<s>
Nintendo	B-Device
64	I-Device
Game	I-Device
Pak	I-Device
(	O
part	O
number	O
NUS-006	B-Device
)	O
is	O
the	O
brand	O
name	O
of	O
the	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
that	O
store	O
game	O
data	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
previous	O
consoles	O
,	O
the	O
Game	O
Pak	O
's	O
design	O
strategy	O
was	O
intended	O
to	O
achieve	O
maximal	O
read	O
speed	O
and	O
lower	O
console	O
manufacturing	O
costs	O
through	O
not	O
integrating	O
a	O
mechanical	O
drive	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
drawback	O
of	O
lower	O
per	O
dollar	O
storage	O
capacity	O
compared	O
to	O
a	O
disk	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
the	O
Famicom	B-Device
Disk	I-Device
System	I-Device
floppy	B-Device
drive	I-Device
of	O
the	O
1980	O
's	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
sought	O
a	O
higher-capacity	O
and	O
cheaper	O
medium	O
to	O
complement	O
the	O
Game	O
Pak	O
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
the	O
64DD	B-Device
—	O
a	O
Japan-only	O
floppy	B-Device
drive	I-Device
peripheral	O
which	O
launched	O
late	O
in	O
1999	O
and	O
was	O
a	O
commercial	O
failure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
developers	O
such	O
as	O
Factor	O
5	O
,	O
Rare	O
,	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
were	O
supportive	O
of	O
the	O
solid-state	O
medium	O
due	O
to	O
fast	O
read	O
speeds	O
and	O
bank	B-General_Concept
switching	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
other	O
developers	O
had	O
vastly	O
heavier	O
designs	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
full-motion	B-Application
video	I-Application
,	O
but	O
sufficient	O
data	O
compression	O
techniques	O
had	O
not	O
yet	O
been	O
invented	O
and	O
ROM	B-Device
chips	I-Device
were	O
not	O
yet	O
cost-efficient	O
,	O
leading	O
many	O
developers	O
like	O
Square	O
to	O
target	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
based	O
platforms	O
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
was	O
the	O
last	O
major	O
home	O
console	O
to	O
have	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
as	O
its	O
primary	O
storage	O
format	O
until	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
in	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Portable	O
systems	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
,	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
also	O
use	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
had	O
already	O
invested	O
into	O
high-capacity	O
secondary	O
storage	O
devices	O
with	O
the	O
Famicom	B-Device
Disk	I-Device
System	I-Device
and	O
the	O
cancelled	O
SNES-CD	B-Device
for	O
their	O
previous	O
two	O
home	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
1994	O
interview	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
of	O
America	O
(	O
NOA	O
)	O
summarised	O
its	O
analysis	O
of	O
the	O
advantages	O
of	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
and	O
CD	O
's	O
with	O
respect	O
to	O
its	O
next	O
console	O
—	O
eventually	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
sentiment	O
was	O
soon	O
revised	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
when	O
NOA	O
's	O
Vice	O
President	O
of	O
Sales	O
&	O
Marketing	O
Peter	O
Main	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
The	O
choice	O
we	O
made	O
is	O
not	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
versus	O
CD	O
,	O
it	O
's	O
silicon	O
over	O
optical	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
it	O
comes	O
to	O
speed	O
,	O
no	O
other	O
format	O
approaches	O
the	O
silicon-based	O
cartridge.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
Shoshinkai	O
1995	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
announced	O
the	O
complementary	O
64DD	B-Device
,	O
a	O
rewritable	O
magnetic	O
disk	B-Device
drive	I-Device
for	O
the	O
then-upcoming	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
with	O
several	O
times	O
faster	O
transfer	O
rates	O
and	O
seek	O
time	O
than	O
competing	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1997	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
game	O
designer	O
Shigesato	O
Itoi	O
explained	O
,	O
"	O
CD	O
holds	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
data	O
,	O
[64]DD	O
holds	O
a	O
moderate	O
amount	O
of	O
data	O
and	O
backs	O
the	O
data	O
up	O
,	O
and	O
 [ cartridge ] 	O
ROMs	O
hold	O
the	O
least	O
data	O
and	O
processes	O
the	O
fastest	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
I	O
think	O
we	O
'll	O
make	O
the	O
game	O
on	O
a	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
first	O
,	O
then	O
...	O
finish	O
it	O
up	O
as	O
a	O
full-out	O
64DD	B-Device
