Yes, but that 256GB SD card will cost you $80. The question isn't IF cards can get as big as Blu-Rays, but how big developers/Nintendo are willing to go given the cost of cards.More than discs, potentially. SD cards for example currently top out at 256GB, which is far larger than a Blu-ray disc.
The old space limitations of carts are no longer a factor. The bigger question is production expense, which always did and probably still does favor optical media. And licensing fees.
3ds and vita cart only have minimum space for game save. Switch isn't going to have that Much space rewriteable as it would drive up the cost a lotIt's all relative. The size of the Muramasa patch+DLC data is 3/4 the size of the base game. Of course, we're talking under 1GB total here, but if we've got 32GB cartridges for NX and the base game is a bit less than that, it would make a lot of sense to allocate the remaining space for patches.
- Next to nothing loading times
- At least for Nintendo games, no big ass day one patch
- Flash space only to save games and updates
They're a different form-factor from DS/3DS cartridges, and seem to use fewer communication pins (this would indicate a switch to a serial communication protocol, which would potentially be a pretty good thing, as they'd be able to hit much higher read speeds than on the old parallel protocol).
If you are getting a game like skyrim you will be looking at loading time- Next to nothing loading times
- At least for Nintendo games, no big ass day one patch
- Flash space only to save games and updates
Cards don't solve this problem.- Next to nothing loading times
- At least for Nintendo games, no big ass day one patch
- Flash space only to save games and updates
Hell, if the Switch gets devs to actually make reasonably sized patches it would be worth its weight in gold.Those games don't have big patches... If this generation is anything to go by, how are they going to put 10-20GB patches in those tiny ass cartridges. Do they even have 200gb SD Cards? Are developers really going to even bother making sure those patches will be much smaller on the Switch?
I'm sure Gamestop is having a sigh of relief that they're using carts instead of going digital.
You have to install PS4 games from the disc for the very reason of making load times shorter, that's not really a valid comparison. Difference in processing power becomes much more relevant at that point.Not always. PS4 ports of Vita games often load faster on the PS4. Plus there are plenty of 3DS games with lengthy load times.
- Next to nothing loading times
Awesome news - digital can go screw itself.
This isn't true and I don't know why some people keep spouting it.- Next to nothing loading times
- At least for Nintendo games, no big ass day one patch
- Flash space only to save games and updates
I don't mind not going to an all digital future, but a console should still provide solid options for people who choose that convenience.Awesome news - digital can go screw itself.
Fuck yeah- Next to nothing loading times
- At least for Nintendo games, no big ass day one patch
- Flash space only to save games and updates
This isn't true and I don't know why some people keep spouting it.
Bruh I'm talking about installation, never had an issue with patches being primarily a pc gamer. Installation has no business on a console.oh my sweet summer child
- Next to nothing loading times
- At least for Nintendo games, no big ass day one patch
- Flash space only to save games and updates
- Next to nothing loading times
- At least for Nintendo games, no big ass day one patch
- Flash space only to save games and updates
- Having to switch carts to play different games
- Having to bring all of your games with you to a friends house rather than have them digitally on your device
- No memory room for patches, updates or dlc
Sounds cool! It's like 1996 all over again!
This may be splitting hairs, but those don't really look like cartridges to me. Cartridge (in the context of video games physical media) to me implies a physical storage media with more embedded electronics on it, like an NES, SNES, Game Boy or Neo Geo cart.
When I think of a cartridge, I think of something that is capable of being augmented with embedded chips/processors like the Super FX or something, not just a dumb storage medium. A cartridge should theoretically be capable of doing something that the console/handheld may not be able to do on its own (outside of emulation.)
Everything from DS on has been closer to a proprietary SD card, not a cartridge in the traditional sense.
Calling it a cartridge is just playing off of nostalgia.
This physical media looks no closer to a cartridge than a Vita game.
/rant over.
You have to install PS4 games from the disc for the very reason of making load times shorter, that's not really a valid comparison. Difference in processing power becomes much more relevant at that point.
I think this will be the pricing scheme
I'm betting price will be
249-299- Screen and attachments for controls
349-399- Full bundle including docking station
Pro Controllers and additional controllers sold separately between 39.99 and 59.99
Games 59.99 ? Cartridge though so maybe 49.99 IDK
Let's see how this plays out
I seriously don't think they're gonna do a separate bunde with and without dock.
Infact I'd bet anything on it that they don't.
It would be suicide to separate it, and defeat the whole purpose of being able to "switch" lol.
- Next to nothing loading times
- At least for Nintendo games, no big ass day one patch
- Flash space only to save games and updates
4GB? That's the 3DS. Cards/Carts can easily hit 128GB and remain at an affordable price for developers/publishers. I'd say the average Cart for the Switch is going to be 64GB
You realise SD cards exist right- Having to switch carts to play different games
- Having to bring all of your games with you to a friends house rather than have them digitally on your device
- No memory room for patches, updates or dlc
Sounds cool! It's like 1996 all over again!
Yeah, I think 32-64GB is fine enough for now. That little pack is quite the fatty, so who knows how beefy they could get though..You really thing 128 won't have an impact on mass production expenses? Personally, I don't think flash prices have dropped quite that much. I expect 32 to be the standard size with 64 for some games, and maybe reach 128 by the end of the gen.
How much would SDs increase the storage though? A quick Googling puts Smash 4 at 15 gbs without all the updates. That's nearly half the out of the box gbs if it's 32. Smash is fairly large, but a lot of the games they'd presumably port over from PS4/XB1 would be large as well.
Not always. PS4 ports of Vita games often load faster on the PS4. Plus there are plenty of 3DS games with lengthy load times.
Bruh I'm talking about installation, never had an issue with patches being primarily a pc gamer. Installation has no business on a console.
But if we're comparing to running from a disc, it's not valid. Are we arguing about internal hard drive speeds vs Flash memory speeds here?It is a valid comparison because we are talking about game load times.
Games aren't coming on RAM sticks lol- Next to nothing loading times
- At least for Nintendo games, no big ass day one patch
- Flash space only to save games and updates
is there a stimated size the SD or Game cartridges can hold? Im curious about games of the size of Skyrim
I never understood it either. The 3DS uses carts, the Vita uses carts.
Just because it's a hybrid now doesn't make the cartridge solution special.
So, this was discussed a lot in the past and well, no more CDs, the Switch uses cartridges!
(First image / second row)
Neat! But I think the better question is; How the fuck are they going to handle harddrives?! Is the dock going to have a storage component of it's own, or are we going to be stuck with a small amount on the tablet itself?
If these are 128gb cards like it looks like, I'm not even sure of the words to describe a developer that would actually do such a thing especially with the likely minimal in built memory.If you're talking about just Nintendo games, then sure. Or rather, then maybe.
Some of the early patents alluded to storage/flash memory in the carts themselves, if that's the case then games could store updates on the carts.
isn't modern tech amazing?How can that new Zelda game fit on that tiny tiny cart
0_o
The thing will likely have USB ports, so there's that.
Exactly. Cards are digital memory based. Cartridges, iirc, are analog board based.