Topic: Should next-gen consoles go back to cartridges?

Then you'll be waiting a VERY LONG time.

No one said it would be any time soon.

I was replying to this:

And digital distribution's issues won't be totally ironed out any time soon.

Sorry for the double post, but...

That's a pretty naïve way of looking at it. You're ignoring that fact that the manufacturing of high-capacity hard drives, leaving computers running for a long time for large downloads, the 24/7 operation of mass-serving internet data centres and the laying, maintenance and usage of internet cables are "bad" for the environment too. As digital downloads get more popular these costs will rise significantly too. Frankly, if you were serious about being environmentally-friendly you wouldn't play computer and video games at all.

EDIT: And if you think I'm making up the fact that internet usage is supposedly detrimental to the environment... Revealed: the environmental impact of Google searches. Personally I think it's all a little too sensational, but there it is.

Until we as consumers have secure and reasonable rights when we make purchases,

We do. Look up Sony and Microsoft's policies. Both are quite consumer friendly. It's only Nintendo that's on the wrong track.

and until retailers are satisfied that there will be little to no possibility of piracy or resale,

The publishers are, to a large extent - EA is clearly happy with digital publishing, as is Sony, Microsoft, Ubisoft, Square Enix and that pretty much covers the market.

Activision doesn't need to sign up just yet, because Activision runs on a "blockbuster" strategy and the mega-budget likes of Call of Duty is where retail still has a role going forward. Nintendo hasn't come to grips with the benefits that digital downloads allow publishers.

Chain brick-and-mortar retailers like Gamestop and GAME will definitely resist digital distribution unless they can have a piece of the pie and they still have the furthest-reaching and tightest grip on the industry's customers.

Yeah, and the music retailers weren't happy with the iTunes store either. In fact, the music retailers and the music PUBLISHERS weren't happy with it, and yet Apple still managed to cause a fundamental shift in consumer buying behaviour.

This is how it works. It starts slowly and it has resistance from the incumbants. You're fooling yourself if you think the retailers have any kind of long term power over this industry, though.

I think this discussion is a little skewed on this forum, given it's a Nintendo forum, and the online experience Nintendo offers is, the be honest, awful. I reckon people who spend more time on Steam/ App Store/ PSN/ XBL are generally more positive about digital distribution.

Sorry also to double post, but Luigi's actually on the right track.

In terms of environmental friendliness, a modern datacentre is far more energy efficient than they were in the past. Coupled with inprovements in environmentally-friendly utility power (everywhere but the US, which is lagging badly on this), solar, nuclear, wind and tidal power is being used to make the datacentres reasonable enough that their impact is less than the costs of a traditional manufacturing/ distribution logistics train.

Also, that Google search thing was later dismissed as false, if I remember correctly.

Your right. this thread is way off topic. If I'm not mistaken this thead was suppose to be between Cartridges and Disc. Discs are cheaper and will remain a preference over cartridges when ever possible. For the home Console I'm sure Nintendo is comfortable on DVDs since very few hit double layer. If they do change from DVD's it will be a custom Blu-ray/ HD-DVD disc so they can avoid royalties.

Nintendo's online stratagy is two generations old and until the 3DS hits the shelves we have no idea if they will enter the modern era or see if they try to advance a bad idea.The digital download console that we are talking about here is 2 generations away. As far as hard drive size is concerned I would be less worried as long as they allow for people to change the hard drive like Sony did.

I prefer cartridges since they are more durable and only hand-helds will continue with them until the digital presence takes over. I would like to see them move to an SD card approach but I don't think Nintendo will do that.

I'd say definetely. I used to be highly skeptical of digital distribution in gaming until I had an iTouch. You don't really know until you start trying something that works.

In which case Everyone here better at least try Steam dang it!

Yep, Steam is really great. For anyone who has their doubts, there are a number of free games on there which you can get started with.