game.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
64DD	B-Device
games	O
entered	O
development	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
after	O
the	O
device	O
's	O
launch	O
was	O
delayed	O
several	O
years	O
until	O
1999	O
and	O
restricted	O
to	O
Japan	O
,	O
many	O
of	O
these	O
games	O
switched	O
to	O
the	O
Game	O
Pak	O
or	O
were	O
outright	O
cancelled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
64DD	B-Device
was	O
a	O
commercial	O
failure	O
and	O
was	O
discontinued	O
only	O
14	O
months	O
after	O
launch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
launch	O
,	O
President	O
of	O
Nintendo	O
Hiroshi	O
Yamauchi	O
praised	O
the	O
user	O
experience	O
of	O
the	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
format	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Until	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
in	O
2017	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
was	O
the	O
latest	O
major	O
home	O
console	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
as	O
its	O
primary	O
storage	O
format	O
,	O
and	O
most	O
handheld	O
systems	O
except	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
use	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
home	O
systems	O
since	O
the	O
fifth	B-Application
generation	I-Application
use	O
disc	O
,	O
flash	O
,	O
and	O
online	O
formats	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
succeeding	O
GameCube	B-Application
uses	O
an	O
optical	O
disc	O
format	O
,	O
in	O
a	O
boon	O
to	O
some	O
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
the	O
new	O
console	O
lacks	O
backwards	O
compatibility	O
with	O
Nintendo	B-Device
64	I-Device
Game	I-Device
Paks	I-Device
,	O
Nintendo	O
said	O
players	O
could	O
simply	O
keep	O
their	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
Game	O
Paks	O
include	O
internal	O
EEPROM	B-General_Concept
,	O
flash	B-Device
memory	I-Device
,	O
or	O
battery-backed-up	O
RAM	O
for	O
saved	O
game	O
storage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
Nintendo	B-Device
64	I-Device
Game	I-Device
Pak	I-Device
contains	O
a	O
lockout	O
chip	O
(	O
conceptually	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
10NES	O
)	O
to	O
prevent	O
production	O
of	O
unlicensed	O
games	O
and	O
piracy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
previous	O
Nintendo	O
systems	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
lockout	O
chip	O
contains	O
a	O
seed	O
value	O
which	O
is	O
used	O
to	O
calculate	O
a	O
checksum	B-Algorithm
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
boot	B-Operating_System
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
boot	B-Operating_System
process	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
occasionally	O
while	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
running	O
,	O
the	O
console	O
computes	O
the	O
checksum	B-Algorithm
of	O
the	O
boot	B-Operating_System
code	O
and	O
verifies	O
it	O
with	O
the	O
lockout	O
chip	O
in	O
the	O
Game	O
Pak	O
,	O
failing	O
to	O
boot	B-Operating_System
if	O
the	O
check	O
fails	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
2	O
,	O
1997	O
,	O
a	O
U.S.	O
District	O
Court	O
issued	O
a	O
temporary	O
restraining	O
order	O
against	O
Games	O
City	O
for	O
its	O
Game	O
Doctor	O
and	O
Doctor	B-Device
V64	I-Device
products	O
,	O
which	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
copy	O
from	O
a	O
Game	O
Pak	O
to	O
a	O
CD	O
or	O
hard	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drive	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Device
64	I-Device
Game	I-Device
Pak	I-Device
medium	O
provides	O
essential	O
benefits	O
alongside	O
drawbacks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
it	O
provides	O
the	O
faster	O
load	O
times	O
and	O
greater	O
durability	O
than	O
the	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
format	O
,	O
its	O
solid-state	O
silicon	O
could	O
not	O
be	O
produced	O
as	O
quickly	O
and	O
was	O
more	O
expensive	O
to	O
manufacture	O
,	O
leading	O
to	O
low	O
storage	O
capacity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
a	O
Top	O
Gun	O
video	O
game	O
was	O
announced	O
in	O
1995	O
as	O
a	O
launch	O
title	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
and	O
then	O
cancelled	O
five	O
months	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
launch	O
,	O
partially	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
additional	O
lead	O
time	O
of	O
ordering	O
the	O
more	O
expensive	O
proprietary	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
format	O
,	O
plus	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
licensing	O
fees	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1997	O
,	O
journalist	O
