VM Labs' NUON in 2000

When the NUON platform was first announced two years ago, there was much hype revolving around what could possibly be the next big contender in the console market. Then called Project X, the technology was what many considered a Trojan horse - a gaming console that would be installed in peoples' homes without them knowing. VM Labs' intention all along has been for its NUON technology to be placed in mainstream DVD players so that consumers looking to buy DVD components would find a game-playing device installed - for little to no extra cost. It seemed like a great plan, considering the massive potential for the installed base of the DVD medium.

But that was two years ago. With still no NUON-enhanced DVD players out on the market, and a mediocre - at best - showing of software at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, one has to wonder what is in store for the NUON. Will it, as so many other mass-market gaming platforms have done in the past, suffer from lack of interest and find no market? VM Labs doesn't seem to think so. GameSpot News recently spoke with the company to find out what it hopes will happen in 2000.

VM Labs is very positive about the rollout of the first NUON-enhanced DVD players in March. Samsung will release the Extiva DVD player, labeling it a DVD/game-console hybrid (it will retail for US$499). The company then plans to release the Extiva in both the Asian and European markets (VM Labs hinted that Europe may see it first). And other companies such as Toshiba and Motorola have hardware coming out that will make use of the NUON technology as well. MSNBC reports today that Motorola has incorporated NUON with the Power PC technology in its Streamaster Mustang set-top box series. "NUON allowed us to accept things like MP3 as they come into the market with a software solution," Roger Kozlowski, Motorola media systems division director of strategic alliances, told MSNBC. "It also gave us maximum flexibility in getting services to consumers by giving us programmable architecture."

We asked VM Labs about the lack of software though. This didn't seem to be an issue for the company - software is currently not the top priority. The company is clearly pushing the NUON's multimedia aspects right now and will focus on software later. VM Labs commented that it has no intention of showing more software titles until the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) this May. However, it did state that a lot of titles are being worked on that have yet to be shown.

But what about third-party software? One reason the NUON sounded so enticing when it was first announced was because the platform had a strong lineup of third-party developers on board to create software for it. Such heavy hitters as Capcom, Crave, Activision, Psygnosis, Fox Interactive, and THQ were all on the roster - confirming that the NUON could very well provide the goods in the software arena. But where were the third-party games at the recent CES? We asked these developers to comment.

Fox Interactive told GameSpot News, "We currently do not have any titles in development. In the future if it makes sense for a project, we will consider the platform." A spokesperson for Activision stated, "I don't have any information on NUON software so I'm not able to comment." We then questioned a spokesperson at THQ who commented, "I wish I could tell you I know of any plans for the platform. Unfortunately, I haven't heard a thing." Crave could do no better, commenting, "At this time Crave is currently evaluating the platform." Psygnosis, now owned by Sony, stated, "We are concentrating on developing product for PlayStation and PlayStation2 and will not be developing for platforms that might be competitors to Sony." Capcom had no comment. It appears that every big-name publisher has decided to pass on developing products for the NUON. And what about smaller developers who think the NUON has promise? One company, which asked to remain anonymous, stated that it did find the NUON business model somewhat enticing but could not find a single publisher interested in spending money on it.

To this, VM Labs commented that while it does have a handful of publishers actively supporting the NUON platform, others are still in a "wait and see" mode. Many just want to see the NUON-enhanced DVD players arriving in stores before they commit to any projects. VM Labs also commented that there is a team in Japan working to show the NUON technology to developers there.

It appears as though VM Labs' priorities have shifted since the NUON was announced two years ago. As a company made up of many ex-Atari and Sony employees (Joe Sousa, former head of Sony's Product Evaluation Group; Scott Hunter, former Sony account executive; Mike Fulton, former Sony performance analyzer; Pratip Fatehpuria, former Sony senior support engineer; Bill Rehbock, former Sony VP of research and development), VM Labs was at one point a gaming company. Now it seems as though VM Labs is primarily interested in its NUON technology and in flexing its multimedia muscle. In our conversations, the company clearly stressed to us that it hopes to focus on the family entertainment market - a sad point for those who once looked upon the NUON as a possible PlayStation-beater. But perhaps this is only to get the NUON into the homes of the consumer - the true Trojan horse that VM Labs once intended. Perhaps the games are yet to come.