Your thoughts on the ngage [Archive] - Retrogaming Roundtable

Oobgarm

09-11-2003, 11:33 PM

The Ngage guy, shudder at the sight of him:
http://www.dustincarter.com/images/head.gif

Seriously, though, it's gonna bomb. It's TOO EXPENSIVE, looks hideous, has crappy recycled software, and is from a company who knows NOTHING AT ALL about games. At least Sony and Microsoft had made video games in the past. And Snake doesn't count. :P

BTW, here are other topics on the N-Gage:

1. http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8556&highlight=ngage

2. http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17535&highlight=ngage

3. http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16574&highlight=ngage

4. http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16040&highlight=ngage

Pantechnicon

09-11-2003, 11:42 PM

I'm expecting I'll get one reasonably soon, i.e. - about a year's time - from the bargain bin at Gamestop, along with the few decent titles which will be developed for it. Less than $50 for the lot.

Of course by that time the connectivity infrastructure for the device will be completely gone (much like my newfound love, the Dreamcast :( ). So it will be a standalone handheld that will probably get less played than my Lynx, but more than my Virtual Boy.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Online console gaming is doomed, and handheld devices which support it will be the first casualties of the coming apocalypse.

LOL Cybiko, anyone? LOL

vintagegamecrazy

09-11-2003, 11:43 PM

It'll be like talking on the good ol' brick

AB Positive

09-11-2003, 11:43 PM

I think we'll all be laughing as we buy our N-Gages. 2 years from now, in the bargin bin for $30 a piece, watching as they become collectors items 10 years from now.

I mean, no one's going to -play- the damn thing, are they? :-D

-AG

Half Japanese

09-12-2003, 12:17 AM

I have 2 nice things to say about it:

-The graphics look like early ps1, which is respectable for a handheld

-The games come in nice plastic cases (what the fuck are YOU doing Nintendo?)

That said I won't be buying one. Too goddamn expensive. To whoever said that console gaming was doomed, hope you got something nice with that royalty check from Nintendo :D. Online console gaming is going to be around whether or not you care for it or not, because a lot of people DO. That said I haven't played any online since the DC died, but just because you don't find something appealing doesn't mean there aren't plenty who do (my best example would be Madden. And as far as the Cybiko goes, that was nothing more than a stripped down TI-83, so don't compare that to what could happen with the next incarnation of the GBA or the PSP.

Slipdeath

09-12-2003, 12:40 AM

actually promoting it on streetwise.com, where i happened to win one, they sent us a lot of material to pass out,so thats why i probably like it, i dont hvae to pay $300 and a shirt :D

hezeuschrist

09-12-2003, 01:53 AM

Novel idea, but thats about where the positive statements end.

maxlords

09-12-2003, 07:28 AM

Too expensive, lousy games overall, you have to take the batteries OUT to put a game in, and it has awful buttons. It's just not at all what i would want in a portable gaming unit. I'll buy it out of the bargain bin dirt cheap ($30 or less) just for laughs...but that's about it.

Darth Sensei

09-12-2003, 08:04 AM

Maxlords post makes a great point. The articles I've read about this remark on how poorly this thing is designed.

Why on earth do you have to practically take it apart just to switch games? :hmm:

xfactor1984

09-12-2003, 08:44 AM

i heard the thing is like 500$, its gonna bomb big time, there is no way that people are gonna pay 500$ for a handheld!

christianscott27

09-12-2003, 08:46 AM

do you guys see that you're jumping over eachother to rip apart something you've never actually played?

are you video gamers or fan boys?

Sniderman

09-12-2003, 08:51 AM

are you video gamers or fan boys?

Video gamers ARE fan boys, christian! LOL

Nintendo ROXXORS!!1!! Yucks-Box SUCCKKRS!!1!!!

AB Positive

09-12-2003, 08:58 AM

do you guys see that you're jumping over eachother to rip apart something you've never actually played?

are you video gamers or fan boys?

Well, this could be a valid jab tossed at it except that the poor design and other flaws are so damn glaring that it's hard to ignore. It's basically a souped up cell-phone that's being marketed for it's gaming capabilities.

If they went the route of say Sony, with the PSX (another bad idea IMHO) and at least marketed it as a "High end multimedia interactive device" a.k.a. something for the rich people to brag about, then you might just have a shot in hell. But they don't as the gamer community on average does have disposable income, but not that much. And they probably already have a cellphone. Bad mix.