Alex	O
S	O
.	O
Kasten	O
observed	O
that	O
the	O
issue	O
"	O
goes	O
beyond	O
the	O
economics	O
of	O
the	O
media	O
 [ because ] 	O
market	O
strategy	O
and	O
style	O
of	O
game	O
play	O
also	O
factor	O
into	O
the	O
cartridge/CD	O
decision	O
 [ so ] 	O
Nintendo	O
has	O
remained	O
cartridge-based	O
for	O
two	O
main	O
reasons	O
:	O
economics	O
and	O
performance.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
knew	O
that	O
a	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
drive	O
would	O
greatly	O
increase	O
the	O
cost	O
of	O
the	O
console	O
in	O
a	O
price-sensitive	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
We	O
could	O
get	O
an	O
eight-speed	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
mechanism	O
in	O
the	O
unit	O
,	O
but	O
in	O
the	O
under-	O
$200	O
console	O
market	O
,	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
hard	O
to	O
pull	O
that	O
off.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Specified	O
at	O
5	O
to	O
50MiB/s	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
emphasised	O
the	O
Game	O
Pak	O
 '	O
fast	O
load	O
times	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
the	O
competing	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
and	O
Sony	B-Device
PlayStation	I-Device
's	I-Device
2×	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
drives	O
running	O
at	O
about	O
with	O
high	O
latency	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
speed	O
discrepancy	O
can	O
be	O
observed	O
through	O
the	O
loading	O
screens	O
that	O
appear	O
in	O
many	O
multiplatform	O
games	O
;	O
such	O
screens	O
were	O
often	O
nonexistent	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bank	B-General_Concept
switching	I-General_Concept
was	O
a	O
common	O
practice	O
for	O
developers	O
in	O
many	O
games	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Nintendo	O
EAD	O
's	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
64	I-Application
or	O
Factor	O
5	O
's	O
Indiana	B-Application
Jones	I-Application
and	I-Application
the	I-Application
Infernal	I-Application
Machine	I-Application
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
for	O
efficient	O
memory	O
usage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Howard	O
Lincoln	O
said	O
,	O
"	O
[	O
Genyo	O
Takeda	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
engineer	O
working	O
with	O
Silicon	O
Graphics	O
to	O
design	O
Project	O
Reality ]	O
and	O
those	O
guys	O
felt	O
very	O
strongly	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
absolutely	O
essential	O
to	O
have	O
it	O
on	O
a	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
in	O
order	O
to	O
do	O
the	O
kind	O
of	O
things	O
that	O
we	O
wanted	O
to	O
do	O
with	O
Super	O
Mario.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
countered	O
by	O
claiming	O
that	O
load	O
times	O
on	O
CD-ROMs	B-Device
could	O
eventually	O
be	O
minimised	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
complex	O
manufacturing	O
processes	O
,	O
cartridge-based	B-Protocol
games	I-Protocol
are	O
more	O
expensive	O
and	O
difficult	O
to	O
manufacture	O
than	O
their	O
disk-based	O
counterparts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PlayStation	B-Device
CD-ROMs	B-Device
reportedly	O
cost	O
to	O
manufacture	O
,	O
while	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
for	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Nintendo	I-Application
Entertainment	I-Application
System	I-Application
cost	O
$15	O
( $	O
)	O
and	O
Nintendo	B-Device
64	I-Device
cartridges	I-Device
reportedly	O
more	O
than	O
$30	O
( $	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Publishers	O
had	O
to	O
pass	O
these	O
higher	O
expenses	O
to	O
the	O
consumer	O
,	O
so	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
tended	O
toward	O
higher	O
prices	O
than	O
PlayStation	B-Device
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rarely	O
would	O
a	O
PlayStation	B-Device
game	O
exceed	O
,	O
whereas	O
some	O
Nintendo	B-Device
64	I-Device
cartridges	I-Device
were	O
$79.99	O
( $	O
)	O
like	O
the	O
first	O
print	O
of	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Ocarina	I-Application
of	I-Application
Time	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
in	O
Sony	O
's	O
Greatest	B-Device
Hits	I-Device
budget	O
line	O
retailed	O
for	O
$19.95	O
( $	O
)	O
,	O
whereas	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
equivalent	O
Player	O
's	O
Choice	O
line	O
retailed	O
for	O
$39.95	O
( $	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
1997	O
,	O
Kelly	O
Flock	O
,	O
president	O
of	O
Sony	O
Interactive	O
Studios	O
America	O
(	O
SISA	O
)	O
said	O
"	O
Most	O
N64	B-Operating_System
carts	O
are	O
costing	O
consumers	O
