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N-Gage Endures As First-Party Games Readied
Thanks to GamesAreFun for its round-up of updated news relating to Nokia's N-Gage 'mobile game deck'. According to the piece: "Inconsistent sales in some areas have prompted GameStop to shift their [U.S.-based] N-Gage inventory; while the N-Gage is being pulled from 450 GameStop locations, this inventory will be moved to locations where sales have been stronger for Nokia's unit." However, it seems Nokia "remains positive about their future in the game industry", and Nokia's Ilkka Raiskinen argues: "We are getting invaluable feedback... Our hardware cycles are different to what the games business is used to and our strategy is clearly to have more devices." This has led some to believe more N-Gage-like hardware may debut soon, and in the interim, GameSpy has previews of Ashen and of Operation Shadow, two original, first-party published N-Gage titles.
That there will be a cheaper n-gage like device with hotswappable mmc slot, this cheaper model would lack the mp3&fm radio functionality(of course you would be able to play mp3's with some symbian app, the thing is that they can only play at 16khz or so, while the dedicated mp3 chip can play at the normal 44khz).
Now, this more than just a rumour - they have that thing in the works, I can see few big Nokia logos from the window of my apartment and there's lots of information floating around.
Personally I like my n-gage, got a nice big mmc for it and all the games copied on it so no need to change the mmc ever and opera rocks on it(unlike on memory constrained 3650 and 7650).
AC for obvious reasons(I'm applying for work at Nokia..). oh and if n-gage had a camera it would be MORE succesful in my consumer group at least, I know few people who don't want to switch from 7650 to it because it doesn't have one.
anyways, the cycles of phones are much shorter than the cycles of nintendo has with gameboys for sure.
Not only has Gamestop "shifted" it's N-Gage inventory, but Target stores have apparently stopped selling N-Gage units altogether. Or at least they will be (I haven't been to a Target since I was given this info). Word is all that stuff will be going back to Nokia on their dime. Sounds expensive.
N-Gage is primarily a cell phone, Nokia renew its whole line of cell phones as often as many change theirs socks, so a new versione of N-Gage isn't so unlikely to be expected quite soon, i.e. N-Gage is avout to become obsolete.
Does it seems quite unfair to early adopters? I suppose that cell phone users are used to that.
"Inconsistent sales in some areas have prompted GameStop to shift their [U.S.-based] N-Gage inventory; while the N-Gage is being pulled from 450 GameStop locations, this inventory will be moved to locations where sales have been stronger for Nokia's unit." So there's a Gamestop in "Non-existant Land" now? Is it across the street from the water-fueled hovercar dealer?
I mean i'm no mobile 'phone expert but i know something about games consoles: rapid replacement turns customers off (i think? or do you like progress?). maybe there aren't enough people buying n-nage 1 for it to matter. 5 year cycles are quite common for games consoles.. for good reasons, such as developers getting to grips with it. this seems like a reason not to try to combine mobile phones with them frankly.. who has a 'phone for 5 years? And if you change the hardware every 2 years, are you ever going to get any good games? I don't know, i'm just a believer in having one device for each job and doing it well.
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woah, has the n-gage been out less than 100 days? ok, then i stick with what i said, only let me emphasise it! even assuming backwards compatibility, this doesn't look like a way to build a loyal customer base... or a good game inventory.
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the platform itself won't change, just the unit itself. so the new games will still work with the 'old' unit, and the old apps(opera, irc, instant messagers & etc) will work with the new device.
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
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right, ok thanks. nowhere near as silly then :). erm what exactly are they upgrading btw?
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From what I'm hearing from people I know who have them, it's a device that tries to be a lot of things and does none of them well. It's actually a very good idea really, given the penchant of vendors now to cram as many devices into a single unit as they can and the obvious consumer acceptance of the practice.
Personally I'm one of those types that will carry around four things if each of them does what they do well. My cell phone's great, I have an iPod for music, and a GBA-sp for gaming. The biggest problem with the n-gage I can see is a total rush to market. Had Nokia actually pulled their crap together and worked on a device that wasn't such a hack job they might have had a worthwhile gadget to buy.