If the N-Gage does well, kudos to Nokia and we'll all be eating our words. However I'd be willing to bet against it, because I'd see it as easy money :D

-AG

christianscott27

09-12-2003, 09:15 AM

Sniderman

09-12-2003, 09:22 AM

yeah and the xbox was dissed even harder before it came out, now i see it earning serious respect from gamers.

"microsoft messes everything up, it'll suck like windows, it'll have nothing but PC ports..."
Hey, you're talking to the guy who predicted that the VHS format would die and Betamax would conquer ("VHS is so much more shitty in quality and look at the size of those tapes!"). I also predicted the collapse of the NES. ("Everyone has home computers now! the C64, the Apple II, Atari 800.... Who would want to buy a dedicated cart-based game system again? It'll be deader than the Atari and the Intellivision within a year.")

Hope the N-Gage succeeds, but I get a Game.com vibe from it. It's not sure WHAT it wants to be, so it'll be marketed to everyone - gamers, phone text-messengers, kids, adults, the serious players, the fiddlers. I think it's too "schizophrenic" to find a solid market to latch onto. Just my opinion. Your milage may vary. And my track record ain't the best, as outlined above.

Sniderman - Always at the forefront of technology's march....

calthaer

09-12-2003, 10:00 AM

I can't remember which review of the Ngage had it, but they quoted some "expert" who said that the number of successful combined technical devices in history amounts pretty much to one: the clock radio.

I'm not certain that anybody really wants a cell / handheld gaming platform. What I am certain about is that nobody is going to pay $300 for it.

That being said I'm sure you could create some great gaming experiences with it...you could even have mini-MMOGs on it and things like that.

Slipdeath

09-12-2003, 10:11 AM

how many games do u think it wil have?? my guess is hmm..35

Reverend JagDiesel

09-12-2003, 10:52 AM

I have been seriously looking into this. Not as a potential purchaser ($299 I think not) but more at the technology. I cant believe they would make it so difficult to use! Who did they use as a test market, a bunch of engineers? Bill Gates? Bin Laden :-D ?
This will fail miserably and we'll all be hitting the bargain bins within a year to snatch up an "instant" but useless collectable.

jonjandran

09-12-2003, 11:07 AM

Why can't companies learn. A handheld (portable) game device is an "impulse" buy.
People buy it for their kids or themselves on a whim. And as such it can't cost $299.00 with $35.00 games.
At $100-150 and $19.99-24.99 a game ,a much higher percentage of people would at least give it a shot.
No-one is going to spend that much on it when you can get a multimedia device (PS2 and X-Box) for $179.99 and games as cheap as $10.00.
You would think these huge corporations would learn by now.

Zaxxon

09-12-2003, 11:28 AM

It's trendy here to line up to bash this system. I don't see how it could possibly be worse as a game platform than the GBA/GBA SP. At least it has a backlit screen I believe. People here are all enthusiastic about the GP32 which is probably less powerful, will have less support, is harder to obtain and just as expensive. The cost is not that big of an issue as it'll likely be near GBA price or free depending on what cell phone plan you sign up for, just like any other cell phone/pager. I don't get all the venomous hatred aimed at Nokia for making an ambitious, feature packed, powerful handheld and all the love for Nintendo's yet another unambitious, lacking, piece of old(circa 1989) repackaged technology, the GB Advanced(HA!). Notice how people here are willing to overlook and forgive totally fucked up design flaws if they come from Atari or Nintendo. Bunch of ignorant fanboys.

jonjandran

09-12-2003, 11:47 AM

zmeston

09-12-2003, 12:01 PM

N/A

Zaxxon

09-12-2003, 12:02 PM

So who's being ignorant now?

You are. You're eagerly lining up to declare your hatred for a system you clearly know little about and have never played.

It's been announced at $299.00 not "as cheap as the GBA "

Who fucking cares what the list price is on a cell phone! The list price on my cell phone was probably $150-$200.What did I end up paying for it, nothing. So if the ngage is more $ than that should put it in the range of the GBA. Who buys a cell phone and just carries it around without phone service. You act as if this is some strange, new concept. They already have color games on phones and mp3 players in phones. This is just taking it to the next level.

jonjandran

09-12-2003, 12:08 PM

You are. You're eagerly lining up to declare your hatred for a system you clearly know little about and have never played.

