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N-Gage

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Nokia N-Gage
ManufacturerNokia
TypeHandheld game console (1st gen N-Gage), mobile gaming service (2nd gen N-Gage)[1]
Generationsixth generation era (1st gen N-Gage),
seventh generation era (2nd gen N-Gage)
LifespanOctober 7, 2003[2] (1st gen N-Gage),
February 4, 2008[3][4] (2nd gen N-Gage pre-release)
April 3, 2008[5] (2nd gen N-Gage full release)
Units sold3 million (as of July 302007; 1st gen N-Gage)[6]
MediaMMC (1st gen N-Gage),
Download (2nd gen N-Gage)
CPUARM9E
StorageMMC, 3.4 MB internal memory (1st gen N-Gage)[7][8]
ConnectivityHSCSD, GPRS, Bluetooth (1st gen N-Gage)[7][8]
Online servicesN-Gage Arena
This article is about the hand-held telephone. For the 2008 service see N-Gage (service), for the model railway N gauge, see N scale.

The N-Gage is a mobile telephone and handheld game system based on the Nokia Series 60 platform. It started selling on October 7, 2003.[2] It attempted to lure gamers away from the Game Boy Advance by including cellphone functionality. This was unsuccessful, partly because the buttons, designed for a phone, were not well-suited for gaming and when used as a phone the original N-Gage was described as resembling a "taco".[9][6]

In 2005, Nokia announced that it would move its N-Gage games capabilities onto a series of smartphones. These devices have been available since early 2007, and a pre-release version of the N-Gage application allowing users to purchase and download games was made available for download from the official N-Gage website on February 4 2008.[3][4] The full version of the N-Gage service was released to the public on April 3, 2008.[5]

History

In the late 1990s, gamers increasingly carried both mobile phones and handheld game consoles. Nokia spotted an opportunity to combine these devices into one unit. They developed the N-Gage, a device that integrated these two devices. Instead of using cables, multiplayer gaming was accomplished with Bluetooth or the Internet (via the N-Gage Arena service). The N-Gage also included MP3 and Real Audio/Video playback and PDA-like features into the system.

With a launch price of US $299,[6] the N-Gage was not as commercially popular as Nokia estimated. In its first weeks of availability in the United States, it was outsold by the Game Boy Advance 100 to 1.[10][11] Within 17 days of the deck's release, popular retailers GameStop and Electronics Boutique began offering $100 rebates on the deck's price.[12]

The poor sales performance can be attributed to the poor selection of games compared to its competitors and its cost at launch; it was more than twice as expensive as a Game Boy Advance SP on release day. Poor sales were also amplified by game media being standard MMC memory cards and as with most consoles piracy did become an issue.

Besides its gaming capabilities, the N-Gage was a Series 60 smartphone, running Symbian OS 6.1, with features similar to those of the Nokia 3650 (it does not have an integrated camera, however). It was able to run all Series 60 software (other than those that require a camera), and Java MIDP applications as well. Its main CPU was an ARM Integrated (ARMI) compatible chip (ARM4T architecture) running at 104 MHz, the same as the Nokia 7650 and 3650 phones.

As of August 2007, it was estimated that Nokia had shipped more than two million N-Gage game decks. [13] The "N-Gage" brand name still had a poor reputation within the gaming media and 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. Many gamers were unaware of the later QD redesign and still consider the N-Gage as a joke. The situation has not improved either with the arrival of the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS handhelds. As of September 2005, Nokia had more than 50 games available for the system.

While the N-Gage didn't have any significant financial successes, it did have a handful of critical successes. Pocket Kingdom: Own the World received a handful of glowing reviews when it was released, and Pathway to Glory 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.

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 GDC 2005.

February 2005 saw Nokia appoint Gerard Wiener, formerly of Sega Europe, to the post of Director and General Manager for Games at Nokia. Wiener steered Nokia away from looking at the N-Gage as primarily being a games console to "this is a mobile phone that is great for playing games on." This strategy, along with targeting niche franchises such as the table-top Warhammer 40,000 series, the Rifts RPG series, and the Settlers of Catan board game, has kept sales of the N-Gage healthy and earned the platform a modicum of respect from some quarters of the media. It should be noted that this change coincided with the initial releases of the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS.

The last game to be released in the US for the system was Civilization on March 2006 according to Metacritic.com. In November 2006 Nokia released its last game for the N-Gage QD - combat racer Payload.

The system continues to be sold in the Chinese and Indian markets.

