I AM SERCHIN FOR NOuN INFORMATION<br>I WANT TO LERN ABOWT noun<br>I HERD THAT
noun WULD RAWK THE WERLD<br>IZ IT TRU?

The Website is updated and there´re some
<br>wonderful news, like:<br><br>HIGH RANKING SONY EXECUTIVE
DEPARTS FOR SILICON VALLEY TECHNOLOGY COMPANY<br><br>Paul
Culberg, Former Executive Vice President Worldwide of
Sony's Columbia TriStar Home Video Unit, Joins VM Labs
To Expand Company's Interactive Entertainment Vision
<br>.<br>.<br>.<br><a href=http://nuon-tech.com/releases/05_30_00.html
target=new>http://nuon-tech.com/releases/05_30_00.html</a>

For those that don't know, Ballistic is a
fast-paced puzzler that's already been released on the
Playstation. I haven't played it, but it's received good marks
from most mags (Next Gen gave it 4 stars for instance)
and should be about as good a pack-in as you can
get.<br><br>Heh, that's one thing NUON has going for it, a Pack-In
game!

Three of my friends were at E3, and I spoke
briefly with one of them on the phone a few hours ago
about his experience there. I didn't have much time to
ask all the questions I would have liked, but I did
cajole some NUON information and opinions from
him.<br><br>NOTE: I wasn't at the show, so these are not my own
personal opinions. I'm just reporting what my friend told
me.<br><br>NUON in general: Overall, he said he wasn't all that
impressed.<br><br>Tempest 3000: Awesome game, with great colors and music,
and it played a lot like Tempest 2000 on the Jaguar.
He met Jeff Minter personally, and said that he was
a very cool guy. He never new Yak was British until
now. He was wearing his famous sweater with the little
llamas all over it. :)<br><br>Merlin Racing: He didn't
like it very much. I asked him how it compared to
Crash Team Racing (one of my favorite character-based
racers), and in his words, "it isn't even one-tenth the
game that Crash Team Racing is."<br><br>Iron Solider
3: He didn't care for this one, either. I asked how
it compared to the PlayStation version, and he said,
"I think the PlayStation one just played better; I
think it looked a little better,
too."<br><br>Unfortunately, I didn't ask about any other games.<br><br>VLM:
Very cool, and it reacts to the music (he sounded like
he was surprised by this).<br><br>DVD movie
playback: "Very good." That's all he said on the
subject.<br><br>I asked if he saw the Toshiba machine there, and he
said he saw that and the Samsung machine. He said that
both of them should be selling for about
$400.<br><br>I asked if he had gotten any goodies there, and he
said that VM Labs was giving out NUON-enhanced DVD
movies. One of the guys got two movies, and one of these
was given to him by Jeff Minter personally. Sorry, I
didn't find out what titles.<br><br>I'll be sure to
question him and the other two guys some more when they
get back home in a day or two.

I must be in the dark here, because this is the
first I've heard of Ballistic (the flyer that is). I
guess it's already been on several platforms. Hopefully
its somewhat improved (if it wasn't a great game
already). Still probably won't be Tempest 3000, but at
least maybe a decent pack in game (better than none at
all).<br><br>I think the screen fit button is used to compensate
for differences in peoples' television screens so
that the picture doesn't stretch too far? I don't
believe it has anything to do with the letterboxing,
since from what I understand letterboxing is normally
handled by the DVD disc itself (whether or not it has the
LB version) and you choose which version you want to
view if so via the DVD players controls. Then again, I
don't own a DVD player yet. Still holding out, waiting
for a Nuon-enhanced one:)<br><br>Thanks for letting
me know that the pics were viewable,
Lou.<br><br>--su700fan

