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N-Gage QD - Nokia's Answer To The Critics?
JayBonci writes "According to CNET News, Nokia is preparing the N-Gage QD for release at the end of June. The redesign is an attempt to address design criticisms; such as 'side-talking' and the need to take out the battery to replace the game. Will this signal new life for the console, or is it too little, too late?" We linked to leaked pictures of the N-Gage follow-up late last week on Slashdot Games, and there's further information at GameSpot, which mentions: "When bundled with a service contract, the QD is expected to sell for $99. Without subsidy from a service provider, the phone will go for $199 (with the platform's Tony Hawk title bundled in at that price)."
I just hope it is compatible with the old games.
According to a followup to the original 'leaked images' post"All games will be compatible with both versions of the N-Gage, however"
They also say no MP3 player or radio in the new version.
Mole? 4? Cars?
pictures and full press release... http://www.mobileslash.com/content/hardware/nokia- announces-ngage-gd.shtml
For MP3, just download the Helix player for the S60.
Not with a bang but a whimper etc etc
It's a Nokia, so it may well go off with a bang.
As someone who quite seriously bought the N-Gage as the cheapest unlocked GSM worldphone I could get, I think I'm in the position to review the changes ;)
In positives steps, the new N-Gage QD is:
* A bit smaller (nice of them).
* Hot-swapable MMC (not a big deal, really).
* Better battery life (YAY).
* Separate OK button (double YAY!).
* The d-pad and buttons seem ok (E3 well tell if they're any good).
* Auto-run for inserted MMC games (eeh).
* Vibration/enchanced speaker for games.
* Quick-game key (handy if they had good games).
However, there are some significant drawbacks for those who want some of the features of the original phone:
* It's dual-band (EGSM 900/1800) -- no more 1900 support (the band we use in North America). No more GSM phone use in North America with N-Gage QD.
* Also no more radio support, which also means no more recording radio (I listen to the radio a lot when I've listened to the MP3s I have too much).
* And no more MP3 or AAC support (which is the main use for my phone besides a phone).
* Movies? Nope!
Essentially, it's a $200 USD Gameboy in North America, since it has none of the features which redeemed the original N-Gage, except the ability to play AAA-quality gaming titles on MMC.
I don't know how the folks at Nokia can claim that the N-Gage games are AAA-quality titles. I guess most Gameboy games are AAAAAAAAAA-quality titles, because every single one of the games I've tried has sucked so fucking much. But, hey, at least I got a phone/mp3 player/movie phone/mms capable/colour with calendering device out of it. Purchasers of the N-Gage QD won't get that at all.
I don't think Nokia will be back for a third round, considering they've lost the second round right here. If they'd managed to get any decent titles, it might be a different story, but no one except maybe Nintendo seems to have the ability to float a platform with 1st-party titles. Without really great 3rd-party wooing via buckets of money (MS) or sheer momentum (Sony), there's no way to get into the game market. Sorry, Nokia, but I think we'll just have to agree to disagree.
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Nobodys going to use this thing as a mobile unless it's small enough to fit in your pocket. Also, the screen should be oriented horizontaly, not vertically
But.. they've taken out MP3 support, the radio and still haven't added a digital camera. The display is a little small by current standards too.
My guess is that the "N-Gage 2" will be announced in a few months time with another model name (what the heck does QD stand for anyway) and will have more features, and maybe a better screen.
Doing it this way means that they should still be able to shift the original N-Gages still in the supply chain, then they can announce the "N-Gage 2" later.
There's a useful independent writeup of the N-Gage 2 here.
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This will be a hit. I know first N-Cage was a dog, but look;
- It no longer looks stupid
- You can hotswap cards (upto 256MB MMC cards)
- Its a *full series60 phone for 199$ with upto 256MB memory for apps/MP3s*. Web browsing, email, downloadable Symbian apps...
While the screen is still small, considering that you previously had to pay 400$+ for these features I think its a great deal. Lack of triband sucks for US guys, but I honestly could not care less.
I was already 'sold' on the first one as a cheap phone with good feature set, but the 'sidetalking' issue killed it for me personally and I skipped it when it became obivious that an improved version was coming. It just looked stupid and I didn't feel like using a HandsFree-kit. Nokia fixed the major issues, is selling it cheaply considering the feature set as a *phone*, and as a bonus it has some promising titles incoming. Those buying it as a 'gaming machine' first may be disappointed. I'm looking at a phone that has some added features, and as such I'm happy with what I see.
Or could someone else point out a comparable phone for 199$? If we ignore triband, what other phone at that price offers all the non-game features that N-Cage QD has? Please enlighten me!
Nokia's Official site is here
is here
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Found this article at GameSpy.
Has a lot of cool pictures of the the N-Gage as well as a hands on preview.
It almost makes me want one of these things (Never had any desire for that old ugly thing)
redune.com: The World 3.2 Megapixels at a time
I prefer to carry my Zodiac. Nice, tough aluminum alloy case simply wont't crack.
Hopefully, the GBA emulator will be released this weekend. In the meantime, we have GB/GBC, NES, SNES, Atari ST, TG-16, C64, Colecovision, Xcade and GameGear/SMS emulators to keep us busy.
Oh, and video, mp3, web/email via bluetooth and Palm OS stuff also. And of course, games written for the Zodiac that take advantage of the custom video/audio chips.
I prefer my phone (with bluetooth) as a seperate device too.