The return of the cartridge, are you ready?

Two terabyte SD cards are already in development. One of these babies will have enough room to hold 100 HD movies and will be vastly superior to any disc media available. Impervious to scratches and read by a device with no moving parts, such a storage solution will make even Blue-Ray seem like an archaic artifact of a bygone era.

So, what does this mean to console gaming?

Personally, I think that the age of the cartridge will see a glorious return. The discs of our era will be viewed as an aberration in the evolution of consoles. We'll all look back and say, "what were we thinking? Moving parts? Yuck!"

I hope that Nintendo will be the first company to (re)utilize this technology. It will be the equivalent to a giant outstretched middle finger aimed right at Sony (anyone that remembers the original Nintendy/Sony partnership in R&D leading up to the N64 & Playstation will know what I'm talking about).

With moving parts out of the way, we'll be able to enjoy consoles that last 20+ years again.

Here is a link.

Well, SD will be fast enough (that was a big problem) but there's still the issue of security and pirated software.

It's not going to happen. Besides, games are never going to need TB of data. Anything over bluray size will be too expensive to produce anyways.

And even if it does, it won't erase the failure of Nintendo in the past.

Two terabyte SD cards are already in development. One of these babies will have enough room to hold 100 HD movies and will be vastly superior to any disc media available. Impervious to scratches and read by a device with no moving parts, such a storage solution will make even Blue-Ray seem like an archaic artifact of a bygone era.

So, what does this mean to console gaming?

Personally, I think that the age of the cartridge will see a glorious return. The discs of our era will be viewed as an aberration in the evolution of consoles. We'll all look back and say, "what were we thinking? Moving parts? Yuck!"

I hope that Nintendo will be the first company to (re)utilize this technology. It will be the equivalent to a giant outstretched middle finger aimed right at Sony (anyone that remembers the original Nintendy/Sony partnership in R&D leading up to the N64 & Playstation will know what I'm talking about).

With moving parts out of the way, we'll be able to enjoy consoles that last 20+ years again.

dkrustyklown

*******************************************************************************

It's not going to happen. Besides, games are never going to need TB of data. Anything over bluray size will be too expensive to produce anyways.

And even if it does, it won't erase the failure of Nintendo in the past.

hakanakumono

I would think that SD storage would be vastly cheaper then a Blu-Ray disc, but I could be wrong. I'm worried more about overheating. How well do these things hold up to high heat for long periods of time? Having one in a camera is nothing, but having these in a HOT game console for hours and hours may cause problems.

As long as I don't have to blow on it again.siLVURcross

As long as I don't have to blow on it again.siLVURcross

I hear ya there! I would think that since we won't be using as many connector pins as in the NES days, the odds of having to blow on your cartridge will be quite low.

[QUOTE="siLVURcross"]As long as I don't have to blow on it again.Nintendo_Ownes7

Don't know the feeling of holding a big disk in my hands is quite satesfying.

^^

:lol: I know.

[QUOTE="dkrustyklown"]

Two terabyte SD cards are already in development. One of these babies will have enough room to hold 100 HD movies and will be vastly superior to any disc media available. Impervious to scratches and read by a device with no moving parts, such a storage solution will make even Blue-Ray seem like an archaic artifact of a bygone era.

So, what does this mean to console gaming?

Personally, I think that the age of the cartridge will see a glorious return. The discs of our era will be viewed as an aberration in the evolution of consoles. We'll all look back and say, "what were we thinking? Moving parts? Yuck!"

I hope that Nintendo will be the first company to (re)utilize this technology. It will be the equivalent to a giant outstretched middle finger aimed right at Sony (anyone that remembers the original Nintendy/Sony partnership in R&D leading up to the N64 & Playstation will know what I'm talking about).

With moving parts out of the way, we'll be able to enjoy consoles that last 20+ years again.

XanderZane

*******************************************************************************

It's not going to happen. Besides, games are never going to need TB of data. Anything over bluray size will be too expensive to produce anyways.

And even if it does, it won't erase the failure of Nintendo in the past.

hakanakumono

I would think that SD storage would be vastly cheaper then a Blu-Ray disc, but I could be wrong. I'm worried more about overheating. How well do these things hold up to high heat for long periods of time? Having one in a camera is nothing, but having these in a HOT game console for hours and hours may cause problems.

