In Japan it appeared as if the
Playstation 2 gained many hardware sales by being a low costing DVD
player. Nintendo partner Matsushita saw an opportunity to also cash in. The result? The Panasonic Q. A machine that
combines a Nintendo GameCubeand Panasonic DVD player into one.
The
Panasonic Q is currently only sold for retail in Japan, however it can be purchased through import retailers. To help garner the attention
of import consumers, establishments such as Upstate Games have gone the extra mile to make it totally region friendly, enabling you to
play all region DVDs in addition to Japanese and US GameCube
software. However, importing this puppy would run you close to $474.99 USD.
During the development of their GameCube
gaming system, Nintendo
partnered with Matsushita-owned Panasonic to manufacture the disc drive for their console. As part of this agreement, a license
was issued to Panasonic to be able to utilize the base GameCube
software technology for their own system, if they chose to do so. Needless to say, Panasonic decided to exercise this contract clause and
released one of the most visually attractive hardware units of all time - the Panasonic Q. Debuting just three months after its parent
in December, 2001, this system ultimately proved that the old adage "looks aren't everything" was true - especially if not priced correctly.
Released exclusively in Japan, the Panasonic Q was developed to address the fact that the GameCube's main competitors, the
Sony Playstation 2 and shortly after the Microsoft Xbox, supported
DVD
movie playback out of the box while Nintendo did not incorporate this feature into its machine. Hoping to capitalize on this supposed
oversight, the Panasonic Q was born. This was Nintendo's second attempt at licensing game hardware technology to a third party
manufacturer, the first being the Sharp Twin Famicom. The initial venture did not prove to be
successful for neither Nintendo
nor
Sharp. History would once again repeat itself with this new partnership with
Matsushita.
As stated earlier, the Panasonic Q is one of the most striking consoles ever released. Sporting a mirrored front facing with a
scratch-protective coating, the overall design is extremely advanced and crisp. Soft-touch buttons line the respective left and right sides
and give quick access to sound, game and other options. The subtle but tasteful use of the
Panasonic label is centered at the top of the main interface, with a smooth front loading
DVD\GC hybrid player residing just below. Four controller ports, accented with neon ice-blue lighting around their circumference,
are featured across the front of the unit with two standard
GameCube memory card slots lying in unison just below. All button, port labeling and compatibility logos (DVD, CD, DTS,
GameCube, and
Dolby), are detailed in pure white and are surprising easy to read against the reflective background. Standard DVD buttons and
controls are located on the top of the unit, along with the most stunning feature of the
Panasonic Q - the backlit LCD display. This message center has a futuristic look and provides relevant data (mostly on DVD play).
The 'Hello' and 'Goodbye' sequence that is displayed when powering on\off the system is also a nice touch that further exemplifies the extra
care that was put into its design.
Technically, the gaming hardware in the Panasonic Q is identical to the NintendoGameCube. There are literally no variations - please see the overview of the Nintendo GameCube for these details. That being said,
owners of the Panasonic Q will enjoy the following audio enhancements over their GameCube brethren: Dialog Enhancer,
Cinema, Surround and Bass Plus. All of these audio modes modify or boost a respective frequency to produce subtle if not
unremarkable effects during game and DVD play. These options do not have level adjustment or customizable settings that can be
modified. This is unfortunate but really not that important considering that most televisions at the time incorporated these features anyway.
Matsushita's marketing plan was to develop a DVD player with gaming capabilities, rather than just producing a video game console.
The
Panasonic Q
hit the mark in this area with a DVD player that exceeded the industry standards of the time. While lacking the bells and whistles of
some of the higher-end players available, DVD playback is extremely detailed, displayed in bold and vibrant colors. The included
DVD
remote is easy to use (though all text is in Japanese) and contains the basic playback controls. At the time, the DVD
player performance of the Sony Playstation 2 and Microsoft Xbox
paled in comparison. There is another bonus feature in this area - region free game and movie support. The first model only supported NTSC
Region 2 disks and Japanese-released
GameCube software. After a very short period of time, a second model was made available that fully supported NTSC Regions 1 through 6 as
well as USA game disks. Unfortunately, there was no official PAL released unit and VCD playback is also not supported.
While the advantages of owning the Panasonic Q over the
Nintendo GameCube
are significant, the decision to purchase one was not an easy task in 2001. The first release debuted at $439 USD (equivalent to $545 USD in
2007) and the multi-region version could be yours for $499 ($635 USD in 2007). This price point severely limited the potential buying market,
especially since the GameCube and a separate DVD player could be purchased for less.
With excellent
DVD playback, multi-region media support, audio enhancements and its stylish look, the Panasonic Q is a definite upgrade to its Nintendo
GameCube parent. Since the system was released in limited quantities, be prepared to spend a good amount to acquire one. A CIB (complete
in box) unit will cost you around $200 to $300 dependant upon condition. Compare this to being to get a comparable GameCube
system for around $20. If you are just looking for a video game console, the advantages of the
Panasonic Q really can not be justified. For the collector, this system will definitely stand out on your gaming shelves.
This console is a variant of the
Nintendo GameCube. Slight revisions were made (region-free), but all are identical.
On a side note, here is a picture of the initial design. I am glad they ended up ditching this look.
Highly recommended additional sites\resources for this system.
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