In my oh-so-gay opinion: The five most iconic cartridge designs of all time

What makes a cartridge design iconic? Well, it has to have some character, for starters--i.e., it can't just be a gray hunk of plastic. (I'm looking at you, Mr. Nintendo 64 Cartridge.) Also, it has to have captured at least a portion of the public's attention and imagination during in its lifetime.

In my oh-so-gay-but-not-so-humble opinion, only a handful of cartridge designs (five, actually) have checked both of those boxes and, as such, deserve to be called iconic. Here they are:

Atari 2600--I probably should add an asterisk to this entry, as the colorful labels affixed to Atari 2600 cartridges are chiefly responsible for them earning a spot on this list. Without them, they'd be little more than black rectangles. Taken as a whole, though, the carts are undoubtedly, unquestionably iconic.

Famicom Disk System--Admittedly, Nintendo's shockingly yellow disks aren't all that well known outside of Japan, but that shouldn't keep them from achieving iconic status, should it? Of course, the opposite could be said of the similarly iconic NES cartridge design, below, which is likely to be unknown among the people of Nintendo's home country.

NES--Bow down to what may be the most iconic (among Western gamers, at least) cartridge design of all time. After all, any American (of a certain age) worth his or her salt can identify these gray, ridged and textured hunks of plastic as Nintendo Entertainment System games.

PC Engine--Say what you will about the PC Engine's catalog (or, more likely, the anemic catalog of its criminally ignored American counterpart, the TurboGrafx-16), but you can't fault the sleek, sexy (yes, sexy) cartridges--or, rather, HuCards--that housed the system's games.

GameBoy--Is it just me or do the GameBoy's boxy, gray cartridges look like miniature versions of their NES counterparts? I guess that's why I consider them similarly iconic. Anyway, just between you and me: I prefer the GameBoy cart design thanks to the oval indentation at the top and the larger label space.

See also: 'In my oh-so-gay opinion: The five most iconic controller designs of all time'

In my oh-so-gay opinion: The five most iconic controller designs of all time

Well, I've become quite an opinionated old poof, haven't I?

Don't worry, I won't overdo these "in my oh-so-gay opinion" pieces--I just have to get a few of them out of my system before I return to the status quo.

Anyway, the focus of this one is pretty straightforward, don't you think? For those of you who don't think that, here's the deal: The five controllers below are the ones I consider to be the most iconic in terms of design.

Atari 2600 Joystick--If you're, say, under 30, you likely looked at the image above and thought: What in the hell is that? The rest of you, on the other hand, probably thought: Oh, yeah, I remember using that to play Crystal Castles! The latter response is reason enough to add the Atari 2600 joystick to this list, but it isn't the only reason. Another: It's the definition of sleek simplicity, which makes it the ideal bookend to the last controller on this list.

NES controller--If I had decided to put these controllers in order of iconicness (I know, not a real word) instead of in order of release, I would have placed the NES pad in the pole position. After all, it's pretty much a perfect storm when it comes to controller design--what with its understated, rectangular shape, its subdued black-gray-red color scheme, its game-changing (literally and figuratively) d-pad and its Konami-code-capacitating A and B buttons.

Super Famicom controller--In a way, Nintendo's designers didn't take all that many risks while developing the Super Famicom's controller. Basically, they added a couple of colorful buttons to the standard Famicom/NES pad and called it a day. Still, those colorful buttons and another seemingly simple change--which involved replacing all of the NES controller's sharp corners with ergonomic, eye-pleasing curves--were enough to secure this pad's place in the hearts and minds of gamers around the world.

PlayStation Dual Shock--I'm sure some will squawk that I decided to include this controller and not the controller that inspired it (the analog-enabled one that shipped with the Nintendo 64). The fact is, although I fully acknowledge that the folks at Nintendo were first to bring the analog stick to the table, I think Sony's staffers took the idea to the next level--from a design standpoint, at least--with the slick, sexy Dual Shock.

Wii Remote--Earlier, while describing the Atari 2600 joystick, I used the words "sleek simplicity." Well, those words ably describe the all-white Wii remote, too. Sure, Nintendo's designers may have stolen a few ideas from the folks at Apple, but you can't really blame them, can you? Plus, although it's easy to call their design choices "safe" today, they were considered shockingly risky when the controller was unveiled at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show.

See also: 'In my oh-so-gay opinion: The five most iconic systems designs of all time'

In my oh-so-gay opinion: The five most iconic system designs of all time

I know this may shock some of the younger visitors to this blog (assuming there are any), but game companies haven't always been as interested as they seem to be today in designing systems that are aesthetically pleasing. Just look at ye olde Nintendo Entertainment System, which, by most accounts, was big, boxy and, well, butt ugly.

I wouldn't use any of those adjectives--well, with the exception of "boxy"--to describe the following systems, which I consider to be the cream of the crop when it comes to eye-pleasing design.

Dreamcast--OK, so Sega's fourth console is a bit boxy. It's not big, though, and it's certainly not butt ugly. In fact, I'd go so far as to say the Dreamcast is slightly sexy--in a sort of utilitarian way. That dainty little swirl on the lid is awfully appealing, too.

GameBoy--You know, now that I'm thinking about it, the GameBoy and the Dreamcast are pretty similar aesthetically--which, I guess, is why both of them made it on to this little list. If I was forced at gunpoint to choose between them, though, I'd probably point to the GameBoy thanks to its softer, rounder features. Still, it's a bit like choosing between a Da Vinci and a Picasso, isn't it?

PC Engine--A ha! Now we're getting somewhere. Goodbye, gray boxes--hello, white boxes! To be fair, aside from the fact that this system is square in shape it's hardly what I would call "boxy." I also wouldn't call it boring, what with its bumps and curves and ridges. Plus, it sports--front and center and in fire engine red--what is, in my opinion, the coolest console logo ever created.

PSone--Honestly, I thought the original PlayStation design was a total dud. It kind of reminds me of the what I see when I look at the NES sans rose-colored glasses. The PSone, though, is a cutie patootie, as Rosie O'Donnell used to say, especially when its accompanied by one of Sony's flip-top LCD monitors.

Super Famicom--I guess it's clear by now that I prefer simple, sleek system designs to those that are more, er, "adventurous"--like the Mega Drive or the SuperGrafx. Still, it's hard to deny that the Super Famicom is one sexy piece of equipment. That said, this is one system that benefits a lot from being seen alongside its controllers, which add a punch of color and, more importantly, a subtle sense of drama.

See also: 'Raise your hand if you have a video game fetish'