DECO Cassette System

DECO Cassette System loading screen

The DECO Cassette System is an arcade system that was introduced by Data East in October 1980.[1] It was the first standardised arcade system that allowed arcade owners to change games. Developed in 1979, it was released in Japan in 1980 and then North America in 1981.

The arcade owner would buy a base cabinet, while the games were stored on standard audio cassette tapes. The arcade owner would insert the cassette and a key module[a] into the cabinet. When the machine was powered on, the program from the tape would be copied into the cabinet's RAM chips; this process took about two to three minutes. Afterwards, the game could be played freely until the machine was powered off.

  1. ^ "Overseas Readers Column: Data East Celebrated Its 10th Anniversary" (PDF). Game Machine. No. 286. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 July 1986. p. 26.


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