No, 50 TB SD cards are going to be much more expensive. Large 100 TB external hard drives are about $100 when priced down. Who knows how much a 50 TB SD card would cost, becuase fitting 50 TB in an SD card is going to cost more money.

Besides, they're just so small that they're easily to misplace. SD cards are really good for things like slots in laptops, cameras, PCs, cell phones, etc. But not for individual games that will never even use as much as 1TB.

The fact of the matter is, gaming will ever need more than 50GB because anything beyond the capacity of Bluray would simply be too expensive to produce. When this technology is even remotely affordable, bluray will be much, much cheaper. So why would devs pay more for a disc medium that is more than they will ever need to use? They'll profit more off of bluray.

It's not going to happen. Besides, games are never going to need TB of data. Anything over bluray size will be too expensive to produce anyways.

And even if it does, it won't erase the failure of Nintendo in the past.

hakanakumono

That's not the issue. If they don't need 2 TB of storage, then they won't use such a large card. I presume that would also mean that a game cartridge would be less expensive to produce than a hypothetical 2 TB card. The important part is that since SD media will have far more capacity than what is necessary for gaming, there will be no reason to use discs any more. The reason that the disc replaced the cartridge is because of the perceived limitations on the storage capacity of cartridges at the time. The only advantage that discs had in the past was their sheer storage capacity. With that advantage gone, I just can't justify the use of disc media any longer.

I REALLY like the idea of no moving parts. Everyone else here, as gamers & consumers, should also like the idea of not having moving parts in their consoles, as no moving parts means more reliable, longer-lived gear.

Besides, they're just so small that they're easily to misplace. SD cards are really good for things like slots in laptops, cameras, PCs, cell phones, etc. But not for individual games that will never even use as much as 1TB.hakanakumono

That problem is easily solved! Just add more plastic. At that point, they can make it whatever size they want to make it.

The fact of the matter is, gaming will ever need more than 50GB because anything beyond the capacity of Bluray would simply be too expensive to produce. When this technology is even remotely affordable, bluray will be much, much cheaper. So why would devs pay more for a disc medium that is more than they will ever need to use? They'll profit more off of bluray.

hakanakumono

Blue-ray is not guaranteed to become standard. It's adoption has not been entirely well-received in all corners. Depending on how long it takes for Blue-Ray to become the standard media format for the majority of consumers, this SD technology could overtake it.

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

It's not going to happen. Besides, games are never going to need TB of data. Anything over bluray size will be too expensive to produce anyways.

And even if it does, it won't erase the failure of Nintendo in the past.

dkrustyklown

That's not the issue. If they don't need 2 TB of storage, then they won't use such a large card. I presume that would also mean that a game cartridge would be less expensive to produce than a hypothetical 2 TB card. The important part is that since SD media will have far more capacity than what is necessary for gaming, there will be no reason to use discs any more. The reason that the disc replaced the cartridge is because of the perceived limitations on the storage capacity of cartridges at the time. The only advantage that discs had in the past was their sheer storage capacity. With that advantage gone, I just can't justify the use of disc media any longer.

I REALLY like the idea of no moving parts. Everyone else here, as gamers & consumers, should also like the idea of not having moving parts in their consoles, as no moving parts means more reliable, longer-lived gear.

Bluray will still be less expensive than the 50GB SD card. Besides, disc sized media are really better for gaming while small, easily lost cards are better for things like cell phones and laptops. They're not going to put the extra effort into trying to prevent cartridges from easily been pirated when it will be so much easier for them to just continue using existing technology, especially when movies will continue to be released on bluray. It will just make sense for games to continue to be released on bluray.

My Sega Saturn is still going strong. Moving parts aren't really going to stop it from working.

That's pretty awesome. Sadly it'll only catch on if it's financially interesting and piracing would pose a small/no threat.

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

Besides, they're just so small that they're easily to misplace. SD cards are really good for things like slots in laptops, cameras, PCs, cell phones, etc. But not for individual games that will never even use as much as 1TB.dkrustyklown

That problem is easily solved! Just add more plastic. At that point, they can make it whatever size they want to make it.

