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The Panasonic Q (sometimes refered to as GameQ by GameCube fans) is a special version of the Nintendo GameCube with the ability to play DVDs, Video CDs, audio CDs, and MP3 CDs. And include several new features over the Gamecube. The Panasonic Q was released because the Nintendo GameCube lacked DVD playback, which was a feature that its competitors, the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox, had. This console was only officially released in Japan. Initially, the Panasonic Q was only able to play games and DVDs from Japan; however, a modified version, which could play American games and DVDs, began to be sold from Import shops, making it a popular console to import from Japan. The unit was priced at around 41,000円 JPY and the modified version was priced at 46,000円 JPY.
The Panasonic Q is capable of using almost all of the GameCube hardware upgrades. A special version of the Game Boy Player was designed for the Q because the Player was designed to fit onto the bottom of the GameCube, and the Q's different bottom form factor kept the Player from being installed. Other features of the Panasonic Q include a backlit information LCD, a front-loading slot disc tray, an optical sound output supporting Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS, a separate subwoofer jack, and a stainless steel chassis. These high-end features, as well as the aforementioned multimedia playback capabilities, have made the Panasonic Q a popular console to collect.
Panasonic and Nintendo ceased production of the Panasonic Q on December 18, 2003 mainly due to low sales; the device sold less than 100,000 units worldwide. A possible cause of the failure was the fact that at the time, a GameCube and a DVD player could be bought together for a lower cost than the Panasonic Q.