Inside the Super Nintendo cartridges • Hacker News Board

Re: Inside the Super Nintendo cartridges

#161

Post by SEXMCNIGGA12879 » Mon, Apr 22, 2024, 8:47 PM UTC

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Re: Inside the Super Nintendo cartridges

#162

Post by giantrobot » Mon, Apr 22, 2024, 8:48 PM UTC

octorian wrote: post #117

amlib wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also wonder why they couldn't provide a second cartridge slot for the enhancements. Sell enhancement carts separately or bundled with some of the games that require it (mostly the first game to feature such enhancement) and then all other developers could consider using them too, without worrying about the cost of their own cart. I imagine this would add to much cost or complexity to the console, making it simpler…

It would result in a situation where nobody could depend on the expansion module, if they wanted their game to have the largest possible market. It would also cause a lot of confusion, where clueless older relatives would buy games for kids, not realize that an accessory was required (or have no idea if the kid actually had that accessory), and then the game wouldn't run. We see this sort of problem happen a lot with…

> It would result in a situation where nobody could depend on the expansion module, if they wanted their game to have the largest possible market.

The SegaCD-32x problem. The Genesis sold tens of millions of units, the SegaCD only ones of millions of units, and the 32x under a million units.

There were a couple 32x games that required the 32x and a SegaCD. Being that the SegaCD and 32x didn't have 100% overlap, those games had a smaller TAM than even solely 32x games.

I feel bad for the studios that decided (or were told) to make those games. There was just no way they were going to make a game that would sell well on an uncommon configuration of a dead-end console/accessory.