Well I think my CDI just got bumped out of last place... The nuon.

[Dripfree]

Well I bought a nuon. I don't know why... it was 5 dollars no controllers or games... I couldn't help it... It just happened... I told myself "if you dont buy it you will find a stack of games tomorrow". So now I got this thing. Anyone else have a nuon? Whats the absolute must have game for every nuon owner? Should I throw it away? Why did I do this?.....

 

Oh and has anyone heard of a gamewave? A local goodwill has a bunch of gamewave games. I was tempted because I thought "if you don't buy them you will find a gamewave player tomorrow" ... I somehow managed to not buy them.

[Austin]

Yeah, the Nuon doesn't have much software available for it. Some of it is good (Tempest 3000, Iron Soldier 3), some of it is just OK (Merlin Racing, Freefall), some of it is simply quick, average ports of other pre-existing games (The Next Tetris, Ballistic, Space Invaders).. aaaand, that's about it. Super tiny library, most of the games are uncommon and hard to get (rule out Iron Soldier 3 completely, for instance). Also, it's kind of useless from a gameplay perspective without a control pad.

 

The CD-i most certainly has a lot more software to choose from and I'd say it definitely wins in options available, but T3K alone is more playable than the entire CD-i library combined, so there's at least that.

 

Game Wave is a novelty at best. Typically fairly cheap to acquire and it basically consists of a bunch of FMV-based puzzle and quiz games. The quiz games can be fun if you have people to play them with, but that's about it.

Edited June 6, 2017 by Austin

[godslabrat]

Gamewave was essentially a DVD player that was superficially gussied up to look like a console. The remote was redesigned to be held like a controller, and the games were basically the point-and-tap games that you'd find on kids movies in the early 2000s.

 

Essentially, it was the result of putting a whole bunch of terrible ideas in a blender and hitting "liquify". It's not even like you can find a unique experience that jusifies trying it just to see how bad it is. You've already played games like that before, these aren't different or better, they're just encased in an ugly DVD player.

[Iwantgames:)]

Man I wish my Goodwill had Gamewave games. I only have 1 game for my system, Gemz, which is a decent bejeweled clone

[Rick Dangerous]

Good luck finding a controller!!

 

I'm just jealous, would love to find a Nuon in the wild but have NEVER seen one.

[Blazing Lazers]

Good luck finding a controller!!

 

I'm just jealous, would love to find a Nuon in the wild but have NEVER seen one.

 

Keep looking- and also do Craigslist searches by the model numbers, such as N501, N2000, etc. I've twice found Nuon capable players, without even trying to. They're out there- most people who bought them just have no inkling of the gaming functions. Probably plenty still being used in people's houses across the land. Nuon is the rarest and most obscure platform that can actually be had quite affordably and located without great difficulty.

[Flojomojo]

I have a Samsung NUON. If it were worth anything I would have flipped it by now.

 

I'll bet you could make your own controller if you're handy.

 

Frankly, it's not really worth it ... Freefall and Tempest are the only games I liked, and they're executed better elsewhere.

 

It runs burned CDs if you really want to try the games.

 

Everything written about this funny little system is at http://www.nuon-dome.com

[Tanooki]

CDi gets a bad wrap as the media of the era (basically EGM) sought to crush them with some blackmail and abuse. It never was intended as a game system, but it was intended to play games as one of many options and the hardware clearly had certain strengths and failures along those lines. That said, despite people ripping on those lovely FMVs in the 2 Zelda titles (and for them just existing along with the far worse 3rd overhead one), it had a fairly diverse library, a few ports in it too, but excellent stuff if you were into those styles of game. I had one, hell if I were given the chance (and I do mean cheap like that Nuon kinda) I'd probably keep a hold on one again if I could get my old library back and then some. I had one. I had Link Faces of Evil, Hotel Mario, Mutant Rampage Bodyslam(like final fight/mutation nation neo geo), Escape from Cyber City (aka galaxy express 999), Namco Museum, Lords of the Rising sun, Chaos Control, Voyeur, Caesars Boxing, Dragon's Lair, Space Ace and a few others I can see in my mind and the titles escape me. Even with the stuff I had there were more titles I would have loved. Nuon basically had no library, it was like the virtual boy of consoles with so few stuff fingers and toes would accommodate a list. CDi was dead a few years after arrival globally, nuon was more or less DOA. To own one I'd think as a collector would be a treat as it's a screwy anomaly that maybe had some potential but got snuffed out by the big dogs.

[Dripfree]

Good luck finding a controller!!

 

I'm just jealous, would love to find a Nuon in the wild but have NEVER seen one.

 

This is actually the second one I have seen in the wild. The first one had a lot of rattling going on when I picked it up. I didn't think it was worth the effort of fixing so I passed.

I have a Samsung NUON. If it were worth anything I would have flipped it by now.

 

I'll bet you could make your own controller if you're handy.

 

Frankly, it's not really worth it ... Freefall and Tempest are the only games I liked, and they're executed better elsewhere.

 

It runs burned CDs if you really want to try the games.