The fact of the matter is, gaming will ever need more than 50GB because anything beyond the capacity of Bluray would simply be too expensive to produce. When this technology is even remotely affordable, bluray will be much, much cheaper. So why would devs pay more for a disc medium that is more than they will ever need to use? They'll profit more off of bluray.

hakanakumono

Blue-ray is not guaranteed to become standard. It's adoption has not been entirely well-received in all corners. Depending on how long it takes for Blue-Ray to become the standard media format for the majority of consumers, this SD technology could overtake it.

You know, they could probably already be using floppy sized cartridges for games sized at 50GB. But they don't. I wonder why that is.

It is being fairly well received and it is taking off.

If that were to come out now it would be grossly expensive. Maybe a few gens from now.clubsammich91

I didn't mean now. By soon, I meant within the next 10 years.

It depends on how expensive they are to produce. I'll gladly swap disks if the alternative is 80$ n64 flavor cartridges.

You know, they could probably already be using floppy sized cartridges for games sized at 50GB. But they don't. I wonder why that is.

It is being fairly well received and it is taking off.

hakanakumono

Well, that's a given any time a new media format is developed. Typically, when a new & better format is invented, recalcitrant producers and developers have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the new technology. They procrastinate, they complain, they even fight it at first, but eventually, they adopt it.

They can delay progress, but they cannot halt it. Eventually the newer format wins out, provided an even better format isn't developed in the meantime (and if a better format does come along, YAY!).

I don't mean to say that this will be a quick process, because it won't be. What I am saying is that solid media with no moving parts will reach a point where it's just plainly better than disc media. It will be more reliable, durable, & consume less power than disc media. Once superiority is established in the minds of the consumers, it's only a matter of time before solid media becomes the standard.

[QUOTE="dkrustyklown"]

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

That problem is easily solved! Just add more plastic. At that point, they can make it whatever size they want to make it.

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

The fact of the matter is, gaming will ever need more than 50GB because anything beyond the capacity of Bluray would simply be too expensive to produce. When this technology is even remotely affordable, bluray will be much, much cheaper. So why would devs pay more for a disc medium that is more than they will ever need to use? They'll profit more off of bluray.

hakanakumono

Blue-ray is not guaranteed to become standard. It's adoption has not been entirely well-received in all corners. Depending on how long it takes for Blue-Ray to become the standard media format for the majority of consumers, this SD technology could overtake it.

You know, they could probably already be using floppy sized cartridges for games sized at 50GB. But they don't. I wonder why that is.

It is being fairly well received and it is taking off.

Simple. Price. Memory cards have dropped substantially in price this decade, but they are no where near as cost effective as DVD or BluRays. Manufacturing discs costs pennies. Memory cards are prohibitively expensive, by comparison. Meory will continue to get cheaper, but it will be a LOOOOONG time before it could compare with discs in price, if ever.

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

You know, they could probably already be using floppy sized cartridges for games sized at 50GB. But they don't. I wonder why that is.

It is being fairly well received and it is taking off.

dkrustyklown

Well, that's a given any time a new media format is developed. Typically, when a new & better format is invented, recalcitrant producers and developers have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the new technology. They procrastinate, they complain, they even fight it at first, but eventually, they adopt it.

They can delay progress, but they cannot halt it. Eventually the newer format wins out, provided an even better format isn't developed in the meantime (and if a better format does come along, YAY!).

I don't mean to say that this will be a quick process, because it won't be. What I am saying is that solid media with no moving parts will reach a point where it's just plainly better than disc media. It will be more reliable, durable, & consume less power than disc media. Once superiority is established in the minds of the consumers, it's only a matter of time before solid media becomes the standard.

No they don't. Disc based media was adopted very quickly. It was only Nintendo was late to the party. See: 3DO, Sega CD, Sega Saturn, Playstation, Jaguar, etc ...

There is no discussion of this being adopted to films or games. It's just you.

How will it be more durable? Bluray is extremely durable. It's really not superior.

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

[QUOTE="dkrustyklown"]

Blue-ray is not guaranteed to become standard. It's adoption has not been entirely well-received in all corners. Depending on how long it takes for Blue-Ray to become the standard media format for the majority of consumers, this SD technology could overtake it.

santoron

You know, they could probably already be using floppy sized cartridges for games sized at 50GB. But they don't. I wonder why that is.