$55	O
to	O
$70	O
,	O
compared	O
with	O
$20	O
to	O
$50	O
for	O
a	O
PlayStation	B-Device
CD.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
the	O
typical	O
price	O
of	O
a	O
third-party	O
game	O
was	O
around	O
$75.99	O
( $	O
)	O
in	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
first	O
year	O
on	O
the	O
market	O
in	O
1997	O
,	O
though	O
this	O
dropped	O
incrementally	O
after	O
Nintendo	O
reduced	O
wholesale	O
prices	O
on	O
the	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
NOA	O
Vice	O
President	O
George	O
Harrison	O
was	O
enthused	O
about	O
the	O
increasing	O
third-party	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
orders	O
placed	O
after	O
that	O
price	O
drop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
,	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
were	O
priced	O
at	O
release	O
,	O
with	O
PlayStation	B-Device
games	O
priced	O
at	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
meant	O
that	O
publishers	O
of	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
had	O
less	O
flexibility	O
to	O
forecast	O
demand	O
and	O
risked	O
being	O
left	O
with	O
a	O
surplus	O
of	O
expensive	O
Game	O
Paks	O
for	O
a	O
failed	O
game	O
or	O
a	O
weeks-long	O
shortage	O
of	O
product	O
they	O
underestimated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Andrew	O
House	O
,	O
Vice	O
President	O
of	O
Marketing	O
at	O
Sony	O
Computer	O
Entertainment	O
America	O
,	O
said	O
"	O
They	O
can	O
manufacture	O
the	O
appropriate	O
amount	O
of	O
software	O
without	O
taking	O
a	O
tremendous	O
inventory	O
risk	O
associated	O
with	O
the	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
business.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Throughout	O
the	O
fifth	B-Application
generation	I-Application
of	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
,	O
even	O
during	O
development	O
of	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
,	O
Nintendo	O
repeatedly	O
revised	O
its	O
estimates	O
of	O
maximum	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
size	O
:	O
in	O
late	O
1995	O
,	O
the	O
maximum	O
deliverable	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
size	O
reportedly	O
had	O
been	O
recently	O
thought	O
to	O
be	O
64	O
megabits	O
(	O
8	O
megabytes	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
then	O
revised	O
to	O
96	O
megabits	O
(	O
12	O
megabytes	O
)	O
with	O
a	O
future	O
theoretical	O
maximum	O
of	O
256	O
megabits	O
(	O
32	O
megabytes	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Storage	O
sizes	O
range	O
from	O
4	O
MB	O
(	O
32	O
Mbit	O
)	O
such	O
as	O
Automobili	B-Device
Lamborghini	I-Device
(	O
1997	O
)	O
and	O
Dr.	B-Device
Mario	I-Device
64	I-Device
(	O
2001	O
)	O
,	O
to	O
32	O
MB	O
(	O
256	O
Mbit	O
)	O
such	O
as	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Ocarina	I-Application
of	I-Application
Time	I-Application
(	O
1998	O
)	O
,	O
to	O
64	O
MB	O
(	O
512	O
Mbit	O
)	O
such	O
as	O
Resident	B-Application
Evil	I-Application
2	I-Application
(	O
1998	O
)	O
and	O
Conker	B-Application
's	I-Application
Bad	I-Application
Fur	I-Application
Day	I-Application
(	O
2001	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
ported	O
from	O
other	O
platforms	O
may	O
utilise	O
more	O
aggressive	O
data	O
compression	O
(	O
as	O
with	O
Resident	B-Application
Evil	I-Application
2	I-Application
)	O
or	O
altered	O
content	O
(	O
as	O
with	O
Spider-Man	B-Application
and	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
Mythologies	I-Application
:	I-Application
Sub-Zero	I-Application
)	O
so	O
that	O
they	O
may	O
fit	O
on	O
a	O
Game	O
Pak	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
the	O
64DD	B-Device
expansion	O
with	O
64	O
MB	O
floppy	B-Device
disks	I-Device
was	O
released	O
late	O
and	O
discontinued	O
quickly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
Game	O
Pak	O
's	O
space	O
limitations	O
,	O
full-motion	B-Application
video	I-Application
is	O
not	O
usually	O
feasible	O
for	O
use	O
in	O
cutscenes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
notable	O
exception	O
is	O
Resident	B-Application
Evil	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
which	O
contains	O
the	O
equivalent	O
material	O
of	O
the	O
two	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
discs	O
of	O
the	O
original	B-Device
PlayStation	I-Device
version	O
–	O
albeit	O
compressed	O
–	O
plus	O
some	O
expanded	O
content	O
,	O
higher	O
quality	O
instruments	O
,	O
and	O
surround	O
sound	O
support	O
,	O
and	O
what	O
Eurogamer	O
called	O
"	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
ambitious	O
[	O
and	O
impressive ]	O
console	O
ports	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
games	O
contain	O
