Slot-loading vs tray-loading vs top-loading drives

Which do you prefer? I feel slot-loading's only benefit is its form factor. I prefer tray-loading drives because they offer the least friction on the optical media AFAIK. Also, I feel like A LOT more can go wrong with a slot-loading drive, even though my experience with tray-loading drives are usually 5+ years and the rubber band dries up which makes it difficult to eject the tray. My wii discs I frequently swap have tiny marks on the inner ring where I guess one of the mechanisms brush along the disc. Also, sometimes a streak of dust appears along the disc.

It got me thinking as I was writing this post. I think I answered my own question. Slot-loaders are more reliable, but tray-loaders are better for maintaining quality of the discs, though bluray discs I've seen go through hell and not a single mark on them.

I also forgot to talk about top-loaders, with their only real benefit having access to the laser, which is also a drawback because it's easier to accidentally damage it. I don't like anything that makes a disc "snap" into place, wears out the middle ring (like so many of those poorly designed game cases do. I've had a game destroy the inner ring of a 360 disc. Also had one gamecube disc crack at no fault of my own (Those NA 2-disc game cases make it literally impossible to pry the disc out. RIP Tales of Symphonia) Since then I don't snap discs into the cases anymore, use a different method)

 

Not all top loading CD Consoles require a spindle that grabs the disc. Sega CD and TurboGrafx I believe don't where as Playstation and Saturn and so on all seem to do so. I like tray loading or top loading best. The slot type drives are easily the kind I like the least. As you said they seem more prone to potentially putting marks on the disc. I don't see the laser lens being exposed as an issue in top loading designs. Just don't be an idiot by scratching the lens.

 

My only problem with top loaders is primarily the spindle I was talking about, like with the gamecube. I don't like putting wear on the inner rings of dvd-type media since they seem prone to cracking (I've no idea why dvds are so much more fragile than the original cd-roms which I've never seen cracked at all, just badly scratched.

 

I like tray loading but I think Top loaders hold up the longest out of the three.

 

Building the disc clamp into the spindle is basically a cost-cutting measure. It makes the top cover a purely cosmetic part and means that you don't have to hold it to such fine tolerances. In turn, this gives more flexibility on the plastics you can use (since you don't have to worry so much about shrinkage) and means that you can use the molds for longer.

 

DVDs are sandwiches, they develop cracks because the inner edge is not bound. I personally don’t see problems with any design if done right. Ps2 slims are a fine example of one done very wrong

 

Care to elaborate on what you mean?

 

I

The gripping pins on the spindle sometimes get stuck between the layers on dvd discs. That can cause the layers of the disc to delaminate or cause cracks in the lower layer, fyi it is also a common problem with many laptop dvd drives

 

But if that is the case, isn't it more of a problem with the laptop-styled DVD drive design?

 

exactly, the Dreamcast would be a problem too if it were dvd based. Oddly the ps3 4K seems to be much better even though it uses a similar design

 

I like the proper tray loaders (not like modern laptops where the laser and spindle come out on the tray) the best, but top loaders are good too. Of course the DC (my favorite disc system) uses a top loading, so I may be biased. I just always hate that discs can get stuck in a slot loader.
One thing I was just remembering about top loaders is that you can change discs without turning on the system. Good if you're moving the console and don't want to turn it on to check.

 

Those of you enamoured with tray loaders, just try using a few Panasonic Q consoles for a little while.

From a design perspective my favourite are slot loaders, just because they look a lot cleaner. I also haven't had any issues with them myself, apart from when I've been messing around with them e.g trying to trick them into disc-swapping or using Wii drives on a Gamecube. In terms of practicality, top loaders are best because there's far less that can go wrong with them and they're good for just swapping out discs.

What's a PS3 4K?

 

-hiss-

 

I believe he means the super slim models. Those belong to the CECH-4000 series.

 

The biggest problem with slot loaders is that they are about the most unreliable type of cd mech there is. This is pretty much to be expected from a complex mechanism like that which has been designed to be as cheap as possible and mostly implemented out of stamped mild steel and plastic moldings.

They are also extremely fragile - even damage that leaves no visible signs can leave them in a state where they are no longer capable of operating reliably. I think it's nicely summed up by the "SCRAP IF DROPPED" label on this one.

 

Ha! Yeah, I've had a few where the drives have literally just fallen apart, but they were sold as faulty so I expected it. It's the one reason why I'd be wary of getting a working Q for myself; even if it works now, who knows how long it'll be before it almost inevitably self-destructs.

Oh, I don't deny they're easily the most fragile design. I just prefer them.

 

Wow I can't believe this poll is nearly a tie XD

 

Also something that I rarely see people talking about, the horrible cases video game discs typically come in. I do this claw-like technique where I push down on the disc while depressing the hub so I can pull the disc out without it scraping against the hub. I then do the reverse when placing the disc back in. "Snapping" the disc into place is VERY BAD. I'm not proud I could easily spend 70 hours a week playing video games, and constant disc swapping taught me, especially those xbox360 disc cases, destroy the inner ring of the disc, death by a thousand paper cuts. They become brittle.

 

Yes, there is an especially bad Wii case variant that does this, additionally on pc I have been through about 4 copies of ffxi Chains of promathia due to the discs spontaneously cracking. There is a ps1 case variant that has caused major problems too.

 

Which one are you talking about? The most common wii one is pretty bad, like the xbox, to be honest. Also it's hard to tell if a game is cracking on the wii because the slot-loader sometimes leaves very faint marks on the inner circle of the disc (or at least for me) I have to play this game where hopefully my thumb depressed all the sides of the hub so I can cleanly pull the disc out with no friction. Also btw I failed to mention when I use my technique i have the disc case resting on a desk. There's one Wii case that is almost impossible to do it that way, so I press down on the hub while holding it, disc pops out super easy