The N-Gage is a handheld device created by Nokia and released in October 2003, based off their Series 60 mobile phone platform. As gamers owned both handheld games and cell phones in the late 1990s, Nokia saw an opportunity to combine the two and hopefully lure people away from 's competing.The N-Gage made use of Bluetooth technology and the Internet for multiplayer gaming, as opposed to the GBA requiring linking cables. Audio/video playback and PDA functionality were also included, It even had a built-in FM radio.Despite its superior graphics capabilities at the time of its release compared to the GBA (somewhere between a and the in terms of power, though unlike the 32X and the PlayStation, the N-Gage lacked a dedicated GPU), there were several drawbacks. Firstly, the face buttons were the 5 and 7 keys on the keypad, making it really easy to press the wrong ones during crucial moments.
Another was that the game slot note essentially a MultiMediaCard slot, was located inside the battery compartment (just like color-screen high-end phones at that time), requiring the user to remove the batteries just to switch games. It also doesn't help that the games were distributed on commodity MultiMediaCards, making it susceptible to piracy — scene groups such as the now-defunct BiNPDA released cracked versions of N-Gage titles which could be played on most if not all Symbian Series 60 devices, making the purpose of releasing a dedicated gaming phone rather moot. Was its awkward screen orientation, restricting the playfield to a very narrow field of view giving the player a disadvantage especially with platform games and first-person shooters. And most infamously, the speaker and microphone were placed on the bottom, you had to hold the edge of the phone to your ear as you made calls, making it look like you had a.
One other thing that isn't mentioned as often but hurt adoption of the device was the fact that one had to have a cell phone contract with your local provider to purchase the device from a lot of stores that carried it — which made it very hard to purchase for children as presents and essentially limited its demographic, since. Not to mention that no CDMA variant was made either, effectively snubbing out those in areas where the likes of Verizon have a better coverage. In April 2004, Nokia released the N-Gage QD, which fixed some of the previous system's flaws. Not only was it smaller and rounder than before, but it also had the MMC cartridge slot conveniently placed on the bottom, with Nokia even going so far as to releasing an 'MMC Expander' accessory allowing players to carry two games at a time and switch between them as needed. The speaker and mic were also moved to the front of the system, making phone calls more convenient and less ridiculous. However, features like MP3 playback and USB connectivity were removed to cut costs.Because of these many physical drawbacks and lack of quality games, the N-Gage sold poorly, and was ridiculed by gamers. To Nokia's benefit it wasn't released in Japan, which would've made it even more of a joke like how the Xbox was (and still is).
Not even the QD was able to boost sales since so few were aware of the redesign. Nokia quietly discontinued the system in 2007 in favor of more-conventional candybar-shaped phone models. In 2008, the N-Gage for a mobile gaming service compatible with a number of Nokia S60 smartphones note Specifically, S60 Third Edition devices though not all of them are certified to run the N-Gage client., but not the N-Gage or QD. Some of the original platform's exclusives received remakes or sequels.
'N-Gage 2.0' proved even shorter-lived than its namesake, shutting down after less than two years.Specifications:Processors. ARM Integrated (ARMI) compatible chip (ARM4T architecture) running at 104 MHz, the same as Nokia's 7650 and 3650 phones. The phone lacked a dedicated GPU, with games having to resort to just software rendering. This led to some games such as performing sluggishly which made it a chore to play especially in intense scenes.
Dedicated DSP (Texas Instruments TMS320) for MP3 playback (1st gen only; the QD redesign lacks this requiring software decoding through third-party applications for MP3 playback)Memory. 3.4 MB internal memory (1st gen only).Display.
Can display 4,096 colors. Its screen is unusually taller than it is wider, at a resolution of 176 x 208. Not very good for side-scrolling games like.Batteries. Unlike the original GBA but similar to most cellphones and the GBA SP, the N-Gage used a BL-6C lithium-ion battery pack.
This article is about the smartphone. For the mobile gaming service, see.N-GageManufacturerTypeandGenerationRelease date7 October 2003Lifespan2003–2005Discontinued26 November 2005Units sold3 million (as of 30 July 2007)Media6.1 @ 104 MHzStorageMultiMediaCard, 3.4 MB internal memory (1st gen N-Gage)Connectivity,Online servicesN-Gage ArenaRelated articles,The N-Gage was a combining features of a and a developed by, announced on 4 November 2002 and released on 7 October 2003. It runs the original platform on v6.1.N-Gage attempted to lure gamers away from the by including functionality. This was unsuccessful, partly because the buttons, designed for a telephone, were not well-suited for gaming. The original N-Gage was described as resembling a, which led to its mocking nickname 'Taco phone'.Nokia introduced the in 2004 as a redesign of the original 'Classic' N-Gage, fixing widely criticized issues and design problems. However, the new model was unable to make an impact, and with only 2 million units sold in its two years, the N-Gage and its QD model were a, unable to challenge their rival.The N-Gage was discontinued in November 2005, with Nokia moving its gaming capabilities onto selected Series 60 smartphones. This was announced as the in 2007, carrying on the N-Gage name.