cinematic	O
scenes	O
with	O
graphics	O
generated	O
by	O
the	O
system	O
in	O
real-time	O
,	O
like	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Ocarina	I-Application
of	I-Application
Time	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
also	O
countered	O
that	O
developers	O
did	O
not	O
generally	O
use	O
the	O
full	O
650MiB	O
capacity	O
of	O
CD-ROMs	B-Device
,	O
stating	O
that	O
the	O
smaller	O
storage	O
space	O
encouraged	O
developers	O
to	O
"	O
place	O
a	O
premium	O
on	O
substance	O
over	O
flash	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CD-ROMs	B-Device
are	O
known	O
for	O
relative	O
ease	O
of	O
copying	O
on	O
personal	O
computers	O
,	O
whereas	O
Game	O
Paks	O
use	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
proprietary	O
format	O
and	O
are	O
more	O
difficult	O
to	O
bootleg	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
John	O
Ricciardi	O
,	O
writing	O
for	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
,	O
called	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
decision	O
to	O
stick	O
with	O
a	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
format	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
"	O
stubborn	O
"	O
and	O
a	O
major	O
contributor	O
to	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
competitive	O
disadvantages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Brian	O
Dipert	O
,	O
writing	O
for	O
EDN	O
Magazine	O
,	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
64	I-Device
Game	I-Device
Paks	I-Device
are	O
"	O
bulky	O
and	O
expensive	O
,	O
eating	O
into	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
profit	O
margins	O
compared	O
with	O
competitors’	O
inexpensive	O
CD	O
and	O
DVD	O
plastic	O
discs	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
a	O
more	O
positive	O
side	O
,	O
Aaron	O
Curtiss	O
of	O
The	O
Los	O
Angeles	O
Times	O
praised	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
choice	O
of	O
the	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
medium	O
with	O
its	O
"	O
nonexistent	O
"	O
load	O
times	O
and	O
"	O
continuous	O
,	O
fast-paced	O
action	O
CD-ROMs	B-Device
simply	O
cannot	O
deliver	O
"	O
,	O
concluding	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
cartridge-based	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
delivers	O
blistering	O
speed	O
and	O
tack-sharp	O
graphics	O
that	O
are	O
unheard	O
of	O
on	O
personal	O
computers	O
and	O
make	O
competing	O
32-bit	O
,	O
disc-based	O
consoles	O
from	O
Sega	O
 [ Saturn ] 	O
and	O
Sony	O
 [ PlayStation ] 	O
seem	O
downright	O
sluggish	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Describing	O
the	O
quality	O
control	O
incentives	O
associated	O
with	O
cartridge-based	O
development	O
,	O
Curtiss	O
cited	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
position	O
that	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
game	O
developers	O
tend	O
to	O
"	O
place	O
a	O
premium	O
on	O
substance	O
over	O
flash	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
launch	O
games	O
lack	O
the	O
"	O
poorly	O
acted	O
live-action	O
sequences	O
or	O
half-baked	O
musical	O
overtures	O
"	O
he	O
found	O
on	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
games	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
controversial	O
technological	O
tradeoffs	O
between	O
storage	O
and	O
performance	O
,	O
which	O
has	O
been	O
endemic	O
to	O
the	O
entire	O
computing	O
industry	O
,	O
and	O
which	O
Nintendo	O
had	O
faced	O
since	O
the	O
Famicom	O
's	O
cassette	B-Device
and	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
systems	I-Device
,	O
the	O
selection	O
of	O
a	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
format	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
was	O
essential	O
to	O
several	O
developers	O
 '	O
projects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
choice	O
of	O
a	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
format	O
,	O
coupled	O
with	O
the	O
commercial	O
failure	O
of	O
the	O
64DD	B-Device
were	O
also	O
key	O
factors	O
in	O
Nintendo	O
losing	O
both	O
their	O
marketshare	O
and	O
favour	O
with	O
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
primary	O
competitors	O
,	O
the	O
Sony	B-Device
PlayStation	I-Device
and	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
,	O
use	O
CD-ROMs	B-Device
for	O
game	O
storage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
lower	O
manufacturing	O
costs	O
,	O
quicker	O
pressing	O
,	O
and	O
greater	O
storage	O
,	O
some	O
publishers	O
who	O
had	O
traditionally	O
supported	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
consoles	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
were	O
now	O
producing	O
