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N-Gage QD - Worth It At $99?

Thanks to GameSpot for its article discussing the possible pricing for Nokia's enhanced N-Gage QD mobile phone/game deck combo, which "will arrive in the Western Hemisphere on June 29, where units will sell for a list price of $199." Although "Reports from Europe and Asia--by way of CNN--indicate that foreign mobile phone networks are heavily subsidizing the QD in exchange for extended service contracts", the U.S. price is not yet known - the article points out: "When the QD was initially unveiled, Nokia publicly stated that it expected a carrier-subsidized $99 price point to be common." What price would you consider picking up an N-Gage QD for?

6 of 69 comments (clear)

  1. Who still cares about the N-Gage? by Vaevictis666 · · Score: 2, Insightful
    What price would you consider picking up an N-Gage QD for?

    I still won't consider an N-Gage. I don't have or feel a need to have a PDA or cell phone, and all my on-the-move gaming needs are quite well handled with my (non-SP) GBA.

  2. I will not buy one by ForestGrump · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I want Nokia to go back to a design like this
    nokia 8290.
    It is a no frills phone. Doesn't have a camera, doesnt have a gamepad.
    It's small and I love it.

    -Grump

    --
    Is it true that more people vote for the winner of American Idol, than vote for the president? -Ali G.
  3. The remove-battery-for-game-switching was a mistak by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 2, Insightful
    The remove-battery-for-game-switching was a mistake

    You are joking right? Alright lets try a different consumer article since I doubt you ever play games. Imagine that to change the video cassete you had to first remove the power suppy from your vcr. Imagine that to change channels on your tv you first had to unplug it. Imagine that to install a piece of software you had to reboot.

    Getting the picture? It is not so much a mistake as a sign that the designers just didn't have a clue.

    It is not like it is simple to remove the battery, it involves removing several very easy to loose components before you can play a different game. Not something you would want to do while in a moving train.

    So if this very simple thing was so totally and completly mishandled why would they have done anything else right?

    Why people hate them for this blunder? Because they insulted the gamers. They thought we were stupid enough to buy this piece of crap. I consider that reason enough for a very deep hatred and never ever to consider buying a game console from nokia.

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

  4. Re:Not me, but why does everyone else hate them? by Alkaiser · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Here's the deal. I actually considered getting one when they were first announced. Not for gaming, but because they were making a cell phone that would go international.

    Then I found out it didn't work in Japan, or most of Asia, so it became useless to me as a cell phone.

    On the gaming end of things, when you insult the owners of 99% of the portables by saying their handheld of choice is "for 13 year olds" and "embarassing to pull out in public" you go from "upstart with potential", to "pointy haired boss with no clue" rather quickly.

    The controls on the thing suck, and the fact that they're trying to keep it a tiny cell phone, without making it a flip phone means that they don't a good game from a hole in the ground. Currently, there isn't a way to play a video game that is as uncomfortable as playing one on an NGage. The QD tried to rectify this but still failed.

    That's why people hate this thing.

    --
    Netjak.com independent reviews of domestic & import video ga
  5. Re:The remove-battery-for-game-switching was a mis by Lynxara · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm not sure a lack of experience is an excuse for a design flaw that severe. If Nokia lacked experience, why didn't they have an R&D team study the design of competing handhelds to get a feel for what gamers would expect? It smacks of a rushed product, and most consumers will feel insulted if offered an obviously rushed product. Why shouldn't gamers feel contempt and distrust for Nokia at this point?

    The intensity of the gamer-culture backlash is unwarranted, of course, but gamer-culture has never really had a reputation for being rational or mature.

  6. Re:The remove-battery-for-game-switching was a mis by Kris_J · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Imagine that to change the video cassete you had to first remove the power suppy from your vcr. Imagine that to change channels on your tv you first had to unplug it. Imagine that to install a piece of software you had to reboot.
    Imagine that you had to turn off your games console before you changed the cartridge. Wait...