Could 3DS games be carrying as much data as titles developed for the Xbox 360?
With the arrival of the PlayStation in the mid-90s, videogames irrevocably started to make the transition from a cartridge-based medium to a disc-based one. Discs were cheaper to produce and held much more data, after all – it only made sense. Nintendo clung to its cartridges throughout the N64 years, but finally transitioned to discs with its GameCube – however, its handheld platforms continued to use cartridges even as competitors like Sony’s PSP introduced disc-based formats of their own.
As with the Game Boy and DS, Nintendo’s upcoming 3DS will use cartridges. However, thanks to technology continuing its onward progress, this may not be the handicap it once was. Taiwanese website Gamrade is reporting that 3DS carts will hold 8GB of data – comparable to the DVD-9 discs used for Xbox 360 games. In comparison, current DS carts hold a paltry 512MB of data.
However, according to Kotaku, Gamrade also claims that Nintendo has mandated a 2GB size limit for 3DS games for the moment. Why would it do that? Your guess is as good as mine; maybe the other 6GB is used to hold the techno-voodoo that makes the whole glasses-less 3D work.
“We’ve not officially announced anything on this so it’s rumour and speculation – so we won’t comment on it right now,” Nintendo UK told Eurogamer).
The 3DS is out early next year. No price tag has been announced for North America or Europe.
(Via Eurogamer)