It is being fairly well received and it is taking off.

Simple. Price. Memory cards have dropped substantially in price this decade, but they are no where near as cost effective as DVD or BluRays. Manufacturing discs costs pennies. Memory cards are prohibitively expensive, by comparison. Meory will continue to get cheaper, but it will be a LOOOOONG time before it could compare with discs in price, if ever.

Exaaactly.

You know, they could probably already be using floppy sized cartridges for games sized at 50GB. But they don't. I wonder why that is.

It is being fairly well received and it is taking off.

hakanakumono

Keep in mind that R&D in SD card technology at the moment is geared toward photographic, sound, & video recording purposes. No one is trying to make 50GB floppy sized cartridges because consumers don't want their cameras to be that physically large. Console-makers can let the Cannons, Toshibas, & Phillips of the technology world do the expensive R&D work, and then license & adapt it to their own needs.

This SD media will first be marketed as a great way to record hours upon hours of HD video in expensive HD video recorders. It will then be adapted to become, "the only card you'll ever need for your digital camera". As more and more devices that use this media are marketed, the production costs will decrease steadily until such a point that this media will become a viable gaming format.

Simple. Price. Memory cards have dropped substantially in price this decade, but they are no where near as cost effective as DVD or BluRays. Manufacturing discs costs pennies. Memory cards are prohibitively expensive, by comparison. Meory will continue to get cheaper, but it will be a LOOOOONG time before it could compare with discs in price, if ever.

santoron

How will it be more durable? Bluray is extremely durable. It's really not superior.

hakanakumono

Anything with no moving parts is inherently more durable than something that uses a spinning motor to read content.

Friction is a constant in anything with moving parts. Friction=erosion. Erosion=mechanical failure. It doesn't take an engineering degree to figure that out.

As long as I don't have to blow on it again.siLVURcross

Besides, games are never going to need TB of data.

hakanakumono

Simple. Price. Memory cards have dropped substantially in price this decade, but they are no where near as cost effective as DVD or BluRays. Manufacturing discs costs pennies. Memory cards are prohibitively expensive, by comparison. Meory will continue to get cheaper, but it will be a LOOOOONG time before it could compare with discs in price, if ever.

santoron

In the early 1980's CD's cost as much as $50. They hovered at $30 for a VERY LONG TIME. They were considered more expensive than cassettes because cassettes had such a large install-base and there were so many factories mass-producing them that there was a market glut. Even so, cassettes went the way of the dodo by the mid '90s.

EDIT: The key is mass-production. With more & more SD cards being produced, the technology will steadily decline in price.

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

You know, they could probably already be using floppy sized cartridges for games sized at 50GB. But they don't. I wonder why that is.

It is being fairly well received and it is taking off.

dkrustyklown

Keep in mind that R&D in SD card technology at the moment is geared toward photographic, sound, & video recording purposes. No one is trying to make 50GB floppy sized cartridges because consumers don't want their cameras to be that physically large. Console-makers can let the Cannons, Toshibas, & Phillips of the technology world do the expensive R&D work, and then license & adapt it to their own needs.

This SD media will first be marketed as a great way to record hours upon hours of HD video in expensive HD video recorders. It will then be adapted to become, "the only card you'll ever need for your digital camera". As more and more devices that use this media are marketed, the production costs will decrease steadily until such a point that this media will become a viable gaming format.

But consoles are perfectly happy with disc based media. It's better to go with disc based media because any advancements in the disc based media department is for media, which includes Videogames. SD card technology will continue to simply focus on storage capacity, so Videogame companies aren't going to invest in in them.

No it won't.

There is literally no movement towards any of this. Any advancements we see in the future are going to continue from what we're seeing now. But media developers aren't simply going to throw disc based media away. They're going to continue to make it better to suit their needs, while SD cards continue to adapt to different needs.

This is all baseless. There is no movement towards using SD cards for media production. This is all based on you being nostalgic about when Nintendo used cartridges as a media format and was king. None of this will happen.

As long as I don't have to blow on it again.siLVURcross

I never liked blowing my NES games I always had my sister blow them for me.