 

Everything written about this funny little system is at http://www.nuon-dome.com

I considered looking into making one cuz I am pretty handy, but it uses some type of proprietary plug. I haven't looked into it yet but im betting it's just a modified mini usb.

 

I'm not sure about this thing. Its weird cuz I dont really care about it, don't really want to play it, I wasn't looking for it but when I saw it I had to have it. I did hook it up and it plays dvds so Im betting the gaming aspect works just fine too. Im sure many here understand this but I have reached a point where the collecting of the games is the real game. Finding a new piece for the collection is unlocking an achievement... What a weird hobby...

[Rick Dangerous]

The CDi has better library than most assume. I have 20+ CDi games that are well worth a play. The Nuon, though powerful, has nowhere near that depth. It's definitely a novelty console in the realm of such never released consoles as the Panasonic M2. Still want one

[Austin]

CDi gets a bad wrap as the media of the era (basically EGM) sought to crush them with some blackmail and abuse. It never was intended as a game system, but it was intended to play games as one of many options and the hardware clearly had certain strengths and failures along those lines.

 

CD-i gets a bad wrap because it has a mediocre library at best. Sure, there are some "gems", but even some of those lack wide appeal, and/or are made redundant elsewhere.

 

It would also be nice if people would stop pulling the "It wasn't intended as a game system" card, as if it somehow excuses the platform from being the train wreck that it is. Games were always a focal point of the platform (along with the other forms of edutainment and multimedia), and after a point Philips made a pretty hard push to market it as a game platform. Stating the former is admitting complete ignorance to the later.

Edited June 7, 2017 by Austin

[Tanooki]

It's not a card or an excuse either for being a train wreck which it did end up being, I had one when it came out and it was never sold as a game system. It was designed to do nothing exceptionally well, it was a mediocrity based swiss army knife basically. They pushed it heavily with their movie format they wanted to take over, but also for educational and informational purposes. Even their kiosk spots and flyers in the stores weren't just covered with games. It was an option of the system but not the focal point to move it alone or as the highlight. Philips wanted VCD to take off instead of VHS, but it lacked so DVD swooped in and put that to death.

[godslabrat]

Philips wanted VCD to take off instead of VHS, but it lacked so DVD swooped in and put that to death.

 

 

In addition, it was released at this weird point when people could see that interactive media was a huge part of the future, but computers weren't yet affordable (for most people) and the internet was still several years away (for most people). The VCR form factor was much more familiar than the PC form factor. By early 90s standards, the CD-i looked amazing on paper.

 

I'm gonna take a middle road between Tanooki and Austin. No, it wasn't "intended" as a game system, but that was absolutely the primary tool in marketing, with "get a CD encyclopedia to help your kids with their homework" as a close second. It's not that different than how, today, a PS4 is absolutely a game system first, but netflix streaming is an obvious side benefit. The big difference is that the PS4 actually does what it does WELL.

[crazydean]

Was this the system with like 6 games but 5 different controllers at launch?

[Torr]

The Nuon's capabilities make it seem like the it would have been the ultimate engine/os for running a Special Features Disc.

If they had focused less on the gaming aspect, but more on the "Special Special Features" (that may also have a game inside, so maybe buy a game controller too!)

Then they may have succeeded as Patent Holder of a patent all the major companies want to use on there "Special Edition" DVD sets/editions.

 

And then there would have been bickering of how the budget DVD players would be incompatible with the Special Features Discs (Although the Movie Disc would still play fine)

And since half the population would probably have a budget model, DVD makers would be less inclined to make Special discs

And then when they did they would be overpriced... blah blah blah...

 

Only history could tell... but it can't, cause it didn't happen that way!

Edited June 7, 2017 by Torr

[godslabrat]

The Nuon's capabilities make it seem like the it would have been the ultimate engine/os for running a Special Features Disc.

If they had focused less on the gaming aspect, but more on the "Special Special Features" (that may also have a game inside, so maybe buy a game controller too!)

Then they may have succeeded as Patent Holder of a patent all the major companies want to use on there "Special Edition" DVD sets/editions.

 

And then there would have been bickering of how the budget DVD players would be incompatible with the Special Features Discs (Although the Movie Disc would still play fine)

And since half the population would probably have a budget model, DVD makers would be less inclined to make Special discs

And then when they did they would be overpriced... blah blah blah...

 

Only history could tell... but it can't, cause it didn't happen that way!

 

Well, recall that in the early-mid 2000s, the DVD market was trending toward including lots of discs in each release, and cramming as many "Special Features" into each release as it could. The logic was, the more bullet points you could put on the box, the more people would buy it. And this was basically true.. until it wasn't. It seems that the mainstream public grew fatigued of buying extras they would probably never watch, so it stopped being worth the extra expense to produce them. Now, even "Feature Packed" editions of most movies are fairly modest compared to what you would have seen in 2003 or so.

 

So, I think there's some merit to what you suggest. If NUON had been a bigger hit and had affected buying habits, I think it would have eventually followed the same path, and probably sooner rather than later.

[Flojomojo]

Jeez ... I haven't thought about Bedazzled for a long time.

 

Having lived through that is what makes me think that VR gaming will wash out like the fads before it ... like the app store rush, 3DTV, CD-ROM edutainment, and many other neat things that didn't sell enough to justify their existence. We're lucky to live in a time where the big console makers are in very good shape.

