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CDs specifically are obsolete, but games on optical media are still a thing. Unlike ROM cartridges, which AFAICT died with the GBA in 2008.

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While they’re flash rather than rom, the switch 2 still supports physical distribution media.

True, but the way they work is more like discs than ROMs: their data isn’t immediately available but needs to be loaded into RAM.

True, but the low latency and constant-ish access patterns of flash makes a lot of its performance characteristics closer to ROM than CDs, even with the intermediate copy.

I was under wrong impression that it doesn't. They really muddied the water with those other "game-key cards".

> Unlike ROM cartridges, which AFAICT died with the GBA in 2008.

Look up the Gameboy 3DS :).

3DS carts are actually NAND flash, and if you don't play them for long enough the may lost all the data!

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/05/psa_yes_your_ds_an...

> 3DS carts are actually NAND flash

TIL. Thank you :).

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