Alright, so now you know what the greatest GameCube games of all time are. How do you intend on playing those games? A plain-jane GameCube system won't do the best games in the world justice, so you'll probably want to consider getting one of these items (if you don't already have them) to play the games the way they were meant to be played. We present to you this extra special-within-a-special, the Greatest GameCube Hardware.

Back when Nintendo announced they'd be making the switch to the disc format for game storage, people were delighted at the possibility of a console that could also play DVDs and music CDs, just like the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. When it was revealed that the GameCube would use proprietary 8cm mini-discs, the dream of a Nintendo DVD playing console was lost.

That was, until Nintendo later announced they'd be producing a special GameCube/DVD Player hybrid device for the Japanese market. Partnered with Japanese electronics giant Matsushita, the Panasonic Q was released on December 14, 2001 and immediately became gaming's most sought-after import item. Dubbed the "Shiney" due to its highly reflective metallic finish, the Q was a much more desirable system compared to the purple and black lunch boxes that launched in America. Aftermarket mods enabled it to become a region-free game and movie player, which a lot of people liked.

Though speculation ran rampant about the Q coming to America or Europe, it never happened. That's a great shame, because just seeing the Shiney up close was in itself a treat. Playing games on it was even sweeter. If you managed to obtain one (and paid the high price to do so), consider yourself very fortunate to own one of the GameCube's relics.

A much more common GameCube accessory was something that didn't play GameCube games at all. In a strange move, Nintendo announced that the Game Boy Player, a device that let people play the entire Game Boy library on a television screen, would be released in America in June of 2003. At first, people were confused. What purpose would be served in playing handheld games on a console? Why only release it in one color when there are three different colored GameCubes? We all shut up about it once the thing was released, realizing that it was the best way to experience Game Boy games.

To some people, it was like a second coming of the SNES. There were a lot of GBA games that rekindled memories of the 16-bit golden age, where gameplay was the prime factor that determined how good games were. Being able to play them on your TV screen stoked the flames even more. Support for Game Boy Color and old-school original Game Boy games made the GBP's appeal too great to resist for 2D purists or people with a big handheld collection. It was so alluring, people imported months before it was made available to North America. (The fact that you could get the Player in colors other than black contributed to the import rush.) Nintendo even released a version of the Game Boy Player for the Panasonic Q, despite Shiney's relatively small audience.

People everywhere are still using their Game Boy Players. Many people were disappointed to hear that the GBP would be incompatible with the backwards-compatible Wii. That was inevitable, given the shape of the GC extension. Nonetheless, the Game Boy Player allows GameCube owners the opportunity to play the greatest Game Boy games in the greatest way.

Hey, what's the Wii doing at the end of a week-long tribute for the GameCube? Well, the Wii is 100% backwards compatible with its predecessor, and therefore the best thing going for the GameCube right now. The GC only sold around 22 million units worldwide, and chances are that Wii will hit that number quickly. That is to say, there will be a lot of Wii owners who didn't own a GameCube, and therefore a lot of Wii owners who never played any of the games on our list of the GameCube's greatest.

They shunned the GameCube hardware. Who could blame them, given the sorry state of things toward the end of the system's life cycle? The tragedy was how many people missed out on games that are unanimously considered some of the best ever created. Well guess what? Nintendo is giving people another chance. They'll be able to play GameCube games on their Wii systems to make up for lost time.

It's not just the people who skipped the GC, either; have you played all the games that made our list of the GameCube's best? I wouldn't bet on it. If you passed on a game that made our list, whatever reason you came up with is probably a weak one. You're out of excuses. Finding a used A+ game in a specialty retail store shouldn't be hard to do. It will be a good price for the quality of game you'll wind up getting.

If you think there's a game drought on the Wii, you're nuts. Buy a GameCube controller. Go find an awesome GameCube game you haven't played yet. Put it in your Wii. Play it. You'll thank us later.