Official Nokia N-Gage Thread

[Lhadatt]

Just because of the game switching problem, I would consider the gaming capability the least of my reasons to buy one. However, its cell phone capability, plus address book, MP3 player, etc etc would be a good incentive for me. My Handspring Visor Pro plus VisorPhone is very handy, but goddamn that thing's a fucking brick. It would be nice to have something a bit handy that could play MP3's, store my addresses... oh and could play games too.

The N-gage isn't the only option. At least one manufacturer (T-mobile) has a Pocket PC Phone Edition unit out, which is essentially a PPC with phone circuitry built-in. There are Visorphone-like enhancements to normal PPCs as well.

But then, you're probably synching your Visor with Linux through some complex wizardry (or convoluted open-source program), so a PPC may not work for you.

[DArque Bishop]

The N-gage isn't the only option. At least one manufacturer (T-mobile) has a Pocket PC Phone Edition unit out, which is essentially a PPC with phone circuitry built-in. There are Visorphone-like enhancements to normal PPCs as well.

But then, you're probably synching your Visor with Linux through some complex wizardry (or convoluted open-source program), so a PPC may not work for you.

Yeah, I know about the PocketPC Phone Edition. My experience with PocketPC's haven't always been for the best. If I was to get a new phone, I'd actually probably go for a Handspring Treo. As it stands, right now, the Visor Pro w/ PDA works fine for me. If I want games, I can always get Midway's Arcade Classics for it.

As far as synching it with Linux, nothing complex needed. Red Hat 9 supports synching with Visors with little issue. That's one thing that N-Gage would have to sell me on, as I'll be switching my main PC to RH 9 this weekend and I don't think N-Gage supports Linux synchronization yet.

[Agent X]

A while back, I mentioned a system called the Tapwave Helix, which is supposed to come out later this year. It has some very nice specifications--maybe not as good as Sony's PSP, but it looks like it should be pretty far ahead of the N-Gage, at least from a gaming perspective. They've also signed Activision, Midway, Atari, and Digital Eclipse for development on this system (hopefully Digital Eclipse will be doing some tasty arcade emulation ). Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 and Neverwinter Nights have already been named as launch titles.

Despite the very impressive specs, I've heard very little about the Helix in the press. A few magazines and Web sites have made brief mentions of it, but that's about all.

How do you think the Helix will fare in the market? It might eventually get squashed by the arrival of the PSP (or it might not), and I doubt it would cause massive amounts of GBA owners to throw the GBA in the trash, but could this machine at least carve out a niche? I could see it possibly supplanting the Game Park GP32 as a portable homebrew/emulation video game platform.

Also, how do you think Helix will do going up against N-Gage?

[Jeremy]

I'm still quite excited about this system, I like how the new Tomb Raider font is used for the NG game. The system's price is murder though. On the upside, it will drop rapidly.

[SearchManX]

I'm guessing that you may be able to get this system at around $250 (or maybe even $200-230?) as long as you sign on with a contract... most phone companies give you $150-200 phones for free when you sign a yearly agreement, why can't they do the same with the N-Gage?

[Jeremy]

Because that would make sense, and be a smart move financially.

[RoleTroll]

I don't want or need a cell phone, though I recognize that I will probably have to have one some day.

Yes, they need a cheaper, game-only version. What is really needed, I think, is a Microsoft or Sony handheld and an agreement with Nokia (or whomever) to produce a cell phone that includes the full abilities of the handheld. That would have a good chance of success.

[Agent X]

What is really needed, I think, is a Microsoft or Sony handheld and an agreement with Nokia (or whomever) to produce a cell phone that includes the full abilities of the handheld. That would have a good chance of success.

That would be an excellent idea! Unfortunately, I don't think Nokia would partner with either Sony or Microsoft anytime in the foreseeable future.

Sony is rather buddy-buddy with Ericsson (a longtime rival of Nokia), and they have a joint venture for cell phones called (appropriately enough) Sony Ericsson. Microsoft isn't likely either, because Nokia is a heavy investor in Symbian, which competes with Microsoft's smartphone OS. For that matter, Sony Ericsson is also an investor in Symbian.

Nokia could possibly join forces with Nintendo. They could then make a cell phone that plays GB/GBC/GBA games. This would, however, render the N-Gage platform redundant. A team-up would also require Nokia to swallow a lot of pride with regard to the disparaging comments they made about Nintendo's handhelds recently.

I still think a "phoneless" version of the N-Gage would be their best bet for getting mass-market consumer support for the gaming side of the platform. At the same time, they might want to include N-Gage gaming in a wider range of phones (which I believe is in their plans anyway). They could also license the platform (read: ability to play N-Gage games) out to other manufacturers to include in their phones. That way, other manufacturers can do what they want to with the form factor, while Nokia could still collect licensing fees for the underlying technology (like CD-i, 3DO, or NUON). The current model of the N-Gage might have its flaws, but the platform could live on if Nokia plays their cards right.

[Jeremy]

I liked what I saw on the back of the promo boxes for the games at EB. The graphics look fantastic, not $300 new portable fantastic, but fantastic for a portable system. Sonic looks absolutely incredible.

[sggg]

Sonic looks absolutely incredible.

Isn't Sonic N just a port of the first Sonic Advance.... ?