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Panasonic 'Q' First Look
austinij writes "National Console Support has purchased and taken apart the Panasonic 'Q', a Nintendo Gamecube/DVD player device in one. Pictures and brief descriptions are included. Lets hope for a review soon! " That just
looks so nifty. I've heard of DVD players including PS1 support
in the not so distant future too. Apparently its fairly inexpensive
to do it now.
DVD manufacturers make money selling DVD players.
Console manufacturers loose money selling consoles (but make money on royalties on the games).
Why would DVD manufacturers be interested in attaching something that would really cut profits? Unless the companies name is "Sony" I'm assuming they aren't getting a cut of the game royalties...
Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
Do you mean... the PS2?
If i woke up, walked to the kitchen, 10 bux says that I'd put the toast in the GameQube, and put the DVD in my toaster.
Does this mean that Nintendo is allowing "clones" of their hardware so that any 3rd party that wants to include GameCube functionality can pay them some royalties and BAM, now your TV has a built in GameCube (or something similar)??
I'm ignorant as to the Nintendo-Panasonic relationship and I don't know anything about their hardware licensing but if they are planning on letting 3rd parties have access to it, they might be onto a really good idea. I know it's a completely different situation, but remember how Macintosh used to keep everything Mac, no 3rd party, but PC's were all about the 3rd party? Well we see how that turned out...
~ now you know
Wasn't the whole reason Nintendo made their gamecube small, so that it wouldn't accept standard 80mm disks to prevent piracy (since the smaller disks, especially writeable, are harder to come by)???
I don't see Nintendo being happy about this...
---
Programming is like sex... Make one mistake and support it the rest of your life.
Reminds me of the Panasonic branded 3DO, only this sounds more useful and will probably have more games (though I did love my 3DO). Nintendo should have the name recognition to help this thing along too. And it looks even more like a DVD player than did PS2- so lots of guys can sucker their girlfriends & wives into buying a new 'DVD' Player :)
Besides the obvious "I want one" factor, think if the following were incorporated into this:
1) Cable/SatTV decoding
2) mp3/mpeg/avi/etc. player
3) tivo capabilities
what you basically have is an inexpensive all in wonder unit. now i dont know the true specs of a gamecube, but if you could drop a hackable os onto it, you already have a media reader and storage capabilities (options) built in.
people with a little expertise should start taking advantage of the big opportunities game companies are dumping into their laps.
"Moving through the masses like a fish through water." syrup
That said, the small amount of information I can gather (looking for gameqube and panasonic gameqube on google produces nothing substantial in English) The website describes pictures, and gives no background information.
That said, would anyone mind filling us in on exactly why we need something to emulate a gamecube? I don't know how they could pay royalties and produce these puppies at a margin well enough to justify its development.
Licensing revenues could be huge for this. Other DVD manufactures put in "Sony Guts" (as the SNL saying goes.) Sony at least breaks even on the parts, and then get licensing fees. I bet Sony might not even really provide the guts, they just get big checks in the mail every week. Hell of a business to get into.
Not to mention they get to milk more money out of their old games.
-Pete
Soccer Goal Plans
IIRC, the Panasonic player was not going to come to the US - it was going to be a Japan-only item.
If this is in fact the case, I would imagine that the Panasonic device will be designed from the ground up not to be able to play US discs. (Firmware notes that it is an 80mm disc and refuses to boot it since it knows that all the games in Japan are "normal sized" discs).
What we REALLY need is a software device to allow consoles to provide basic word processing etc. functionality. Instead of having to pay $300 for a game system and $2000 for a computer - why not simply create a $150 hardware and software combo to allow your Gamecube/playstation/dreamcast/nes/whatever to be a wordprocessor for kids to use in school.
Just an idea I had for a while...
-RickTheWizKid
I was going through the internal debate of which game system to buy in December. I was reluctant to buy the Sony because it was out for a year, and they hadn't dropped the price to compete with the Xbox and NGC.
I was favoring the NGC, due to its 4-player capability out of the box(yes I know they others do with silly-ass dongles). However, when I heard that it wouldn't play full-sized DVDs, I was in a quandry - should I wait for the Panasonic player, or should I go with one of the other boxen?
I don't like the Xbox because of who makes it (and it is an acceptable gaming system), and Sony could have stomped the competition by dropping the price of the PS2, sy, by $50, or adding some extras and keeping the price the same, but why they didn't is beyond me.
Many of my officemates have PS2s, and one friend has an Xbox, and another has a PS2.
In the end, I chose to do nothing but wait.
I don't need another PC - I already have a homebuilt kickass system that does everything I need a computer to do. I don't care if you can get it to run Linux (see above).
I want a system to have fun with when I have a bunch of friends over who don't want to stare at their own screens. We already do multiplayer gaming, but with boards, dice, tokens and cards. Occasionally we want something else, and a 4-player gaming system fits the bill quite nicely.
