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N-Gage Launch Hardware/Software Probed

Posted by simoniker on from the will-the-n-gage-engage? dept.

Thanks to IGN Wireless for giving hands-on impressions of the hardware and some of the leading software titles for Nokia's N-Gage 'mobile game deck' phone/handheld console, which will be released on October 7th. Games checked out include Sonic-N, which is "...a port of Sonic Advance released on the Game Boy Advance back in January 2002... [and] identical in graphics, gameplay and level structure to the GBA edition", as well as Tomb Raider, which they say has "very impressive visuals", though "navigating the environments takes some finesse", and Super Monkey Ball, of which they claim: "As well as the GBA pulled it off, the N-Gage can do it better" - the lack of brand new, non-converted launch titles does seem a little disappointing, though.

44 comments

  1. Great, the N-Gage has three good games. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Great, the N-Gage has three good games coming out! Let's try them out.
    *remove battery*
    *put in Sonic*

    *remove battery*
    *put in Tomb Raider*

    *remove battery*
    *put in Monkey Ball*

    FUN!

    1. Re:Great, the N-Gage has three good games. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      THat's ok... given the life of a nokia battery in their phones, you'll have to buy a new battery anyway for every game you want to play. Not to mention the relative inability for them to maintain a stable connection to the battery leads over time.

      Things wrong with N-Gage:
      1. Already a sub-par fone is made even more mediocre.
      2. You have to hold the thing sideways when talking on it
      3. A whole face of buttons, you get a digital pad and 2 buttons for games, wth!
      4. 3-d Graphics = battery drain
      5. Fully 3D graphics on a screen barely able to draw one poly = waste of space
      6. 6 hour battery life? WHEN NOT USING IT AS A FONE?!??!
      7. No easy access to games for changes. It's hard enough changing a game when in a moving vehicle (such as plane train or auto) with limited flat space to put everything, now you have to juggle a battery with the games and system (in addition to a probable battery door).
      8. Hey, you get to take the battery off every time you change the game, at least you won't get any important fone calls in that time!?!

      I could probably think of a few more things wrong with the system. The only cool thing I've seen going for it is the cool cases for the games. Hello Nintendo, wake up. Stop using those silly desctructible cardboard boxes from the ancient days of cartridge gaming. Even if we don't carry them around with us, they would be nice to house our games when not playing and transporting them around.

    2. Re:Great, the N-Gage has three good games. by StocDred · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I seriously question playing Sonic on a small vertical screen. Seems like it will tough to anticipate jumps and such when he starts movin' fast. Same problem with Tomb Raider. These games have no peripheral vision.

    3. Re:Great, the N-Gage has three good games. by Mike+Hawk · · Score: 1

      Just some whats wrong with your whats wrong:
      1. Your opinion. I have a nokia phone and I have had no problems.
      2. Sideways? Its a phone. You should use a headset.
      3. You note here is just incorrect. I don't know where you got that information, but please don't repeat it.
      4. Yup, 3D graphics is definitely a flaw. You trying to say that reveals just how much haterade you had for lunch today.
      5. Draw one poly? I have seen THPS1 running on it. It looked exactly the same, if not better, than it did on PlayStation. Thats right the original. Not the GBA cheap version of 3D.
      6. You intend to play games on you N-Gage (or gameboy?) for more than 6 hours in a day? No you don't.
      7. Um, its not that hard to change games. You clearly have never tried it.
      8. Like you can EVER get a call on your Gameboy...

      I don't work for Nokia, I just hate pre-haters. I have used the system. Performance wise it is awesome. All day long we beg for innovation, then someone tries something new (creating an all-in-one mobile device), and everyone pre-hates. No wonder most companies choose to do the same thing over again...

    4. Re:Great, the N-Gage has three good games. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All day long we beg for innovation, then someone tries something new (creating an all-in-one mobile device), and everyone pre-hates.

      I have created something entirely new, entirely original and innovative. I call my product...the N-Brush. Basically, it's a toothbrush that removes plaque from your teeth, while simultaneously sending painful electric shocks to your gums for no reason nor benefit whatsoever.

