In Japan in the 90's Nintendo had ROM burning booths installed in Japanese malls. Kids could write games to a cartridge for the equivalent of a few dollars. It

In Japan in the 90's Nintendo had ROM burning booths installed in Japanese malls. Kids could write games to a cartridge for the equivalent of a few dollars. It was a huge success. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of it. When looking at the Nintendo eco system you really need to remember that Nintendo primarily make a system to play Mario, Zelda and Pokémon on. They want a robust system. Cartridges, despite their inherent costs, offer child friendly, robust distribution that limits returns, copying and maximises their revenue. Having said that I can't see them continuing with cartridges for much longer as their cash cow is being decimated by cheaper devices.