The Gamecube That can Play DvDs (Panasonic Q)

Believe it or not, there is a Gamecube model that can Play DvDs.

Dont Believe me? Well then, Say hello to the Panasonic Q

This Gamecube model was NOT made by Nintendo, but by Panasonic.

The Company Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.(The Company that Owns Panasonic) had a Deal with Nintendo, Panasonic Created the Laser Eye Tech that is in all Gamecubes so the System could run Nintendo's special CDs, and Nintendo allows Matsushita to Make their own Gamecube Model. and Thus the Panasonic Q was Created

The Q can Play Gamecube games, CDs, DvDs, and had a Few other Features that made it Stand out from it's competitors.

Surprisingly, this is not the first time Nintendo Allowed a third party to make a Version of one of their consoles. Back in 1986 the the Electronics Manufacturer company Sharp Created the Famicom Twin. a Version of the Nintendo Famicom(or the Nintendo entertainment system in the west), as well as the Sharp Nintendo Television

(the Q and Gamecube Size comparison)

Nintendo was not Worried about having a new competitor, as they knew the Q was supposed to be more of an Entertainment Center then a Decimated Game Console

The Purpose of this System is to Compete with Playstation 2 and the Xbox, both of which can Play DvDs.

The Q comes with a DvD remote, a grey Panasonic-branded controller, a Power Cable, and a DvD Composite Cable.

The Q system was licensed by Nintendo and released only in Japan on December 13, 2001 and was Discontinued on December 18, 2003 due to low sales.

Design Wise, the Console is Beautiful, the Front Panel is Reflective like a Mirror, the the Rest of the Console is in a Stainless Steel Casing, the 4 Little legs on the System makes it look pretty Fashionable(However those Legs were a Source of many complaints that we will talk about later), The top of the System has a Back lit Display, as well as Two Handles used for Carrying the Console(a Trademark Feature of the Gamecube), the Build Quality is Excellent.

On the Front of the Display are the Standard DvD and CD functions, Stop, Pause, Play, Rewind, Fastforward, Previous Chapter, and Next Chapter Buttons, the Play Button also Functions as the Dvd/CD mode Switch button.

on the Front Panel. there are 4 controller ports, 2 memory Card Slots, and 8 more buttons. Some of these buttons Highlight the Unique Features of the Q. Below the Power button there is a Dialogue Enhancer button, this only works for DvDs, it makes it Easier to hear the Dialogue.
Next is the cinema button, again, it only works on DvDs, and the Effect is somewhat hard to Notice, it is supposed to change the lighting on DvDs, but Depending on the DvD it is hardly noticeable.
Other then those, on the left side are the Power button and Gamecube Reset Button. which do what you expect they would do.

On the Right side there is an Open/Close button for the Disk Tray.
Next is a Button Called Surround, which makes Stereo sound.... sound like Surround Sound, think of it as Virtual Surround Sound. for DvD mode there are two options for this, and for the Gamecube mode there is only 1
Next is the Base Plus Button, which Turns on compatibility for a subwoofer.
Next up is the Game button, which turns the System into Gamecube mode.
Finally the Controller ports and Memory Card slots are the same as a Regular Gamecube versions

Over to the Back of the Console are Two sets of Composite output Sound Ports, 1 Output port for a Subwoofer, 1 S-Video output, 1 Composite Video output, and Even optical sound Output.

the Q supports DOlby Digital Surround, which is pretty impressive for the time,

Also on the back is the Digital AV output, which allows you to use the Super Expensive Gamecube's Component cables instead of DvD's Cables, and Last but not least is the Power Port, which you Plug a Power cord, Funfact, the Panasonic Q uses a Pretty Standard Power cord, a Playstation 2's power cord works on it, the Power supply is Internal so no Black Block on the Cord

The Panasonic Q is pretty good, it does what it says on the box and it does it well, the DvD Playback is pretty good, and from what I seen it appears to be a better quality to the Playstation 2's Playback Feature, which makes sense, as the Panasonic Q is made as a DvD player with a Gamecube attachment as a second thought. it Even Plays Video CDs which the PS2 cannot Play

all of the Gamecube's hardware Attachments work fine one the Q except for one. The Gameboy Player. However Panasonic did made their own Version of the Gameboy Player to accommodate for the Q's Design.

The most Common Complaint about the Q is the Quality of the Optical Drive, the Tray gets Stuck thanks to a Rubber band on the Motor that Wears down easily. The Q also does not Auto Switch Modes for you. and you have to do it Manually.

The System was only Released in Japan. and is Region Locked, Meaning, that you can only play Japanese Games on it.

If you want to buy a Modified Version that can play any game, it is going to cost ya up to 450 to 500 Dollars. Ouch.

The Q was a 100 Dollars more then the Gamecube, so was it worth it? apparently not. as the System was a Failure in Japan, and was Discontented two years after release.

The Reason for it's Failure was the Cost, at the time it was Cheaper to Buy a Gamecube and DvD player Separately rather then buying a Q.

It did not help that the Gamecube itself had pretty low sales on it's own. in the 6th Console Wars, the Gamecube got third Place in Sales. Selling about 21+ Million units worldwide. Just below the Xbox's 24+ Million, and the PS2's 155 Million.

At the Time The Panasonic Q is a Niche Product. Reserved for Hardcore Enthusiast, Hardcore Fans, and Import Gamers.

Currently the System sells from 150 to 600 Dollars in Good enough Condition if you REALLY want a Q.

As a Console the Q is pretty Solid. but it's up to you if it is worth the Extra Money if you want it that bad.

I am Ultrawing and I hope you Enjoyed some Console Trivia. bye!