Who fucking cares what the list price is on a cell phone! The list price on my cell phone was probably $150-$200.What did I end up paying for it, nothing. So if the ngage is more $ than that should put it in the range of the GBA. Who buys a cell phone and just carries it around without phone service. You act as if this is some strange, new concept. They already have color games on phones and mp3 players in phones. This is just taking it to the next level.

I have never declared my hatred for the system and neither has any-one here. We were asked our thoughts on the matter and we're giving them. This must be a new concept for you.

And the announced price of $299.00 was with cel phone minutes included. So this is what most people are basing their opinions on.

And what are you some sort of N-Gage Fanboy. LOL

jonjandran

09-12-2003, 12:11 PM

Who buys a cell phone and just carries it around without phone service. You act as if this is some strange, new concept.

I do. I've had a Sidekick for over a year now and have NEVER used the phone on it. And I have 400 minutes a month. I bought it for the Internet and E-mail service.
And I think the majority of the people will buy the N-Gage as a gaming device and not the cel-phone aspect, since most people already have a cel-phone and service they like.

Zaxxon

09-12-2003, 12:22 PM

[quote="zmeston"]
It's a much less capable gaming platform than the GBA (Advance, NOT "Advanced" [sic] -- I can't believe how many people get this wrong)

I actually had typed Advance and then went back and changed it. I wasn't sure.

,
for a variety of technical and ergonomic reasons. The absurd price point IS an issue, whether you simply think it's foolish to pay $300 for a handheld or you already have a cell phone and/or long-distance plan.

I don't get the impression that Nokia is trying to or think they can take over the whole GBA market. I thought it was just a new cell phone from them that was a lot more game friendly than current cell phone designs. Plus the built in mp3 player, bluetooth etc. is cool. If you already have a cell phone/phone service plan I'm sure you can trade-in/upgrade. Who pays list price for their cell phones currently?

And Nokia has thus far demonstrated a total lack of understanding of the videogame market, particularly its wretched ad campaign and freakish E3 press conference.

They are a cell phone company and they are trying to sell a new cell phone. It's not like they are launching a new TV console.

I take it you're part of the "grass-roots" N-Gage promotional campaign?

-- Z.

Not at all. I'm not a handheld gamer and don't even own a GB/GBA. I just find it's specs interesting and I'm at least willing to try it out before saying it's total shit unlike the fanboys here. I AM more likely to buy a cell phone that has gaming abilities built-in than a stand alone like GBA that I can't see myself carrying around, especially since I'm already carrying a cell phone in one pocket. Apparently the Nintendo fanboys feel very threatened with the GC going down in flames, the release of the NGage and the PSP on the horizon and feel the need to defensively lash out.

Chunky

09-12-2003, 12:23 PM

2 things. do you have to buy a cell plan with it? if so, whos cell company is it under? normally they give you the phone for less with a 2 year plan or something?

anyways, I'd wait for at least the first drop, However i do want to play it if it is backlit.

I heard on the radio's business hour about Nokias stokc being down for bad reception of there handheld game or something to that effect.

christianscott27

09-12-2003, 01:14 PM

i wonder how long cell service providers will keep underwriting consumer hardware costs now that market saturation is nearly 100%?

sisko

09-12-2003, 01:44 PM

I paid $300 for a PS2 on launch day which I shortly realized that it was way too much. $300 for an excellent system for an extemely well reputable system with a guaranteed success. $300 for a dvd player, a playstation (never had one before), and a new next gen system.

The Ngage also costs $300 and is a lot less practical (for me...already have a phone and mp3 player). Not only that, its $300 for a questionable system from a company has absolutely no video game experience and $300 for a system that is said by hundreds of respect game reviewers that it will fail.

Now if I feel $300 was too much to pay for something really good, why would I want to pay $300 on something that wasn't?

Oobgarm

09-12-2003, 01:56 PM

They are a cell phone company and they are trying to sell a new cell phone. It's not like they are launching a new TV console.

But they aren't marketing it as a cell phone. It's being marketed as a game machine. The Bluetooth wireless technology is getting a major push via ads in videogame magazines., but I don't hear Nokia telling everyone that it's a "Cell phone you can play games on". Even the system's packaging touts it as "The Next Level of Gaming". "Cell Phone" is listed on the back of the box as an added feature.

It irks me whan companies who have NO CLUE about the games industry decide to jump in and take part of the pie. I am not a handheld gamer, so I have no qualms about Nintendo losing its edge in that market.

"Too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth".

zmeston

09-12-2003, 02:04 PM

N/A

Oobgarm

09-12-2003, 02:24 PM

That's a really insightful article, Zach. Thanks for bringing it up. The final line rings loud and true.

