Poll: A return to cartridge-based gaming.

[boeingguy787]

EDIT: DISREGARD POLL. There was an error with the submission, and I can't seem to fix it. Sorry.

We hear a lot about the durability of old consoles like the NES and Atari 2600. Their longevity seems to stem from the fact that they don't really have any moving parts at all. (except some switches here and there) Whereas these days, we use complex CD drives to play games on consoles, which are prone to failure. (My PS3's blu-ray drive broke about a month ago)

So anyway, I had a thought. Instead of relying on discs to play games, couldn't we go back to cartridges? More specifically, SD cards. This would change things to where the only use of disc drives would be to play movies. Here are some pros and cons:

Pros:

No moving parts necessary.
Not prone to scratching.
High amount of storage.
Increasingly popular.
Easier to update a game on an SD card than a disc.
Faster loading times. (maybe?)
(+others I may have forgotten to mention)

Cons:

Higher production cost.
Easier to hack.
Easier to misplace.
Contacts on card might wear out.
Choking hazard for small children.
(+others I may have forgotten to mention)

So? what do you think? Discuss the feasibility of a return to cartridge-based gaming.

 

[ten.to.ten]

A lot of my game cartridge contact connector thingies have worn out and have made quite a few of my old N64 games in particular unplayable. I've also had this happen to a DS game of mine. I find discs to be more reliable, because as long as you take care of them they'll always work. Cartridges are kind of like vinyl records in the sense that they need friction to work, and you can't use them without ever-so-slightly damaging them in the process.

I'd prefer for cartridges not to make a return.

 

[Trogdor1138]

A lot of my game cartridge contact connector thingies have worn out and have made quite a few of my old N64 games in particular unplayable. I've also had this happen to a DS game of mine. I find discs to be more reliable, because as long as you take care of them they'll always work. Cartridges are kind of like vinyl records in the sense that they need friction to work, and you can't use them without ever-so-slightly damaging them in the process.

I'd prefer for cartridges not to make a return.

What this guy said.

*thumbs up*

 

[Arluza]

Cartridges are not as effective as discs are in terms of data storage, longevity, etc. give it another generation or two and you may not be buying discs anymore either! I am expecting games to be sold nearly exclusively on digital data transfers (see the comment about USB sticks) so yeah...no more cartridges.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

If only there was some sort of machine that allowed you to install the game onto it and then not need the disc again...

 

[Crazie_Guy]

Um yeah.
It's called "usb stick" and/or "memory card".
You can jam 32 gb on a card the size of my fingernail nowadays you know.

And how much does a 32 GB memory stick that size cost? Add that to the cost of the game itself, would you pay that much? For every single game?

 

[Hashime]

I am going to go with no. Sticking a game on a disc is VERY cheap compared to putting one on flash based memory. Plus the demand on the fabs for producing the chips would drive up the price of other flash memory based tech and ultimately the price of other silicon products as well. Also remember that a Blue-Ray can hold well over 100GB which is beyond the realm of a simple card.
Stick it on a disc or make it downloadable.

 

[Scepter Uchiha]

I like the disc option better i've had the other and it just doesnt work for me...they take up more space and its harder to move them...discs are smaller and easier to move and fix...