10 Ways Gaming Was Infinitely Better In The '90s
4. Cartridge Loading Times Were 1000x Better
The dawn of CD-ROM technology with consoles like the PC Engine, Amiga CD-32, CD-i, and 3DO made games full of videos and better 3D graphics. Once the Saturn and PlayStation hit their stride, it seemed games were stepping into the future. This came with its own burden: loading times.
The worst offenders kept you waiting minutes at a time for a single race or to load a single level. But the quality of the-then good 3D games were so spectacular that most people accepted it.
Yet loads of consoles stayed with carts: the Mega Drive/Genesis, NES, Super NES, Game Boy, Game Gear and N64 had none of the loading problems the competition faced.
Durability is another question entirely. Everyone knows that blowing into the cart was standard practice - even if now it turns out it's not such a hot idea. Carts can't really scratch but it's difficult to say whether one lasts longer than the other.
We've come full circle with Nintendo Switch offering cartridges on a hybrid home and portable system. With competitors choosing 25-50GB Blu-ray discs and Ultra HD Blu-ray offering up to 100GB, whether Nintendo will jump back to discs in future and sacrifice their love of fast loading times remains to be seen.