Gaming Hacks

Hack the Nuon DVD Player/Gaming System

Do unlikely and intriguing things with the cult DVD player and game chip combo.

Failed game systems often attract a certain amount of cult attention and new content as, abandoned in their full-price glory, they’re resurrected as cut-price toys for hackers, exploiters, and hardcore fans. This is definitely the case for the bizarre Nuon, the VM Labs-developed game console on a chip. VM Labs made a stealth bid for glory by bundling their game system in as many third-party DVD players as possible. While this attempt failed, the Nuon nonetheless made it to market.

With the ability to burn and play homebrew titles and accomplish other clever hacks with existing content, the Nuon is a fascinating, inexpensive games machine to hack around on. Some models feature the amazingly impressive Virtual Light Machine, which can generate effects you have to see to believe.

Nuon’s Short Life and Resurrectory Jaunt

Back in 1994, some of the creators of the Atari Jaguar founded VM Labs (which should partially explain the appearance of a certain shaggy Welsh psychedelic programmer later in this story!). They set up partnerships with major third-party DVD/consumer electronics manufacturers to license what the official FAQ for the now defunct Nuon web page explains is:

...powerful and versatile embedded technology that enhances the passive elements of digital video products such as DVD players, digital set tops and digital satellite receivers, while adding high performance ...