# Bubble System

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{{Short description|Konami arcade board}}
{{Infobox information appliance
| name         = Bubble System
| aka          = 
| logo         = 
| image        = BMcartridge.png
| caption      = A Konami Bubble System board with the ''Gradius'' Bubble Software cartridge connected.
| developer    = [Konami](/source/Konami)
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| release_date = {{Start date|1985}}
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| os           = 
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| system_on_chip          = 
| cpu          = [Motorola 68000](/source/Motorola_68000) @ 10 MHz
| memory       = 
| storage      = 
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}}
The '''Bubble System''' is a modular [arcade system board](/source/arcade_system_board) designed by [Konami](/source/Konami) and used across several [arcade game](/source/arcade_game)s in 1985.

Konami announced coin-op [arcade video game](/source/arcade_video_game)s for the system in January 1985.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Overseas Readers Column: Konami Industry Starts "Bubble System" Videos|magazine=[Game Machine](/source/%3Aja%3A%E3%82%B2%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A0%E3%83%9E%E3%82%B7%E3%83%B3)|issue=253|publisher=[Amusement Press, Inc.](/source/%3Aja%3A%E3%82%A2%E3%83%9F%E3%83%A5%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BA%E3%83%A1%E3%83%B3%E3%83%88%E9%80%9A%E4%BF%A1%E7%A4%BE)|date=1 February 1985|page=26|lang=ja|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19850201p.pdf#page=14}}</ref> The Bubble System introduced a unique new form of data storage for arcade-style video games. It used [bubble memory](/source/bubble_memory) cartridges enabling an operator to swap games easily.

Konami used a modified version of their new G400 [BIOS](/source/BIOS) for this project. The main [CPU](/source/CPU) was a [Motorola 68000](/source/Motorola_68000) at 10 MHz. There was a separate [Zilog Z80](/source/Zilog_Z80) for sound control, which drove two [AY-3-8910](/source/AY-3-8910)s, a custom Konami SCC (K005289), and a [Sanyo](/source/Sanyo) VLM5030 [speech synthesizer](/source/Speech_synthesis). It had a [Scramble](/source/Scramble_(video_game)) [wiring harness](/source/Cable_harness).

Bubble Software can be identified by its [booting](/source/booting) sequence. First, a synthesized voice speaks the phrase "Presented by Konami. Getting ready", followed by a countdown from fifty (which often ends before reaching zero). The screen then starts displaying video and a screen with the text "WARMING UP NOW - PRESENTED BY KONAMI", accompanied with a second countdown timer and a small musical tune (called the "Morning Music") appears. The reason this was implemented was because bubble memory must be heated to around {{convert|30|-|40|°C|°F}} for it to work properly, and the game must be copied from the bubble memory into [RAM](/source/random-access_memory), before it can be run. Despite what the screen says, the heating process takes place during the voice-based countdown stage (which is of variable length and is temperature-dependent), while the loading process happens during the (fixed-length) on-screen countdown stage.

The Bubble System became a commercial failure. It was considerably more expensive than [ROM](/source/Read-only_memory) chip-based boards and extremely sensitive to [electromagnetic field](/source/electromagnetic_field)s that could render the game unplayable. Most games on this system were eventually ported to standard ROM chips, and it was discontinued.<ref name="bubble">{{cite web|url=https://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=559|title=Konami Bubble System|last=Broyad|first=Toby|work=System 16 - The Arcade Museum|access-date=23 October 2025}}</ref>

Konami has made homages to the Bubble System in several games; with the Morning Music being one of the playable tracks in ''[Keyboardmania](/source/Keyboardmania)'' and ''[NOSTALGIA](/source/Bemani)'', and the intro of ''[Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits](/source/Konami_Classics_Series%3A_Arcade_Hits)'' featuring the song too.

==Bubble System games==
* ''[Gradius](/source/Gradius_(video_game))'' (ported to ROM chips as ''Nemesis'' for overseas distribution)
* ''[TwinBee](/source/TwinBee_(video_game))''
* ''[Galactic Warriors](/source/Galactic_Warriors)''
* ''Konami RF2'' (ported to ROM chips as ''[Konami GT](/source/Konami_GT)'' for overseas distribution)

==See also==
* [Konami GX400](/source/Konami_GX400)

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* [http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=559 System16.com: Bubble System hardware]

{{Konami}}

Category:Konami arcade system boards
Category:68k-based arcade system boards

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bubble System](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_System) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_System?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.