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.[14] Nokia later admitted this was the truth.[10]

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.[15] However, this number shipped doesn't give a reliable picture of the actual sales of the deck.[12] Nokia ultimately shipped 2 million N-Gage decks by 2007.[13]

In all cases, sales of the N-Gage and N-Gage QD have been counted together. A small Gamesstation store, located in Long Eaton, Nottingham, England, sold the most N-Gages in the world.

White Screen of Death

The N-gage also suffered from a memory management issue causing a "White Screen of Death," and rendering the phone inoperational if the main memory was over-used. This bug prevented the phone from booting and could only be solved by flashing its firmware. Nokia also had a support contract exclusively for the N-Gage that enabled them to reimburse users with this problem for less than the phone cost.


Devices

N-Gage Classic

The N-Gage browsing Wikipedia using the Opera web browser

The original phone's taco-shaped design was considered clumsy: 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 to describe it as if one was talking into a "taco phone"[16] 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. The comfort factor of lengthy calls was also called into question. Despite the criticism, it is thought that the speakers were there for a practical reason: if placed elsewhere, the screen would get in contact with the cheek and become smudged. However, almost all other cell phones have the screen against the cheek when the user is talking. Despite the questionable practicality, gamers were still unwilling to talk in such an awkward manner.

When considered from a video game point of view, the N-Gage was known for its unusual screen orientation, a vertical one as opposed to a horizontal one (which is more popular with other handhelds). The reason for this was that the underlying operating system, Series 60, did not support horizontal orientations at that time (only supported since S60v3 ). Some felt this to be a negative feature, feeling that 'unconventional' does not necessarily mean improvement. Possibly due to this screen feature, as well as the public's luke-warm reception to the device, the game library was far from extensive. Despite this, the N-Gage did manage to garner some well known franchises such as Tomb Raider, Sonic, Rayman, Red Faction, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, The Elder Scrolls, among others.

From a cell phone standpoint, the N-Gage also faced problems. Besides the unusual form factor, in the US it was initially sold primarily through specialty game outlets instead of through cell phone providers, which only called attention to its high pre-subsidy price, lack of games, and curious interface compared to other gaming devices (thanks to the Series 60 interface and unusual face button layout). Once cellphone retail outlets started carrying the phone, which didn't become a widespread practice in the US until well after the release of the N-Gage QD, it still faced problems. The N-Gage and its successor, the N-Gage QD, worked only on GSM networks, meaning that it was incompatible with the then-largest US cell service provider, Verizon Wireless, as well as all of Japan's cell networks. Where N-Gage was compatible with major cell phone networks its popularity varied. It was not well received in Canada and the UK for instance but received a much warmer reception in mainland Europe and in particular Asia where games on mobile phones were seen as much more desirable.

The original N-Gage, though, still had many benefits to developers and end-users. It had a large amount of executable RAM memory compared to Series 60 devices (the 66xx series); it had MP3 decoding in a dedicated hardware chip as Nokia 3300 (other Series 60 devices, including the N-Gage QD, rely on software decoding); it had stereo output from a mini headphone jack plug; and it could be mounted as a USB Mass Storage device on any compatible computer without requiring the Nokia PC Connect software.

Hardware specifications: Weight: 137 g, dimensions: 134 x 70 x 20 mm.

N-Gage QD

Nokia N-Gage QD

The N-Gage QD (QD stands for quaque die, meaning every day in Latin[17][18]) was Nokia's successor to the N-Gage and was released six months after the first N-Gage, replacing it in 2004. It revised the device's physical design, being smaller and rounder. It corrected the flaw of the cartridge slot with a more convenient one on the bottom of the device. This design also moved the earpiece to the face of the device, rather than on the side, as in the previous model. Despite the revision, many[who?] were quick to criticize the unit, just as they did the original N-Gage. Some noted that the rubber fitting side that closed the gap between the device top and bottom casing could be easily loosened over a few months if it were dropped regularly, although this was hardly a recommended practice in taking care of the unit. Once the rubber piece was removed, the device became more vulnerable to water or particles entering the internals unless the fitting was replaced. The fitting was available at Nokia's service centers, and was also available in a variety of colors through various third-party sellers via online electronics suppliers or eBay.

The device retailed at a lower price, further aided by the fact that it was generally sold with a pre-paid cell phone service contract and the corresponding subsidy. In the United States, the N-Gage QD was available as a prepaid phone offered by Cingular for $99.99 at retail games stores such as Electronics Boutique and GameStop. This is no longer the case as the device has reached the end of its lifespan and the above mentioned stores have discontinued carrying the QD.

