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 DVDGC 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 onoff the system is also a nice touch that further exemplifies the extra care that was put into it's design.
Technically, the gaming hardware in the
Panasonic Q is identical to the
Nintendo GameCube. 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.