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

How will it be more durable? Bluray is extremely durable. It's really not superior.

dkrustyklown

Anything with no moving parts is inherently more durable than something that uses a spinning motor to read content.

Friction is a constant in anything with moving parts. Friction=erosion. Erosion=mechanical failure. It doesn't take an engineering degree to figure that out.

CDs, DVDs, and especially Blurays don't get "eroded." If bluray can't be scratched by nails it's certainly not going to break after simply being used.

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

Besides, games are never going to need TB of data.

nethernova

It would be too expensive to create a game worth TB of data. Games under 50GB of data are putting devs out of business, there's certainly not going to be a game thats 1000GB of data. No amount of FMV in any game is ever going to even amount to more than 100GB.

I think we are going to hit digital distribution before these SD cards you speak of are ready.

No they don't. Disc based media was adopted very quickly.

hakanakumono

No, it wasn't. The first commercially available CD came out in 1982. The Sega CD didn't come out until 1991, and that was only in Japan. North America & Japan had to wait even longer.

As long as I don't have to blow on it again.siLVURcross

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

No they don't. Disc based media was adopted very quickly.

dkrustyklown

No, it wasn't. The first commercially available CD came out in 1982. The Sega CD didn't come out until 1991, and that was only in Japan. North America & Japan had to wait even longer.

Videogames were in an entirely different place in 1982. Once videogames needed disc based media they went to disc based media. Videogames aren't going to need over 100 GB of data.

CDs, DVDs, and especially Blurays don't get "eroded." If bluray can't be scratched by nails it's certainly not going to break after simply being used.

hakanakumono

I wasn't talking about the discs themselves. I was talking about the DRIVES that read them. A disc is worthless without a drive to put it in. Not only does the drive have a motor that spins the disc at a high rate of speed, but the laser that reads the disc itself must also use at least one motor. Motors wear out. That is a fact. No matter how good the bearings or how well engineered a motor is, it will eventually die. That's just a fact of mechanical engineering. Furthermore, having to use a motor to spin a disc and shift a laser lense back and forth also consumes more power.

Those spinning motors also produce additional heat, and we all know that heat is our enemy when dealing with consoles & computers.

I have a feeling that before that, we will just have direct downloads, so itll neva happen.bronxxbombers

^^^^THIS^^^^^.....Honestly...dvd, bluray are going to be a thing of the past very soon. My local walmart at one time had quite a few bluray dvds...BUT now they have nearly none...I think its only a matter of time before all moveable media is a thing of the past...everything is going to be downloadable very soon.

World of Warcraft might in 10 years.

[QUOTE="dkrustyklown"]

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

No they don't. Disc based media was adopted very quickly.

hakanakumono

No, it wasn't. The first commercially available CD came out in 1982. The Sega CD didn't come out until 1991, and that was only in Japan. North America & Japan had to wait even longer.

Videogames were in an entirely different place in 1982. Once videogames needed disc based media they went to disc based media. Videogames aren't going to need over 100 GB of data.

[QUOTE="nethernova"][QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

Besides, games are never going to need TB of data.

hakanakumono

It would be too expensive to create a game worth TB of data. Games under 50GB of data are putting devs out of business, there's certainly not going to be a game thats 1000GB of data. No amount of FMV in any game is ever going to even amount to more than 100GB.

This sentiment has been repeated many times over the last 30 years (even further if you start digging up the military R&D efforts of the '60s & '70s).

As developer tools become more & more sophisticated, the products developed with those tools will require more and more space. This storage inflation has been a constant in computing, and I don't see it ever ending.

Holy crap... What if the future of games IS in the future of SD cards; in a different way. What if you have a 2 terabyte chip for ALL of your games? So you go to the kiosk at gamestop or next to the pony ride at your supermarket, plug the card in, and select what game you want? Head home and plug in the card into your xbox 720 or PS4 and the game starts up. Load times will be almost non-existant, and no more discs to buy. That is what the gaming of the future will be.mr_poodles123

That's what I'm getting at!

:D

Sure... I reckon it would be quite easy and cost effective to put games on cartridges again in the future.

Imagine a cartrage simular to a DS game that can hold up to 100GB of information that you plug into your home console.

Why not.

And by then, the onLive model of cloud-computed server-side render may have taken over.