Thanks for the nifty scans su700fan. I was able
to view them without any problems.<br><br>That
controller looks like it could be dangerous if one were to
accidentally sit on it the wrong way.<br><br>The other thing I
found interesting is the screen fit button on the front
of the unit. I assume this is to get rid of the
letterboxes. I've never owned or even used a DVD player. Are
there certain movies you can only view in letterboxed
format? Is this screen fit function on other players as
well, or is it an advanced feature made possible by
NUON?<br><br>I was disappointed not to see any screenshots of
Ballistic. Does anyone know if it's improved over previous
versions?<br><br>Lou

As subject said, I uploaded the 8 pages I scanned
of the flyer for the Samsung Extiva N2000 DVD player
to the Photos section to the left. Look under the
folder with that name. There should be 8 pics in that
folder. I uploaded them at the largest possible size for
better readability, but they are still 1/4 of original
scan size (8 1/2" x 11"), due to memory constraints
allowed for our Clubs' Photo section. They each run about
50Kb, so shouldn't take to long to view.<br><br>BTW, I
uploaded it to a folder that only I and the founder could
add/delete/edit files to. I hope this doesn't effect all the
other members besides us 2 being able to view it. Could
the first person who tries to view the flyer please
reply to this post saying whether or not they were able
to view it w/o any problems. If not, I will need to
recreate the folder again since apparently after you start
a folder you can't change it's edit
properties.<br><br>The flyer is (c)2000 Samsung and other related
companies products.<br><br>--su700fan

I've been pestering the guys at ABC Warehouse (a
local appliance chain store in the Midwest) and one of
the salespeople had a couple there, so he let me have
one. Makes me salivate just looking at the flyer
waiting for the Nuon enhanced DVD players to arrive :) I
can try over the next week or so to scan the 8 pages
and put them up in the PHOTOS section of this site
(if I have the authority to do so). That way others
can get a look at it. Of course the flyer is
(c)Samsung, VMLabs, etc. Hopefully ABC Warehouse will be
carrying Nuon DVD decks when they finally arrive. Not sure
if Circuit City will be. Looks like out of the loop
chain stores like Sears, etc., might also carry Nuon.
Until it's released though, we'll never know. I just
keep going around every week or so bugging a few
electronics stores to see if they have any in yet. I want my
VLM2!<br><br>--su700fan

How did you get the flyer? I'd like to get one for myself.<br><br>I think the
reason Tempest 3000 isn't the pack-in is because they know a lot of people will
probably end up buying it anyway. :)

I was able to get an 8 page full color
promotional flyer for above Nuon enhanced DVD player. It's
pretty nicely detailed. Looks like the Samsung model
will come packed in with an av cable, s-video cable,
instruction book, joystick universal remote control with 2 AA
batteries, Media Stick gamepad, Ballistic game disc (full
version), and a demo disc with 4 games (Tempest 3000, Iron
Soldier, Merlin Racing (Karting), and Freefall 3050 A.D.
Too bad T3k isn't the pack-in game and the others are
the demo. Is it out yet, dammit? I want it.
:)<br><br>--su700fan

If you haven't heard yet, their will be an interview with Freefall designer and
producer Tony Takoushi at Castle NUON later today. Be sure to check it out some
time...<br><br>Adam<br>iongames.cjb.net

No offense taken. I know exactly what you mean,
as I know of plenty of folks who have been waiting
as long as I have who got the shaft. What really
sucks is how some people bought copies and immediately
put them on eBay. Now those are the ones you should
get mad at...<br><br>And, yes, I do have people to
network with =)<br>I personally have 3 Jags hooked up now
(one in the den, one in my room and another in my
bro's room), and another still in the box. I also
bought Jags for my little cousing and two uncles. The
interesting thing is that there is still a local gaming shop
here that actively stocks new Jaguar and Lynx items,
not that I need any of them =)<br><br>Oh, Aircars
isn't worth networking...<br><br>My Jag still gets
quite a bit of use though, VLM of course, T2K, Hyper
Force, Protector, Highlander, IS2, Cannon Fodder, a
little AvP, etc.