Maybe someone here'll enlighten me on which one to get?
Gran Turismo anyone?
Mmmm.... High Resolution Monitor... (Insert Homer Simpson drooling sound)
Get busy living or get busy dying. Carpe diem.
...great for pirates. Seriously. The GameCube HAD an excellent antipiracy mechanism. Now all HK has to do is crack the disc, distrobution is no longer and issue.
Nintendo made an excellent decision as far as anti-piracy goes with the disc size. I personally love them. I have a feeling that the majority of Q purchases are going to be for the purpose of pirating the games in the near future.
Because of the price of the Q, I don't see piracy becomming a big deal. We know that there must be some heavy profit on each Q sold. This is probably to offset the potential piracy that Nintendo expects to occur.
The only reason we even see a Panasonic Q is because Panasonic probably cut Nintendo a deal on the drives that are in every GameCube.
Unforunately, Panasonic has no plans to release this unit in the US. For now, it's a Japan area only device.
It's too bad, the idea of a shiny gamecube that can play DVDs is pretty cool. I'm also wondering if the lack of sales outside of Japan is related to piracy issues--you can fit 5.25" discs into it. One of the reasons the Gamecube uses smaller 3" discs is to prevent piracy since it's hard to get a hold of something that will make them.
Lik Sang (a company that make mod and game copying kits) also disassembled the Panasonic Gamecube including probably better pictures. They also modified it to play US games (remove the territory lock out). They mentioned it was a bitch to open--something like 45 special screws. Doesn't sound like a fun job to modify.
/// Zoid.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011102/tc/tech_
Friday November 2 2:26 PM ET
Panasonic Says No DVD/GameCube Hybrid in U.S.
Audio/Video
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A hybrid DVD player and Nintendo (news - web sites)
GameCube video game console set for a December launch in Japan will not be
released in the United States at all, a spokesman for Panasonic said on
Friday.
Earlier this week in Tokyo, Panasonic, the consumer electronics brand of
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (6752.T), unveiled the "Q,'' which
is a combination of a DVD player and Nintendo's new console.
"It's simply a Japan device.
U.S. marketing,'' said Kurt Praschak, a Panasonic spokesman.
The GameCube itself uses a smaller disc than the standard DVD format and is
unable to play DVDs. The two companies announced earlier this year that
Panasonic would produce its own unit with licensed GameCube technology.
Panasonic plans to sell the device from Dec. 14 in Japan for the equivalent
of around $325.
The two main competitors to the GameCube in the U.S. console market, the
Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT - news) Xbox (news - web sites) and the Sony
Corp (news - web sites). (6758.T) PlayStation 2 (news - web sites), both can
play DVDs.
The GameCube will launch on Nov. 18 at a retail price of $199. The Xbox
launches on Nov. 15 at $299. The PS2, which launched in the U.S. in November
2000, also sells for $299.
Nintendo has said repeatedly in the past that its hardware is secondary to
its games, and that it is not concerned with putting features like DVD
playback in its devices.
A Nintendo spokesman said he was unaware if there were any licensing
restriction in Panasonic's deal with Nintendo that would keep the "Q'' from
being released in the United States.
I modified my Japanese imported GC and I can say that the motherboard and even the outside bracket are identical to the regular version of the GC. The only difference here is the different laser housing, which surprisingly doesn't neccessarily allow for greater piracy. The GC discs are actually burned backwards (from the outside->in), which will make the biggest difference in replicating the discs. While they may not be bringing this product to the US, the modification is a very simple one which I was personally able to do in a matter of minutes. I just wouldn't look at this as the holy grail of GC piracy until there is more research done on the GC optical technology.
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Yes, Golden Eye is nice
Although I'd go with the Sega Dreamcast... better than PS2 [ok it doesn't play dvds], cheaper, cool games, lots of Multiplayer fun, and it can play mp3s and more!
See:
http://www.dcemulation.com
Get your Unix fortune now!
Here are a few answers that may clear things up for you.
:) Well, I take that back. You probably can, it would just cost more than the actual games right now anyways. Later on in the future? I'm sure someone will come up with something. But unlike the PS2 and XBOX, piracy isn't gonna happen on the NGC any time soon. Nintendo has *ALWAYS* tried to keep piracy to a minimum with their proprietary formats. This is a good thing by the way. It keeps the software developers happy. Which means they'll make games for Nintendo. Which means people like me will be happy! :)
/. crowd, but I like playing games with my friends. Super Monkey Ball and Super Smash Bros. has provided more than their money's worth already. That said, I can't wait til Mario Cart comes out! :) And I pray there'll be a version of Mario Party for it too. As 'kiddy' as these games may be, they definately do the job. It gives us great fun! And that's why I bought it right? So to answer, if you already have a DVD player (I did, in the PS2) then I would recommend a NGC if you have friends. If you do have friends and don't have a DVD player, than your decision is a little tougher. If you don't have friends at all then it doesn't matter what you get, does it? You'll be playing alone. :)
:)
First off, there *IS* a relationship between Panasonic and Nintendo. So to the guy that said Nintendo wouldn't be happy about it, you're wrong. They're very happy about it. Afterall, Panasonic makes the drives the NGC uses. (I think Panasonic also has a hand in the proprietary DVD-like format the cute little 3" discs use!)