@WaltzElf I figured that article was all hot air. I'm certainly not against the move to digital distribution. Steam and GOG have shown me the benefits for some years now. Like I said, it's just a matter of time before everything falls into place - energy efficiency, faster internet connection speeds, widespread consumer support and environmentally-friendlier hard drives with lower costs and higher capacities. The PSP Go, if anything, just came out too early for it to be popular.

I have 320 videogames. Next generation Consoles will never go back to cartridges. I like carts for their near indestructablity. I have 30 Super Nintendo games which still work perfectly. The next generation of consoles is going to have to have beyond massive HDD's . There may be one more round of Disc based games. Then the industry will move toward digital download But have growing pains (The industry may crash again what this happens)

I like cartridges but they will never be part of gaming ever again

I hate Steam, you can't play your games if you aren't connected to the internet. Inb4 you have to have had it to download the game in the first place. My internet shuts off a lot and there are times it stays off for around 8 hours.

Also I lol to people who think in the future, all Video Games consoles will HAVE to be digital download only. Remember when we got computers and said we wouldn't need paper ever again? Even so I will guess that will be in 30 years in the least.

Actually you can.

Isn't that the point of digital download?

It isn't just retailers resisting digital distribution, but a lot of ISP's dislike it as well, which really hurts digital distributions. Here in Ontario, Canada, most of our internet lines are owned by Bell. Which also provides a large amount of satellite TV (which is pretty huge here since cable can only service inside of cities). So, Bell basically rents out the use of their lines and has control over what these smaller local telecommunications companies can offer. And, Bell is trying to put a 20 GB cap on everyone, but they can't until all of their customers (or at least close to all; not sure exactly) have a cap of some sort. Currently there are still customers who still have the same plan that offered unlimited access that Bell offered years ago. I have no idea when our government will wake up and smell the coffee ('nor do I know of the entire predicament), so until then, there isn't going to be a whole lot of point to better internet service here. It sucks now and will suck tomorrow.

I know that America experiences the same pain in some areas as well. I think it's Shaw; not sure though. The point is though, digital distribution has very powerful enemies, and they've already got Australia by the balls (or so I hear).

Kaiser. You can't hate something you haven't used. You haven't used Steam because if you had, you would know the simple fact that you can play games you've downloaded offline.

As I said before. Just because nintendo's online capacity is beneath the par of retail, doesn't meant other's are. PSN is a super experience to retail, Steam is a superior experience. I don't have an Xbox, but I hear XBL is the best of the lot.

Ravage - I have no idea how any of what you said means ISPs have a problem with digital distribution. Yes, there are caps (I personally am on 50gb), but my ISP also hosts digital download content servers. If they hated digital distribution that much, I would assume they wouldn't host servers encouraging it.

As for the broader environment... Were about to get a National Broadband Network. That alone is going to open up the digital environment here in Australia by a factor of 100.

And I think you're all looking at this from a very subjective perspective. The big guys out there in the gaming industry (aside from EA, which is pro digital download, Activision, and Microsoft, which has come out and said bluntly cloud technology is the future) are Japanese, and operate primarily in a high technology culture. Only Nintendo is trying to stay offline. If Sony, Capcom, Square Enix, NCSoft (Korea being much the same as Japan) see the future as being download-only, and they do, then that's where the industry is going.

Well considering i have seen a 256GB Kingston flash drive i could see them managing Bluray sized games on something like that. However it is way to expensive at the moment 600 odd pounds but shows it can be done if they wanted.

http://www.mymemory.co.uk/USB-Flash-Drives/Kingston/Kingston-...

Cartridges? No.
Discs? No.
Flashcards? Yes.

The DS uses flashcards, not cartridges.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashcard ?

You know what I meant.

Flashcards like SD, MemoryStick, etc. The DS game card is similar to an SD card.

@HeroOfTime007 A Mac-like design is not how Nintendo should take up an Apple approach. The way consoles should be developed is for the company's in-house visionary (Miyamoto) should come up with features that are good and consumers will adapt. One issue with this is that instead of one commanding president (Steve Jobs), Nintendo has three (Iwata, Reggie, and the European one) that don't really inspire.