20, 2013|publisher=Smashwords Edition|isbn=978-1-311-08082-0 |via=Google Books}}</ref> Some memory cards were used for memory expansion in laptops.<ref>http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/mitsubishi/Mitsubishi_VLSI_MOS_Memory_RAM_ROM_and_Memory_Cards_Jan91.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LpkFEO2FG8sC&dq=1987+memory+card&pg=PA321|magazine=PC Magazine|first=Winn|last=Rosch|title=PCMCIA: The Expansion System of the Future|page=321|date=January 26, 1993|publisher=Ziff Davis, Inc.|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref name="auto2">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cNnvbyOKioEC&dq=PCMCIA+september+1989&pg=PA14|title=PCMCIA System Architecture: 16-Bit PC Cards|first1=Don|last1=Anderson|date=January 25, 1995|publisher=Addison-Wesley Professional|isbn=978-0-201-40991-8 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

JEIDA, the [[Japan Electronic Industry Development Association]], began to work on a standard for memory cards in 1985, and developed the [[JEIDA memory card]] in 1986.<ref>https://www.cqpub.co.jp/hanbai/books/49/49971/49971_1syo.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref>
The [[Personal Computer Memory Card International Association]] (PCMCIA) was an industry association created in 1989 to promote a standard for memory cards in PCs, and worked closely with JEIDA, adopting their 68 pin connector design. The specification for PCMCIA type I cards, later renamed [[PC Card]]s, was first released in 1990, and unified the JEIDA memory card standard with the PC Card standard.<ref name="auto2" /><ref name="auto3">{{Cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x2Fa5SDi0G8C&dq=PCMCIA+september+1989&pg=PA264|magazine=PC Magazine|first=Oliver|last=Rist|title=PCMCIA: An Inside Look|page=264|date=December 21, 1993|publisher=Ziff Davis, Inc.|via=Google Books}}</ref> This format later included support for other devices besides memory cards.<ref 
name="auto3" /> PC Card was among the first commercial memory card formats to come out, but is mainly used in industrial applications and to connect I/O devices such as [[modem]]s.

Some early memory cards used [[Static random-access memory|SRAM]] as a storage medium, which required a lithium battery to keep the contents in the SRAM. These cards were faster than their flash counterparts. Some of the first PCMCIA cards had capacities of 1 to 5&nbsp;MB and cost US$100 per MB.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x2Fa5SDi0G8C&dq=memory+cards+SRAM+battery&pg=PA270|magazine=PC Magazine|first=Nick|last=Stam|title=PCMCIA's System Architecture|page=270|date=December 21, 1993|publisher=Ziff Davis, Inc.|via=Google Books}}</ref> Other early cards such as the Bee Card contained non-modifiable [[ROM]], [[Write once read many]] [[EPROM]] or rewriteable [[EEPROM]] memory.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/WhatMSX/What%20MSX%3F%20Vol1%20No3%201985%20Autumn/page/n5/mode/1up?q=%22bee+cards%22 | title=What MSX? (GB) | date=1984 }}</ref> In 1992, [[SanDisk]] introduced FlashDisk, a PCMCIA card and one of the first memory cards that did not require battery power to retain its contents, as it used flash memory.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/25-years-of-compactflash-a-look-back-at-the-pioneering-format|title=25 Years of CompactFlash: A Look Back at the Pioneering Format|website=PCMAG}}</ref><ref name="auto1" />

In 1994, memory card formats smaller than the PC Card arrived. The first one was [[CompactFlash]] and later [[SmartMedia]] and [[Miniature Card]]. The desire for smaller cards for cell-phones, [[Personal digital assistant|PDA]]s, and [[compact digital camera]]s drove a trend that left the previous generation of "compact" cards looking big. In 2000 the SD card was announced. SD was envisioned as a single memory card format for several kinds of electronic devices, that could also function as an expansion slot for adding new capabilities for a device.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VW7ZIgUJwSMC&dq=64mb+sd+card+second+quarter+2000&pg=PA90|title=Popular Science|first=Bonnier|last=Corporation|date=May 27, 2000|publisher=Bonnier Corporation|via=Google Books}}</ref> In 2001, SmartMedia alone captured 50% of the digital camera market and CF had captured the professional digital camera market.