games	O
primarily	O
or	O
solely	O
for	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
competitors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
includes	O
Square	O
,	O
Capcom	O
,	O
and	O
also	O
Enix	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
initially	O
pre-planned	O
Dragon	B-Device
Warrior	I-Device
VII	I-Device
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
and	O
its	O
yet-unreleased	O
64DD	B-Device
disk	B-Device
drive	I-Device
peripheral	O
at	O
least	O
by	O
1996	O
,	O
but	O
migrated	O
to	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
due	O
to	O
the	O
developers	O
 '	O
increasingly	O
ambitious	O
use	O
of	O
storage	O
space	O
with	O
their	O
fundamentally	O
cinematic	O
game	O
format	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shiny	O
Entertainment	O
had	O
been	O
planning	O
to	O
develop	O
MDK	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
,	O
but	O
switched	O
to	O
PC	O
when	O
they	O
found	O
the	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
space	O
was	O
insufficient	O
for	O
their	O
plans	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
failed	O
to	O
produce	O
the	O
promised	O
64DD	B-Device
in	O
a	O
timely	O
manner	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
developers	O
who	O
remained	O
on	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
released	O
fewer	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Konami	O
was	O
a	O
major	O
example	O
of	O
this	O
,	O
releasing	O
29	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
but	O
more	O
than	O
50	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overall	O
,	O
new	O
game	O
releases	O
were	O
less	O
frequent	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
than	O
those	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
interviewed	O
by	O
Computer	O
&	O
Video	O
Games	O
at	O
Shoshinkai	O
1995	O
,	O
about	O
how	O
the	O
using	O
CD	O
's	O
could	O
have	O
impacted	O
their	O
game	O
development	O
,	O
Rare	O
said	O
that	O
"	O
Blastdozer	B-Application
would	O
require	O
more	O
time	O
and	O
much	O
more	O
RAM	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
"	O
Goldeneye	B-Application
would	O
require	O
twice	O
the	O
RAM	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
2013	O
Director	O
's	O
Commentary	O
video	O
about	O
Conker	B-Application
's	I-Application
Bad	I-Application
Fur	I-Application
Day	I-Application
,	O
after	O
observing	O
the	O
imperceptible	O
loading	O
times	O
and	O
the	O
"	O
seamless	O
"	O
transitions	O
between	O
major	O
scenes	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
Rare	O
programmers	O
said	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
thing	O
about	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
is	O
…	O
it	O
's	O
solid	O
state	O
...	O
so	O
it	O
's	O
actually	O
a	O
much	O
more	O
advanced	O
,	O
better	O
medium	O
than	O
discs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
You	O
ca	O
n't	O
have	O
as	O
much	O
 [ content ] 	O
on	O
there	O
—	O
or	O
,	O
rather	O
,	O
you	O
can	O
but	O
it	O
's	O
very	O
expensive	O
—	O
but	O
as	O
a	O
medium	O
,	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
is	O
 [ vastly ] 	O
ahead	O
in	O
superiority	O
to	O
any	O
Blu-ray	O
or	O
disc	O
…	O
 [ or ] 	O
hard	O
drives.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
1997	O
,	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
designer	O
Jez	O
San	O
lamented	O
that	O
"	O
Very	O
few	O
third-party	O
developers	O
are	O
actually	O
working	O
with	O
N64	B-Operating_System
"	O
,	O
for	O
several	O
major	O
business	O
reasons	O
plus	O
the	O
extra	O
time	O
of	O
optimizing	O
a	O
game	O
for	O
constrained	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
space	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
having	O
developed	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
media	O
in	O
two	O
different	O
LucasArts	O
releases	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Device
,	O
Factor	O
5	O
's	O
co-founder	O
Julian	O
Eggebrecht	O
said	O
in	O
a	O
February	O
1998	O
publication	O
,	O
</s>
<s>
Eggebrecht	O
identified	O
RAM	O
,	O
not	O
storage	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
key	O
bottleneck	O
for	O
any	O
console	O
;	O
he	O
identified	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
read	O
speeds	O
as	O
exacerbating	O
that	O
bottleneck	O
and	O
favoured	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
to	O
mitigate	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Speaking	O
on	O
his	O
programmers	O
 '	O
optimisations	O
for	O
Indiana	B-Application
Jones	I-Application
and	I-Application
the	I-Application
Infernal	I-Application
Machine	I-Application
,	O
Eggebrecht	O
stated	O
:	O
</s>
