diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 6950175..d23e71a 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -151,7 +151,9 @@ docs/PLAN.md        the Jedi Knight plan and history
                               # (components/mgs/mgs_reversing/port/extract_disc.py)
   tpm/                        # The Phantom Menace, USA Rev 1: the .bin of a bin/cue rip
     Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (USA) (Rev 1).bin
-  saves/                      # save states and their screenshots
+  saves/                      # save states and their screenshots; the PlayStation
+                              # games' memory cards (tpm_card1.mcd, mgs_card1.mcd:
+                              # raw 128 KB images, as PC emulators use)
 ```
 
 Example `metadata.csv` (one line per game: rom path, boxart, name; the
diff --git a/components/mgs/README.md b/components/mgs/README.md
index 14e11d9..466c50b 100644
--- a/components/mgs/README.md
+++ b/components/mgs/README.md
@@ -64,7 +64,11 @@ mgs/STAGE.DIR,boxart/mgs.jpg,Metal Gear Solid
   every thread's stack and context), keyed on the memory layout so a
   rebuild that leaves the game code in place keeps old states loadable.
 - Pause, reset, relaunch and quit in place.
-- Not done: memory-card game saves (use states), full-motion video (MDEC,
+- Memory card: the game's own saves (Mei Ling's codec frequency, 140.85;
+  the title's load) go to `/sdcard/saves/mgs_card1.mcd`, a raw 128 KB card
+  image as PC emulators use, made the first time the game looks. Unlike
+  save states they survive any rebuild.
+- Not done: full-motion video (MDEC,
   movies are skipped). 56 of the 96 stages have decompiled actors upstream.
 
 ## Measuring
diff --git a/components/mgs/include/mgs.hpp b/components/mgs/include/mgs.hpp
index 366bb7f..13107c1 100644
--- a/components/mgs/include/mgs.hpp
+++ b/components/mgs/include/mgs.hpp
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@ struct Config {
   /// Directory holding the disc files: STAGE.DIR, RADIO.DAT, FACE.DAT, ...
   /// (what port/extract_disc.py produces), e.g. "/sdcard/mgs".
   std::string data_dir;
+  /// The memory card in port 1, a 128 KB card image file (the format PC
+  /// emulators use): the game's own saves go there. Made, formatted, the
+  /// first time the game looks. Empty: no card.
+  std::string memory_card;
 };
 
 /// Start the game. Returns false if the data is missing or the engine could
diff --git a/components/mgs/mgs_reversing b/components/mgs/mgs_reversing
index 0ac4d5d..6d58e9f 160000
--- a/components/mgs/mgs_reversing
+++ b/components/mgs/mgs_reversing
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit 0ac4d5d167a0ff0b2013005844e08fd74d3428be
+Subproject commit 6d58e9fe56d7fbdeafe93b59f7d17f62a9f3a90c
diff --git a/components/mgs/psyz b/components/mgs/psyz
index 0c2cfcb..3245d54 160000
--- a/components/mgs/psyz
+++ b/components/mgs/psyz
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit 0c2cfcb60ab0e9638e8c7ab7f0e7d1abce766f65
+Subproject commit 3245d546f1a2becce2e17333d2e65e8dc9d8c612
diff --git a/components/mgs/src/mgs.cpp b/components/mgs/src/mgs.cpp
index 2921674..61f30a9 100644
--- a/components/mgs/src/mgs.cpp
+++ b/components/mgs/src/mgs.cpp
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 #include <vector>
 
 #include "../mgs_reversing/port/mgs_snapshot.h"
+#include <psyz/mcd.h>
 #include "freertos/FreeRTOS.h"
 #include "freertos/task.h"
 
@@ -323,6 +324,7 @@ bool init(const Config &config) {
   // the directory must be called MGS (FAT is case-insensitive about it).