However, by 2005, SD and similar MMC cards had nearly taken over SmartMedia's spot, though not to the same level and with stiff competition coming from Memory Stick variants, as well as CompactFlash. In industrial and embedded fields, even the venerable PC card (PCMCIA) memory cards still manage to maintain a [[niche market|niche]], while in mobile phones and PDAs, the memory card has become smaller.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

Initially memory cards were expensive, costing US$3 per megabyte of capacity in 2001;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,37844,00.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010608150545/https://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,37844,00.asp|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 8, 2001|title=PCWorld.com – DataPlay Shows Breakthrough in Storage Media|date=June 8, 2001}}</ref> this led to the development of miniaturized rotating disk memory devices such as the [[Microdrive]], [[PocketZip]] and [[Dataplay]]. The Microdrive had higher capacities than memory cards at the time. All three concepts became obsolete once flash memory prices became lower and their capacities became higher by 2006.<ref name="auto" />

New products of Sony (previously only using Memory Stick) and Olympus (previously only using XD-Card) have been offered with an additional SD-Card slot beginning in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |last=Grunin |first=Lori |url=http://ces.cnet.com/8301-31045_1-10426683-269.html |title=Sony Does SD; Panasonic Intros First SDXC Cards &#124; 2010 CES&nbsp;— CNET Blogs |publisher=Ces.cnet.com |date=2010-01-06 |access-date=2013-01-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100324061005/http://ces.cnet.com/8301-31045_1-10426683-269.html |archive-date=2010-03-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Effectively the [[format war]] has turned in SD-Card's favor.<ref name="formatkrieg1">[https://archive.today/20121209113820/http://www.chip.de/news/Format-Krieg-entschieden-SD-Card-setzt-sich-durch_40751686.html "Format-Krieg entschieden: SD-Card setzt sich durch"] (''"format-war resolved: SD-card prevails"''), Chip-online, 14. January 2010</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140116213125/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/34850031/ "Camera trends come into focus for 2010"], NBC News, 13. January.2010 ''"As much as the storage-format war cleared up a bit with Sony announcing that it would support SD and SDHC cards ..."''</ref><ref>[http://www.marketnews.ca/LatestNewsHeadlines/FEATURE:PlayingYourCardsRightatRetail.html "FEATURE: Playing Your Cards Right at Retail"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617153237/http://www.marketnews.ca/LatestNewsHeadlines/FEATURE:PlayingYourCardsRightatRetail.html |date=2013-06-17 }}, Peter K. Burian, 4. June 2010. ''"Some industry observers have suggested that this development signals an end to the 'format war,' ..."''</ref>

