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Nokia Slams GameBoy, Discusses N-Gage

Posted by simoniker on from the finnish-have-heart-of-lion dept.

Thanks to Gamesindustry.biz for writing up an article discussing Nokia's most recent comments about their N-Gage portable phone/game deck, which launches later this year, and will be at least partly competing against Nintendo's all-conquering GameBoy Advance. Most notably, Nokia boss Ilkka Raiskinen is quoted as saying "GameBoy is for 10-year-olds. If you're 20 or 25 years old, it's probably not a good idea to draw a GameBoy out of your pocket on a Friday night in a public place."

7 of 78 comments (clear)

  1. Nokia blows by LineNoiz · · Score: 5, Informative

    I think Gabe's post pretty much sums it all up.

    --
    "Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit." --Oscar Wilde
    1. Re:Nokia blows by DragonPup · · Score: 5, Informative

      Speaking as someone who went to E3 and played with the N-Gage, I agree with Gabe on all counts. Control was arkward at best, screen wasn't so great, and the games I played were not making me want to consider buying this. And the having to turn the phone off and remove the back cover to change the games sealed the deal. :p

      The only 'cool' thing it does is allow you to play against other people using GSRP and GSM. Oh, except those things cost money under just about every cell plan there is...

      -Henry

      --
      "Useless organic meatbag" -HK-47
  2. He might have a point by nicksthings · · Score: 5, Funny

    But by the same token, if you're out on a Friday night and you "draw" anything out of your pocket to play a game you either:

    a) Need to find new friends and/or friends. Period.
    b) Need to find a new place to hang out on Friday nights.
    c) Should get punched in the face.
    d) Are a huge doofus.
    e) All of the above.

    Cell phone games sure are a neat waste of time, but if I'm going to blow $300 on a portable gaming system it has to blow me, too.

  3. Target demographic by oskillator · · Score: 5, Funny

    Nokia seems to have learned the wrong lessons from Microsoft's X-Box marketing strategy. They need to remember that the "insult your apparent target demographic" gimmick only works if you're using it as part of a billion dollar campaign to convince regular people that it's socially acceptable to buy your product.

  4. What they DON'T tell you... by Blackwulf · · Score: 5, Informative

    ...Is to change the game, you have to open up the back of the N-Gage, take out the battery, and change the chip that's underneath, then replace the battery...

    I think I'll stick with my "Cartridges that only a 10-year old would play", thank you. At least then I can play them on airplanes.

  5. hrmm... by Artemis+P.+Fonswick · · Score: 5, Funny

    If you're 20 or 25 years old, it's probably not a good idea to draw a GameBoy out of your pocket on a Friday night in a public place.
    They obviously haven't hung out with anyone at Slashdot on a Friday night.

    And if their target market is 20-25, I doubt their ad-campaign is going to be very productive.

    "Dude! I need to get an NGage so I can be bitchin!!"

    --


    Kudos to you, my good man.
  6. Dear Nokia: by lightspawn · · Score: 5, Funny

    I visited n-gage.com, but couldn't find the pages with the game screenshots.

    Could you help me find them? Thank you.

    I am very excited about the names of the forthcoming titles. As many as two or three of them I could not recognize from my gamestop GBA section. I am sure they will be excellent, and even the games that do exist for the gameboy will be much better for the n-gage.

    P.S. Last week I saw a really hot chick and I think I might have had a chance with her, but she saw my gameboy SP and ran away. If possible, can you send me an early copy of the n-gage or even a mockup so that I can score the next time I see her?