That's probably the strangest reason for not collecting something that I've ever heard.
I mean, the storage tech really makes no difference to the end user.
the problem with flash memory is that they are rated by industry standards to only retain data for 10 years before data-rot begins to set in, with each subsequent passing year leading to further degradation of game data until the graphical/sound/gameplay defects in the game become more noticeable, and eventually the game cart loses enough data that it can no longer function or even boot properly.
since most of the nds games i want to buy were manufactured from around the time of 2005-2009, data-rot is a legitimate concern for me, especially if NDS game carts use flash memory chip instead of mask-rom chip, which does not degrade.
storage tech does make a world of difference to the end user, as data-rot only occurs in game cartridges that uses flash as a storage medium. if severe data-rot has occurred inside a game cartridge that uses flash memory, the game will simply will not play or load properly, or even boot up at all. When this happens, the game cartridge becomes non-functional and the end user will not be able to play the game at all.
data-rot is also a serious and widespread issue for alot of Atari 2600 owners, with many Atari 2600 game cartridge becoming non-functional because they used EPROMs to store the games which have data-rotted, and people were reporting defective atari 2600 game cartridges left and right a few years back. this again, meant that the end user won't be able to even play with their atari game cartridge due to it becoming non-functional from severe data-rot.
the same holds true for counterfeit GBA carts, which uses flash memory to store the games. by now, most of them have become non-functional due to data-rot. even people who'd only want to play the cartridges and not collect them are throwing them away in droves, as there's literally no data left inside the game cart due to data-rot, so its worthless to keep them around because they don't even work at all.
so in the end, it does matter to the end user whether the game carts are maskrom or flash memory based, as the lifespan and longevity of the game data store inside the game cartridge is heavily dependent on what type of storage medium was used to store them in the first place. obviously the end user will not be able to play a game cartridge that has severely data-rotted, and i can't imagine why any end user would want a data-rotted cartridge, much less spend money to buy one. in this regard, maskrom game cartridges are more preferable due to its ability to hold data indefinitely due to the way the game data is burned into the chip permanently, though there is no reliable source of information on whether NDS game cartridges actually uses these maskrom chip to store its games or not.
i hope this explains well the reason why i'm refraining from starting my first collection of nds games, as the thought that they will become non-functional in the next decade or so is too disheartening for me. if NDS game carts however, do use MASKROM to store its games then i will buy them in a heartbeat.