{{See also|SD card#Markets}}

== Data table of selected memory card formats ==
{{expand section|info on which of these are dead|date=December 2021}}
{{sticky header}}
{| class="wikitable sortable sticky-header"
|-
! Name ||Abbreviation|| Form factor (mm)||[[Digital rights management|DRM]]
|-
|[[PC Card]]|| style="text-align:center;"|PCMCIA||85.6 × 54 × 3.3||{{no Y}}
|-
|[[CompactFlash]] I|| style="text-align:center;"|CF-I||43 × 36 × 3.3||{{no Y}}
|-
|[[CompactFlash]] II|| style="text-align:center;"|CF-II||43 × 36 × 5.5||{{no Y}}
|-
|[[CFexpress]] Type A|| style="text-align:center;"|CFA||20 × 28 × 2.8||{{partial|Unknown}}
|-
|[[CFexpress]] Type B|| style="text-align:center;"|CFX||38.5 × 29.8 × 3.8||{{partial|Unknown}}
|-
|[[CFexpress]] Type C|| {{dunno}} ||54 × 74 × 4.8||{{partial|Unknown}}
|-
|[[SmartMedia]]|| style="text-align:center;"|SM/&nbsp;SMC||45 × 37 × 0.76&nbsp;||{{yes N|[[SmartMedia#Copy protection|ID]]}}
|-
|[[Memory Stick]]|| style="text-align:center;"|MS||50.0 × 21.5 × 2.8||{{yes N|[[MagicGate]]}}
|-
|[[Memory Stick]] Duo|| style="text-align:center;"|MSD||31.0 × 20.0 × 1.6||{{yes N|[[MagicGate]]}}
|-
|[[Memory Stick]] Pro Duo|| style="text-align:center;"|MSPD||31.0 × 20.0 × 1.6||{{yes N|[[MagicGate]]}}
|-
|[[Memory Stick]] Pro-HG Duo|| style="text-align:center;"|MSPDX||31.0 × 20.0 × 1.6||{{yes N|[[MagicGate]]}}
|-
|[[Memory Stick]] Micro M2|| style="text-align:center;"|M2||15.0 × 12.5 × 1.2||{{yes N|[[MagicGate]]}}
|-
|[[Miniature Card]]|| {{dunno}} |||37 × 45 × 3.5||{{no Y}}
|-
|[[Multimedia Card]]|| style="text-align:center;"|MMC||32 × 24 × 1.5||{{no Y}}
|-
|[[Multimedia Card|Reduced Size Multimedia Card]]|| style="text-align:center;"|RS-MMC||16 × 24 × 1.5||{{no Y}}
|-
|[[Multimedia Card|MMCmicro Card]]|| style="text-align:center;"|MMCmicro||12 × 14 × 1.1||{{no Y}}
|-
|[[Nintendo Switch#Distribution|Nintendo Switch]]|| style="text-align:center;"| NS ||31 × 21 × 3|| {{dunno}}
|-
|[[P2 (storage media)|P2 card]]|| style="text-align:center;"| P2 ||85.6 × 54 × 3.3|| {{no Y}}
|-
|[[PlayStation Vita#Storage media|PS Vita]]|| style="text-align:center;"|PSV|| 30 x 22 x 2 ||{{dunno}}
|-
|[[SD card]]|| style="text-align:center;"|SD||32 × 24 × 2.1||{{yes N|[[CPRM]]}}
|-
|[[SxS]]|| style="text-align:center;"|SxS||75 × 34 × 5|| {{no Y}}
|-
|[[Universal Flash Storage]]|| style="text-align:center;"|UFS|| {{dunno}} ||{{partial|Unknown}}
|-
|[[SD card#Micro-cards|microSD card]]{{Broken anchor|date=2024-06-13|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=SD card#Micro-cards|reason= The anchor (Micro-cards) [[Special:Diff/948045394|has been deleted]].}}|| style="text-align:center;"|microSD||15 × 11 × 0.7||{{yes N|[[CPRM]]}}
|-
|[[xD-Picture Card]]|| style="text-align:center;"|xD||20 × 25 × 1.7||{{no Y}}
|-
|Intelligent Stick|| style="text-align:center;"|iStick||24 × 18 × 2.8||{{no Y}}
|-
|Serial Flash Module|| style="text-align:center;"|SFM||45 × 15||{{no Y}}
|-
|μ card|| style="text-align:center;"|μcard||32 × 24 × 1||{{partial|Unknown}}
|-
|[[NT Card]]|| style="text-align:center;"|NT NT+||44 × 24 × 2.5||{{no Y}}
|-
|[[XQD card]]|| style="text-align:center;"|XQD||38.5 × 29.8 × 3.8||{{partial|Unknown}}
|-
|[[Nano Memory]] card|| style="text-align:center;"|NM Card||12.3 × 8.8 × 0.7||{{partial|Unknown}}
|}
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px">
File:SD Cards.JPG|[[Secure Digital card]] (SD)
File:MiniSD memory card including adapter.jpg|[[MiniSD card]] with an SD card adapter
File:Memory Stick Front and Back.jpg|[[Memory Stick]]
File:Compactflash-512mb.png|[[CompactFlash]] (CF-I)
File:Kingston Multi Media Card 32MB front 20040702.jpg|[[MultiMediaCard]] (MMC)
File:Smartmedia card closeup.jpg|[[SmartMedia]]
File:XD card 16M Fujifilm front.png|[[xD-Picture Card]]
File:Huawei NM Card.jpg|[[Nano Memory|NM card]] (a proprietary memory card format created by Huawei) Electronic contacts compared to nano-sim card to the same scale
</gallery>

