NUON controllers have become a rare commodity over the years, which has driven eBay prices into the hundreds of dollars for certain models (remember the days of $15 HPI Warrior controllers?).
With interest in NUON on the rise thanks to Songbird’s re-releases of Iron Soldier 3 and FreeFall, cracked authentication and new development on the NUON emulator “Nuance,” two solutions for the controller issue have emerged to help gamers get hands-on with the NUON at a more affordable price.
The first to market (well, pre-order at least) is the NUON USB from ControllerAdapter.com. This $60 adapter will let you connect a wide array of USB gaming controllers to your NUON-enhanced DVD player, including the Logitech Wingman PC controller, which is nearly identical to the Logitech Gamepad for NUON:
You can also see the adapter working with a PlayStation 5 DualSense controller here.
Here are the features of the adapter, according to the manufacturer’s website:
Features:
- Simulate Nuon controller with all 14-buttons and analog inputs
- USB controller as Nuon controller
- USB HID keyboards/mice as Nuon controllers
- Firmware Updatable
Future:
- Second analog and spinner input for Tempest 3000.
- Emulated Nuon splitter multi-tap with USB Hub.
- Possible rumble implementation for home brew.
- Possible serial communication for developers.
Compatible:
- Any USB controller with X-Input mode
- 8BitDo 2.4g USB Receivers
- 8BitDo USB Wireless Adapters (Red/Black/Gray)
- Xbox (OG/360/One/Series)
- PS Classic USB Controller
- PS4 DualShock 4 Wired
- PS5 DualSense Wired
- Sega AstroCity Mini USB Controller
- RetroBit Sega Genesis 6-button USB Controller
Includes:
- NUON USB 0.5 meter cable
To get a NUON USB of your own, get on the Pre-Order List at ControllerAdapter.com.
The other controller solution in development is an N64 controller to NUON adapter coming soon from Songbird Productions. According to a recent tweet from developer @wireengineer, the adapter is now complete and currently being tested on different games and NUON player models.
Keep an eye on the Songbird Productions website for news on this adapter. And we’ll post about it here on NUON-Dome when it’s available, too.
Today, Songbird Productions announced pre-orders for a limited re-release of FreeFall 3050 A.D., a game that went to retail production for the NUON DVD platform in 2000, but has recently been back in the spotlight after an originally-canceled Xbox port was unofficially released as open source, followed by an official port of the game released on Steam, both in 2019.
For NUON enthusiasts, this new Songbird version comes in two flavors:
Limited Edition ($74.95 until Oct 24, then $79.95):
- Professionally replicated DVD including Amaray case and 28-page manual
- Licensed from Total ArKade Software Ltd
- Game is identical to the original version
- Compatible with NUON IR remotes as well as NUON controllers
- Manual upgraded with color interior
- 3 pages of original concept art included in the manual
Signature Edition ($99.95):
Includes all features above from the Limited Edition, plus:
- SIGNATURE EDITION printed on the Amaray case insert
- Hand-signed by Freefall 3050 AD producer Tony Takoushi
- Includes 8.5″ x 11″ fold-out mini-poster and acrylic pin featuring Freefall 3050 AD artwork
- Limited to only 50 units, limited to one per customer.
Additionally, the poster and pin are available as a separate purchase for $9.99.
Pre-orders are expected to ship in November 2022. For more information on the game, check out the NUON-Dome review, as well as some gameplay footage below from Atarian Web 2000 on YouTube:
The NUON community reached a big milestone today thanks to a programmer named “EdgeConnector.” According to NUON homebrew developer Gameblabla, EdgeConnector cracked the NUON authentication keys, allowing homebrew games to be burned to DVD, rather than using the old NUON.CD procedure that restricted homebrew to the DVD-N50x and RCA model NUON players.
With this development, Toshiba SD-2300 and Samsung DVD-N2000 users can load homebrew NUON games for the first time, beginning with Gameblabla’s “Kill Minds.”
- Download Kill Minds from Gitlab (2.9 MB)
Want to learn more? Jump into the discussion over in the NUON-Dome Forums!
Good news! Songbird Productions hit the required interest level, so a limited-run re-release of Iron Soldier 3 is a go.
Place your pre-order by Jan. 22 and get $5 off. The game includes a professionally pressed DVD, 28-page manual, Amaray case with full-color outer wrap, and shrink-wrap.
Production is already underway and will ship by March 2021. Additional details and an FAQ are available on the Songbird Productions website.
First off — yes, this is a NUON-Dome update in 2020. It’s been a weird year for many reasons and hope you’re all doing well.
But I come bearing good news for NUON fans: Songbird Productions, longtime publisher of games on platforms like the Atari Jaguar and Lynx, have licensed the elusive Iron Soldier 3 for a re-release on NUON! According to Carl Forhan of Songbird productions, this release is getting the white glove treatment to ensure all of the layout graphics for the disc, case and manual will be superb. This will be an exact replication of the existing IS3 that saw a brief retail release back in the day.
Songbird needs 100 sign-ups to make this release happen, though, so to show your support and see more details, get on the waitlist now at https://tinyurl.com/yyjdunao
