this sort of thing is why the 3rd and 4th gen consoles were able to last for so long.
NES games were produced for 11 years after the console was originally released (and the console itself was produced for 20 years!) because of this flexibility; SNES games were produced 8 years after the console was released as well.
Not that I disagree that cartridge logic can extend the lifetime of a console, but the Playstation 2 is 12 years old, and Playstation 2 games are still being produced too (e.g. FIFA Soccer 2013). The last batch of Playstation 1 games were released in 2005 (with minor exceptions in other regions), the PS1 was released in 1994.
NES games were produced for 11 years after the console was originally released (and the console itself was produced for 20 years!) because of this flexibility; SNES games were produced 8 years after the console was released as well.
Not that I disagree that cartridge logic can extend the lifetime of a console, but the Playstation 2 is 12 years old, and Playstation 2 games are still being produced too (e.g. FIFA Soccer 2013). The last batch of Playstation 1 games were released in 2005 (with minor exceptions in other regions), the PS1 was released in 1994.