A disassembled N-Gage, showing each layer of hardwareThe N-Gage is used in a wide physical form with a 2.1 inch display in the centre with a to the left and numerical keys to the right, among other buttons. This kind of design was roughly used before by the mobile phone.Instead of using cables, gaming was accomplished with or the (via the N-Gage Arena service). The N-Gage also included MP3 and Real Audio/Video playback and -like features into the system.Besides its gaming capabilities, the N-Gage was a smartphone, running 6.1, with features similar to those of the (it does not have an integrated, however).
It was able to run all Series 60 software (other than those that require a camera), and applications as well. Its main CPU was an ARM Integrated (ARMI) compatible chip (ARM4T architecture) running at 104 MHz, the same as the and 3650 phones.Development Around 2000, gamers increasingly carried both. Nokia spotted an opportunity to combine these devices into one unit. Nokia announced in November 2002 that they would develop the N-Gage, a device that integrated these two devices. Its original development codename was Starship.
Release With a launch price of US $299 (equivalent to $407 in 2018), the N-Gage was not commercially popular. In its first weeks of availability in the United States, it was outsold by the 100 to 1.
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Within 17 days of the deck's release, popular retailers and began offering $100 rebates on the deck's price.In February 2004, with the N-Gage failing to make a major impact four months on, CEO Jorma Ollila claimed that the device would be given until 2005 to be judged whether it was a success or failure.In January 2005, UK sales-tracking firm ChartTrack dropped the N-Gage from its regular ELSPA chart, commenting that 'The N-Gage chart, though still produced, is of little interest to anyone. Sales of the machine and its software have failed to make any impact on the market at all.' Although only directly reflective of the UK market, this was interpreted by some as a serious blow to the N-Gage as a viable gaming platform. Despite this, Nokia reaffirmed their commitment to the N-Gage as a platform, to the point where a new version of the hardware was rumored after. N-Gage promotion atIn November 2005, Nokia admitted that the N-Gage failed, selling only one-third of the company's expectations. The product was discontinued from Western markets, but would continue to be marketed in India and parts of Asia. Nokia did continue N-Gage promotions at.
The last game to be released in the U.S. For the system was in March 2006 according to. In November 2006, Nokia released its last game for the N-Gage QD, combat racer Payload. As of August 2007, it was estimated that Nokia had shipped more than two million N-Gage game decks. The 'N-Gage' brand name still had a poor reputation within the gaming media and among the few consumers who recognized the N-Gage brand, due to the weakness of the system's first games and the original model's limitations. Nokia had more than 50 games available for the system.
Sales There is some disagreement in sources about the actual number of N-Gage decks sold. Nokia initially claimed 400,000 sales in the first two weeks the deck was available. However, independent market research firms Chart-Track and Arcadia Research claimed that the N-Gage had sold only 5,000 decks in the United States in that time, and 800 decks in the UK. Critics suggested Nokia was counting the number of decks shipped to retailers, not the number actually purchased by consumers. Nokia later admitted this was the truth.In 2004, Nokia claimed in a press release that it had shipped its millionth deck, represented as a company milestone despite falling short of the company's initial projection of six million decks by the end of 2004. However, this number shipped does not give a reliable picture of the actual sales of the deck. Nokia ultimately shipped 3 million N-Gage decks by 2007.
Reception received a handful of glowing reviews when it was released, and was Nokia's first self-published success. These games came perhaps too late to have much effect in improving the perception of the N-Gage hardware itself in the eyes of consumers or press. Nokia had projections of at least 6 million sold decks in three years instead of only 3 million. N-Gage Classic The original phone's taco-shaped design was considered awkward: to insert a game, users had to remove the phone's plastic cover and remove the battery compartment as the game slot was next to it. Another clumsy feature was the speaker and microphone being located on the side edge of the phone. This often resulted in many describing it as talking into a ' phone' or 'Sidetalking', or simply that they had one very large ear, because the user held the edge of the phone against the cheek in order to talk into it.
Usual for a phone, but unusually for a game system, it had a screen taller than it was wide, with a size of 2.1' and resolution of 176 X 208, giving an aspect ratio of 11:13; most televisions and portable game screens were 4:3.N-Gage QD. Main article:Before the launch of first in-house N-Gage title, a one level demo of the game was released to journalists to allow them to sample the game, and understand the concepts behind the turn based wargame. This demo was subsequently placed on the N-Gage.com website as a free download. Undaunted by the 16 MB download size, fans jumped on the Pathway to Glory demo. The success of the download paved the route for future titles.There are 58 full titles available for N-Gage, but only 56 of these saw North American releases. The titles that were not released in North America are: (Germany and UK only) and (Australia and Brazil only). All but three of these titles ( Payload, ) were available for retail purchase.
These are:. (Port for N-Gage planned but never released).
(pack-in, Europe only). (Australia and Brazil only). (Port for N-Gage planned but never released).Along with those listed above, one more game was bundled with the N-Gage (on the Support CD): an exclusive version of, that was later made available to phones.See also.References. Archived from on 9 October 2007.
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