AfterDawn: News

The Nokia N-Gage has been released on the market

The first portable gaming console representing the ‘next generation’ of mobile gaming is out. The portable phone giant boldly states out that the N-Gage is the biggest invention in gaming since the joystick.

The features of the N-Gage have raised a lot of anticipation. On the other hand, many of the analysts and so called experts are skeptic about the potential success of the N-Gage. It is true that pioneering in the gaming industry has been a tough task for a lot of companies – anyone remember the Atari Lynx? On the other hand Nokia has all the economical muscle it needs to support the new product, somewhat similar to Microsoft and Xbox. Still, the history has shown that there are a lot of total failures per every ‘playstation’.

Highly anticipated mobile device creates completely new market for game industry



When the clock strikes midnight tonight, gamers around the world will experience the biggest innovation in gaming since the joystick - mobility. Sales of the Nokia N-Gage game deck will start across several continents in over 60 countries, offering gamers both blockbuster game titles, as well as true game classics. October 7 marks the first global mobile connected game platform launch in the history of the games industry.

"There's going to be a lot of tired thumbs tonight!" said Ilkka Raiskinen, Senior Vice President, Entertainment and Media, Nokia Mobile Phones. "After months of anticipation and excitement, you can now walk into a store and begin playing games against anyone, anywhere. The Nokia N-Gage game deck opens up an amazing new mobile gaming experience to people around the world."

Gamers will also be able to start taking advantage of the N-GageTM Arena, the virtual home of the worldwide gamer community to share experiences and find other players for mobile online fun. The ability to play, share and compete over the air makes the N-Gage Arena unique in the game industry. N-Gage Arena services are initially offered free of charge to consumers for a trial period, although data traffic fees are payable according to operator tariffs.

New titles coming in time for the holiday season will include such bestsellers as NCAA Football 2004, Red Faction, a special N-Gage version of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, and more. Nokia N-Gage game deck devices and game titles will be available in over 30 000 major retail outlets, game-specific and video game retail outlets, as well as in regular mobile phone delivery channels in all major markets.

About N-Gage
The Nokia N-Gage game deck is an innovative mobile device that is creating an entirely new market for the games industry. Built for active and hardcore gamers, the Nokia N-Gage is the first mobile and connected game deck to feature online high-quality 3D multiplayer gameplay over Bluetooth wireless technology and GPRS. The Nokia N-Gage also offers unique online games services as well as a comprehensive and growing games catalogue from the leading game publishers. Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications. Nokia and N-Gage are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nokia Corporation. Bluetooth is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.

Nokia press release

Written by: Lasse Penttinen @ 7 Oct 2003 12:50

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• 22 comments

• Toiletman

  I'm pretty sure I'm not getting one. But I hope other people will. Nokia has spent ages over this and they deserve to be congratulated.
  

  When you are on your deathbed, you will wonder, "Did I waste my life? Was it worth spending all that time on that?" Do not despair, no one has wasted their life. After all, you can only waste something if you throw it away. And you can't throw life away.

  7.10.2003 14:49 #1

• Ghostdog

  I hardly ever play on my Nokia 3330, so I don´t think I´ll need a N-gage.

  8.10.2003 01:34 #2

• amrik

  Meh, I don't think it will do well. </opinion>

  8.10.2003 10:18 #3

• amrik

  Meh, I don't think it will do well. </opinion>

  8.10.2003 10:18 #4

• Oriphus

  Why not. I guess it will appeal to people who play handheld games often.
  

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  8.10.2003 16:18 #5

• amrik

  I dunno, it just has this sort of aura around it that it will bomb. Oh well, could be wrong.

  9.10.2003 04:58 #6

• signal

  for a true gammer, it will be a great thing im sure. i on the other hand am not a gamer. i hope it does very well.
  

  unknown_signal

  9.10.2003 13:07 #7

• Ghostdog

  If you look at how the different Gameboy consoles have sold you pretty much have to conlude that there is a market for these kinds of devices, and I see no reason why this market wouldn´t feel excited about the N-Gage (well, appart from the price).
  
  But for people who don´t play games on the road, this isn´t much more than a cool mobile phone.
  Then again, who knows. Maybe owning a N-Gage would get me into mobile gaming.

  9.10.2003 22:09 #8

• cd-rw.org

  Interestingly, the N-Gage is cheaper than the cam phones by Nokia. In fact, it is the cheapest Symbian Series 60 phone by them.
  
  S60 is a nice operating system, so the N-Gage is a good phone with premium features, while being quite a bit cheaper than the 3650 (which the N-Gage is acutally based on).
  

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  10.10.2003 01:17 #9

• Toiletman

  GAmeboy sold loads due to Nintendo. And hype. GameGear should have sold even more than Gameboy. It was in colour!!! And Nintendo couldn't beat it until t3h GBA came out!!
  
  In other words, Me>Neo Geo Pocket>GameGear>Wonderswan>Gameboy>
  

  When you are on your deathbed, you will wonder, "Did I waste my life? Was it worth spending all that time on that?" Do not despair, no one has wasted their life. After all, you can only waste something if you throw it away. And you can't throw life away.

