View Full Version : What console had the biggest cart boxes?
madman77
02-20-2007, 10:49 PM
What console had the largest boxes for their cartridges? The Vectrex has definitely got to be up there, along with 3do long boxes. What else used really enormous boxes?
50s Brawler
02-20-2007, 10:52 PM
Well I always wondered why ATARI 2600 and 7800 boxes were as large as they were when the cartridges were so small and only took up the upper right hand corner of the box? As for huge boxes I'd have to say the NEO:GEO AES wins that hands down, though completely opposite from the 2600 and 7800 ProSystem games there was good reason for them to be that freggin' huge. The question on my mind has always surrounded why any companies ever bothered with those book sized CD Jewel cases for the early PSX/Playstation and domestic Sega Saturn games? It just wasn't neccessary when simple audio CD jewel cases sufficed and ended up being the norm much later down the line.
RadiantSvgun
02-20-2007, 10:54 PM
The original PSX boxes were the same size as the original Saturn boxes. I don't know who thought it was a good idea to make boxes that big.
Kevincal
02-20-2007, 10:55 PM
NEO GEO AES no contest. :D
udisi
02-20-2007, 11:40 PM
beat to the point...I second the Neo Geo AES
Zadoc
02-20-2007, 11:44 PM
Well I always wondered why ATARI 2600 and 7800 boxes were as large as they were when the cartridges were so small and only took up the upper right hand corner of the box? As for huge boxes I'd have to say the NEO:GEO AES wins that hands down, though completely opposite from the 2600 and 7800 ProSystem games there was good reason for them to be that freggin' huge. The question on my mind has always surrounded why any companies ever bothered with those book sized CD Jewel cases for the early PSX/Playstation and domestic Sega Saturn games? It just wasn't neccessary when simple audio CD jewel cases sufficed and ended up being the norm much later down the line.
The answer to all of your questions is what the retail industry refers to as "shrink."
Basically, bigger boxes = harder to steal.
Fun fact: When the PSX launched it didn't have enough boxes and Sony actually purchased Saturn cases from Sega.
Imstarryeyed
02-20-2007, 11:48 PM
No I have to say the Atari 400/800 cart boxes win hands down, they were much bigger than the AES carts.
skaar
02-20-2007, 11:49 PM
PC boxes were freaking massive.
But they weren't console so they don't count.
Ze_ro
02-21-2007, 01:08 AM
PC boxes were freaking massive.
But they weren't console so they don't count.
Probably due to it's computer-related lineage, many CD32 games came in similar boxes.
--Zero
Tron 2.0
02-21-2007, 03:45 AM
NEO GEO AES no contest. :D
Agreed next to the shock boxes for mvs carts.
Damaniel
02-21-2007, 04:28 AM
If you're talking the largest boxes period, I'd have to agree with everyone saying Neo-Geo AES -- those boxes are huge. Of course, the carts were huge too.
The more difficult question would be which box is the largest relative to the size of the cart or disc? (That is, which console's game boxes would hold the largest number of carts or discs for that system?) That would be a harder question to answer, but I'd guess that the 3DO long boxes would probably be a good guess.
djsquarewave
02-21-2007, 04:40 AM
The more difficult question would be which box is the largest relative to the size of the cart or disc? (That is, which console's game boxes would hold the largest number of carts or discs for that system?) That would be a harder question to answer, but I'd guess that the 3DO long boxes would probably be a good guess.
Would it be out of line to suggest either the Nintendo DS or the N-Gage? :D
On-topic, I remember seeing the box for Bounty Bob Strikes Back once and thinking "this is the largest game box I've ever seen".
Mayhem
02-21-2007, 05:34 AM
In terms of frontal area, it'll be either carts by Atari for the 400/800 or the home computers (C64, TI, Vic20 etc). Some were small, about 2600 box size, others were as big or bigger than A4 (that's 297mm x 210mm).
neuropolitique
02-21-2007, 06:53 AM
Would it be out of line to suggest either the Nintendo DS or the N-Gage? :D
On-topic, I remember seeing the box for Bounty Bob Strikes Back once and thinking "this is the largest game box I've ever seen".
If yer going that direction, then the Zodiac has both of them beat. Same size cart in a full sized DVD box.
Zadoc
02-21-2007, 06:59 AM
I would suggest to everone that Odyssey boxes are the biggest of them all.
It measures 17 inches by 4.5 inches.
I think that wins, no contest, eh?
http://media.vgarchive.org/boxart/12986.jpg
Captain Wrong
02-21-2007, 08:55 AM
Atari 400/800/XGS FTW.
Or Odyssey. Those overlays were huge.
Policenaut
02-21-2007, 03:24 PM
What about Lethal Enforcers? That thing is huge as hell. I still don't know where to put it.
madman77
02-21-2007, 04:03 PM
Anyone have a pic of an atari 400 box next to a NES box or something common?