   const auto root = std::filesystem::path(config.data_dir).parent_path().string();
   Mgs_SetDataRoot(root.c_str());
+  Mcd_SetPath(0, config.memory_card.c_str()); // the "bu00:" device (psyz/mcd.h)
   mgs_platform_init(config.data_dir.c_str());
   // the frame buffers the scanout converts VRAM into (the S3 port's app_main
   // does this; here it is the cart's job)
diff --git a/components/tpm/CMakeLists.txt b/components/tpm/CMakeLists.txt
index 96148d2..bd8a5ae 100644
--- a/components/tpm/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/components/tpm/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -119,7 +119,8 @@ if(TPM_ENGINE_READY)
   set(rt ${TPM_DECOMP}/recomp/runtime)
   file(GLOB rt_srcs ${rt}/*.c)
   file(GLOB gen_srcs ${TPM_GEN}/recomp_*.c)
-  set(psyz_srcs ${TPM_PSYZ}/psyz/src/psyz/psyz_spu.c) # (the GTE is the runtime's own: rt_gte.c)
+  # (the GTE is the runtime's own: rt_gte.c); psyz_mcd.c: the memory card's image file
+  set(psyz_srcs ${TPM_PSYZ}/psyz/src/psyz/psyz_spu.c ${TPM_PSYZ}/psyz/src/psyz/psyz_mcd.c)
   add_library(tpm_rt STATIC ${gen_srcs} ${rt_srcs} ${psyz_srcs})
   idf_build_get_property(config_dir CONFIG_DIR)
   target_include_directories(tpm_rt PRIVATE
diff --git a/components/tpm/README.md b/components/tpm/README.md
index 0449290..a2e3e91 100644
--- a/components/tpm/README.md
+++ b/components/tpm/README.md
@@ -120,15 +120,20 @@ menu (3.6 MB each; save 1.5 s, load 0.6 s).
 - Pads: the HAL's merged gamepad, face buttons by position (the HAL's B is
   south): B = cross, A = circle, Y = square, X = triangle, L/R = L1/R1.
 - Movies play at full speed (15 fps, the game thread ~80% busy) with their
-  XA audio when the overlay was recompiled (`CONFIG_TPM_DISC_PATH`). There is
-  no memory card (the game says so and carries on).
+  XA audio when the overlay was recompiled (`CONFIG_TPM_DISC_PATH`).
+- Memory card: the game's own saves (pause menu: Save Game; title: Load
+  Game) go to `/sdcard/saves/tpm_card1.mcd`, a raw 128 KB card image as PC
+  emulators use (DuckStation, ePSXe, ...), made the first time the game
+  looks. Unlike save states they load into any firmware build.
 - Frameskip (`CONFIG_TPM_FRAMESKIP`, default 2): when the game is ahead of
   the GPU, the worker leaves up to that many frames in a row undrawn, so
   the game keeps its pace instead of running in slow motion.
 - The pause menu pauses the game at its next loop back-edge. Save states
   hold guest RAM, VRAM, the SPU, the CPU / GTE / hardware state and the
-  runtime's live statics; without enough free PSRAM for the game's arena
-  (after another big cart) the game still runs, without save states.
+  runtime's live statics, and load only into the firmware build that wrote
+  them (the memory card is for keeping progress across updates); without
+  enough free PSRAM for the game's arena (after another big cart) the game
+  still runs, without save states.
 
 Where the time goes (in the level): both the game thread and the GPU worker
 are ~95% busy. The game thread is the recompiled code (with g_ram pinned in
diff --git a/components/tpm/include/tpm.hpp b/components/tpm/include/tpm.hpp
index 5c3b263..4809383 100644
--- a/components/tpm/include/tpm.hpp
+++ b/components/tpm/include/tpm.hpp
@@ -21,6 +21,10 @@ struct Config {
   /// Directory holding the disc's files: SLUS_008.84 and FILE.000 (FILE.001
   /// .. FILE.003 later, for streams and movies), e.g. "/sdcard/tpm".
   std::string data_dir;
+  /// The memory card in port 1, a 128 KB card image file (the format PC
+  /// emulators use): the game's own saves go there. Made, formatted, the
+  /// first time the game looks. Empty: no card.
+  std::string memory_card;
 };
 
 /// Open the data. Returns false if it is missing or not the USA Rev 1 disc.
diff --git a/components/tpm/src/tpm.cpp b/components/tpm/src/tpm.cpp
index ddf7f60..6b2c2e0 100644
--- a/components/tpm/src/tpm.cpp
+++ b/components/tpm/src/tpm.cpp
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ bool show(size_t index) {
 bool init(const Config &config) {
   config_ = config;
 #if defined(TPM_HAVE_ENGINE)
-  if (engine::init(config.data_dir)) {
+  if (engine::init(config.data_dir, config.memory_card)) {
     engine_ = true;
     running_ = true;
     return true;
diff --git a/components/tpm/src/tpm_engine.cpp b/components/tpm/src/tpm_engine.cpp
index 3518128..7713d93 100644
--- a/components/tpm/src/tpm_engine.cpp
+++ b/components/tpm/src/tpm_engine.cpp
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ constexpr uint32_t AUDIO_RATE = 44100;
 
 FILE *g_disc{nullptr};
 uint32_t g_disc_sectors{0};
+std::string g_memory_card; // the card image in port 1 (plat_memcard_path)
 std::vector<uint8_t> g_exe;
 
 TaskHandle_t g_game_task{nullptr};
@@ -810,7 +811,8 @@ std::string find_disc(const std::string &dir) {
 
 } // namespace
 
-bool init(const std::string &data_dir) {
+bool init(const std::string &data_dir, const std::string &memory_card) {
+  g_memory_card = memory_card;
   const auto disc = find_disc(data_dir);
   if (disc.empty()) {
     logger.error("no disc image (.bin, raw 2352-byte sectors) in {}", data_dir);
@@ -1482,6 +1484,12 @@ static void __attribute__((noinline)) snap_saved_wait(void) {
   }
 }
 
+// The game's own saves (libmcrd, tpm-decomp's rt_hle.c): a card image file.
