Panasonic-Q Discontinued

[GameMaster]

Panasonic Q discontinued

Impress Game Watch reports that the Panasonic Q has been discontinued. Apart from a few stragglers left in retail channels, you can't buy it any more and Panasonic has stopped making it.

Never heard of the Q? That wouldn't be terribly surprising. When the GameCube originally launched, Panasonic - as one of Nintendo's technology partners on the console - decided to make their own Cube hybrid machine which would play DVD movies as well as GameCube games, and so the Q was born, but it never made it out of Japan officially and was prohibitively priced amongst importers.

But although it cost considerably more than the Cube, it struck a chord with collectors and its sleek Apple-like design drew many an admiring stare. After it was successfully modified to play any region DVDs and Cube games from both Japan and the US, it became an even bigger success amongst hardcore types.

And now it looks set to make them rather rich. Give it a year and imagine the sort of money these will make on eBay...

I always wanted one but they were too expensive, the price will only go higher now.

Oh well.

[Canyarion]

boeien.

[Ironfoot]

Oh no! /sarcasm

[Joeiss]

Why would anybody want one of these? I mean, GCN is only for games, isn't it?

[Jonbo298]

See, its surprising to see something like the Q not sell well, even though everyone says that a gaming console must have a DVD movie player for no apparent reason. But oh well, Its something that serious collectors will want. (If only I could get one)

[Cyrax9]

To quote Mr. Spock: "Fascinating."

Everyone seems to be shouting DVD player a la PS2 and ow DVD Wirter a la $1000 PSX, so one now has to wonder.... is the PSX going to bomb wortse than a SCUD? Is this because Nintendo always KNEW the "Q" was supposed ot be a Japan-Only contract-required item and thus, designed it to fail? Or does thi mean that a system like the PS3 will have to go above this and pull out all the stops and stick a fter price atg on said system? What about N5, I'm prety sure this is the nail in the DVD Player ona Game System coffin, anybody think they'll thorw ina DVD Writer? What about other companies pulling DVD Playback from new systems?

We saw it wasn't nessecary and actually is DETRIMENTAL to a system, we know most peole hated the Xbox's $50 foir a remote kit BS, and we kow te only guys who got this remotley right were Sony, I wonder if a few ideas for new systems will be reworked, or, if DVD players are so cheap now that this will be a standard idea for the N5.

What's more, could it be possible Panny pulled the "Q" with Nintendo in an effort to sell more 'Cubes and create a DVD Player/Writer for the N5 if Matsu****a is doing the Drive again? I mean, think about it, Q is priced only for japan but everyone whines about a system with DVD Playback. Q gets yanked at the end of the cntract period, N5 is announced. N5 is seen as a way to "Repackage" this idea as a standrd device, Panny yanks the "Q" from exclusivty ont he japanese amrket, or any market for that matter, and the Big "N" has them retool it as part of the N5 to kee up with Sony and Microsoft. I wouldn't even doubt the idea of throwing in some sort of DvD Writer with the N5 to go up against SOny's PSX or a DVD Player at the very least, which culd lead to a reason to yank the Panny "Q". They have DVD Writers now, they're promoting them, Panny had that written into there contract to get $$$ from Ninty and the Big "N" and Panny could ahve pulled it just to get people to hype themsleves up over a "new" feature, retooled, that isnb't new at all in the N5! The thing could've flopped ebcause of Panny's overpricing of the thing adnImort shiops always makng it higher, or it could have ben a clever ployt to get hype for the N5, and if the N5 has BC, that also explains why Nintendo seems to be trying to "Kill the CUbe" by lowering the price below every other competitors price. Sure they're making less money epr systrem, but they aren't beating M$ and SOny in the USA or Sony in Japan by doing so, and at this point I think Cube sales are relying on Games. If Nintendo wants to hype up the N5, then they're probably tryign to "Phase Out" the 'Cube and kill off anything that'd make it "popular," after 2004, that way the N5 would eb hyped for a 2005 launch and evena 2k4 Luanch in Japan and they'd be able to mkae the cube "Unappealing" to new customrs who see that Siny new N5. I mean think aboutit, old crusty cube from 201, or flashy new N5/ from 2004/2005? The sensible choice is the new suystem for gamers and then the Cube can live out the way the PSOne and SNES/NES systems did at $50 in low-priced stores ading a little bonus cash to Nntendo's wallet.

I think the "Q": was practially deisgned just for Panny to get some cash out of the GCN's Optical Drive which it succeeded at, it's no longer needed, so why keep making them?

[Blix]

Originally Posted by Joeiss

Why would anybody want one of these? I mean, GCN is only for games, isn't it?

Bragging rights!

[Hero2]

if I would only have known before hand I would have wasted money on it and it would be sitting in the coner with steel batalion.

[Jonbo298]

Get it next check hero2

[Dark Samurai]

i read this a couple days back

im kinda dissapoined at this news tho

i wanted it

oh well