why does Nintendo do this?

There is a good chance your Nintendo cartridge has some empty space inside it. I heard this is usually to allow for standard sizing when the internal parts may differ in size, but I don't know if this is true or not. Does anyone know?

#nintendo #switch #tinkermanmick #shorts

[MK-bihj]

"i cant believe a whole game fits on this tiny little thing nowadays"
-1TB microsd card

[francisbungiejump]

It's easier to manage a cartridge than a microscopic chip

[adjgamer]

This guy is gonna lose it when he opens a 2.5" SSD or a thumb drive.

[JemaKnight]

"why does Nintendo do this?"

*immediately opens a game that doesn't do this*

[nikolas-]

At this point they’re just adding extra size to it to make it easier to handle. Too tiny and they can get lost and be difficult to get into a console

[Fox_RZK]

1. They're easier to handle
2. There'd be more space for labeling
3. They'd be harder to lose
4. They're sometimes necessary like the full sized PCB you showed, so best to keep the size uniform
5. (and this is the point I think people tend to forget) Making it smaller would make it even more of a choking hazard than it already is.

[Nate.mp]

As many have said, trying to make them smaller is only counterproductive. As long as the size of the cartridge doesn't require sacrifices in the hardware of the console, I think going back to GBA game size would be awesome. Turning the cartridge itself into a work of art like that has been lost to time but I'd love to see it return.

[reneablackheart]

-Easier to handle
-Makes it look the same as the ones that need the bigger chip
-Will actually fit into the switch's game slot

[nonyabiz]

Gonna be really shocked when he opens an original Nintendo cartridge.

[tzisorey]

Same reason the packaging on the shelf isn't just the size of the cartridge - you need to be able to *_find_* it.

[shmish]

3 reasons

1.) If it get's any smaller it'll be impossible to keep track of

2.) Uniformity so that the cartridges have their same look and size to know they are for nintendo switch.

3.) Future expansion, similar to the other cartridge based consoles nintendo has made the extra space was for adding new hardware later on down the line for "future proofing"

[shadow__dancer]

things can always be smaller. but designers figured out that, ergonomically, things get harder to use the smaller they are. just think of those tiny keyboards on your phone screen. we could make them smaller and use up less screen space, but then it will be harder to type the correct letters.

[SpineMillington]

If that blows your mind then just wait until you see a micro SD card.

[alexmilo]

It’s crazy how small these chips are now, but worth pointing out that even some original Game Boy games didn’t use all its space either.

[sinom]

Fun thing is, the ones that are only half full are actually the higher quality and higher capacity carts than the ones that fill up the whole cartridge

[Monorack]

Nintendo has always been good on file compression

[Oscorpior]

Alternative Title: Why did you do this?!

[shaggy]

Bro we have 1TB Micro SD cards and this guy is surprised about “this tiny little thing”

[ajbanimatedstudios]

Eventually the games will simply work via scanner detection, wireless, or even nfc.

No more blowing cartridges or missaligning direction.

Just a simple slide in and close.

Like an amiibo

[Tonba]

Its wild to me the size of a switch cart still blows people away like we've had 128gb micro sd cards literally 1/4th the size of a switch cart for like a decade UPDATE as of last yesr 2tb micro SD cards are available to consumers 2 terabytes and 1/4th the size of a switch cart