Let's load some games...

So the first thing I wanted to do after a synchronized some music on it was to put some games on it. Why not? The thing looks like a little Gameboy. And the manual says that it can run java programs, provided they use a specific set of libraries.

Unfortunately it's impossible to find anywhere that states what libraries were used to make their software and so you're going to be left with quite a bit of trial and error. And when you error you're going to have to reformat your unit. And when you reformat it you're going to lose the games that came with the system. Yes, that silly little solitaire peg game and poor arkanoid clone will likely be lost. Good riddance I say. Because once you start finding what cool games are out there you won't miss them.

Here's the bad news. As a game system the NPower Fusion Media Player is a bit lacking. Lemme list the cons of the system:

• Left often registers as up+left. (This may just be my unit)
• There's no number pad, and some java games expect it. (They're written for phones)
• There's no online, and some games want to download their content.
• The buttons could be mapped anywhere.
• Many programs don't know what to do with 320x240 resolution.

Those little things aside, there are still many games that the NPower Fusion can play.

You'll need both a JAR (Java ARchive) file and a JAD (Java Application Description) file and place both files on your unit's internal memory as prescribed by your manual. Then the first time you start up your games menu you'll see the games get installed, and once that process is done you can try them out.

Okay, here's my first big tip. If you find a game that offers a JAR download but not a JAD you can use JADMaker. Simply unzip the archive and drag the JAR file into the executable. The program does everything right, placing a new JAD file in the same directory JAR ready for upload.

If you find that the game either doesn't work or the quirks of the system (like left = up+left) keep the game from really being playable you can uninstall the games you've put on following the instructions in your manual. However, I've run into problems with this that I'll describe in a later post. So let me wrap up this post with a few links:

• JADMaker - Again, an excellent program in case all you can get is the JAR file.
• GetJAR - Stick with the generic games and you'll be okay.
• Mobile9 - Most of these games actually work, quirks aside, tho the sites descriptions lack somewhat.
• ClubMo - Loaded with ads, but they actually look like they do write ups on their games.

Introduction

Recently a cool piece of electronics went on blitz clearance. The Naked Brothers Band Npower Fusion Digital Media Player was available on clearance for $19.99 at Target. Normally when something is on clearance it's because it is sub-standard but this particular piece of technology's only sin was being associated with a sub-standard Nick show that no one has ever heard about. And being pink. But those superficial follies aside under the hood this is a pretty impressive piece of technology, a steal for the (clearance) price.

What the unit has is MP3 audio support, WMV (video) support, Java Game support, and 1 gig, yes you heard me, 1 gig of internal memory and an SD slot for expanded capacity up to 2 more gig at a time. It uses a similar Java interface that many modern cellphones have, sans the www accessibility. And it's light. When I picked the thing up I thought I was going to break it.

Seeing as the unit was on clearance there's very little "official" support for the thing, save a few SD cards loaded with Nick cartoons which also were on clearance a while back. Being a little proprietary there's very little and unpopular there's very little unofficial support either. And a Google search turned up more questions than answers so I've been left, largely, to discover my own solutions. Being tech savvy this hasn't been a problem, in fact I've had quite a bit of success. I wanted to share that success with others who have found themselves in possession of one of these excellent pieces of technology, and to get suggestions from the same.

So I made this blog.

I'll update in spurts when I can, and when I've pretty much dumped as much information as I have I'll leave this blog here for reference purposes. Chances are there's no huge NPower Fusion Media Player user base, but I've spent quite a bit of time making this work, so it seems silly to me not to share it for others.

But if you swing by and find this stuff useful leave a comment.

These suggestions will probably work other Media Players, especially the ones by Memorex. These suggestions may also work with the Disney Max-Max Media Players too, but I need someone to confirm that (or offer to buy me one).