== Overview of all memory card types ==
{{Main|Comparison of memory cards}}
{{unreferenced section|date=May 2015}}
*PCMCIA ATA Type I Card (PC Card ATA Type I)
**PCMCIA Type II, Type III cards
*[[CompactFlash]] Card (Type I), CompactFlash High-Speed
*CompactFlash Type II, CF+(CF2.0), CF3.0
**Microdrive
*[[CFexpress]]
*MiniCard ([[Miniature Card]]) (max 64&nbsp;MB / 64 [[MiB]])
*SmartMedia Card (SSFDC) (max 128&nbsp;MB) (3.3&nbsp;V,5&nbsp;V)
*xD-Picture Card, xD-Picture Card Type M
*[[Memory Stick]], MagicGate Memory Stick (max 128&nbsp;MB); Memory Stick Select, MagicGate Memory Stick Select ("Select" means: 2x128&nbsp;MB with A/B switch)
*SecureMMC
*[[Secure Digital]] (SD Card), Secure Digital High-Speed, Secure Digital Plus/Xtra/etc (SD with USB connector)
**[[miniSD card]]
**[[microSD]] card (aka Transflash, T-Flash, TF)
**SDHC
**WiFi SD Cards (SD Card With WiFi Card Built in) Powered by Device. (Eye-Fi, WiFi SD, Flash Air)
*[[Nano Memory]] (NM) card
*MU-Flash (Mu-Card) (Mu-Card Alliance of OMIA)
*C-Flash
*[[Subscriber Identity Module|SIM]] card (Subscriber Identity Module)
*[[Smart card]] ([[ISO/IEC 7810]], [[ISO/IEC 7816]] card standards, etc.)
*UFC ([[USB FlashCard]]) (uses [[USB]])
*FISH Universal Transportable Memory Card Standard (uses USB)
*Intelligent Stick (iStick, a USB-based flash memory card with MMS)
*[[SxS]] (S-by-S) memory card, a new memory card specification developed by [[Sandisk]] and [[Sony]]. SxS complies to the [[ExpressCard]] industry standard.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dpreview.com/news/0704/07041601sxsmemorycardformat.asp |title=SanDisk and Sony Announce SxS Memory Card: Digital Photography Review |publisher=Dpreview.com |access-date=2013-01-07}}</ref>
*Nexflash Winbond Serial Flash Module (SFM) cards, size range 1 [[Mebibyte|MB]], 2&nbsp;MB and 4&nbsp;MB.