Some of the 'bulky' features of the system such as MP3 playback, FM radio reception, and USB connectivity were removed from the device, presumably to cut size and cost. The QD did not support MP3 internally; however, it could still play MP3s with third-party software, albeit only in 16 kHz mono.

Instead of using the N-Gage with generic USB removable drive drivers, a user would use either Bluetooth or a separate MMC card reader to transfer files onto the device memory or an MMC card for use in the N-Gage QD.

Another change from the original unit was the "Orange-and-grey" theme of the face of the unit as well as the GUI. Some felt this was an unwanted change from the 'more colorful' GUI of the original N-Gage. Even then there were some third-party applications that enhanced the interface or replaced the system shell.

As for the telephone portion, it no longer supported the three GSM frequency bands 900/1800/1900; instead it came in two dualband variants, one for the American market and one for the European and Asian markets.

The rest of the N-Gage QD hardware specifications were otherwise the same as the original N-Gage; same vertical screen layout, button configuration, etc.

Hardware specifications: Weight: 143 g, dimensions: 118 x 68 x 22 mm.

N-Gage QD Silver Edition

Announced in August 2005[19], the N-Gage QD Silver Edition could be seen as an exercise in extending the life of the N-Gage product range while new N-Gage devices were developed and the N-Gage gaming range was integrated into the mainstream Series 60 product range. Apart from cosmetic changes and the replacement of the two specialist gaming buttons (5 and 7) with standard keys, there was no difference in the N-Gage QD Silver Edition to the regular N-Gage QD.

It was made available in the European, Middle Eastern, and African markets on September 1, 2005.

The application running on a Nokia N81

N-Gage (mobile gaming service)

Main article: N-Gage (service)

The new N-Gage, also referred to as N-Gage Next Gen, N-Gage 2.0 or the N-Gage platform/application, saw a change in concept as Nokia explained to the world during E3 2005 that they were planning on putting N-Gage inside several of their smartphone devices - rather than releasing a specific device (although their N81 model with its two dedicated gaming-buttons next to the screen is being marketed as a phone built for gaming). Working behind closed doors, it took a little more than a year before Nokia actually started showing off next-gen titles such as System Rush: Evolution and Hooked On: Creatures of the Deep, with the fighting game ONE perhaps being the most visually impressive - even making use of motion capture.

On February 4th 2008, after several delays ever since the beginning of 2007, the new N-Gage platform was released to the public - though limited only to users of Nokia’s N81 device. This period of time was referred to as "First Access" and only a public test of the client which could be downloaded for free from the N-Gage website. While not the final version, the user had access to most of the features that the new application had to offer along with three games to try out: Hooked On: Creatures of the Deep, System Rush: Evolution and Space Impact Kappa Base. Eventually, Nokia also released Tetris, Block Breaker Deluxe and World Series of Poker: Pro Challenge for the users to try out. None of the games are entirely free but all offers a limited trial for testing purposes. In order to experience the full game - it has to be either purchased or rented. First Access ended on March 27 2008 [20] and on April 3, 2008, Nokia released the full version of the N-Gage application.[5]

Because the N-Gage mobile gaming service is a software based solution, the first generation MMC games are not forward compatible[21], though some games are making a comeback in form of a sequel (e.g. System Rush: Evolution) or a remake/port (e.g. Mile High Pinball). Similarly, games developed for this next-gen N-Gage will not work on the original N-Gage nor N-Gage QD models.

So far, the N-Gage website has the following devices listed as being compatible with the new N-Gage platform: Nokia N81, N81 8GB, N73, N78, N82, N95, N95 8GB, N93, N93i, N96, N85 and also Nokia 5320 ExpressMusic. Nokia will continue to announce N-Gage compatible devices on an ongoing basis.

Demos and games (first generation)

Main article: List of N-Gage games

Before the launch of Nokia's first in-house N-Gage title, Pathway to Glory, 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 16mb download size, fans jumped on the Pathway to Glory demo. The success of this demo probably led to both the sales success of Pathway to Glory, and proved to Nokia that this was a valid marketing route for future titles.

There are fifty-seven full titles available for N-Gage, however only 54 of these saw North American releases. The titles that were not released in North America are : Flo Boarding (Germany and UK only), Sega Rally (Australia only) and Snakes (as a full retail game on MMC). All but one of these titles (Payload) were available on MMC. These are:

Snakes

Hailed as one of the best games on the N-Gage when released in January 2005, [22] Snakes caused Nokia to take a new route to promoting the N-Gage platform. The full version of Snakes was made available online, and featured an option that allowed the game to copy itself to another N-Gage unit using Bluetooth as the carrier.[23][24]

N-Gage (mobile gaming service) games

Main article: N-Gage (service)

As of September 6, 2008, there are currently 24 games in the second generation N-Gage Game Showroom. Many more are in production for the N-Gage experience.[25]

Currently announced titles are:

Some of these games are sequels or remakes/ports of the first generation N-Gage MMC games.