No offense meant MW_carter. It just kinda peeves
me off that some get extra and others get none.
There might've been enough to give everyone at least
one if that's all every requester got. You actually
have someone to play a networked version with? Wow!
The Jaguar must actually be known to exist where you
live :) I got my brother-in-law and nieces a Jaguar a
couple of years ago as a present so technically I might
have a link up partner but it's not like they can
understand all the confusing controls for a game like
BattleSphere. And we don't have a Jaglink. To bad I didn't grab
the last one at KayBee's a couple years ago for only
$2. That's right, 2 american dollars. Figured I
wouldn't need it since I sold off my Doom previously and
never was able to get another copy of it. And other
than Doom, only Aircars and BattleSphere have
networking I believe.<br><br>Well, enjoy having fun with
your networked BS.:( Hope you enjoy it alot. Like I
said before, to me the point is pretty much now moot.
I hardly play my Jag anymore except for VLM and the
occasional game of T2k, D2k, MC3d, or
Breakout2k.<br><br>--su700fan

Uh, sorry about that. I'm one of those idiots
:\<br>Seriously though, I should be receiving my two copies of
Battle Sphere in another week or so, and I'm going to be
a happy camper when I get it, because frankly, it's
been a long wait. I've bought 4 Jaguars, 3 Catboxes
(in the process of purchasing a 4th) for this. 2
copies down, 2 to go. That being said, I have a friend
in Croatia that got turned down on the first run, so
I know what you mean.<br><br>They might have begun
importing Extiva units in late March/early April, but
there's no telling when they'll actually be on store
shelves. I'm actually glad in a way that it will be a
couple of months, because I don't have the money now to
buy it.

I would've bought Battlesphere, except for some
idiots were allowed more than one copy. And other idiots
were turning around and selling it for inflated prices
on Ebay, etc. Apparently us die-hard Jag fans aren't
as important as those types. I must've signed
4Play's interest sheet 3-4 times over the past 5 years
and signed up to buy a copy as soon as it was
announced on Scatologic's site (within a half day at most).
Yet I am turned down for one while others get two. I
just wanted to try it out. It's not like the Jag has
any real fan base in SE Michigan. No one even knows
it exists as a game platform here, practically. Even
in its heyday. I would most likely never have the
chance to try BS's networking capabilities unless I went
to a JagFest, so 1 copy would've been more than
sufficient for me. Oh Well. Guess Zero Five will have to
suffice as my BS. By the time they get another pressing
run of carts done for BattleSphere, even if the Nuon
is running late for release (like June), the Nuon
will still most likely be out before the next run of
BS. Like I said, too little to late.<br><br>Back on
topic. That sux if that's true. There's one or 2
mentions on Samsung's website (you have to search for it)
that was posted in January about their N2000 Extiva
DVD player. Of course they totally forget to mention
that it is Nuon-enhanced. They try to act like they
developed the game play, VLM, and advanced DVD
functionality themselves. Suckas. Afraid that mentioning Nuon
might doom their machine before it's even released? I
wonder. The posting above (from January) says the Extiva
will be imported to Americas in March 2000. It's
already April. Looks like you may be right. Maybe May or
June. Sux. Must be waiting to have more games/software
available. I just want an excuse to get a DVD player (VLM2)
and a chance to play Tempest 3000. Oh well, I don't
really have the cash right now to buy the Extiva ($500),
so the point is kinda moot. Though if it did come
out shortly I most definitely would find a way to
come up with the money to purchase
it.<br><br>--su700fan/wasted

I just uploaded 10 new pics of Freefall 3050 A.D.
from the Total Arkade Software site. Take a look.
Overall, not bad, although there is a definite low-poly
look to most of the characters. Still, it's another
NUON game, and the gameplay sounds quite original. It
also seems that TAKS is working on a futuristic racer
with some new gameplay as well.

