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SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) retains data bits in its memory as long as power is being supplied. It doesn't need to be refreshed regularly like DRAM
DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) on the other hand, stores each bit of data in a separate capacitor within an integrated circuit. The information is constantly refreshed to keep the data. This constant refreshing, however, means that DRAM uses more power than SRAM.
How Zelda Saves Your Game
For PC gaming, “Password System” is used (like Ultima I): Saved data is then written on floppy discs.
This was not the case for consoles.
For the game Survival Island 1983 on the Atari 2600, they used a series of passwords that served as checkpoints. Simply type in a string of numbers to get to a different part of the game.
⇒ Easy for players to mess up.
The game Zelda 1984 (development phase) luckily was made for a system that had 3 writable floppy discs
In 1986, Nintendo released the Famicom Disk System, that allowed consoles to play games from disks cards
These disks have the ability to hold more data than the ROM chips of the game cartridges and are also completely rewriteable
For the first time ever, a console game could create save files like a PC game. The biggest feature of The Legend of Zelda was that you could save your game progress directly onto the game disk.
… And it was even faster than saving on PC back then (where you would need to write a save command, choose the save path, etc,…).
But this system is not without problems. (in comparison with the Cartridges game)
It took longer to load and the disks themselves are quite delicate