Next gen consoles: drive trays, slot load or flip top?

[I.S.T.]

Slot load/unload mechanisms have been in use in car stereos and such for 10+ years. They're hardly rocket science.

and still you have jerks trying to stuff heart or credit card shaped cds in it...

It was shaped like darth vaders mask dude .

I hope someday someguy puts out a CD shaped like the Autobot logo. I didn't know that, Squeak. Interesting.

 

[Tagrineth]

I'm not a fan of slot loading CD drives... they're nifty and all, but...

My old Compaq computer had a slot loading CD-ROM drive.

After about two years, it started getting somewhat panicky about ejecting CD's.

After the third year, it started refusing to eject CD's on occasion.

After the fourth year... my Brood Wars CD got stuck in there. That's around when we decided it was time for a new CD-ROM... so we got the parts for a new PC altogether (since that old beast was pretty much useless anyway).

We had to have a local PC store take the (OEM, so awkward construction) drive apart and give me back my CD... thankfully they did it free.

Anyway, slot loading drives are the most complicated and fragile of all the designs. I'd rather they stick with trays... or even stick with top loaders (easier to clean out dust - I'm sure you're all aware of PS2's occasional 'can't run blue discs' problem? That's from dust buildup!)..

 

[I.S.T.]

Heh, we have to take about our old PS2 about once every three months to clean the thing. Never had much of a problem with Blue discs though, just everything else. :?

 

[Freak'n Big Panda]

I just recently busted my PS2 tray load, and now it wont even open... I have to pry it open whenever I want to insert or eject a game, I would much rather have a slot or flip top for next-gen. I mean sure flip-top look cheap but I really couldn't give a shit about how my console looked as long as I'm having fun playing game.

 

[Tagrineth]

I just recently busted my PS2 tray load, and now it wont even open... I have to pry it open whenever I want to insert or eject a game, I would much rather have a slot or flip top for next-gen. I mean sure flip-top look cheap but I really couldn't give a shit about how my console looked as long as I'm having fun playing game.

Nah, what's really fun is having a slot drive that can't even be pried open get stuck... then you have to take apart the whole frigging drive to get the disc out.

 

[Tim Murray]

slot drives don't have any mechanism to manually remove a CD like the funky little hole on normal tray-loading CD drives? news to me (but then again, I've never had one)

 

[Jabjabs]

I only got to use a slot drive last week on one of my TAFE's iMAC's... I'm never going bakc to top loading and to a lesser extent (I really don't have a choice) tray loading again.

 

[Ty]

None of the above. I prefer the Phantom's method, nothing but ethernet.

Note to Infinium's attorneys, I LOVE Infinium and the make-believe Phantom!

 

[marconelly!]

I vote for slot loading. I've read that with it, the chances of scratching the discs are lower than other mechanisms, and it plain looks cooler than tray and top load. It also seems more convenient to use.

 

[PC-Engine]

I prefer bay loading like CD/DVD megachangers.

 

[Deepak]

What is the difference between tray and slot loading! IMO PS2 's method is the best bec'se you cann't physically touch the lens...less amount of dust can enter the drive, so it is less prone to failures.

 

[jvd]

What is the difference between tray and slot loading! IMO PS2 's method is the best bec'se you cann't physically touch the lens...less amount of dust can enter the drive, so it is less prone to failures.

Um . On the flip side the tray can stop working . So its just as prone to breaking .

I like top loaders because even if the top stops working u can till use the thing .

A lense is going to get dust on it no matter what .

 

[darkblu]

I just recently busted my PS2 tray load, and now it wont even open... I have to pry it open whenever I want to insert or eject a game, I would much rather have a slot or flip top for next-gen. I mean sure flip-top look cheap but I really couldn't give a shit about how my console looked as long as I'm having fun playing game.

Nah, what's really fun is having a slot drive that can't even be pried open get stuck... then you have to take apart the whole frigging drive to get the disc out.

slot drive is trivial, i've had such a problem with tray loaders on several occasions (no w/o my negligent placing of the disk, though) - sometimes they manage to 'bite' on the cd while retracting, and then it dismantling or bust.

 

[Squeak]

There is also the issue of the "lip" on slot loading drives, that prevents dust from entering the drive. It scrapes across the surface of the disc as it slides into the drive, and depending on much dust has been scraped of previous discs, you are going to get some small scratches on the disc.

 

[Deepak]

I like top loaders because even if the top stops working u can till use the thing .

That is not true in the case of PS1 or Dreamcast. Both don't work unless the fliptop is properly shut.

 

[jvd]

I like top loaders because even if the top stops working u can till use the thing .

That is not true in the case of PS1.

If your smart about it , then its true . You just have to get creative of how you trick the thing into thinking your lid is closed.

 

[Deepak]

I like top loaders because even if the top stops working u can till use the thing .

That is not true in the case of PS1.

If your smart about it , then its true . You just have to get creative of how you trick the thing into thinking your lid is closed.

I know how to do it but then it is still a -ve aspect of fliptops.

 

[V3]

I know how to do it but then it is still a -ve aspect of fliptops.

No way, that is a +ve aspect of fliptop.

Actually for next gen its about time they do stacker of some sort. I hate changing disc.

It would be nice if you can stuck 100 discs in the console and change it in the menu or something like that.

But that'll never happend, so I prefer fliptop the best.

 

[jvd]

I like top loaders because even if the top stops working u can till use the thing .

That is not true in the case of PS1.

If your smart about it , then its true . You just have to get creative of how you trick the thing into thinking your lid is closed.

I know how to do it but then it is still a -ve aspect of fliptops.

Look at it this way. Jamming a nickel somewhere in the console is alot more of a pro then a tray no longer coming out and stealing your brand new game .

 

[Guden Oden]

There is also the issue of the "lip" on slot loading drives, that prevents dust from entering the drive. It scrapes across the surface of the disc as it slides into the drive, and depending on much dust has been scraped of previous discs, you are going to get some small scratches on the disc.

What kind of dust do you have floating around in your home, cement dust? I can mention my slotin Pioneer DVDROM, it has brushes similar to those we used on our vinyl LPs back in the day (uh, well, at least those of us born BEFORE the CD era started did), made of carbon fibers or similar. They're so soft the chance of them scratching anything is extremely remote to say the least. You'd get bigger scratches on your CDs just by putting them down on a plastic tray, that's for sure.