Well, it would seem that we won't be seeing NUON
in stores for another couple of months, probably
JUNE. This hasn't been verified exactly, but I've seen
some posts about it, and considering the date, I would
think it's probable.<br><br>On the upside though, maybe
there will be more games available at launch. It seems
Total Arkade Software is working on a racing title now
that Freefall 3050 A.D. is done (I'll be uploading
some pics after this).<br><br>As for the Jaguar, I'd
keep it regardless. Buy Battle Sphere, that will be
one more reason to keep it around, at least until a
NUON version of that surfaces (since ScatloLOGIC has
signed on, it will probably happen). Still, when and if
you decide to sell it, let me know. I might be in the
market...

Well, according to Samsungs' notes and the Yak's
homepage, the Samsung N2000 Nuon-enhanced DVD player is
supposed to be out in the first quarter of 2000. There's
only 12 days left for the first quarter. Come on VM
Labs and Samsung. Bring that baby out already. I can't
wait to see VLM2 and Tempest 3000, and Iron Soldier 3
shortly thereafter. Once the Nuon enhanced DVD players
come out I guess I won't have much reason to own my
Jaguar anymore. Other than maybe Defender 2000 that is.
Anyone interested in buying a Jag/JagCD with 40-45
games, procontroller, and 2 extra SVideo cables? :) I
might consider selling it after I get the
Nuon.<br><br>--su700fan

You either read it in a Gamers' Republic article
from January 21, or on NUONline which has a link to
that article. :)<br><br>Up until I read that article,
I also hadn't heard anything about Ballistic coming
to NUON. I've seen it in stores for PlayStation and
Game Boy Color, but I've never played it. Perhaps
someone who has played it for one of those systems can
share an opinion on it.

I forget exactly where I read this, but I read
that the Samsung NUON-enabled N2000 DVD player was
going to be bundled with a controller & BALLISTIC, a
puzzler available for Playstation & Game Boy Color.
Anyone know anything about this, because I've never even
heard this title mentioned by VM Labs...

What I want is a nice rotary controller to play T3K with...I'd rather not have
to build one for NUON too ;-)<br><br>Didn't that red controller have a rotary on
it or something?<br><br>-Kevin

I noticed the same thing. It seems like a lot of
the NUON controllers in the pictures don't have
analog control. They seem to just have one joypad. It's
also possible that the pictured controllers do have
analog control on the joypad, perhaps switchable to
digital control and back (similar to Microsoft's
SideWinder Game Pad Pro for IBM PC/compatible
computers).<br><br>GameFan's look at aMaze mentions that they were controlling
the game using an analog stick.Based on that, I would
guess that at least some of the NUON controllers have
analog capabilities.

I'm not syaing the controllers they've shown so
far are bad, but what about that red prototype
controller??? None of the other ones even seem to have analog
control, so I might be missing something here. In one of
the articles/releases, I remember one pad referred to
as a something "Devil" so that could be it. The
others just don't seem to cut it, not compared to that
one anyway...

Check out the pics from Winter CES at The Digital Bits. There's some sweet
closeups of NUON enhanced DVD players and such.<br><br><a
href=http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/wces00/ces.html
target=new>http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/wces00/ces.html</a><br><br>-Ke\
vin

Just thought I'd pass this along. NUON seems to
be getting some serious press lately (finally!).
This time, it's from IGN DVD
(<a href=http://dvd.ign.com/ target=new>http://dvd.ign.com/</a>).<br><br>Nothing
we don't already know, but it's good to see the
word starting to get around.<br><br>-Kevin

I just added a link to the NUON Movies at GameFan
in the links section, but if you don't want to have
to click it, the URL
is:<br><br><a href=http://www.gamefan.com/hotinfo.asp?s=4523&rs=
target=new>http://www.gamefan.com/hotinfo.asp?s=4523&rs=</a><br><br>I also
uploaded some pictures of the Samsung N2000
NUON-enabled DVD player, some NUON game cases, controllers and
another unidentified NUON player into the "Hardware"
folder. To top it all off, I also uploaded a few Myst
screens into the new "Myst" folder. I know, I know, I was
bored...

