Is there any solid reason we can't go back to cartridges?

Discussion in 'Video Games and Technology' started by rapid_fire, Aug 30, 2008.

  1. rapid_fire

    rapid_fire Banned

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    hard disks are different, they're not exposed. that's the thing im getting at.

    and im glad to hear Blu-Ray discs are tackling that issue of being more durable :) 
     
    Last edited: Aug 31, 2008
  2. Sokar

    Sokar Well-Known Member

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    Hard disks are way more fragile than your average cd/dvd though for dropping them. If you drop a dvd out a 3rd story window you can probably pick it up and use it again. I doubt the same can be said of an ipod.

    As others have said though cost is a major factor here. Just considering the fact that a blu ray disk holds what 50 gigs, while the largest flash memory cards/thumb drives are around 16gb and cost 200+ each at least, there's not much of a reasonable comparison price wise between the 2.

    I agree that there would be a great benefit in companies putting a bit more effort into making the optical drives more durable and longer lasting, as well as the media more scratch resistant, but for the most part I don't think there are really many advantages (durability wise) that a cartridge has over a disk.
     
  3. GigatronSama

    GigatronSama Mr. Insomnia Veteran

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    The problem in this comparison is that cartridge games do not use flash memory, they use what's called a ROMchip. ROMchips are pretty much what they sound like. Little chips which hold Read Only Memory. In this case that's literal. Romchips once burned can not be rewritten. They are however much more efficient to mass produce than flash, or magnetic media, and extremely durable. Romchip technology has been improving over the years, and you can increase their storage space, at the cost of increasing manufacturing costs. It makes them practical for portable games, since a ROMchip can be cheaply manufactured that holds as much or more data than an optical media that would be practical for portable systems.

    When you get to larger sizes though, it starts getting more practical to manufacture optical media, since portability stops being an issue.

    Personally I always thought optical media should have stuck with the idea of a plastic case around an optical disk as a sort of cartridge as did the old laserdisk players.
     
  4. OmegaScourge

    OmegaScourge Custom Made TFW2005 Supporter

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    casing for a disc....a bigger UMD...pass, lol
     
  5. Omega Supreme-1

    Omega Supreme-1 Autobot Sentinel

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    Actually to be honest, taking the form factor of a UMD or a mini-disk would be a really simple solution to the problem. Put a plastic casing around the disc, to avoid contact with the surface. I don't see how that's lame, I find it to be quite awesome in concept. It would solve my problem of big shit roommates taking my discs out and laying them on any old surface >_>
     
  6. Johnator

    Johnator 'Til All Are Gone!

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    I really like the idea of digital download as long as you have a way of backing it up. When I buy an album off Itunes I also burn a copy just in case my computer fries, ipod breaks, etc. That is the only problem I see of digital downloads as the "way of the future!".
     
  7. Ironhide546

    Ironhide546 Well-Known Member

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    Probably most of the same reasons why we can't to back to VHS, tube radios, and horse transportation.
     
  8. Smasher

    Smasher HUNKY BEATS

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    Like I tell my kid, games need to be in the system or in the case.
    There is really no other options.

    Is dust really such a big deal on optical media?
    I imagine if you are having dust issues on your DVDs, your method of storage involves loose discs stacked all over the place.

    As far as manufacturers are concerned, optical media is much easier to produce than cartridges.
     
  9. Mastergeorge

    Mastergeorge I should burn my wallet.

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    I wish they would go back to cartys agian. My gameboy is my best friend.(Okay Psp and Ds too) I think it's because of cost.
     
  10. toma

    toma eskimo in disguise

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    it's totally cost. unless they can manufacture a cartridge for like 50 cents and sell it for 50 bucks, you won't see them on anything but portables. you can't beat the price of optical media.
     
  11. Kickback

    Kickback @GeekWithChris Administrator News Staff

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    You're all a bunch of freakin' nerds, I swear.
     
  12. Sokar

    Sokar Well-Known Member

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    Right...
    This coming from the guy who's an administrator of a forum based around a 1980's cartoon show/toyline based on giant freaking robots that turn into vehicles, guns, and dinosaurs... J/K :tongue: 


    Oh, and please no more umds or mini disks. UMD's are especially bad because they collect dust that's really hard to get out of the casing
     
  13. rapid_fire

    rapid_fire Banned

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    cartoon, what's that.. some kind of storage device?
     
  14. Razorclaw

    Razorclaw Are ya gonna draw pistols

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    Like the majority here said already, it's the prices. Disks are dirt cheap while making a cartridge is expensive. This isn't rocket science kidos.
     
  15. NemesisBruticus

    NemesisBruticus Banned

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    I f*&@king hate the load times on discs.
     
  16. Johnator

    Johnator 'Til All Are Gone!

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    This. Like always Razorclaw speaks truth.
     
  17. Sokar

    Sokar Well-Known Member

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    no no no... it's a password system actually. Haven't you seen Johnny Neumonic?

    As for the load times on disks, it's an unfoortunate trade off, but it is the best case I think. I would rather have a couple lengthy load times contained within a lengthy, quality game than a game free of load times, but unable to store the data necessary to make the game worth playing
     
  18. OmegaScourge

    OmegaScourge Custom Made TFW2005 Supporter

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    i dunno...now that Comcast has capped the amount of dl you can you a month...digital download seems more and more not the way to go.

    a 20gb BR disc with a 250gb limit would mean only 12 movies/games a month without anything else being d/l'd

    plus trying to d/l 20gb...man, it'll take a day or two.
     
  19. Cheetatron

    Cheetatron Drat, outsmarted by a Lorry, I am disgraced

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    Yeah optical media is here to stay for at least a decade and a half too two decades Sony's BR gamble really payed off there