      It's a terrible product, and despite it not being on the market yet, everyone realizes it. But hey! It's innovative! It's different!

      ...Dumbass.

    5. Re:Great, the N-Gage has three good games. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Really bad retorts.

      "1. Your opinion. I have a nokia phone and I have had no problems."

      Maybe my opinion... or maybe the opinion of the company I bought my phone from too since they recently switched to an all samsung line. Also the opinion of all of my friends, since I seem to be the only one that still owns a Nokia and not a Samsung or Motorola. That's a lot of opinion to be thrown around though. Anyway, the facts to why I won't buy another Nokia. I've had 3 Nokia phones in about 4 years. The first two ended up in duct tape to keep the battery connection. They couldn't maintain contact to the battery leads on the phone. My most recent dive into nokia was about a year ago. 4 months into owning it, the average battery duration went from days, to less than 24 hours. And now I'm lucky to get that if it sits idle. If I take or make a call with it, I have to put it into a charger.

      "2. Sideways? Its a phone. You should use a headset."

      Please don't tell me your opinions if you won't listen to mine. >>I>CELL PHONE where I'm supposed to, and conveniently get them while I'm playing on an occassion.

      Hey let me add a 9. to that:

      9. It costs $300. Flat. No deals. I can get a good cell phone with some other useless gadget attached to it under contract or some other deal for around $100. I can get a gameboy SP for $100. Now I've got an extra $100 in my pocket and two proven devices. Or better yet. I can wait until one of the better hand held incarnations comes out and spend the money on that. I'm not terribly optimistic for the PSP but they haven't released much about it because it's not coming out in a month and a half. I'd much rather go with a company that has had some time in the gaming arena and is building a device meant specifically for gaming.

      The awful truth is that Nokia wants to capture the cell phone gamers of the world by adding to what is already there. The problem is it's already there. People are not going to abandon their new camera phones and mp3 phones for the latest overpriced phone that will cost them more money every time they want to add a game to it. Especially when the dominant phone (the camera phone) has more practical advantages to the average cell phone user. Most already have games with thier cell phones. And for the people that actually play them, they're enough to keep them occupied when they need to be. None of my friends are clamoring for Tony Hawk or Splinter Cell on their phones and most of them are gamers.

    6. Re:Great, the N-Gage has three good games. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It seems /. won't let me post my full comment so here's the summary.

      1. covered above
      2. (was cut off and finished by my retort to #8)It's a fone. I should be able to use it like one. I reserve my headset for storage in the car, the only place I know of where I need both of my hands readily (and legally).
      3. I got that information from our Nokia rep at my Gamestop. Now he may have been wrong but that doesn't say much for Nokia then does it. Aside from that, the case Nokia will be selling only exposes the two marked off game buttons.
      4. I didn't say 3-D was bad. I said the hardware is a battery drain. Please don't flame, you aren't adding a contribution to the discussion by doing so.
      5. The GBA doesn't have hardware 3D it has 'software' which is thus not a battery drain either. I don't care if they look the same either, the screen is so small I couldn't tell if they were exact ports anyway. That was my issue.
      6. Not in a day. But I do have a 3 hour commute per day every weekday on the train for my other job. My Gameboy SP lasts a week on one charge. If I bought the N-Gage, I would have to charge it every night. But you're right, I don't intend on playing the N-Gage that much because I don't intend on buying it.
      7. I've changed games on a moving train. I've changed cell phone batteries. It's not a fun juggle with small parts and I don't want to add more parts to that.
      8. Right. I don't. I get them on my Cell phone where I'm supposed to.

    7. Re:Great, the N-Gage has three good games. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mike, Mike, Mike.

      You're an idiot. You may not always have been an idiot, and you may not always be an idiot in the future. But the person that you are right now is an idiot.

      KTHXBYE.

    8. Re:Great, the N-Gage has three good games. by Mike+Hawk · · Score: 1

      Wow, all AC replies. Kinda vindicates my points, slashdot works!

