My Favourite Nintendo Console Wasn't Even Made By Nintendo ...
And that console is the Panasonic Q, a machine sadly never made commercially available in the West.
The Q, a very fancy version of the GameCube, was released in Japan in December 2001, the latest in a long line of Japanese consoles licensed for manufacture by a company other than the actual platform holder (the original console being made not by Nintendo, but by Panasonic).
It was something Nintendo fans in other parts of the world are still waiting for: a home console that doubled as a multimedia centre. Not only was the machine a GameCube, complete with all the controller ports and memory card slots of a regular console, but it was also a DVD player.
Why? Well, Nintendo feared – rightly so, it turns out – that the competing PlayStation 2′s DVD player would be a major selling-point for the console, and since the GameCube lacked this feature, that its sales would suffer as a result. So it struck a deal with the company manufacturing the GameCube’s optical disc drives, Matsushita (who own Panasonic), to produce a variant model of the console, which would be capable of playing DVDs.
The Panasonic Q in all its glory
That variant was the Q, which in addition to its regular GameCube components also boasted more advanced features like an optical out port (for true 5.1 surround sound support), a swish front-loading disc tray, a neat little LCD display panel at the top, a separate subwoofer output for the Q’s “Bass Plus” feature and, best and most badass of all, a polished glass front with a stainless steel chassis.
Despite this more advanced feature set, and a price tag of around USD$450 (which wasn’t that expensive), the Q remained something of an oddity, an ugly stepsister, and sadly never really took off in Japan. It was discontinued only two years later, in December 2003, and was never officially released outside Japan.
Because of its unique appearance and capabilities, though, the Q remains a favourite of hardware collectors, and can be had quite easily online for anywhere between $US300-$600.
Why, then, is the Q my favourite? Well, I’ve always had a very soft spot for the GameCube, because of its catalogue of amazing games, cute form factor and its innovative wireless control pads, so a heavily modified GameCube with a steel chassis is right up my alley. As a lover of the last generation’s clear loser, it also acts as a sort of beacon of alternate history, which continually makes me wonder what kind of gaming industry we’d be wading through today if this more feature-packed console had somehow won out over Sony’s PlayStation 2.
Modified Ps2 Australia - Bookshelf
Screen digest
... +353/91 561 398; www.filmboard.ie I Australia overturns PS2 'mod-chip' ... be modified to play legal and pirated software titles purchased overseas (see ...Trends in Acarology, Proceedings of the 12th International Congress
Located on the posterior margin of the plate are two pairs of retractable structures which I interpret as modified conoidal setae ps1 and ps2. ...Cheating, gaining advantage in videogames
21 Likewise, a “major mod chip vendor,” David Rocci, received five months in prison in late 2003 for selling Xbox and PS2 mod chips.22 Pursuing such cases ...Managing services
Sony's PS2 games, which are more plentiful and popular, cost just HK$40, ... best place in the world to find modified consoles and pirated computer games. ...Society and Environment Teachers
Place and Space PS2.1 Students identify how environments affect lifestyles around Australia. PS2.2 Students predict possible consequences for an ecological ...Daily Article Directory
PS2 :: Australia Online Store . PS3 . Xbox360 . Wii . DS ...
Syndey based online shop providing new pre-modified PS2 console ,repair services, modchip installation and accessories. Sydney Console Mods & Accessories for PS3, ...
Memor32 - MementoTeam - VAST - PS2 Plug and Play ModChip ...
Even if you have a modified PS2, the memor32 will apparently still work. ... anywhere in the world, international orders do NOT pay Australia's 10% sales tax. ...
Australian PlayStation 2 console, games and accessories - PS2 ...
Buy Sony PlayStation 2 products in Australia. Lists the best PlayStation 2 order deals from Australian online stores. Order PS2 games, consoles and accessories.
Modified PAL Playstation 2 with Messiah Mod Chip preinstalled
The premodded PS2 console (PAL) allows direct boot playback of all PS2 and PS1 import or backups (CD-r and DVD-r) ... No installation required; units are pre modified and tested ...
PS2 MOD CHIP MATRIX & TOXIC BIOS MENU ==== ( Mod Chip ) - WWW ...
... MODS PS2 Mod-chips Playstation Chip installers brisbane Australia - PS2 mod chips Playstation 2 mods PS3 mod chip PS2 Modbo 4.0 ...