Update [Thu 9th Feb, 2023 15:05 GMT]: Pre-orders are now open for the Aries64 adaptor, the device that lets users play Nuon-compatible games with any N64 controller.
The device costs $49.95 and will ship on March 15, 2023. It is limited to 125 units, so if you want one, you better act quickly! It's been confirmed to work on the Samsung N501 and Toshiba SD2300, and should work equally well on all Nuon systems with controller ports. You can preorder the device from Songbird Productions' store page here.
Original Story [Wed 25th Dec, 2022 11:05 GMT]: In December, we told you about the Nuon USB, a new adapter from the inventor Robert Dale Smith that would allow collectors to use various USB controllers to avoid the expense of buying costly Nuon gamepads.
Well, now it seems that a separate company called Songbird Productions is about to release another promising solution for those who happen to own one of these obscure machines. The Aries64 is a controller adapter that will let you use N64-compatible controllers on any Nuon system. That way you hopefully won't need to break the bank to try out its small library of games, but will be able to use controllers that you potentially have lying around.
In case you're in need of a quick refresher, the Nuon was an enhanced DVD player released in the early 2000s that let players access 3D games, in addition to watching movies. Only eight official games were ever released for the console, including Tempest 3000 and Freefall 3050 A.D., but it has since become popular among a community of collectors for both its novelty and historical interest.
The reason why these recent controller breakthroughs are so significant is that the Nuon itself featured a built-in "lock out" chip preventing most modern controller solutions. As such, collectors traditionally had to track down the various uncomfortable and expensive controller variations to make use of the machine. Now, thanks to the effort of folks like Songbird Productions and Robert Dale Smith, however, who have reverse-engineered the controller protocol, it seems like this may soon become a problem of the past.
According to Songbird Productions, pre-orders for the device will be available on February 8th, with the full release expected in March. We'll try and keep you updated when the store page goes live on Songbird Productions' site.