  2. Give It A Chance by Gothic_Walrus · · Score: 4, Insightful
    So far, the backlash against the N-Gage has not been a pretty thing. On most of the video game sites I frequent, the N-Gage has been written off as a failure. Seeing as most people haven't seen it in action yet, that's not a good thing.

    While it would be nice to see the N-Gage succeed (and give Nintendo some serious competition for the first time in years), I honestly don't think it will be able to. The attitudes that most of my gamer friends have about the N-Gage are set, and facing strong negativity from the start is never a good thing. Beyond that, the unit's initial price is too high for most of the people I've talked to. And the fact that you have to remove the battery to switch games or memory cards is a huge strike against it. I'd love to see the N-Gage succeed, but I believe it's been doomed to fail...much like the Dreamcast was.

    --
    Goo goo g'joob.
    1. Re:Give It A Chance by ziggles · · Score: 1

      It had a chance. It's not like everyone saw a new system and immediately wrote it off without considering it. They heard about all of it's bad design decisions, lack of games, and the attitude of Nokia, then wrote it off. You don't need to experience something yourself to make a good decision about it.

      It would not be nice to see the N-Gage succeed because it's not a good system. I would like to see some competition in the handheld market too, but not from a system like the N-Gage which brings nothing positive to the table.

    2. Re:Give It A Chance by Fammy2000 · · Score: 1

      The removing the battery to switch games thing is huge, as you said. That and all the buttoms everywhere. I wouldn't know how to pick up one a friend owned and play.

      As for competition to Nintendo, I think Sony and the PSP will do that just fine.

      I'm holding out for the TapWave Helix/Zodiac (but only because I'm looking to replace my Palm, not my GBA).

      Sadly, TapWave and Nokia will likely lose against Nintendo and Sony. Maybe next time.

      --
      If I had something intelligent to say, I would have said it.
    3. Re:Give It A Chance by neostorm · · Score: 1

      Most people have seen it in action, including myself. I have written it off, and I know of no one who has tried it out and actually liked the system.

      It's a stupid thing to jump on the bash-product-X bandwagon, no matter how poor it is. I appreciate your attempt to make people think with a more critical perspective instead of doing just that. We need more people who think for themselves instead of collecting and regurgitating others opinions.
      I don't think this applies to the case of the N-Gage, but either way it's good to be open minded.

  3. Not cool at all... by Tadrith · · Score: 4, Informative

    I had a chance to play this at E3.

    The system is extremely unimpressive. The graphics are squished on a screen that's much too small for the kinds of games they are trying to pull off. Because the system is also a phone, the buttons are not located in any sort of comfortable position for playing games. I asked one of the reps at their booth, and they didn't seem to have many games coming up, either.

    This is an idea that could have been big, but there's simply a huge lack of effort, and I think Nokia's inexperience in the gaming market doesn't help either.

  4. Also... by usmcpanzer · · Score: 0, Redundant

    http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/22139.html

    Nokia buys Sega online assets.

  5. I dunno.. by NanoGator · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ... about that tall screen. I'm really curious how one would play a fighting game that way.

    --
    "Derp de derp."
    1. Re:I dunno.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Simple. By throwing it in the garbage and buying a Gamecube and a copy of Soul Calibur II. (:

    2. Re:I dunno.. by NanoGator · · Score: 1

      "Simple. By throwing it in the garbage and buying a Gamecube and a copy of Soul Calibur II. (: "

      I know you meant that as funny, but you have touched on an interesting point. The more generalized the system, the less good it as at any particular game. Maybe there's other genres of games that phone will excel at?

      Anyway, I appreciate the comment, it made me think more about the realities of this system. Maybe it won't be so bad? Honestly, I think that this gives more reason for multiple systems to be on the market. That would explain why lots of ppl have both PC and Console machines for gaming.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    3. Re:I dunno.. by PainKilleR-CE · · Score: 1

      The only type of game I can think of that really benefits from this type of screen is a top-down shooter. On the other hand, that type of game isn't really very popular any more, and has gotten to the point where the extra space on the sides is usually used for status info (though there's often still wasted space). I wonder, though, whether the N-Gage can push enough polys for them in the first place (though I'm sure sprite-based games would be fine, poly-based shooters really took a while to come into their own in part due to the limitations of early poly-based systems (ie PS1 and N64)).

