Editing Nintendo 64 (section)

====Advantages====
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| quote = The big strength was the N64 cartridge. We use the cartridge almost like normal RAM and are streaming all level data, textures, animations, music, sound and even program code while the game is running. With the final size of the levels and the amount of textures, the RAM of the N64 never would have been even remotely enough to fit any individual level. So the cartridge technology really saved the day.
| source = Factor 5, ''Bringing Indy to N64'' at IGN<ref name="Bringing Indy to N64" />
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}}Nintendo cited several reasons for choosing cartridges.<ref name="advantages">{{Cite book |title=Nintendo Power August 1994 – Pak Watch |publisher=Nintendo |year=1994 |page=108}}</ref> The biggest advantage was their fast load times—unlike CDs, which required lengthy loading screens, cartridges provided near-instant gameplay. This advantage had previously helped Nintendo compete against home computers like the [[Commodore 64]] in the 1980s.{{r|maher20231208}} Although cartridges are susceptible to long-term environmental damage, they are significantly more durable than compact discs.<ref name="advantages" />

Another key factor was [[Copyright infringement|copyright protection]]—cartridges were harder to pirate than CDs, reducing widespread [[software piracy]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=November 1995 |title=Nintendo Ultra 64: The Launch of the Decade? |magazine=Maximum: The Video Game Magazine |publisher=[[Emap International Limited]] |pages=107–8 |issue=2}}</ref> While unauthorized N64-to-PC devices eventually emerged, they were far less common than the more easily copied PlayStation CDs.<ref name="PC World - 5 biggest console battles">{{Cite web |last=Noble |first=McKinley |title=5 Biggest Game Console Battles |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/171127/5_biggest_game_console_battles.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200210054133/https://www.pcworld.com/article/171127/5_biggest_game_console_battles.html |archive-date=February 10, 2020 |access-date=November 19, 2019 |website=PC World}}</ref><ref name="The Motley Fool - Nintendo Fear Piracy">{{Cite web |last=Sun |first=Leo |date=February 12, 2014 |title=3 Ways Nintendo's Fear of Piracy Shaped its Business |url=https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/02/12/3-ways-nintendos-fear-of-piracy-defined-its-busine.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904131702/https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/02/12/3-ways-nintendos-fear-of-piracy-defined-its-busine.aspx |archive-date=September 4, 2019 |access-date=November 19, 2019 |website=The Motley Fool |ref=The Motley Fool - Nintendo Fear Piracy}}</ref>