In case you guys don't know, Game Fan has four
movies of NUON games at their site. The games are
Tempest 3000, Iron Soldier 3, aMaze & Merlin Karting.
Sadly, there aren't any of Freefall 3050 A.D. (I want to
see this one *IN MOTION*) & the VLM-2. While their
overall treatment of NUON is in a positive light, I think
they stress that it's not really a gaming platform a
little too much, then throw in that the games (Merlin
Karting & IS3) look like N64 games. I'll say this once,
they do not look like N64 games. Having played quite a
few N64 games myself, I can honestly say that from
the screens and movies, I see none of the trademark
"blur" usually associated with N64 games. They might not
look as good as Dreamcast, but they are superior to
N64 or Playstation. Off to the impressions:
<br><br>aMaze (Fungus Amungus): The screenshots don't do this
game justice. The ball looks much better, and
everything seems to be running in a very high-resolution.
The ball's surface also seems to change when it
touches certain surfaces. Not particularly exciting, but
it looks nice. <br><br>Tempest 3000 (Minter): About
what I expected. The plasma effects are nice, and
everything looks and moves very nicely. Smooth surfaces and
excellent lighting. Everything seemingly glows with
plasma... <br><br>Iron Soldier 3 (Eclipse): Probably the
most beleaguered title at last year's e3 due to its
relatively unimpressive looks, Iron Soldier 3 is looking
much better, if not altogether stunning. The pace
seems to move faster than the previous games, and the
explosions are much improved, although they still have that
shattering block look to them. The one part where the IS
launches the guided missle is kind of nice, and reminds me
of a Hoth speeder from Star Wars (Eclipse could
easily use this engine for a shooter similar to Rogue
Squadron). The snow is a nice touch too... <br><br>Merlin
Karting (Miracle Designs): This one got panned for
looking too much like an N64 game, and while the polygon
counts probably aren't much higher, the texturing looks
much better, with no blur. There's also plenty of
lighting and weapon effects. Gameplay also has changed a
bit from their previous effort, Atari Karts, in that
Miracle seemingly has adopted a weapon system to go along
with the racing. Not bad. VM Labs should take note,
because with some tweaking & optimization, the engine
could be used for a 3D platformer of some kind, a genre
NUON must have. <br><br>Well, that's all. Download
them youselves to see what I mean, but be forewarned,
the file sizes range from just under 6MB to over 10,
so if you have a slow connection (like I do), you
might want to have a program like GetRight handy, as
GameFan's server seems to be bogged-down to boot.

If the five pictures of Merlin Karting on VM
Labs' Web site weren't enough for you, there's 32 more
on Miracle Designs' Web site. Miracle Designs is the
developer of Merlin Karting (they also did Atari Karts for
the Atari Jaguar). Go to the following page on their
site:<br><br><a href=http://www.miracle-designs.com/mk.htm
target=new>http://www.miracle-designs.com/mk.htm</a>

Can't wait for the Nuon to finally be released
(hopefully this spring). At this point, just by looking at
the new pics of VLM2, with their high resolution
output, I'll buy the Nuon system just for the VLM2 and
DVD playback alone. Tempest 3000 and Iron Soldier 3
would be the icing on the cake. Hopefully it comes out
and many games will follow. Even if it doesn't make
it out as a viable games system though, I would love
to see it come out just so I can find an excuse to
get a DVD system since it would include the VLM2 with
it.<br><br>--su700fan

VM Labs has finally released a few official
screens, although not the ones I've been hoping for (where
are the 3rd party games). Tempest 3000 looks as good
as ever, while Iron Soldier 3 looks to be
much-improved over it's disappointing e3 outing. Rounding out
the games are aMaze (a few more posted), Freefall
3050 A.D. (looks interesting) and Merling Karting
(some additional ones beside the VM Labs shots too).
MYST was also announced as a launch title, but why
bother posting pictures of a product I don't even
consider a game and has been on every CD-based platform
since the 3DO. In addition, I also posted some pictures
of NUON's GUI (graphical user interface) and the
VLM-2. More to come...