      --
      -PainKilleR-[CE]
  6. Nice Sim ;) by BrookHarty · · Score: 3, Funny

    Nice review, but he shouldnt show his sim card numbers in the screenshots. ;)

  7. The N-Gage is just going to join all the others! by Cap-America · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Nintendo has gone up agenst; Atari Lynx, Sega GameGear, Sega Nomad, Neo-Geo Pocket, Wonder Swan, Wonder Swan Crystal, Wonder Swan Color, Turbo Express, Game.com, and Tiger Handhelds Games. and is still #1 And they were all much better products then the N-Gage too (during the time).

    Heres something I did this Just for fun, For $300 the price of an N-Gage (without any games, or Celphone activation, or monthly Celphone fee or anything else I'm going to need to buy in order to uses this piece of junk) I can get

    GBA SP ($100)
    Celphone ($50 "Nokia 2000 min Prepaid Celphone")
    MP3 Player ($100)
    Sonic Advances and Super Monkey Ball ($50)

    I think I'll stick to the GBA and a normal Celphone and MP3 Player.

    --

    -------- -Cap
    ~Bommers, Why did it have to be Bommers!?!

  8. also a s60 device.. by gl4ss · · Score: 3, Informative

    you shouldn't forget that while it is a handheld gaming system it also is a series60 phone running symbian 6.1, so you can use it for other things than gaming too, like web browsing and irc(and other im services) for example.

    -

    --
    world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    1. Re:also a s60 device.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And how do you propose to use IRC without a keyboard?

    2. Re:also a s60 device.. by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      dunno, with the 9 pad, the one you use to type sms messages? the way i've irced for the summer, and written numerous slashdot posts with? you can use it pretty well for typing text with some practice, which you would know if you lived somewhere where sms messages have gotten extremely common(teens have switched to those for chitchat mainly, which is mostly the same thing nerds use irc for, except ircing is of course way much cheaper).

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  9. I still remember.. by Rudy+Rodarte · · Score: 1, Funny

    The Nokia people saying how embarassing it is to have a Gameboy with you. Not the best buisness plan. I've said it before, I'll say it again:
    1. Design a new gaming system and insult all of your potential customers.
    2. ???
    3. Profit!!!

    I even combined step 1 and 2 for Nokia. What a guy!

    --
    What, me Tweet?
    1. Re:I still remember.. by BTWR · · Score: 1

      I agree 100%. It's what I call the XFL marketing strategy...

      You have a new and potentially interesting product that is going to compete with an established and well-loved by the public juggernaut. Instead of offering your product as an ALTRERNATIVE or ADDITION to the mainstread item, you go out and say that everyone who likes said established thing is a loser. Why did the XFL have to say the NFL is a bunch of pussies? Do they not realize that the football fan who loves the NFL does NOT like to be called a pussy?

      On the other hand there's the iced tea drinks that don't try to say snapple or lipton is crap. Instead, they simply market against that megabrand as an alternative or addition.

  10. Obligatory Penny Arcade reference by dragoncortez · · Score: 1

    Funny, Penny Arcade had a similar opinion.

    --
    Making stupid comments so you don't have to.
    1. Re:Obligatory Penny Arcade reference by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      even more funny is that today's comic also talks about this.

  11. What's this got to do with Model Railroads??? by advocate_one · · Score: 1

    ???

    "N" gauge is a model railroad track scale. In American spelling it would be "N" Gage. I think they may confuse some people with this name. I know it's snappy, but ...

    --
    Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
    1. Re:What's this got to do with Model Railroads??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In American spelling it is still "gauge". Now in slashdot spelling.....

  12. Despite the not-so-good previews... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I, for one, welcome our new N-Gage overlords.

  13. Try it out first before giving uninformed opinions by Man+In+Black · · Score: 1, Troll

    Things wrong with N-Gage:
    1. Already a sub-par fone is made even more mediocre.

