The third console curse: Which was the biggest stumble?

[Leynos]

CaptainExplosion said:

Sometimes I wonder if the N64 would've done better if it was disc-based instead of using cartridges, and had a regular two handgrip controller instead of that weird m-shaped one.

It depends. Had they used reg CD Roms. FF7 is on N64 and it gets better 3rd party support. Had Nintendo gone with CD Rom BUT customized with a smaller capacity like they did with Gamecube. The story might not have changed too much. Still, better 3rd party support is likely as even custom discs cheaper than cartridges but most devs opt for Sony still including Square.