A look at the decision to use a cartridge-based format on the Nintendo 64
As forever a fanatic of all things Nintendo 64, I’ve sometimes wondered what the system would have been like if it had used compact discs as opposed to cartridges. All too often, the system is labeled as a failure or a mistake, with the insistence of sticking to cartridges as the primary reason. It’s pretty easy to look back so far into the past with the knowledge of today and pick out bad ideas, but during the time, no company had such luxury. With the fourteenth anniversary of the North American Nintendo 64 launch just passing a couple days ago, let us take a step back to 1996 and get a feel for the perspective of the world’s most successful videogame company who lost their lead in the market simply by doing what they love.
