Cartridges making a comeback?

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VideoGameCritic
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Cartridges making a comeback?

Postby VideoGameCritic » September 17th, 2017, 8:10 pm

I remember a few years ago when people were speculating about the future of gaming on these forums, I had the gall to suggest cartridges would one day make a comeback. Maybe I'm not so crazy after all!

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/09/ ... l-records/

mbd36
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Re: Cartridges making a comeback?

Postby mbd36 » September 17th, 2017, 10:20 pm

VideoGameCritic wrote:I remember a few years ago when people were speculating about the future of gaming on these forums, I had the gall to suggest cartridges would one day make a comeback. Maybe I'm not so crazy after all!

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/09/ ... l-records/



Sure. They've made a "comeback" in the form of old games put on new carts in expensive limited edition runs that were quickly sold out. Oh boy.

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pacman000
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Re: Cartridges making a comeback?

Postby pacman000 » September 18th, 2017, 8:42 am

They already have made a comeback; they're called thumb drives. ;)

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LoganRuckman
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Re: Cartridges making a comeback?

Postby LoganRuckman » September 18th, 2017, 7:34 pm

I mean, look at the Switch.

GTS
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Re: Cartridges making a comeback?

Postby GTS » September 19th, 2017, 1:19 am

Sorry, but the death knell of physical media was when Sonic Mania didn't come out on disc or cartridge. There will always be some small company making collectible physical copies of games, but the large publishers can now make all the money they need without printing paper, writing a CD, or putting together a cartridge. The success of Mania proves this.

barrie2101
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Re: Cartridges making a comeback?

Postby barrie2101 » September 19th, 2017, 3:45 am

im not surprised they are coming back . when you can be waiting 2 hours for a game to be installed on your hard drive . then the hard drive fills up so you have to remove games to play another game. just popping in a cartridge and playing the game ill have more of that.

bluenote
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Re: Cartridges making a comeback?

Postby bluenote » September 19th, 2017, 12:04 pm

What comeback? Sorry, I hope that doesn't sound snarky, I'm not trying to, but there's only 1 cartridge being re-released by a major company. How is that a comeback or even the beginning of a comeback?

Cartridges (as we know them, ie, NES, Genesis, SNES, etc) are not coming back. I don't see any evidence of anyone releasing brand new cartridges (except for the one Street Fighter II cartridge).

Switch does not count in my opinion, as they are SD Cards, not cartridges.

Sorry critic, you are right in many of your predictions, but I don't see how this one is going to pan out. Believe me I would love to see brand new cartridges in my local EB Games, but those days are long gone.

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pacman000
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Re: Cartridges making a comeback?

Postby pacman000 » September 19th, 2017, 1:36 pm

Definition of Cartridge, from Merriam-Webster

:a case or container that holds a substance, device, or material which is difficult, troublesome, or awkward to handle and that usually can be easily changed
Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cartridge

What is an SD card or thumb drive if it is not "a case or container that holds" a flash memory chip (or chips) so they "can be easily changed?"

("SD or thumb drive card?" Fixed now. I need to watch my typos. :lol: )

bluenote
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Re: Cartridges making a comeback?

Postby bluenote » September 19th, 2017, 3:02 pm

pacman000 wrote:Definition of Cartridge, from Merriam-Webster

:a case or container that holds a substance, device, or material which is difficult, troublesome, or awkward to handle and that usually can be easily changed
Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cartridge

What is an SD or thumb drive card if it is not "a case or container that holds" a flash memory chip (or chips) so they "can be easily changed?"


I think you're splitting hairs here. When someone says a video game cartridge, people think of Atari, NES, SNES, etc. Usually people do not think of a SD card. I don't go into Best Buy and ask for a cartridge for storing photos, I ask for an SD card.

As is pertains to this discussion, I think the Critic was referring to the classic video game cartridge. Or at least I believe he is based on the link he provided.

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pacman000
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Re: Cartridges making a comeback?

Postby pacman000 » September 19th, 2017, 3:47 pm

And I think you're splitting hairs. Funny, no? ;) They are cartridges, and they contain video games. Most people don't think of them of as cartridges because the term's fallen into disuse outside of classic computing/gaming, but they do meet the basic definition of a cartridge, so they can, and should, be called such.

On a bizarre side-note VHS tapes, audio cassettes, and 3.5" diskettes also meet the definition of a cartridge. I don't think many folks in the U.S. ever called them such, but I've seen audio cassettes called such on a show imported from the UK. Never heard anyone call a floppy a cartridge. Technically, I think only the case could be called a cartridge, the mylar disk itself would be the "material which is difficult, troublesome, or awkward to handle." If I remember correctly some earlier, larger floppy disks didn't come in a case. Now that really is splitting hairs. :lol:


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