    How does making it play video games make it less of a phone? The two abilities are mostly seperate. If anything, the fact that it's able to play (decent) video games likely means that the screen on it is much nicer than most cell phones I've seen.

    Not only that, but even though this is meant as a games machine, it might be a smart idea for them to make a cartridge that provides some PDA functionality... could be useful. Seems like the fact that it has a cartridge slot could make it a BETTER phone than most.

    2. You have to hold the thing sideways when talking on it

    Uh... so what? You're holding it against the side of your face, so who cares? It could be argued that instead you're holding it sideways when you're playing games.

    3. A whole face of buttons, you get a digital pad and 2 buttons for games, wth!

    I'm not even sure what your complaint is here... I don't see why games wouldn't be able to use as many buttons as they want.

    4. 3-d Graphics = battery drain

    The processor that it uses probably doesn't drain batteries any faster than the one that's in the GBA. Processors are actually quite low power things these days, and the ability to do 3D graphics is not likely to be the reason for poor battery life. Things like backlighting and bluetooth probably drain a LOT more battery power.

    Besides, if they leave out 3D graphics, they'll get completely swept out the door when Sony comes out with their machine. If this thing isn't any better than a GBA, then it really has no chance at all (At least the way it is, it has a slim chance).

    5. Fully 3D graphics on a screen barely able to draw one poly = waste of space

    Completely your opinion... and I'm guessing that you've never actually used one of these things, so you really have no idea what things are actually like with it.

    Yes, the screen is fairly small... but there are 3D games on the GBA as well, are those a waste of space too?

    6. 6 hour battery life? WHEN NOT USING IT AS A FONE?!??!

    Ah, finally a valid complaint... 6 hours of battery life isn't very good... that's as much as my Lynx and Game Gear get, and that's using 80's technology. I sure hope they're not using flourescent tubes for lighting anymore....

    7. No easy access to games for changes.

    Another valid complaint... the N-Gage gets a lot of heat for this, but it's probably not as bad as people think... battery compartments are easily accessible in handheld devices these days, and I doubt that this will be any more obtrusive than having to open the lid on your Gamebox, your X-Station or your PlayCube. Don't get me wrong, I still think it's a bad idea... but I don't think it's worth bashing Nokia for.

    8. Hey, you get to take the battery off every time you change the game, at least you won't get any important fone calls in that time!?!

    Gosh, how long does it take to unclip a battery pack? 5 seconds at most? I doubt many people get so many phone calls that 5 seconds will be a huge problem.

    I really think people should have to try a device before offering their opinions on it. Ignorantly repeating rumors you've heard about something really isn't useful. I haven't used the N-Gage either, but I'm not going to judge it based on what everyone else says about it. I think the machine actually looks quite interesting... the only reason I'm not bothering with it is that I really don't want a cell phone (or "fone" as you seem to call it)

    --
    -"One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man." -EH
  14. Re:Try it out first before giving uninformed opini by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So, um can you get me a job at Nokia too?

    Thanks in advance
    Trip Hawkins

  15. Bah! by neostorm · · Score: 3, Funny

    Just you all wait for the Nokia N-Gage SP!

    Just kidding...

  16. Re:The Gameboy and Gamecube share something... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Gee, you're not programmed by the media or anything...

  17. Sideways widescreen by evilhayama · · Score: 1

    The 'tallscreen' seems to be one of the strangest choices for the N-gage. In a time when almost everything else is trying to be widescreen they go tall, making some game genres less playable than they could be. I can't imagine playing sonic without the maximum amount of horizontal screen room.

    I predict that the designer of the N-Gage is a Shoot-em-up fan! Die-Hard Shmup fans have been turning their TV's on the side for years to get this aspect ratio. I look forward to a port of Ikaruga and radiant silvergun for the N-Gage!

  18. Re:first post you motherfuckers by Fancy78 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Hmm. I like dick :p

  19. Gabe and Tycho say it best by TheGreatGraySkwid · · Score: 1

    The marketing for these things promises to be intensely annoying.

    There's only one solution...

    --
    The Humblest Mollusk on the Net