Other games that are in development but are not yet on the official N-Gage games list:

References

  1. ^ "Get out and play - with N-Gage games in your Nokia device". Nokia. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
  2. ^ a b "Let the sales begin! Nokia N-GageTM game deck sales to start". Nokia. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
  3. ^ a b "N-Gage First Access Begins!". N-Gage Blog. Retrieved 2007-02-05.
  4. ^ a b "N-Gage First Access". Nokia. Retrieved 2007-02-05.
  5. ^ a b c "A New Day for N-Gage". Nokia. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
  6. ^ a b c Blake Snow (2007-07-30). "The 10 Worst-Selling Handhelds of All Time". GamePro.com. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
  7. ^ a b "N-Gage Game Deck Tech Specs". Nokia. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
  8. ^ a b "N-Gage QD Game Deck Tech Specs". Nokia. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
  9. ^ "Hold On, My Taco is Ringing Nokia says it has the phone for Gen Y", "CNN.com" 8 December 2003
  10. ^ a b "The N-Gage Doesn't" Game Now, January 2004. Retrieved May 5, 2007.
  11. ^ Smith, David. "N-Gage Moves Under 5,000 Units" 1UP, October 2003. Retrieved May 5, 2007
  12. ^ a b Smith, David. "US Retailers Cut N-Gage Price". 1UP, October 2003. Retrieved May 5, 2007.
  13. ^ a b "Play It Again, Nokia. For the 3rd Time.". 27 August 2007. The New York Times. Retrieved August 27, 2007.
  14. ^ "Nokia figures claim massive N-Gage sales". October 2003. The Register UK. Retrieved May 5, 2007.
  15. ^ "Nokia ships one million N-Gage game decks", "Nokia.com", 1 September 2004
  16. ^ "The 7 Deadly Sins of N-Gage", GameSpy.com, 16 February 2004
  17. ^ "Summary article for the N-Gage QD". All About N-Gage. Retrieved 2007-12-04.
  18. ^ "So What Does QD Really Stand For?". All About N-Gage. Retrieved 2007-12-04.
  19. ^ "Nokia Releases N-Gage QD Silver Edition To European, Middle Eastern and African Markets", "Nokia.com", 3 August 2005
  20. ^ "N-Gage First Access Ending Soon". N-Gage Blog. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  21. ^ Nokia N-Gage FAQ
  22. ^ "Metacritic: Index of N-Gage Game Reviews by Score". CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
  23. ^ "Classic N-Gage Game: Snakes". All About N-Gage. Retrieved 2007-12-17. Simply use the "Send game" function to infect your friends' game decks.
  24. ^ "Snakes for N-Gage Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-12-17. There's a "send game" option right in the opening menu that will allow you hit unwitting players with the Snakes-bite in a minute or two.
  25. ^ "N-Gage FAQ". N-Gage.com. Retrieved 2007-09-07.
  26. ^ "Creebies, Dirk Spanner for N-Gage". N-Gage Blog. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
  27. ^ "Mobile detective adventure begins on N-Gage". Nokia. Retrieved 2007-12-17.
  28. ^ "THQ Wireless brings Worms to N-Gage games service". Nokia. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
  29. ^ a b c d e "Next Gen N-Gage games revealed". All About N-Gage. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
  30. ^ "Create and care for your own virtual pet on your Nokia device". Nokia. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  31. ^ a b c "GDC: Glu Games for N-Gage". N-Gage Blog. Retrieved 2007-02-18.
  32. ^ a b c "Glu Mobile unveils initial line-up of titles coming to Nokia N-Gage". Nokia. Retrieved 2007-02-18.
  33. ^ "GDC: Nokia at Game Developer's Conference 2008". N-Gage Blog. Retrieved 2007-02-18.
  34. ^ "Nokia to distribute KONAMI games for N-Gage platform". Nokia. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
  35. ^ a b "Gameloft boosts N-Gage line-up with multi-player titles and recognized franchises". Nokia. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
  36. ^ "Nokia and Capcom resurrect classic franchise with Resident Evil Degeneration". Nokia. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
  37. ^ "Spore Origins for N-Gage". N-Gage blog. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  38. ^ "You make the game with Yamake on N-Gage". Nokia. Retrieved 2007-02-14.

See also


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