This article was published on May 6, 2016

There’s a good chance Nintendo’s NX console will use cartridges instead of discs


There’s a good chance Nintendo’s NX console will use cartridges instead of discs

Do you ever miss the suspense of blowing into a cartridge to get your games to work? Nintendo’s upcoming NX console may bring back the hassle nostalgia.

Screen Critics noticed that Nintendo is ordering a whole lot of new memory chips from Macronix, its Chinese partner for ROM silicon, which is normally used for 3DS cartidges.

Macronix’s earnings showed Nintendo ordered more memory than needed for typical 3DS sales alone, suggesting cartridges could be making a comeback for the NX – which is slated for a March 2017 release. And while Nintendo could be using these inside the NX console itself, the storage capacity of the chips appear to exceed what would be needed for internal components.

The NX is rumored to be a hybrid of a mobile and home console – if it has any chance at being portable, traditional discs will simply be too large. Besides, Nintendo has always used cartridges for its mobile consoles.

Further fanning the flame, Nintendo has already filed a patent for a console with no disc drive but which does include a slot for reading memory cards.

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Of course, digital purchases are the future and continue to catch up to physical sales, but chances are there will always be people who prefer to buy physical copies, even if only for resale value.

Let’s just hope you don’t have to exhaust your lung output to get the next ‘Legend of Zelda’ to work.

Via IGN

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