Quote"Cartridges make sense for the Switch. Because the device is portable, they're less likely to sustain damage while getting jostled around and don't require the whirling energy of a disk drive.

Cartridges are also far more advanced than they were in the '90s. The current Switch cartridge is capable of housing 32 GB compared to the 64 MB maximum on the Nintendo 64 — or just 10% of what a CD-ROM system like the original PlayStation could hold. Plus, Nintendo has this grudge about paying other tech companies to license their formats, preferring to keep control close with proprietary technology. It's why the GameCube ended up with Tiny Tom Donut discs.

But how did we end up with the cartridge? The answer goes back to nearly the beginning of video games and an oft-forgotten console..."