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N-Gage QD - Worth It At $99?

Posted by simoniker on from the don't-fear-the-extended-service-contract dept.

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?

3 of 69 comments (clear)

  1. Good question by Rexz · · Score: 4, Funny

    What price would you consider picking up an N-Gage QD for? They'd have to offer me at least 100.

  2. Free? by Stigmata669 · · Score: 4, Interesting
    It seems as though, especially with the bad press/experience that was the original NGage, cellphone carriers and Nokia should be "giving away" the NGage QD. By that I mean slapping the buyer with an 18+ month contract. Or even better, the special "Elite Gamer Package" where the phone is free and you get a new game cartridge "free" every X months paid for by the higher monthly rates.

    I can only assume that they are trying to make money from selling cellphone game cartridges, and in order to attract developers there has to be a large enough market. What's the easiest way to build a market? By giving out the console for free/selling at a loss. Nokia is a giant; they can probably follow the path of Microsoft and the Xbox.

    --
    Yawn.
  3. 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.