Remembering the Panasonic Q (by Daniele M.)
July 26, 2011, by Daniele M. - Without a doubt the Panasonic Q is clearly the most interesting concept in regards to Nintendo hardware. The Q was manufactured by Panasonic in cooperation with Nintendo. The system became officially available in Japan and only Japan back in 2001. The exterior of the system looked something you would expect from the seventh/eight generation era, stunningly well designed to attract attention, to which it did. The front panel mini LCD screen with a backlight, blue neon glow and on controller sockets all looked very sleekly presented. Upon booting the system up you are greeted with a 'HELLO' followed by a 'GOODBYE' just before system powers down on the LCD display, all very charming. The Panasonic Q basically did everything the Nintendo GameCube was capable of, with notable extra additions. The Q was equipped with a fully integrated DVD player. Predictable to an extent going by Panasonic as the actual manufacture of the device, nonetheless still somewhat of a slight surprise/shock in regards to Nintendo's involvement with the device. Additionally the system was capable of supporting Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound alongside subwoofer connectivity.
Purchasing the Panasonic Q gets you the system itself of course with controller pad, rather reminiscent to the GameCube controller, and all required leads and cables to enable video playback. A remote control was also supplied for use when playing DVDs. The fact that the Q was exclusively for sale in Japan, fanatics, dedicated collectors imported the system but unfortunate to know that DVD compatibility was strictly for NTSC discs, also in terms of GameCube software too. Problematic not so much for Freeloader (region bypass disc) users. Playing a DVD or selective GameCube title you have to power off the system to switch between one another. A minor annoyance but eventually you get used to it.
The Q evidently is the 'premium' bundle, its fellow GameCube counterpart being the entry-level starter bundle. The Panasonic and Nintendo partnership didn't last long; the system was to be discontinued as of December 2003 due to low sales. I would of been all for a simultaneous, global release of both systems, and most definitely have gone for purchasing The Q edition. Not so much because the device was able to play DVDs, more so due to the fact of the system looking the part.
As you can see the GameCube is slightly smaller in width and height, also likely to be lighter in mass, but nothing comparable to Microsoft's first XBOX outing.
The Panasonic Q was designed in a way so that all GameCube hardware upgrades were to be useable. However on the base of The Q system the legs prevented you from external installation of the GameBoy Player, to which was addressed and evidently lead to the production of a specifically constructed GameBoy Player only compatible with The Panasonic Q.
Naturally The Q had a wide variety of enhancements that relate to video and audio playback. Pre-set options were selectable via the front side of The Q that alter specific listening and viewing options. The cinema mode/button enables video output to reflect upon a more balanced scene to name one under the video category. Audio wise the dialogue enhancer feature further optimizes the sound output with higher frequencies to give the impression of a more richer, fuller experience.
To this day, many people (myself included) are still on the hunt of purchasing The Q, minus the hefty price tag, eBay most probably the source to go by. As time passes hardware does drop in price, only something as collectable as the Panasonic Q it unfortunately gets higher in price. Nonetheless serious, dedicated buyers likelihood to put price aside and buy straight-up. I say keep a close eye out on eBay for any last minute auctions if you're interested in buying one, and so you should be.