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn
Throughout the lifespan of a console there will be many versions of the hardware. Playstation upgrades improved stability, durability, and cost. The XBox got "security" features. The 'cube uses fewer chips. And then there is the Game Boy.
Compatibility is the common thread throughout. If the current N-Gage is incompatible with the next N-Gage, then it will be unfair to early adopters. But what if they just move the cartridge slot to a reasonable location? Upp battery life? Fix some of the glaring design problems without significantly altering the hardware?
While cell phones may look different on the outside, many of Nokia's revisions use similar or identical guts. An incompatible N-Gage 2 would be a bad idea right now, but an N-Gage SP might be just the ticket.
The ______ Agenda
well I don't really know for sure, but I suppose they'd be making the mmc hotswap and the whole unit cheaper, maybe with different talking angle?
anyways, one thing is for sure: if it's any cheaper than what the current model is now then it will be quite desirable due to being so insanely cheap series60 phone.
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
I don't really care. I'm digging mine. I haven't owned a portable device I could develop games for since the TI-86. It feels like junior high all over again :). And this time I can play NES and Arcade games too, while I'm learning how to develop for the device.
Creator of the popular web game Proximity
"...and our strategy is clearly to have more devices."
Step 1. More Devices
Step 2.
Step 3. Profit
Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor
Y'know, that's an apt moniker. The N-Gage looks big enough for me to host a backyard barbecue with a few of my closest friends on it.
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GameStop had a deal on the N-Gage where you'd get 3 games with the unit for $199. That was a great deal, but I wanted a new cell phone - not just a game system. The only cellular plan available for the N-Gage in my area was 80 minutes/month for $23. I think Nokia needs to decide whether they're selling a game system or a phone. Right now it's a game system. If they want it to be a phone (which, I think, would appeal to many more people) then get some backing from a cellular provider so the unit is actually functional in both arenas.
The N-gage sucks. If you want a portable gaming system, buy a gameboy! The space for mp3s on it is like 64 mb, which is is just not enough. Okay, so it has bluetooth, but so will the nintendo DS. Instead of having one good funtion, it has loads of crap ones.
I feel sorry for anyone who bought this system. I was recently at a Game Stop that is "shifting" its hardware, and was talking with some employees there. They said they diddn't sell one unit, they diddn't even sell any games. As a game console it would be ok, but you'd look pretty funny holding that thing up to your ear to talk to anyone on it. I think this thing is going the way of Game.com. Nokia could make this system better by makeing it smaller, perhaps with a flip up screen, makeing the games easier to swap, and perhaps modem functionality so you can play multiplayer (only good if you have free nights and weekends though). -Kimpak
Ignoring all the marketing crap, the N-Gage is now the cheapest Series 60 phone out there, and the Series 60 is a seriously nice mobile phone platform. If you'be been burnt by Windows (or even Palm) based "smartphones", don't let that stop you from trying the S60 range. They really are a phone first and a mobile computing platform second.
The main problem with the N-Gage is not its features, interface, cost, the fact that you have to take the battery off to switch them out or any number of other things. The main problem with it is that it's not a very good game console. If it wasn't a phone at all and just a GBA competitor people still wouldn't like it. The framerates in the 3D titles is choppy, the control surface is poor, the screen is oriented the wrong way and the color is too washed out [ever tried Puzzle Bobble?]. If it was a great game system then yes, people would put up with some quirks.
I first tried it out at the GDC last year and thought it was a joke. That's before I know about the game-switching antics, the sidetalking or the exorbitant cost.
Someone at Nokia needs to read The Inmates Are Running the Asylumn.
I'm already quite happy with my Samsung A600, especially considering the price I managed to get with all the silly rebates and discounts for signing another contract with Sprint PCS. The Ngage might have been a contender if it... you know... worked with Sprint.
Beyond that, I've already got a GBA:SP and my future plans for the PS2 HDD and the Nintendo DS don't leave much financial wiggle room for a $200 handheld with a library that continues to make me yawn.
I guess the Ngage is another example of technology solving a problem that didn't exist.