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- Tx, Alamo City
- XRaptor529
In case you have not seen the Panasonic GameCube here it is.
The Panasonic GameCube has absolutely no extra graphics processing functionality, no increased disc drive speed for software, or any other extras when it comes to playing GCN games. All the benefits you get from purchasing one come in the form of DVD movie playback. The machine will retail for around $300 and offers progressive scan and Dolby Digital/DTS output capabilities. If you do the math and subtract the cost of GameCube, you get a high-end DVD player for only $100. Not a bad deal at all, and it's a space saver too.
What's most interesting about the player is that Pansonic's name is branded on everything down to even the controller. If it weren't for the .5" square GameCube logo found in the lower right hand side of the frontplate, you wouldn't know it was a Nintendo game system. Panasonic supplies the DVD disc drives to Nintendo and most likely has struck a deal to provide the drives cheaply if Nintendo does the same with the GCN hardware. Whatever the case is, it takes some getting used to seeing merely the words "Panasonic" on your GameCube controller.
The design of the system is all around very odd for both a videogame system and a DVD player. It's an elongated cube with arched handles on the top, obviously borrowing a lot from the original GCN design. The frontplate is made up entirely of a mirror (which makes for a hard photo shoot). It has four buttons on the right used to open/close the disc drive, select surround sound mode, mute, and switch to GameCube mode. On the left side the player has four buttons for power, dialogue enhancement, cinema modes, and game reset. In between those buttons you'll find everything you need to play GameCube including a mechanical front-loading disc drive, four controller ports, and two memory card slots.
The good news is that if you can get used to the size it's a great buy. Having both a progressive scan DVD player and a GameCube in one is a huge advantage. The bad news is that the system is only going to be available in Japan for the time being according to one of the representatives at the show. He commented that it would be too expensive to bring it stateside. However, as we know all too well electronics devices drop in price over time. So, there's still hope it will be released overseas
The Panasonic GameCube has absolutely no extra graphics processing functionality, no increased disc drive speed for software, or any other extras when it comes to playing GCN games. All the benefits you get from purchasing one come in the form of DVD movie playback. The machine will retail for around $300 and offers progressive scan and Dolby Digital/DTS output capabilities. If you do the math and subtract the cost of GameCube, you get a high-end DVD player for only $100. Not a bad deal at all, and it's a space saver too.
What's most interesting about the player is that Pansonic's name is branded on everything down to even the controller. If it weren't for the .5" square GameCube logo found in the lower right hand side of the frontplate, you wouldn't know it was a Nintendo game system. Panasonic supplies the DVD disc drives to Nintendo and most likely has struck a deal to provide the drives cheaply if Nintendo does the same with the GCN hardware. Whatever the case is, it takes some getting used to seeing merely the words "Panasonic" on your GameCube controller.
The design of the system is all around very odd for both a videogame system and a DVD player. It's an elongated cube with arched handles on the top, obviously borrowing a lot from the original GCN design. The frontplate is made up entirely of a mirror (which makes for a hard photo shoot). It has four buttons on the right used to open/close the disc drive, select surround sound mode, mute, and switch to GameCube mode. On the left side the player has four buttons for power, dialogue enhancement, cinema modes, and game reset. In between those buttons you'll find everything you need to play GameCube including a mechanical front-loading disc drive, four controller ports, and two memory card slots.
The good news is that if you can get used to the size it's a great buy. Having both a progressive scan DVD player and a GameCube in one is a huge advantage. The bad news is that the system is only going to be available in Japan for the time being according to one of the representatives at the show. He commented that it would be too expensive to bring it stateside. However, as we know all too well electronics devices drop in price over time. So, there's still hope it will be released overseas
The last time they tried to make a intergrated "Home Entertainment Box" it just never took off. I looks down right nifty though doesn't it?
It looks like a microwave oven like Mr P said. 
