Cartridges

[bob]

So the "NX" thread got me thinking.  I miss cartridges.  Neat shells of plastic where the company had complete creative license to design it however they wanted.  Some were space savers, and some were space wasters.  The question here is, what was your favorite cart shape?
Here are most of the home console carts for reference.  The timeline is very loose and not meant to be a factor here, just wanted to take a pic of each one.  I left out the handhelds and Virtual Boy just because.  Personally, I was a fan of the 32x shape/size/weight overall, but you can't deny the basic Hu either.  (also left out the sega card for bias.)
Obviously, I stuck to 20 USA releases below just to start the discussion, but if you have a different cart that you prefer, then by all means mention it (and show it).


Fairchild Channel F:



RCA Studio II:



Atari 2600:



Bally Videocade:



Magnavox Odyssey 2:



Intellivision:



Coleco:



Vectrex:



Emerson Arcadia 2001:



Atari 5200:



NES:



Sega Master System:



Atari 7800:



TurboGrafx-16:


Sega Genesis:



Neo Geo:



Super Nintendo:



Atari Jaguar:



Sega 32x:



Nintendo 64:

[Necromancer]

Hueys are the best, obviously, but I can't say any of 'em are exactly bad.  The only thing that sucks is when they don't put a label on the end and don't provide a nice case for storage, making it difficult to neatly store and play your games.

[bob]

Hueys are the best, obviously, but I can't say any of 'em are exactly bad.  The only thing that sucks is when they don't put a label on the end and don't provide a nice case for storage, making it difficult to neatly store and play your games.

i think the studio II is pretty bad with all that exposure.  at least the hueys had a nice sleeeve for protection

[esteban]

Since HuCARDs are CARDs, there is no need to discuss them, beyond the simple trüth: CARD>CARTRIDGE for ever and ever...

IMPORTANT: It is hard for me to base this entirely on aesthetics alone...since these carts are meant to be held and used. I love the shape and size of SMS, but I wish it felt as heavy and solid as an NES cart. SMS still wins, though.


I know we are not discussing Japanese consoles, but I like the Famicom the best (there was a wide variety of shapes and colors, and I like the horizontal shape and size).

Sega SMS is the best size and has a horizontal shape, so I like 'em a lot. However, they don't feel as SOLID and as indestructible as other CARTS. I must say...I have a ton of SMS carts and they are not particularly exciting when it comes to labels. There are times I can't even figure out what game is in my SMS because I have to turn up the lights and move closer to read the label...so the labels are weakest element on SMS. Even the "all text" design of early NA HuCARDs were a billion times better than the SMS labels. Despite the ugly SMS labels, I still think it is my favorite cart.

I love how SOLID (the heft) of NES carts, even though they are goofy-looking and huge. I guess there is an awkward charm to them, but even Atari 2600 is more practical to hold and to "grip" than the NES, IMHO, anyway.

N64, Jaguar, and SNES are too big, as far as I am concerned (for the time they were released...I like huge carts in early 80's consoles...I know, it's not fair, but the context is important for me). I think the goofy tube handle on the Jaguar is ugly, but it gets credit for at least trying something slightly different. Of course, the fact that the JagTube has not been home to cart labels annoys some people (it doesn't bother me...)

I never owned the RCA Studio II, but the cart looks pretty awesome (however impractical it might be). It looks like electronic gear used by Soviet Cosmonauts...and there is a certain utilitarian charm in *not concealing* the raw metal bolts and contacts.

I just love all these carts, really. Atari/Coleco/Intellivision all felt great to use and hold, even if they suffered from the "hollowness" that I spoke of earlier. 

The Odyssey 2 handle looks goofy as hell, but I bet I would absolutely LOVE to actually use it.

 

NOTE: The above image has been recycled 38 times over the years. Trüe storie.

[Black Tiger]

You'd probably like these Intellivision carts:

http://www.museumofplay.org/online-collections/images/Z002/Z00275/Z0027570.jpg

http://www.museumofplay.org/online-collections/images/Z008/Z00871/Z0087147.jpg



Some of my favorites include Japanese Mega Drive, Sega Mark III and 32X. I love clear shell carts in misc colors and in general, translucent shells for console stuff, so you can see the pcbs inside. I have a recent Intellivision hombrew release in the new style shape, with clear plastic and a brand new blue pcb inside. The game itself is a masterpiece, but having at least one cool Intellivision cart like this is a nice bonus.

[Gentlegamer]

I love Atari VCS carts for their superb artwork that was the equivalent of bullshots for the era.

[xelement5x]

I'm gonna be a dick and say I like the one you didn't put up, the Japanese Mega Drive carts.  The US ones are more utilitarian since they're pretty much square and you can stack them a million ways, but I like the curved top on the JP MD titles and the superfluous ridging/bumps on the sides.  The only drawback is that you can't open them easily since the screws are behind the back sticker. 

After that I'd probably say HuCards though, they have a pretty sleek/classic look with plenty of room for artwork. 

[bob]

nah, this isnt exclusive to USA releases.  like i said above, anything is fair game.  i just used the 20 pictures to get conversation started.

[xelement5x]

Bitch you didn't even post a decent game like Pepe's Puzzles!

[Zero_Gamer]

My favorite cart styles were the NES carts, iconic shape, and so much cool art. Also, the Imagic Atari 2600 carts:

[Gredler]

I miss the floppiest floppers in floppville





Floppier than Hillary playing soccer. 

[esadajr]

After much deliberation my vote goes to the huge ass space waster that is the NES cart. Nostalgia plays a part sure, but as LEGrafx mentioned they are sturdy and they impose.

[SignOfZeta]

I think b/w Gameboy, HuCARD, and Neo MVS are my favorite, none of them are here.

JP Megadrive is pretty good.

[esteban]

All this love for MegaDrive carts....when Mark III were superior in every way (except labels, perhaps).

SORRY YOU HAVE POOR TASTE!

I love all the carts, though.

[crazydean]

NES carts are best. There isn't a cooler cartridge than Legend of Zelda. Plus, it's ribbed for her pleasure.

The Famicom cartridges are pretty cool too. I like how they were made in a rainbow of colors.