Secondly, all things point to the 'Q' *NOT* coming to North America. Single biggest reason. Piracy. I doubt anyone can (at this moment) get there hands on DVD-like 3" media!
Finally, to the dude contemplating what to get. I personally have a PS2 and picked up my NGC at launch. I don't think this is true for the rest of the
Anyways, hope that helps someone. Anyone!
AirSpeak - http://itunes.com/apps/AirSpeak
Tip: If you want your DC to play CDR's get a older used system.
Why buy them new?
Actually there are several MP3 proprietary players [Pelican AMP] which will boot on any DC. I don't know if they can use the CDR's though.
A simple twist of a screw gives you CDRW playback though.
Get your Unix fortune now!
Or, to correct matters,
1) PS2 does a serviceable 5.1 DTS in game for SSX Tricky and some of the upcoming EA titles - EA has worked out with DTS how to use one of the two vector units to encode realtime in software.
2) XBox does encode DD 5.1 in hardware (best used in Halo), but that hardware doesn't support DTS (well, it _was_ developed with Dolby, so what did you expect).
3) Gamecube only supports 5.1 through the rare Dolby ProLogic II system (as used in Rogue Leader), and the game hardware has no digital out to supply either DD or DTS. If you can decode it fully though (its backwards compatible to DPL1 for reasonable surround) its pretty good; I thought it almost as good as DD 5.1 when I tried it.
The PS2, XBox and Panny Cube can all pass both DD 5.1 and DTS for DVD playback however, which seems to be the source of confusion.
"I Know You Are But What Am I?"
And Halo (the flagship launch title) struck me as extremely mediocre. It certainly looked pretty but the gameplay itself stuck me as tedious and repetitive with the gamepad not helping at all. Give me Quake or Wolfenstein anyday.
Compared to the other platforms, perhaps it has more potential but then it costs a lot more. The Gamecube is dirt cheap in comparison and the PS/2 has thousands of titles to choose from.
If I were seriously looking to buy a console I think the XBox would be my 3rd choice by a long stretch at the moment.
iname all the way...although I think it's all under mail.com now. I've had this address for probably four or five years now...
do not read this line twice.
GameCube games have a visible security thread on the inside ring of the minidisc that is checked by the system before it boots, good luck trying to duplicate it with any kind of burner.
I swore I clicked on the topic above this one. Please ignore my off-topic rantings above.
Errrrm, Dreamcast sold around 8 million consoles in the US alone in its run, while the XBucks has sold at most 1.3 million consoles to date.
Just 'cause you're a politician doesn't mean you can make crap up to benefit Micro$oft. Oh wait...
I wish I had a kryptonite cross, because then you could keep Dracula and Superman away.
you are quite funny.
The DVD playback of the Ps2 and the Xbox are to qoute Widescreen magagine.. "horrible, barely VHS quality."
These 2 devices are designed to be GAME CONSOLES. they have a side benefit of playing DVD movies to further entice people to buy it. College student with $300.00 to blow... Buy a dvd player and then a game or hey, I can get _____ that also play's dvd's!
Every review I have read about the PS2 and Xbox dvd playback has been very negative.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Click here for a picture of how to do it.
Also check www.lik-sang.com for the details.
- Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set him on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
The only bummer these days with multiple devices is wiring. I shelled out $75 (US) the other day for a switch box and S-Video and audio cables to hook up the DirectTV, VHS, and DVD and switch between them with the box. $75 is that much in the grand scheme of things but man I have a lot of wires behind the TV, to the point that if I ever have to wheel out the TV I have to move all the wires so I can wheel all the way back in against the wall.
So one nice thing about multi-function devices is that you eliminate a lot of extra wiring.
with a better cable? yes it's better. Butt his is compared to decent DVD players ($350 and greater) it doesnt compare at all. Go and watch a DVD on a player that has a line doubler in it (Most everytihing that is worth buying has it... Heck APEX has a unit that has it and play's HDCD too! for Less than $250.00)
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
is it just me or was the Q autopsy kinda lame.. i was hoping from something more than heres what it looks like if you open part of, now we are going to play games on it..
It is interesting how it switches modes instead of the gamecube recognizing that the dvd is not a game and automatically popping up a cool menu much like other systems do when you put in an audio cd..
Although accepting a marriage proposal from a Slashdot AC is the sort of thing I am likely to have on my to-do list, this one is complicated because I am neither female nor single. But I appreciate the sentiment.
But anyway, thanks for putting up the "what do you put in a toaster?" thing, I couldn't remember what the setup was for it.
Liberty uber alles.