N-Gage end maybe not so near

[classicb]

Lots of people have been speculating that the N-Gage may be nearing the end. Well it doesn't look like Nokia is planning on it. In fact the N-Gage seems to be getting some good press for a change. I've seen several articles both on the web and in print praising the latest N-Gage releases. The new free Snake game also seems to be getting allot of praise. Nokia also just unveiled today System Rush a new game to be released in Summer 2005. Nokia is also building upon their N-Gage Arena allowing people to create their own custom arenas.(it would be cool if we had a DP arena) I think Nokia will give the N-Gage at the very least another full year.

edit: here is a screen shot from System Rush more on page two

[Ze_ro]

Kudos to Nokia for sticking with their product despite the poor reception. It's too bad Sega and Nintendo didn't do the same with the 32X and the Virtual Boy, or we might have seen some truly excellent games for those platforms.

--Zero

[WanganRunner]

I dunno, I still think that it's largely being saved by the fact that it also happens to have cell phone functionality. Rated as a standalone game machine, I dunno how it stacks up. The emulation stuff is all well and good, but compare it to, say, a Tapwave Zodiac, which does the same thing with a better screen and better PDA functionality. Or the GP32, which is just so cool I don't have words for it.

I hope the little bugger starts picking up though, it's a neat idea. As it gets more original games, the faults of what I see as it's two main competitors, the Zodiac (pure crap original titles) and the GP32 (no official presence here) will get more apparentl

[classicb]

I dunno, I still think that it's largely being saved by the fact that it also happens to have cell phone functionality.

I think the phone part is both helping and hurting them. While the main reason I got one was to get a phone that could be my portable gaming devise I had to wait until my current phone contract ran up so I could get one at a better price. If you don't get it with a new phone plan it can be up to $200. If they priced it without a phone plan down around $79 were the GBA is they would probably sell allot more. I know there are plenty of people here on DP wanting one but its still too much money if you're locked into a phone plan.

[SegaAges]

That is very true. I want an N-Gage, but am not about to pay $200 for one. I could care less about the phone stuff, I just want it as a system.

[digitalpress]

I'm glad they're sticking it out. I was a little late to the N-Gage party but I'm knee deep in it now with emulators, videos, MP3's and N-Gage games aplenty. I hope it's supported for a long time.

[PDorr3]

I have been waiting for a price drop before I buy one. the older games are so cheap, and the boxes are so cool that i want to collect for it.

[Querjek]

I have had my N-Gage for less than a week now, and I've completely run out of charge on the battery every day since I got it (Saturday). I LOVE using this for MP3s, videos, NES roms, and, of course, Snakes. I hope that Nokia continues to support their system, despite its lack of a large user base.

[davidleeroth]

I tried N-Gage yesterday for the first time. The Nokia stand has been in our local supermarket for a good while now but I had passed it until now. There was some racing game on it and I was really surprised by the quality. It was fun, I had no trouble with the button layout and it had very impressive graphics.

I can see it's an easy target to bash on but I for one have moved from to camp.

[classicb]

Heres a good Q&A with Gerald Wiener Nokia's new Games director

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/02...s_6117799.html

when asked about how long Nokia was going to stick it out without a profit

Basically, the answer is that the N-Gage will be here for as long as it takes. I remember the sickening feeling I got during the Dreamcast era when I was at Sega, and this situation isn't the same. Every time we get hit, we learn more, and it just makes us stronger.

[slip81]

The phone functionality is one of the reasons I want the N-Gage. In May I'm gonna need to get a new phone and it will probably be one of these because I keep hearing so many things about it.

I probably wouldn't buy it though if it was just a handheld, because I don't want another dedicated protable.

[rbudrick]

I definitely want to get an Ngage too, but they are so expensive...I know there's been a bunch of threads on this before, but is somebody clearing these out at a great bargain? Even a non-QD model?

-Rob

[DogP]

I wish I could use mine as a phone (doesn't work with my Sprint PCS service)... carrying both the n-gage and a phone in my pocket gets to be a little too much, but I do try to leave it in my backpack for days that I have long gaps between classes.

DogP

[SoulBlazer]

I would get one if it was'nt so expensive and if I don't need a phone contract, cause I have no intrest in it as a phone. If I could get it for under $150, sure.

[zektor]

I just bought one with my tax return. It really is a nice little unit. I have been messing with it tonight, and am looking forward to testing some of the emulators. I bought it because I was curious about the system and because I do not have a cell phone at all. Now I can have the best of all worlds. Not a bad purchase for what I will be using it for in my opinion.

[max 330 mega]

yay, another person buys this sexy little handheld!!

[Gemini-Phoenix]

I got my original version Ngage when the QD as getting launched ( I waited to see which was better)

My Ngage cost me only £80, and it came unlocked, with a free sim card, free Sonic N game, and free 128mb memory card! Oh, and Nokia Game.

That was a bargain and a half! They were trying to get rid of their stocks of the original model before the QD hit the shops.

[zektor]

yay, another person buys this sexy little handheld!!

Yeah, it's really too bad that the system has such a bad rep. It is very nice, and built very well. The price is a killer I suppose, but I really don't care much about that...not for what I can do with it. It's like the Dreamcast of portables. With a little research you can find a whole lot of great stuff for it...which I'm only finding out now!

[tholly]

i have a couple games for it, now i just need the system

if it dies, i can get the system quicker for cheaper, but if it stays around, when i finally do get one there will be more games for it

hmmm....i guess i dont need one right away, especially with the DS and my PSP preorder, so i guess i hope the N-Gage stays around for awhile yet

[zektor]

I hope it stays around for a long time as well, but I don't see it happening. Mobile gaming is getting bigger and bigger however, and I suppose that is a good sign. A co-worker was playing Metal Slug Mobile the other day as a matter of fact. But these are downloadable games, not games on sale as cards in a game store.

Either way, whether it does stick around or not, I am really having a great time with it. I can now play MP3's, Mod's, and OGG's on the QD, as well as Genesis, NES, Gameboy, some Mame and some SNES games on it. Also some cool applications to boot. If only people knew what they really can do with the unit, well, they jsut might not think the price is all that bad. I sure as hell didn't.

Also, what is up with finding MMC cards? In my area I was only able to find a 128MB card. On newegg I am only able to find a 256MB. I had to resort to ebay to get a 1GB MMC, which is the max capacity the N-Gage will handle and I must say is the ideal size for mucho music and games. Wonder why they are so hard to come by?