Viewing Thread:
"Discs..."

I was wondering, why do we use discs?

I hate using discs, they are so delicate and easy to break.

There must be a reason why consoles now use discs instead of cartridges because im sure you'll all agree that cartridges have a smaller chance of getting broken than discs, the PS1 used discs but the N64 didn't...BUT the PS1 had better graphics.

Is it something to do with the space?
Can a disc hold more space than a cartridge?

Or are they using discs now because they look better?

It would be so good to have a console with Cartridges instead of discs...

Views?

Darwock wrote:
> Microchips wrote:
> Cartridges are more expensive to produce, and take up more space
> (which is an issue for Japanese people, before you ask).
>
> Oh my god.....
>
> Yes there is a national shortage of shelving and drawer-space in
> Japan at the moment... it's terrible.

Go compare the size of the Japanese GBA boxes with the US/European boxes.

Of course, I was over-exaggerating, but my point is still valid.

(Stridman = Untouchable)

I haven't broken a disc but i've scratched one.

Discs don't break easily unless you really want to break them, like if you smash them with a hammer, fewl. What the hell are you doing to them?

Untouchable wrote:
> I was wondering, why do we use discs?
>
> I hate using discs, they are so delicate and easy to break.
>
> There must be a reason why consoles now use discs instead of
> cartridges because im sure you'll all agree that cartridges have a
> smaller chance of getting broken than discs, the PS1 used discs but
> the N64 didn't...BUT the PS1 had better graphics.
>
> Is it something to do with the space?
> Can a disc hold more space than a cartridge?
>
> Or are they using discs now because they look better?
>
> It would be so good to have a console with Cartridges instead of
> discs...
>
> Views?

Oh boy - *weeps* the generation gap! Woe is me ... reading this I now understand how my dad felt when he saw me put the stylus of a record player on the inside, thinking it worked like a cd.

:o) Duh. It's a capacity and cost thing young Obi-wan. You will understand in the fullnes of time.

The cartridge years of the SNES and Mega Drive (and their predecessors) forced the Japs to shrink because they took up so much room.

Thats why they are so small.

Microchips wrote:
> Cartridges are more expensive to produce, and take up more space
> (which is an issue for Japanese people, before you ask).

Oh my god.....

Yes there is a national shortage of shelving and drawer-space in Japan at the moment... it's terrible.

It's just a PC without the CDs. The reason that PC games use discs is so you can't just put one game disc onto loads of harddrives (you can if you crack it, but that's another matter). Sooner or later, hackers and pirates will crack the Phantom and all the games will be available for free download. Then what will they do? Fade into obscurity is what.

Yes.

The Phantom yes?

Oh, I heard some news about a console that coming out this year. It requires Broadband and what you do is pay for a game online and then download it onto your console, it sounds different and very cool but it depends how long it takes to download.

And seeing as it requires Broadband it might mean that even when playing a single player game you will have to be connected to the internet which will be annoying for people without a router/hub.

But at least theres no way to break your games because they're invisible when you think about it, *thinks*, ok maybe not invisable but you get what I mean.

Another problem is that if for any reason your console breaks you will have to download all of the games again...