=== Comparison ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Standard
! colspan="5" |[[SD card|SD]]
! colspan="2" |[[Universal Flash Storage|UFS Card]]
! colspan="2" |[[CFast]]
! colspan="2" |[[XQD]]
! colspan="3" |[[CFexpress]]
|-
|Version
|3.0
|4.0
|6.0
|7.0<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.flashmemorysummit.com/English/Collaterals/Proceedings/2017/20170809_S202C_Pinto.pdf|title=SD + PCIe/NVMe Card New Innovations in SD Cards Lead the Way to Mobile Everything|last=Pinto|first=Yosi|website=Flash Memory Summit}}</ref>
|8.0
|1.0
|2.0
|1.0
|2.0
|1.0
|2.0
|1.0
|2.0
|4.0
|-
|Launched
|2010 Q2
|2011 Q1
|2017 Q1
|2018 Q2
|2020 Q1
|2016 Q2
|?
|2008 Q3
|2012 Q3
|2011 Q4
|2014 Q1
|2017 Q2
|2019 Q1
|2023 Q3
|-
|Bus
|UHS-I
|UHS-II
|UHS-III
|PCIe 3.0 x1
|PCIe 4.0 x2
|UFS 2.0
|UFS 3.0
|SATA-300
|SATA-600
|PCIe 2.0 x1
|PCIe 2.0 x2
|PCIe 3.0 x2
|PCIe 3.0 x1/x2/x4
|PCIe 4.0 x1/x2/x4
|-
|Speed
(full-duplex)
|104 MB/s
|156 MB/s
|624 MB/s
|985 MB/s
|3938 MB/s
|600 MB/s
|1200 MB/s
|300 MB/s
|600 MB/s
|500 MB/s
|1000 MB/s
|1970 MB/s
|up to 4&nbsp;GB/s
|up to 8&nbsp;GB/s
|}

== Video game consoles ==
{{more citations needed section|date=December 2011}}

Many older [[video game console]]s used memory cards to hold [[saved game]] data. [[Game cartridge|Cartridge]]-based systems primarily used battery-backed [[volatile memory|volatile]] [[RAM]] within each individual cartridge to hold saves for that game. Cartridges without this RAM may have used a [[Password (video gaming)|password system]], or would not save progress at all. The [[Neo Geo AES]], released in 1990 by [[SNK]], was the first video game console able to use a memory card. AES memory cards were also compatible with [[Neo Geo MVS]] [[arcade cabinet]]s, allowing players to migrate saves between home and [[arcade system]]s and vice versa.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.neogeoprotos.com/memcardfaq.htm|title=The Official NEO-GEO Memory Card FAQ by Billy Pitt|website=NeoGeoProtos.com|access-date=2017-02-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=This Fall Everything Turns To Gold With Neo-Geo: The Player's Gold Card Keeps Them Coming Back For More |magazine=RePlay |date=November 1990 |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=26–7 |url=https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-16-issue-no.-2-november-1990-600dpi/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2016%2C%20Issue%20No.%202%20-%20November%201990/page/26/mode/2up}}</ref> Memory cards became commonplace when home consoles moved to read-only [[optical disc]]s for storing the game program, beginning with systems such as the [[TurboGrafx-CD]] and [[Sega-CD]].

Until the [[sixth generation of video game consoles]], memory cards were based on [[proprietary format]]s; Later systems used established industry formats for memory cards, such as [[FAT32]].

Home consoles commonly use [[hard disk drive]] storage for saved games and allow the use of [[USB flash drive]]s or other card formats via a [[memory card reader]] to transport game saves and other game information. Though some consoles have implemented [[cloud storage]] saving, most portable gaming systems still rely on custom memory cartridges to store program data, due to their low power consumption, smaller physical size and reduced mechanical complexity.

<gallery>
File:Neo-Geo-Memory-Card.jpg| [[Neo Geo]] 2&nbsp;KiB memory card
File:PSX-Memory-Card.jpg| [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] 128&nbsp;KiB memory card
File:Sega-Dreamcast-VMU.jpg| [[Dreamcast]] ([[VMU]]) 128&nbsp;KiB memory card
File:Nintendo GameCube memory card.png| [[GameCube]] 512&nbsp;KiB memory card
File:Xbox-360-512MB-MemCard.jpg| [[Xbox 360]] memory card
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{Commons|Memory card}}
*[[Comparison of memory cards]]
*[[Hot swapping]]
*[[Memory card reader]]
*[[ROM cartridge]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Memory Cards}}
{{Basic computer components}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1990s in computing]]
[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 1987]]
[[Category:Solid-state computer storage media|*Memory card]]
[[Category:Video game storage media]]