0078265317 Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/nintendo-nx-no-optical-drive/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dendawg Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 As long as the media offers more storage/speed than current optical media.... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 They are not going back to cartridges. This article is very misleading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cimerians Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 They are not. I predict it will be a digital only system. They are determined to emulate Apple so I expect an all in one portable/home device. Take it with you or hook it up to your TV. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutsy Doodleheimer Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 Will never happen. I believe all next gen systems will be DLC format. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyHW Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 Why not SD cards? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+atari2600land Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 Will never happen. I believe all next gen systems will be DLC format. Well, I guess this will be the end of my playing newly released games, then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 Why not SD cards? Definitely a possibility. Dual-layered Blu Rays hold 50 gigabytes worth of data, and there are 64+ gigabyte SD cards now. As technology increases and costs come down on that format, the possibility of it being utilized for game consoles becomes more real. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omegadot Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 I'm not sure I think SD cards would happen but it would support a merged ecosystem I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dj_convoy Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 Brick and mortar big box stores won't support a non physical media based system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesD Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 SD is slow so it will probably be a USB type device with added protection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUBARofPittsburgh Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 Brick and mortar big box stores won't support a non physical media based system. GameStop is selling Steam Machines. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 (edited) I don't think Nintendo will abandon physical media so soon, but I do think that they will be aiming for it to be their secondary distribution medium for them this coming generation compared to how retail is unequivocally how most people still enjoy AAA Wii U and 3DS releases today. SD card makes a lot of sense if it's cheap enough since it aligns well with the merged console and handheld rumors, unlike optical media. Blu-Ray derived discs like the Wii U utilizes are undoubtedly the leader where price per gig of storage is concerned, but they're obviously much more problematic for portable uses and don't mesh well with all this merger talk. SD is slow so it will probably be a USB type device with added protection. Mandatory installations could work around that since there's no reason these days why the physical medium that delivers a game to your home has to be read directly every time you play said game. Edited November 28, 2015 by Atariboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0078265317 Posted November 29, 2015 Author Share Posted November 29, 2015 This link also says no optical drive in new system patent. http://www.polygon.com/2015/8/22/9190981/nintendo-nx-cartridges-patent And this also says they are ditching CDs for cartridges or sd cards. http://www.techtimes.com/articles/79003/20150829/nintendo-nx-to-ditch-blu-ray-for-cartridges-or-sd-cards.htm And this says cartridges also not discs. http://www.kpopstarz.com/articles/235007/20150826/nintendo-nx.htm And also these. http://gamingbolt.com/nintendo-nx-why-not-having-a-optical-drive-could-potentially-work-in-the-big-ns-favor http://www.lazygamer.net/nintendo/nintendo-could-be-going-back-to-cartridges-for-their-nx-console/ http://www.christiantoday.com/article/nintendo.nx.rumors.nintendo.return.cartridges/63564.htm http://www.tweaktown.com/news/47194/nintendo-nxs-games-cartridges-disc-drive-supported/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotoRacer Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 I think cartridges would be VERY welcome. One of my favorite systems of all time is the Nintendo DS. Never do I have to worry about the drive or carts becoming damaged and stop reading. Can't say the same when it comes to my PS2 and PSP units though. And honestly, optical formats are SLOOOOOW. The only reason why we ever got away from using carts in the first place was simply because of storage space limitations and costs. I can't speak on costs (though SD card prices keep plummeting and plummeting), but in regards to space necessary for games, SD cards would be perfect for today's games. Especially if they make some sort of weird portable and home console hybrid thing, physical media would be very welcome. I think Nintendo would be shooting themselves in the foot, though, if they didn't have physical media of some sort. So for those thinking it's all DL content, I think that's not going to happen. There are still too many people who can't download giant 30GB files from their ISP. And then there's the collector value, and you KNOW that Nintendo wants to keep packaging software with limited edition Amiibos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyHW Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 (edited) What's old is new again. Cart/flash capacity has overtaken optical disk. Never would have expected this to happen. Soon the price per GB will be lower than optical disk too. Edited November 29, 2015 by BillyHW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BydoEmpire Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 (edited) Why not SD cards? Piracy. Of course, they could do the same basic technology in a custom shell (like the GameCube). If it's not optical, it will be download-only. Edited November 29, 2015 by BydoEmpire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybercylon Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 I can see all three going to to some sort of solid state storage to distribute games for the next generation. One thing to remember, tech companies file a lot of patents. Sometimes they don't show up in the next product, or they don't show up at all. Ideas get tested out and either used or get ditched during development. It's mostly speculation at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybercylon Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 Piracy. Of course, they could do the same basic technology in a custom shell (like the GameCube). If it's not optical, it will be download-only. If this gets used, it is likely there will be some form of DRM or some propriety format. The solid state medium is used to distribute the game, but then the game gets loaded onto an internal HD. You will still need the original medium play the game, much like the PS4 and Xbox One do it now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUBARofPittsburgh Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 This could just be a new version of the Wii U. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omegadot Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 The pattern of releasing an updated console like a year before the next iteration has yet to be met so I'm still expecting that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mord Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 The pattern of releasing an updated console like a year before the next iteration has yet to be met so I'm still expecting that. And on their console side, the next iteration is usually the cut down model that axes previous-gen back compatibility so I should really look into getting a Wii U sooner than later if I'm going to get one. More seriously, the article is nothing but rumour and making hopeful guesses by the editor of what he/she seems to want based on those rumours. So yeah, nothing to see here. If Nintendo goes away from optical discs while keeping physical distribution, I can easily see them going for high capacity sd-card type things. They'll probably be form-fitting to 3DS cards, if they plan on merging their console and handhelds into a single system as a lot of people like to assume. They'll have the drm and other such things on the cards to hinder piracy as much as one can either way. Going download only for console games is still a pretty gutsy move for any of the big 3 to attempt. Games are huge, and whether one wants to believe it or not, not everyone has highspeed uncapped internet access. Even if they're in an area where it's available, not everyone has the cash to spend on it, and if it's capped then they're going to be all the more hesitant to buy any large games on a digital only console which will only hurt the console maker's bottom line. It's a limitation to sales that can be easily avoided by simply including -some- way for physical distribution to be possible. Such as a tiny sd-card slot if they don't want to muck around with large blu-ray drives that apparently suck for actual game consoles anyway beyond the vast storage. (Thus one of the reasons for required installs of games on the current gen consoles, iirc.) Regardless, I don't particularly consider sd-card type things "cartridges" myself. I reserve that kinda label for the big clunky things of old that have enough space inside to add extra hardware to boost system capabilities in it's dying years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 Going download only for console games is still a pretty gutsy move for any of the big 3 to attempt. Games are huge, and whether one wants to believe it or not, not everyone has highspeed uncapped internet access. Even if they're in an area where it's available, not everyone has the cash to spend on it, and if it's capped then they're going to be all the more hesitant to buy any large games on a digital only console which will only hurt the console maker's bottom line. It's a limitation to sales that can be easily avoided by simply including -some- way for physical distribution to be possible. Such as a tiny sd-card slot if they don't want to muck around with large blu-ray drives that apparently suck for actual game consoles anyway beyond the vast storage. (Thus one of the reasons for required installs of games on the current gen consoles, iirc.) Regardless, I don't particularly consider sd-card type things "cartridges" myself. I reserve that kinda label for the big clunky things of old that have enough space inside to add extra hardware to boost system capabilities in it's dying years. If I were in charge of Nintendo's business orientations for the NX, I would go with credit-card-sized cards, similar to the Hu-Cards on the PC-Engine. If they can put a lot of data on a tiny 3DS micro-cart today, imagine how much data they could put on a similar thin cart the size of a credit card. Such thin carts would also be more collectible and a little less likely to be lost. It's so easy to drop and lose a 3DS micro-cart, especially when you put them in the hands of little kids... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leods Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 To be honest all 3 companies have games on the Systems that are pretty much unplayable without an Internet Connection, or at the very least will suffer quite a bit. So once it's assumed you do have that Internet going on they won't really care all that much. Nintendo already sells credit for the online store at retail, and even some "games" that are just a code in a box. Seems like some People actually buy that kinda crap. And I don't see why this wouldn't be the future. And since Amiibos have pretty much taken Nintendo out of the red after some pretty harsh years. So I bet they're looking into how to make Money on that Kind of collectible Gimmick. Monst important: At this Point it's all speculation. Could it happen? Yes. But until Nintendo announces something it's all guesses and rumors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotoRacer Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 To be honest all 3 companies have games on the Systems that are pretty much unplayable without an Internet Connection, or at the very least will suffer quite a bit. So once it's assumed you do have that Internet going on they won't really care all that much. Nintendo already sells credit for the online store at retail, and even some "games" that are just a code in a box. Seems like some People actually buy that kinda crap. And I don't see why this wouldn't be the future. And since Amiibos have pretty much taken Nintendo out of the red after some pretty harsh years. So I bet they're looking into how to make Money on that Kind of collectible Gimmick. Monst important: At this Point it's all speculation. Could it happen? Yes. But until Nintendo announces something it's all guesses and rumors. Needing an internet connection and going all digital requiring every game be downloaded are two different things. Most people in the world can't download that many GBs through their ISP. Plain and simple. We tend to forget this, because in the US most of us don't have that limitation. But there's a reason why retail stores are still going despite us being able to download our games. And like I said in my previous post, Amiibos aren't enough for Nintendo. They tend to like releasing limited edition Amiibos with physical copies of a game, for a limited edition set. Nintendo likes the money. Customers like the physical game and collectible figure. I don't see that changing, even if they go from optical format to cartridge form. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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