It’s no secret that Nintendo isn’t perceived as the coolest company around. Although they’ve made some steps in the right direction, most people, including a great percentage of avid gamers, still consider Nintendo to be, at best, behind the times, and at worst, a mere toy company that isn’t serious about the future of gaming.

The company recently launched a product that may help to turn the tide of public relations. The Game Boy Advance SP combines several much-needed technical improvements with a very classy, compact, and eye-catching makeover. Interestingly enough, the SP was launched at a time when the original GBA was performing quite well, even above expectations for the fiscal year. Nintendo most likely just wants to make the already healthy handheld market even more lucrative.

As soon as the GBA SP was released, people began speculating on the possibility of a similar treatment for the GameCube. Nintendo’s console system has experienced lagging sales and generally poor mainstream reception, despite a great software library and some very capable hardware. Two of the GameCube’s problems, according to its critics, are an unappealing design and lack of extra features like DVD playback and online capability. Though online gaming is a complex issue that requires more than just new hardware to resolve, the other perceived weaknesses could certainly be fixed with a new version of the GameCube hardware.

But should Nintendo bother? If the recent admission of lower-than-expected sales is any indication, absolutely. While the GameCube has a few holes in its game lineup, public image is by far the most prominent factor in the system’s mediocre performance so far. Let’s face it: the GameCube just ain’t cool. I love it to death, but I can’t honestly say that the GameCube is the coolest, sleekest piece of electronics sitting in my living room. It’s not even close. And while some gamers may not care about such a superficial weakness, the “uncool” factor is hurting GameCube, and Nintendo, pretty badly.

Nintendo is working hard on its software lineup and third-party support, but none of that will matter much unless the GameCube can climb out of its image rut. A redesigned version of the hardware, if properly priced and marketed, could do wonders for this platform. Adding a few extra features would help convince those gamers who are mainly sticking PlayStation 2 and Xbox simply because they have more functionality.

So let’s consider what the GameCube SP should do to accomplish its goal. First, it has to be eye-catching. Not in the “Huh?” sense that many people experienced when first seeing the original model, but in the “Sweet!” sense that most of us felt when seeing the first pictures of the GBA SP. The new GameCube should be something that blends in well with other electronic components in a person’s living room or bedroom. It should be sporty and sleek, something adults wouldn’t mind having near their televisions. And, of course, it should still be more or less cube-shaped, in keeping with the name. Balancing these factors would not be an easy task.

In terms of functionality, an obvious choice is DVD playback. Sony and Microsoft have managed to keep piracy quite low despite their stance on this matter, and with GameCube media’s heavy encryption and dissimilarity to normal DVDs, Nintendo should not have too much trouble preventing piracy even with movie playback included.

Another wise addition would be built-in broadband capability. Regardless of whether Nintendo ever allows GameCube to have a decent online presence, the broadband adaptor will soon be an integral part of the system’s extensive networking plans. Setting up a LAN among GameCubes would be even easier if the system didn’t require a separate adapter to connect. Depending on the revised model’s physical design, there could even be room for a modem adapter to fit in or be switched out with the broadband module.

Hard-wiring the Game Boy Player into GameCube SP would be a smart idea. Alternatively, the separate GBP unit could simply be packed in with the system. This feature is less important than the others, but it would certainly help define GameCube SP as the ultimate, comprehensive GameCube model.

The downside to all this remodeling is that it requires a significant investment in design and hardware, and Nintendo might determine that the increase in GameCube hardware and software sales would not justify the investment. But wait…what if part of the work had already been done? It just so happens that a cooler, sleeker, more functional version of the GameCube already exists. It’s called the Panasonic Q, and in addition to its main draw, DVD movie playback, it also happens to look much cooler and more modern than the standard GameCube. For whatever reason, Panasonic has never released the Q outside of Japan and the surrounding region.

It is very likely that Nintendo could buy or license the Q technology from Panasonic, make a few adjustments (such as enabling the standard Game Boy Player and/or packing in a broadband adapter), and produce Nintendo-branded versions for sale across the globe. In large production runs and with newer technology, the enhanced Q could probably be marketed as GameCube SP for $200 USD or less. It sports a silver casing, a striking mirrored face, and light-up controller ports. It plays GameCube games and DVD movies, and it could be modified to include the other features I’ve mentioned as well.

In short, Nintendo has at its potential disposal hardware that could become exactly what the GameCube market needs. Hardcore fans who have clamored for a domestic version of the Q would be thrilled, and most everyone else would think the GameCube SP was designed from scratch to correct the original’s problems, just as the Game Boy Advance SP was. But whether the Q is modified or the GameCube SP really is designed from the ground up by Nintendo, this is a product desperately needs to revitalize the GameCube’s position in the industry.