Well it's a tough one, because the obvious answer would be cartridges for the instant loading, but on the other hand, I used to love some great fmv and cd audio you got from CDs.

Voted: 'Don't care, I just love playing games!'

Each have their own inherent advantages and disadvantages and I don't think any specific one is 'best'.

I have to agree DreamcastRIP. The format doesn't make the game. Regardless of the amount of data you can fit on the card/cartridge/disc there are fantastic games on all formats.

Ultimately I don't care, but and it's a BIG BUT lol. I would love another cartridge based system to be released as a modern console. I love the feel of it. It feels game specific.

As much as I love the CD consoles I own there is just something very special about a cartridge. Plus carts never die, they go on forever if you look after them and can't get scratched either! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl1EaXxxWZ4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arVtDz0c ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8TJDVkS ... re=related

Call me old-school but carts are my preference.

I voted cartridge, because it just feels more satisfying to feel a cartridge clunking home before you play a game. At the end of the day if it's a good game it doesn't really matter a few seconds after it's started.

I'm the only vote for CD... but then CD is fairly ambiguous because it was only the 32bit gen/period that used CDROMS, the Dreamcast used "GDROM"s and the PS2 used DVDs. The PS1 while they said CD ROM they were black and of a strange type. Xbox and 360 are both DVD and the PS3 is Blu Ray... but in general, the CD Medium for me is the best... simply because its the easiest medium you can get to use unreleased game roms, demos, homebrews, compilations, recovered games etc... Carts are cool but so hard to reproduce stuff on them

I've always liked cartridges.  They're interesting 'things'.  Different sizes, shapes, colours and mostly they feel solid and substantial.  I knew they wouldn't get damaged and stop working if I left them lying around the consoles.  I love the satisfying *CLUNK* when it's inserted into the console 

Cartridges had more varied and interesting boxes/cases too.  With discs I only know a PS2 or 360 game from the colour of the plastic case.  Only ltd editions, for extra £££, come with different packaging these days.

I do think that cartridges are more 'toy like' and, in my mind, make a system appear aimed at a younger audience.  NES > MS and SNES > MD and hence more fuel for the Nintendo is only for kids argument.  The advent of PS and Sony's cd gaming revolution probably influences my opinion most here.  The N64 has the least juvenile image, but it was a 'kids machine' compared to Playstation went the arguments.  However untrue it's the kind of statement that is hard to shake.

Cartridges will always to the real media of gaming for me.. Simply nothing better than the clunk, click instant gaming.

It's kind of a tie between cartridges and CDs for me, so I couldn't really vote for one or the either. On one hand, I agree with people about how cartridges just feel more solid and durable. On the other hand, CDs are generally a lot better at doing fancy things like FMV and redbook audio. Not that cartridges haven't pulled off some fancy stuff, either. I mean, they managed to get Resident Evil 2 onto the N64.

My favorite consoles are cartdridge based, when I think about retro consoles I instantly think about carts. No loading times, durability, shape... are winners for me. I even like the N64 a little bit!

CD consoles are nice for me too, at the end of the day what really matters is playing good games and most consoles (except the CDI 🙂

Carts but I also like the SMS and TG-16 cards.