1st Gen Has your cartridge's internal battery died yet?

[Banz]

So, I tried playing my Silver cartridge the other day and noticed that the saved file is gone. Same thing with Gold and Crystal. The batteries had died.
Then I plugged in my Yellow cartridge and was surprised to see that the saved file was still there. So apparently the battery lasts longer for Gen I games because there is no internal clock.
So my question is, have you ever had to replace your Red/Blue/Yellow cartridge's internal battery? Or is the original one still working? How many years have you had it?

 

[Astinus]

I just checked both of my Blue versions (why I have two copies of Blue is a mystery) and they're both fine. My Japanese copy of Yellow might have to have its battery changed, since there wasn't a save file on it when I started it up.

I've never changed the batteries on any of the cartridges, so they all have the original batteries from '98. There's a local store that offers battery replacements for old games like this, and I might have to add Yellow to the pile I need to bring over there.

 

[curiousnathan]

I just recently checked my Blue, Red and Yellow and lucky for me they're fine. I've heard so many people losing their saves to borked cartridges; I couldn't think of anything worse!

 

[Charlie Brown]

Yeahhh my Blue stopped saving when I was like 8. I can't remember what happened (whether it was the battery or the whole thing just corrupted - I think it was the latter) but I haven't been able to save since :(

 

[Electricbluewolf]

Blue and Yellow are fine for me, my Gold has run out though, I don't have the heart to change it

 

[Banz]

I've heard that Gold/Silver/Crystal's batteries last 7-8 years. Also it is possible to change the battery without deleting your saved file, although I'm not skillful enough for that. Not that it matters, my saved files are already gone.
My Yellow still saves. I bought it second hand so I don't know how old it is and how many more years it will last.

 

[Kikaito plush]

All my first gen games are fine but my siver and gold are gone.

 

[Gone Airbourne]

My pokemon Crystal version since I've had since it first released died out on me last week....

A angry note to my younger self for selling my original red, blue and yellow years ago...

I recently found Yellow and Blue used and picked them up swiftly. Been replaying Blue for old times sake and with a all water themed team.

 

[Sydian]

My Green, Blue, and Yellow are all working, but my Red died last summer. :( I had literally just been playing it that day, then I saved to stop and I started freaking out thinking I hadn't saved, so I turned it back on to check and...it wouldn't have mattered because my save file was gone. So. :( It's okay, though. I can replace the battery at least.

 

[Imperator161]

My Gold, Silver, and Crystal died a number of years ago. Gold died in August 2006 (so a little shy of 6 years after I got it at release), Crystal died next, and Silver died after that. Don't remember exactly when the last two died--maybe 2007-2008ish for Crystal and 2009ish for Silver (both picked up in September 2001).

I checked Red and Yellow a couple of months ago (obtained in 1999 and 2002ish, respectively), and they were fine, but I haven't checked them lately (and I don't have them with me right now). Blue (purchased in late 1999 by a friend) is non-functional, and a replacement battery doesn't fix the issue (it can't display text boxes).

I bought replacement batteries with tabs in 2010, but never got around to installing them. They've probably lost enough juice at this point that I'd buy another batch if I actually decided to replace them. For now, I just plan on getting the RBY VC titles, and I hope that GSC will follow (since none of those games work).

 

[Guest123_x1]

Since I traded in my physical game cartridges of the Game Boy Pokémon games 10 years ago, I never had to face this issue for myself.

Though, in retrospect, I believe that had I kept my games all this time, my Generation I entries (Blue and Yellow) would more than likely still be intact, while all three of my Generation II games would have lost the ability to save one at a time starting around 2007 or 2008.

Of course, we all know the reason for the short life of Generation II's ability to save is due to the internal batteries running the real-time clock that's set at the beginning of a new save file (really no other way around it since the Game Boy didn't have a firmware-run time clock of its own), whereas Generation I didn't have this component to have run by the save battery. Had I actually had to deal with the issue of the save batteries running dry, I probably would not even be sure where I could go to get the batteries replaced.
On the other hand and an unrelated topic, I have my Super Mario Bros. Deluxe Game Boy Color cartridge and three N64 games, all of which still hold their saves.
Like Imperator, I'm also hoping for a Virtual Console release of Generation II at some point in the future.

 

[SaniOKh]

I don't know about Gen 1 cartridges, but the batteries in my Gen 2 cartridges did dry out.

But it doesn't matter now, I replaced them all :) .

 

[Fire-Red]

Currently playing Crystal and everything it alright, my Red died this week :( and my gold and yellow have been gone for a while.

 

[Inti]

For me so far its Red and Crystal.

 

[BorkAndZimGaming]

Yea, RGBY didn't have clocks, so their batteries last much longer. I haven't checked my cartridges in over a year, but last I checked all of them were still working. Shouldn't be too long now, though.

 

[esperance]

My copy of Yellow miraculously still works, although I think my copy of Cyrstal stopped working a few years ago. Interesting how Crystal went before Yellow.