"Nokia needs to think very hard about whether it's really committed to the games industry, and whether the people who planned this device really understood what they were undertaking to do in the first place."

ubersaurus

09-12-2003, 11:38 PM

Isn't the battery life on games like 3 hours? I could play my friggin game gear, or a lynx, or a nomad for longer then that, and those all have a better game lineup.

My friend mentioned the n-gage to me today, saying "Sonic N looks sweet." and I told him "it's just a port of sonic advance". The n-gage essentially needs a price cut, and a good, exclusive killer app to survive past the first year. I bet you it won't have either. "But Kevin! The ps2 didn't have a killer app for a while!" you say. The PS2 had the killer app of a built in DVD player and PS1 support-it surivived on that, and the playstation name, until it got big name titles like FF10 and MGS2, and gta3.

N-gage is a flawed presentation of an idea that really could be cool.

Dire 51

09-13-2003, 12:32 AM

I'm just plain not interested. I ever see something for it that grabs my eye, then maybe, but until then no thanks.

Captain Wrong

09-20-2003, 01:31 PM

Sorry to drag this back up, but the recent Game Informer had a spread on the N Gage, so I figure I can't be the only one wanting to talk a little more about it.

Two interesting things from the artcicle.

1) they described using it as a phone as like holding a taco up to your head. That's exactly what I though when I first saw the pics.

2) they also mentioned the lady in charge of marketing for this was fining employees who refered to the N-Gage as a cell phone. That tells me they are serious about this as a gaming platform and not a phone that plays games.

The GI staff, who were odviously wined and dined enough to give the N-Gage a pretty healthy write up, panned the games pretty hard. Take that as you will, but I think it kind of confirms what most people think.

Although I know it's bad to pass judgement on something you have not expirenced, I just don't see this as a good thing. I strongly doubt anyone (well, anyone not on this board :P) is going to rush out and buy this on the strength of it being a game machine, and it doesn't sound like this is that practical as a phone. Anytime you have an "all in one" electronic item, you're going to be exchanging the convinece of having it all in one for the quality of the indidvidual components, and that sounds exactly like the case here.

Time will tell, but I expect this time 2 years from now we'll be speaking of the N-Gage in the same sentence as the game.com and R-Zone.

Oobgarm

09-26-2003, 07:50 AM

Now that I've gotten a chance to actually play the system, I wanted to jump back in and give my thoughts. Granted, the only game I played was Tomb Raider, but it was an actual Ngage game on an actual Ngage system.

The system itself is an anorexic little thing, it's super skinny-so it's a bit rough on the hands. The button placement is so-so, since they're all so close together. And the insertion/removal of games is indeed a pain in the ass. The other features (MP3, PDA, etc.) were cool, and if the thing wasn't so freakin' expensive, I'd consider it for those features alone.

The actual game was very underwhelming for me, but I was impressed that the system could handle 3D in a respectable way. The control was tight, and sound was decent.

As a gaming platform, I still believe that this thing is going to bomb. There may be a decent game here or there, but a majority of old spftware and shovelware is going to kill this thing.

As an "everything else" gadget, I'm impressed. It's just a shame that the price is so high.

1) they described using it as a phone as like holding a taco up to your head. That's exactly what I though when I first saw the pics.

I thought that too. I've started calling it "$300 Taco" when I refer to it at the store. LOL

maxlords

09-26-2003, 10:52 AM

My thoughts on the NGage: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

My thoughs on the Phantom: See above.

jonjandran

09-26-2003, 10:56 AM

My thoughts on the NGage: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

My thoughs on the Phantom: See above.

No the N-Gage is going to be DA BOMB.
The 35 year old , pimple faced , never had a girlfriend, manager at EB says he got one with games. And it ROCKS !!!!
So we must believe him right ?

kai123

09-26-2003, 04:18 PM

Here is a question for you will this be the only model to feature these features. I mean if they can upgrade it and make it look and feel better later on.(Like the GBA and GBASP)

Balloon Fight

09-26-2003, 05:59 PM

Might as well burn your $300, you'll get more enjoyment.

TheRedEye

09-26-2003, 06:40 PM

Here is a question for you will this be the only model to feature these features. I mean if they can upgrade it and make it look and feel better later on.(Like the GBA and GBASP)

They announced before this one was even RELEASED that they're already designing new models with upgraded features.

My advice: even if you're interested, don't buy this thing.