+const char *plat_memcard_path(int port) {
+  using namespace tpm::engine;
+  return port == 0 && !g_memory_card.empty() ? g_memory_card.c_str() : nullptr;
+}
+
 void plat_pause_wait(void) {
   using namespace tpm::engine;
   const int req = g_snap_req.load();
diff --git a/components/tpm/src/tpm_engine.hpp b/components/tpm/src/tpm_engine.hpp
index f628e1a..f6f7f75 100644
--- a/components/tpm/src/tpm_engine.hpp
+++ b/components/tpm/src/tpm_engine.hpp
@@ -8,8 +8,10 @@
 namespace tpm::engine {
 
 /// Open the disc image in data_dir (a .bin of raw 2352-byte sectors) and
-/// start the game. Returns false if there is no usable image.
-bool init(const std::string &data_dir);
+/// start the game. Returns false if there is no usable image. memory_card:
+/// the image file of the card in port 1 (made the first time the game looks;
+/// empty: no card).
+bool init(const std::string &data_dir, const std::string &memory_card);
 void deinit();
 bool running();
 void pause();
diff --git a/components/tpm/tpm-decomp b/components/tpm/tpm-decomp
index 00fcb3b..d51af21 160000
--- a/components/tpm/tpm-decomp
+++ b/components/tpm/tpm-decomp
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit 00fcb3bd8f23f925644eab30d1c1e54d3ef922fb
+Subproject commit d51af21f74cccaf1a5d492c7ef39a48c3468bb98
diff --git a/main/cart.hpp b/main/cart.hpp
index 7a39f5e..f15ef91 100644
--- a/main/cart.hpp
+++ b/main/cart.hpp
@@ -240,6 +240,16 @@ class Cart {
     return "";
   }
 
+  /// The image file of a PlayStation game's memory card (the raw 128 KB
+  /// format PC emulators read), named after the game's data directory
+  /// (saves/tpm_card1.mcd): the game's own saves, which unlike save states
+  /// do not depend on the firmware build.
+  std::string get_memory_card_path(int card = 1) const {
+    namespace fs = std::filesystem;
+    const auto game = fs::path(get_rom_filename()).parent_path().filename().string();
+    return savedir_ + "/" + game + fmt::format("_card{}.mcd", card);
+  }
+
   std::string get_paused_image_path() const { return savedir_ + "/paused" + get_screenshot_extension(); }
 
   std::string get_screenshot_path(bool bypass_exist_check = false) const {
diff --git a/main/mgs_cart.hpp b/main/mgs_cart.hpp
index 623bbed..b7ed54d 100644
--- a/main/mgs_cart.hpp
+++ b/main/mgs_cart.hpp
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ class MgsCart : public Cart {
     handle_video_setting();
 #if defined(ENABLE_MGS)
     const auto data_dir = std::filesystem::path(get_rom_filename()).parent_path().string();
-    if (!mgs::init({.data_dir = data_dir})) {
+    if (!mgs::init({.data_dir = data_dir, .memory_card = get_memory_card_path()})) {
       logger_.error("could not start Metal Gear Solid");
       running_ = false;
     }
diff --git a/main/tpm_cart.hpp b/main/tpm_cart.hpp
index ca917f2..19f3ef3 100644
--- a/main/tpm_cart.hpp
+++ b/main/tpm_cart.hpp
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ class TpmCart : public Cart {
     handle_video_setting();
 #if defined(ENABLE_TPM)
     const auto data_dir = std::filesystem::path(get_rom_filename()).parent_path().string();
-    if (!tpm::init({.data_dir = data_dir})) {
+    if (!tpm::init({.data_dir = data_dir, .memory_card = get_memory_card_path()})) {
       logger_.error("could not start The Phantom Menace");
       running_ = false;
     }