Kevincal
02-21-2007, 05:15 PM
For people claiming "bigger" boxes than Neo Geo AES...I think you aren't taking into account length, height, width AND WEIGHT of the box... With those taken into account...again...Neo Geo AES HANDS DOWN!!! :P
Captain Wrong
02-22-2007, 09:48 AM
For people claiming "bigger" boxes than Neo Geo AES...I think you aren't taking into account length, height, width AND WEIGHT of the box... With those taken into account...again...Neo Geo AES HANDS DOWN!!! :P
Weight, yes. But I'm sorry, the Atari 400 boxes are taller and wider than Neo Geo boxes, IIRC.
Would it be out of line to suggest either the Nintendo DS or the N-Gage? :D
On-topic, I remember seeing the box for Bounty Bob Strikes Back once and thinking "this is the largest game box I've ever seen".
yep, N-Gage for sure, this one measues 33cm x 33cm (ok i'm cheating a bit, it's a promo, with a 'not for sale' game and leather driving gloves).
see here for inside box:
http://videogamecollectors.com/gallery/album311
xtremegamer
02-22-2007, 02:59 PM
Snes had the larger oversized boxes for specialty games like Mario Paint and Earthbound.
Snapple
02-22-2007, 05:57 PM
I was going to say Earthbound as well. They had to fit that huge strategy guide inside the box.
Iron Draggon
02-24-2007, 08:30 PM
well if you're gonna count games that came with special peripherals, then Steel Battalion will prolly be among the largest game boxes ever released
Three-P
02-24-2007, 08:51 PM
If newer games count, I think I saw Guitar Hero II's box was pretty damn big. How else would you store the guitar control?
if that is the case:
Samba de Amigo w/Controllers
Mindscape Miracle Keyboard
but biggest of all:
PS2 Konami DrumMania, that box is almost 1 Metre long:
diskoboy
02-25-2007, 01:50 PM
The Neo Geo had the biggest boxes, because Neo Geo had the biggest carts.
Sega Saturn (US packaging) comes in a distant second.
Atari 800 cartridge boxes are amongst the biggest, measuring 28 cm x 22 cm, with a little cartridge space in the top/middle and a A4 manual:
DarthKur
02-25-2007, 08:29 PM
Any software for the 8-bit systems for sure, whether it be for Atari, Commodore, Apple or PC these things were pretty big. They did downsize them later to about the size of an Atari 2600 of Colecovision game box, as was previously mentioned. I would assume the reason for the large size of the boxes for computers was purely an image to the consumer that you were "getting more for your money", since software for the 8-bits were always more expensive than their console conterparts.
Famidrive-16
02-25-2007, 11:01 PM
The one good thing about PSX long boxes is that they don't break as easily as regular cases do. You drop a jewel case, it's "Uh oh", but if you drop a longbox, it's nothing. That aside, it is a bit of a pain to stack next to other PSX games.
The SNES boxes were pretty wide, even considering the carts. It's nothing too huge though. I can only think of this because I've never seen a Neo-Geo or Atari box in real life.
j_factor
02-25-2007, 11:09 PM
In Europe, there were three or four different cases for Saturn games. The ones that EA used were massive.
cyberfluxor
02-26-2007, 11:42 AM
I'm a little confused about the "cart" part of the title. Do you mean game box in general because for more than a decade most games have been in a digital disc format, not circuit carts.
Cartridge wise, I lean towards the large ass Gyromite box. That thing had some robot inside, I wouldn't mind one day stumbling across one of those. Standard-boxed games would be Neo-Geo AES, I love them though.
If you're going over-all, it's a mix between Saturn/SegaCD, 3DO, first PSX titles and a few other systems but since I don't personally own them all I'm only familiar with the Sat/SCD and PSX games.
Overall though, PC must be somewhere because there's no standard and some games come in outragously large boxes and cases. The funny thing is a huge box will be primarily void, like an atom, with a little floppy at the bottom (and a tiny manual).
LiquidPolicenaut
02-26-2007, 02:59 PM
If we are specifically talking about standard release boxes, I'd say its easily the Neo Geo boxes and secondly would definitely be the PC-FX boxes. One cd in a box almost as large as a Neo Geo box! Craaaaaazy! Third would be the original long box 3DO boxes.
Everyone knows that the Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt cartridge has the largest box. ;)
madman77
02-27-2007, 09:36 PM
I originally meant which system had the largest boxes for their normal games, I just figured cart based systems wouldn't historically been larger. I thought of it after realizing how huge the Vectrex boxes are, mainly due to the overlays.
Of course a box with a guitar controller in it is going to be huge :)
aaron7
02-28-2007, 01:03 PM
The NES Stackup and Gyromite were damn huge!
savageone
02-28-2007, 03:50 PM
Well the Neo Geo AES game cases are definitely huuuge. But I was always under the impression that the FM Towns Marty game cases were even huger, even though I've never seen one up close myself.
Just checking ebay images.. Look at the size in relation to a CD..
http://i4.ebayimg.com/03/i/06/7f/35/7c_1.JPG
So Vectrex (screen-size 9x11), Magnavox Odyssey, PC, Atari XL, and Neo Geo have the biggest game boxes (normal release, no extras like R.O.B., DrumMania, Keyboards or other gimmicks).
Anyone's got some Neo Geo box measurements?