 

There were even fewer movies with NUON features than there were NUON games.

 

Only four DVD releases utilized Nuon technology. All of them were released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:

• The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
• Bedazzled (2000 remake)
• Dr. Dolittle 2
• Planet of the Apes (2001 remake)

 

[+thanatos]

I bought the Bedazzled DVD (bargain bin purchase) years before I ever even owned a Nuon. Learned it was a Nuon disc after that, but still have never bothered to try it in it.

[Karyyk]

I finally sold mine off a while back. I liked it for what it was (the only way to play Tempest 3000...that's basically it). Once I picked up a Playstation TV (for peanuts) and TxK, it became very expendable...

[doctorclu]

So my thoughts on the Nuon:

 

Picked up a Nuon in 2000, was my reason to FINALLY get a DVD player. That, and Galaxy Quest having the whole movie in Thermian language sold me on it. I was big into the Jaguar, found out about the spiritual successor, the Nuon, being sold, and with it also being a DVD player bought the Samsung N2000.

 

Used that for one for a while and it had some cool features aside from the games like the 20 time zoom and the VLM 2.

 

The overall marketing for the Nuon was so.. colorful and shiney. I still like the positive energy and sounds used when selecting things.

 

Got a Toshiba SD2300 to play Iron Soldier 3 since the N2000 would not play that. Tried to get a N501 at Best Buy but was denied a credit application (my credit score is much much better since then.)

 

By 2001 the games were selling for a $1 a piece. I picked up some Nuon controllers a few years later at a flea market for like $5 a piece. Then in 2016 I found a N501 in a pawn shop for $20 and got back into the game system, acquired what games I could, and burned all the demo games and tried them out.

 

NUON Games (and my thoughts)

Ballistic - Fun game. Maybe a ported PS1 title, but fun.
Crayon Shin-Chan (Korea only) - Only put here for completeness. No I don't have this game, but the only bad release in my book.
FreeFall 3050 A.D. - graphically interesting, a lot to it. Yet to master it, but a quality game for the Nuon.
Iron Soldier 3 - I was a fan of the first two Iron Soldier games on the Nuon and thought this was good as well.
Merlin Racing - Lots of mascots, hours of racing. I find this one to be one of the better titles on the Nuon. Also the spiritual successor to "Atari Carts" on the Jaguar.
Space Invaders XL - Simple space invaders game, but "Time Attack" is a nice upgrade, and a two player verses mode (with computer)
The Next Tetris - Finally got ahold of this one. The graphics are a bit raw, you can tell this was just meant to be a limited release quick port but otherwise fun.
Tempest 3000 - This like it's predecessor, Tempest 2000, showcases the graphical and sound ability of the system nicely. A fun game. Tempest 2000 fans will find this version is a bit slower paced, and sometimes the screen is a bit cluttered with activity.

 

Then you have the demo releases which can be downloaded at the Nuon Dome:

• Ambient Monsters - A slide show of some weird sea creatures.
• Atari / C64 Video Game Music Player - Plays a bunch of Atari and C64 songs, but not a true SID player, more it plays the music of those systems with Nuon sound capibility.
• Atari 800 Emulator - Plays M.U.L.E. and at like 1/6th speed. Still an cool alpha/beta release.
• Atari 2600 PacMan - Pac-Man was one of the code examples so you see rehashes of it. This looks like 2600 Pac-Man.
• BOMB - Basically a game where you move your character around on a field collecting dots and trying not to collect bombs. kinda basic graphics but cute.
• Breakout - Plays like 2600 breakout.
• Chomp - Pac-Man like game.
• Decaying Orbit - Game where you fly a ship around influenced by the gravity of other objects. Cool enough game.
• Doom - Liked this, a port of the PC version of Doom.
• PacMan - Tournament Edition - A Pac-Man game.
• SameGame - A tile match game similar to the Dreamcast/PC game Sega "Swirl"
• Sheshell's Sea Adventure - A undersea Space Invaders more or less.
• Snake - Go around the screen, eat dots, get bigger, try not to eat yourself. What computer system or platform would be complete without this game?
• Synth Demo - A jukebox that plays music!
• Yaroze Classics - Contains three games:

Katapila - A game where you hop up onto platforms above you while the platforms you just left disappear.

Invs - A shoot em up game. Reminded me of "Attack of the Timelord" on the Odessey2.

Breakdown - You have a turret at the middle of the screen and you deploy various weaponry to fend off the approaching attackers.

Overall I think the main releases were good or at least fun gameplay.

The demo scene showed that games could be made for Nuon, though when I revisit those games I generally play Doom, Decaying Orbit, or the Yaroze Classics. I still want to port "Return of Heracles" for the Atari 800 emulator at some point.

Some fun to be had, though right now the greatest challenge is finding a game controller.

For those that thinking they can just modify a N64 controller, or a regular Wingman controller the thing to keep in mind is every Nuon controller has a tiny Nuon specific chip on the board of the controller that talks to the Nuon at power up. So there is the true reason why Nuon controllers are so rare.