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The Nintendo GameCube, also known as the lunchbox console or Project: Dolphin in its pre-release phase, left a unique imprint on many gamers who grew up with the Nintendo franchise, while also being a good, family-friendly system. Like previous Nintendo consoles, the GameCube offers quirky accessories designed to support or amp up your gameplay. One such example was the DK Bongos, a specialized peripheral that you wouldn't know about unless you used it for the "Donkey Konga" rhythm series or "Donkey Kong Jungle Beat."
In contrast, other products, like the Panasonic Q, failed due to higher pricing coupled with factors like Japan exclusivity and the GameCube being less successful than its competitors in that era of gaming. Let's take a closer look at four of the rarest GameCube products that you probably didn't know existed, as well as what problems they were trying to solve, and why they're considered obscure today.
Read more: 9 Of The Weirdest Gadgets Made In The '80s
ASCII Keyboard Controller
The ASCII Keyboard Controller is one you likely have never heard of because it was only available in Japan. It's exactly what it sounds like: A Nintendo GameCube controller combined with a standard keyboard, minus the dedicated number pad. This luxurious combination also cost around 6800 Yen at release (around $54 today).
While the controller looked interesting, it was designed to work only if you owned and played "Phantasy Star Online" episodes 1 and 2. But it was such a peculiar accessory, as the GameCube did not have native networking capabilities out of the box — one of the few significant sore spots that the console had.
That's not to say Nintendo completely ignored online gaming, as an adapter became available post-launch to connect to the GameCube's bottom high-speed port. It was more so targeted as an offline console, so very few games made use of the keyboard controller — and each game that did required the developer/publisher to host its own servers. One of those came from the "Phantasy Star Online" franchise, which launched in the early 2000s, when Sega hosted its own servers. Ultimately, the ASCII keyboard controller remained niche due to Japanese market exclusivity, limited use geared toward Phantasy Star Online, and the GameCube's reliance on an adapter for online connectivity, unlike Sega's Dreamcast keyboard.
Action Replay Max
Action Replay Max appears as a small GameCube disc like every other game, but this piece of software was very different than any other published game. Inside the package, you also get a memory card that lets you save your own mods. You can think of it as what you used to modify a game's software before there was an actual dedicated modding community. Essentially, what this item does is that it comes pre-loaded with cheat codes and special commands, and you can also use it to load Homebrew software. It was also used to allow consoles to play games from different regions since Nintendo had region-locked their consoles, meaning a PAL game disc wouldn't work with a US-based GameCube.
Action Replay isn't unique to the GameCube; it was also available on physical cartridge and older disc-based systems, such as the Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, Sega Saturn, and Xbox. However, using Action Replay carried a mental "do it at your own risk" label, since it essentially changes the game's memory, which can cause weird behaviors, such as corrupted saves or in-game glitches. Browsing GameCube Action Replay online auctions shows how uncommon and valuable this accessory is today.
Intec Portable Screen & Battery Pack
The Intec Portable Screen & Battery Pack was a sufficiently chunky third-party accessory that essentially let you bring your lunchbox console while on the go. So instead of playing on your Game Boy Advance at the time, you could pack your console, attach a small LCD screen to it, and turn it on to game without an outlet (if you buy the battery pack that goes with it). However, unlike major modern gaming handhelds, this wouldn't last you all day. Typically, the included battery pack would only give you about 1.5 hours of gaming. Plus, just like any battery source combined with a device (like a gaming laptop), the battery may drain faster depending on how active and demanding the game is.
If you only want to use the portable screen accessory at home, you don't necessarily need to use a purchased battery pack to get the attached Intec monitor working. You plug it into the GameCube, which uses the GameCube power brick, so if you'd rather just play on the monitor rather than a TV, you can do that too, as long as you connect to an outlet. It's handy, but don't expect the best picture quality, given this accessory's age and its deterioration over time.
Panasonic Q
Designing a console with a multi-purpose feature is usually a good marketing strategy to convince parents that the new entertainment hardware will be used for more than just gaming. At the very least, that's what Sony did with the PlayStation 2 when it released a DVD drive inside their systems. The GameCube did have something similar while partnered with Panasonic, but only for one rare model: the Panasonic Q, which was their version of combining a DVD player with the Nintendo console. But it was rare and limited, with only under 100,000 units reportedly sold, plus it was Japan-only.
The Panasonic Q looked very different from the typical GameCube, which was originally released in indigo (a deep purple), jet black, and platinum silver. Panasonic Qs took on the lunchbox form, but looked like a mini stereo instead. It had a stainless steel chassis, a small LCD screen at the top with a built-in tray for DVDs, CDs, and GameCube games, and it weighed more than double a standard GameCube because of its hardware and metal chassis. Now, if you were to try to buy one, the hybrid console-DVD/CD player could run you close to one to two grand on eBay.
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