Panasonic Q
Encyclopedia
The Q is a hybrid version of the Nintendo GameCube
with a DVD player
manufactured by Panasonic
in cooperation with Nintendo
. The system was only officially released in Japan. Since the GameCube lacked DVD playback functionality, a feature its competitors had, the system was licensed by Nintendo and was released on December 14, 2001. The Q was first listed at $439 USD, but a modified version that allowed users to play DVDs from all regions was listed at $499 USD.
Nintendo's uncharacteristic decision to license the gaming technology to Panasonic was a result of the deal brokered between Matsushita (owners of the Panasonic brand) and Nintendo. When Nintendo signed Matsushita as the producer of the optical disc drives that power the GameCube, an agreement was struck allowing Matsushita to produce a DVD system with the capability to play GameCube games.
Other features of the Q include a backlit LCD, a front-loading slot disc tray, an optical sound output supporting Dolby Digital 5.1
, a separate subwoofer jack, and a stainless steel chassis.
Panasonic announced they were ceasing production of the Q in December 18, 2003 due to low sales. As it is quite possible to obtain a standard GameCube and a standalone DVD player for less than the price of the unit, the Panasonic Q is not a very common purchase except for some serious collectors.
The DVD-ROM drive in the Q is meant to read both video DVDs and Gamecube games. Because of this, the laser used in the drive is better able to read all types of burned or pirated Gamecube games; a burned game that a standard Gamecube refuses to play might be read fine by a Q. However, the Q still requires the installation of a modchip
(such as the Qoob Pro or SX) to play burned games.
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
with a DVD player
DVD player
A DVD player is a device that plays discs produced under both the DVD-Video and DVD-Audio technical standards, two different and incompatible standards. These devices were invented in 1997 and continue to thrive...
manufactured by Panasonic
Panasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
in cooperation with Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
. The system was only officially released in Japan. Since the GameCube lacked DVD playback functionality, a feature its competitors had, the system was licensed by Nintendo and was released on December 14, 2001. The Q was first listed at $439 USD, but a modified version that allowed users to play DVDs from all regions was listed at $499 USD.
Nintendo's uncharacteristic decision to license the gaming technology to Panasonic was a result of the deal brokered between Matsushita (owners of the Panasonic brand) and Nintendo. When Nintendo signed Matsushita as the producer of the optical disc drives that power the GameCube, an agreement was struck allowing Matsushita to produce a DVD system with the capability to play GameCube games.
Other features of the Q include a backlit LCD, a front-loading slot disc tray, an optical sound output supporting Dolby Digital 5.1
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital is the name for audio compression technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories. It was originally called Dolby Stereo Digital until 1994. Except for Dolby TrueHD, the audio compression is lossy. The first use of Dolby Digital was to provide digital sound in cinemas from 35mm film prints...
, a separate subwoofer jack, and a stainless steel chassis.
Panasonic announced they were ceasing production of the Q in December 18, 2003 due to low sales. As it is quite possible to obtain a standard GameCube and a standalone DVD player for less than the price of the unit, the Panasonic Q is not a very common purchase except for some serious collectors.
The DVD-ROM drive in the Q is meant to read both video DVDs and Gamecube games. Because of this, the laser used in the drive is better able to read all types of burned or pirated Gamecube games; a burned game that a standard Gamecube refuses to play might be read fine by a Q. However, the Q still requires the installation of a modchip
Modchip
A modchip is a small electronic device used to modify or disable built-in restrictions and limitations of computers, specifically videogame consoles...
(such as the Qoob Pro or SX) to play burned games.