  12.10.2003 15:48 #10

• rjamorim

  The N-Gage seems cool, and surely has some great potential, but there are some considerations to make:
  
  1 - Being portable only won't help much. That isn't news since 1987, when the first prototypes of GameBoy were released. So much for "mobility" and "best thing since the joystick"
  
  (You can go really nuts and remember the Milton/Bradley Microvision as the first portable video game. It was released in 1979)
  
  And don't forget the Sega Nomad ^_^
  
  2 - Phat hardware is cool, but the video game history is full of very powerful consoles that were defeated by older ones that had quite inferior hardware (3DO, DreamCast, NeoGeo, Saturn... and it seems XBox is going the same way). It all boils down to the game options. Wonderful hardware has no use if you don't offer a great library of games to be run on it. Microsoft is noticing now how true that is, seeing the insignificant presence they have in the best market for video games (Japan) because no japanese game producer is caring much for their platform.
  
  3 - They are going to deal with very scary people. To start with, Nintendo, that has all the experience on the field they might need and then some. Up to some time ago, Nokia's experience with games was more or less limited to Snake.
  And then, about an year from now, Sony is going to release PSP, which everyone is believing will be a killer portable (heck, they made Nintendo's shares value drop the day they announced PSP at E3). I wonder if Nokia will be able to deal with Sony's juggernaught and it's constellation of "affiliated" software houses (Square/Enix, Capcom, Namco, Konami...)
  
  Anyway, just some thoughts...
  
  Regards;
  
  Roberto.

  13.10.2003 17:07 #11

• Oriphus

  I think we have to remember that the N-Gage is a phone and not just a games console. If it were just a games console it wouldnt be able to compete. However, since it is also a phone, you will find people will use it much more than the average portable game console since they are more likely to carry it with them. how many people their GameBoy advance to work with them. Not many is my guess. However, most people would in fact take their mobile phones to work. Two combine the two in a decent package is a smart move in my opinion.
  

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  14.10.2003 00:09 #12

• Ghostdog

  And quite an advanced phone looking at the features. The list of games is currently a bit short, but titles like Pro Skater and Tomb Raider look like they could be fun to play on the N-Gage.
  
  From my perspective N-Gage takes mobile gaming to the next level.

  14.10.2003 05:16 #13

• loaded

  Personally I feel that the sort of people who want to pay that money for a phone, want a funky, smaller, cooler phone with a camera and will pay more even, but are not that interested in games on a big phone.
  
  The 'younger' market who want the games may not be able to justify paying for the N-Gage when a handheld console and a basic phone are cheaper.
  
  Maybe I am a cynic, but I notice that Nokia and Afterdawn are both incorporated in Finland. Hmmm, I wonder if there is any share interest, after all, how is this 'Afterdawn' news :-D
  
  Paul (cynical, you bet!)
  

  I'm back...
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  14.10.2003 06:22 #14

• Oriphus

  I actually couldnt care less about cameras etc.. I want a phone that is small, feature packed and light. Thats my criteria. Thats why i have a Nokia 6100, there is nothing better than it in my opinion at the minute.
  

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  14.10.2003 11:37 #15

• loaded

  I have three phones, a Nokia Communicator (when you hark back to the old Motorola 8500 days and you need a brick on your belt!)
  
  a Nokia 8910i, which is my wife's, but she never uses it, so I use it quite a lot
  
  And a Sanyo GX20, which I have to say it great :-)
  
  Paul.

  I'm back...
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  14.10.2003 13:10 #16

• Oriphus

  I have two that i use. One is a crappy Nokia 5100 and the other is a Nokia 6100. The crappy one is for off-peak phone calls to my girl. The other is for all phone calls, peak, messages, off peak, etc...
  

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  15.10.2003 01:12 #17

• Ghostdog

  What´s an "off-peak" phone call?

  15.10.2003 05:26 #18

• loaded

  Ahh, we forget that some of our members live in civilised countries, where the telephony service providers do not rape us for using the phone at social hours. They would all prefer us hermits living in caves using two yogurt cups attached with string at a cost of £4 per minute.
  
  We live in UK, where not only do we have ridiculous charging and useless bandwidths even in our capital, but cold weather, Jeremy Beadle and Conran Restaurants. On the bright side, we just had the nicest summer since records began, so you can pretty much be sure we will all die before we see any sun ever again, if the law of averages stays as it does (I suspect it will!)
  
  If you don't want to pay over £4,000,000 for a mobile phone you will need something called a contract, where basically if you fail to pay your bill 5 minutes after it is printed (it doesn't matter if they have sent it) they will remove your credit rating (before you do any more damage) take a child from your premises until you start behaving and even occasionally declare war on a small nation.
  
  Paul.

  15.10.2003 07:40 #19

• Oriphus

  Normally in the UK - between 7.00am and 7.00pm phone calls are around 5 times or more expensive than 7.00pm to 7.00am. There are different mobile tarrifs to suit each individuals needs
  

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  15.10.2003 07:42 #20

• loaded

  Oriphus, you sound like a fucking Vodafone commercial.
  
  Bollocks.
  
  Paul.
  
  PS : I am a bit edgy today. Is it obvious?
  
  ;-)

  I'm back...
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  15.10.2003 07:51 #21

• Oriphus

  Um...er....no it isnt.....um....obvious at all Paul
  
  lol ;-)
  

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  15.10.2003 08:47 #22