N-Gage Debuts New Bundle, Vows Action Against Crackers

Thanks to GameSpot for pointing out that Nokia's N-Gage 'mobile game deck' has effectively descended in price further, since the company "is letting consumers pick three game titles to bundle with the N-Gage for $299, provided they order them at EBGames and GameStop", and "those two stores are offering their own instant rebate of $100", making the N-Gage $199 with 3 games. In other N-Gage news, following the cracking of N-Gage software, a Nokia spokesman indicated they would "aggressively pursue" the perpetrators, as well as those spreading the crack online, and "...noted that future N-Gage releases are more likely to take advantage of platform-specific features that will make cracked games either impossible to play on other Series 60 devices, or at least play with a very poor user experience."

Comments

Gamestop

[gedanken]

At the local gamestop there is a huge stack of n-gages for $199 without rebates. This was last week. I don't think it is very popular with retailers :).

N-Gage fails from lack of hype.

[gumbysworld]

N-Gage fails from lack of hype.

It already has failed with little or no info told about it. Looks like another game boy clone with little to no games. But did you know you can

mp3 player
surf the net
and its a phone

Now that sound a tad better when you see the $300 price tag for what looks to be nothing but another GB. They should put out some better commercial fast if they want to sell them.

People pay $300 for a reg phone that can do most of that but without the cool color games.

But I think they failed big time by not making sure people know what all it can do. Besides play 2-3 games.

I have seen so many commercials for it and not one word that it does anything but play 2-3 games. Most of them are really vauge. Its so strange like they think it looks so cool people will hunt down info about it.

It seams as if they assume looks alone are gonna sell it. Looks like a big ass GB with to many dam buttons. Whats all them funky buttons for. How gay.

Oh wait, its a phone, it a mp3 play, it can surf the web.
Oh that makes sense. to bad N-Gage never told anyone that.

G

Re:N-Gage fails from lack of hype.

[Babbster]

Everybody knows what the thing's capabilities are, and certainly anyone who actually considers buying one finds them out very quickly - at the very least, it's instantly identifiable as a cell phone.

The one feature that intrigued me was the wireless multiplayer but with barely average games and the high pricetag, it just can't entice me...And considering I enjoy spending money on video gaming, don't have a cellular phone and don't have a portable MP3 player, this SHOULD be a device that sucks me in. It hasn't, and I'm thinkin' it won't...

Re:N-Gage fails from lack of hype.

[MMaestro]

'Now that sound a tad better when you see the $300 price tag for what looks to be nothing but another GB.'

Thats not the point. The argument we [gamers] are trying to make is that is sucks as a gaming system ITSELF. You can strip the mp3 player, the net surfing capabilities, and the phone capabilies and we still wouldn't like it! You can price it at $75 USD (cheaper than the GBA:SP) and we STILL wouldn't like it!! They can PAY US to simply own one and we STILL WOULDN'T LIKE IT!!!

Re:N-Gage fails from lack of hype.

[DarkZero]

N-Gage fails from lack of hype.

It already has failed with little or no info told about it. Looks like another game boy clone with little to no games. But did you know you can

mp3 player
surf the net
and its a phone

Now that sound a tad better when you see the $300 price tag for what looks to be nothing but another GB. They should put out some better commercial fast if they want to sell them.

People pay $300 for a reg phone that can do most of that but without the cool color games.

Everyone already knows about all of this and it's certainly been pointed out in Nokia's larger print ads. The problem is that thanks to every video game magazine, TV show, web board, and chat room in North America, most gamers also know about all of its crippling problems. Taking the battery out just to swap games is annoying, the vertical screen ruins Sonic N and Pandemonium because sidescrollers don't work well on vertical screens, the small screen ruins Tomb Raider because you can't see very much around you (such as the secret passageways or exits that are hidden somewhere in the room), the screen's colors ruin Puyo Pop because you can't really differentiate between colors like light blue and light purple, "Sidetalkin'" looks stupid and is very uncomfortable, the buttons are poorly made and laid out, and those design flaws still cost $100 more than the GBA and much more than the average cellphone if you buy the N-Gage from EB or GameStop, because most people buy their phones with a fat discount provided by their cellphone service.

In short, the problem with the N-Gage is that most gamers comparison shop when they're buying a game system, especially a very expensive niche system like this one, and the N-Gage just doesn't hold up to scrutiny. Almost every gaming magazine and review site will tell you to buy something -- ANYTHING -- else.

nokia and the lame n-gage

[horcy]

Yeah it was cracked and people can play the game on other phones too now. And now nokia decided to follow those crackers to the end of the world to find them. costing a shit load of money. they better spend that money on user friendlyness of the the thing itself (battery has to be taken out first before you can switch games) and better games. Then they have the issue of exploding batteries. I would suggest to leave those crackers alone and spend that money on other FAR more important things. I wouldnt worry too much about those 2 people that play those very bad games now lol. They'll stop playing those game soon any way.

Re:nokia and the lame n-gage

[scrytch]

> Then they have the issue of exploding batteries

Nokia does not have an issue with exploding batteries. All cell phones have issues with exploding cheap-ass third party batteries. Lithium Ion batteries are volatile suckers if you don't have the proper circuitry in them.

Nokia has issues with designing a crappy handheld game system for their first try, then when they get called on it, rather than admit honest failure and trying again, they act like a cornered animal. Too bad, I really like the phones (mostly because they have no antenna to snag or flipout to break off), but I'm not sure how committed they'll be to making those continue to work well now -- they might just decide their customers whine too much to be worth listening to.