![]() ![]() It could play videos (real media and eventually AVIs). It could play MP3s, as an example - keep in mind this was several years before the ipad. In truth, the thing was like a proto smartphone. The N-Gage in many ways was vastly ahead of its time. Many of the very last N-Gage games could only be bought in europe, or picked up through N-Gage Arena via Digital distribution. In the US, they actually stopped making physical retail games. The system still had some dumb quirks, but it wasn't flat out awful anymore. Of course, by this point, it was far too little, too late. The price fell drastically - I picked up my QD and every game they had at Gamestop for under $150. N-Gage Arena launched, which was sort of their response to Xbox Live (no online play, but online leaderboards and asynch play in games like chess). The advertising even picked up, ditching the rape-alluding originals for a new logo that resembled an EEG monitor watching a beating heart, which was pretty cool. This is the guy they were trying to say you could be if you played an N-Gage: N-Gage's marketing was centered around "Hardcore" and insulted gamers it thought weren't worthy of playing. The deathblow for the N-Gage came from the insulting marketing. Games which were otherwise fine, like Sonic N (A port of Sonic Advance) or Crash Nitro Racing (a sequel to CTR) were rendered unplayable thanks to the narrow viewing space, which meant you couldn't really see left or right. The device itself had a vertically oriented screen, which lead to major cropping issues. Tomb Raider, one of the highest profile launches, ran at like 7 fps and had no music. Except the opening few titles were all considerably rushed and looked and performed terribly. The N-Gage was one of the first handhelds to really push 3D graphics, with visuals that looked akin to PSX titles. (Dot) was akin to the start button, and naturally that made for huge problems when playing, as pressing the d-pad down too hard would kick you to a menu.īut none of this would have mattered if the games were any good, and, unfortunately, the launch titles were anything but. If you pressed the entire d-pad down, sort of like clicking an analog stick, it would register (dot). The original N-Gage had a hidden button, called (dot) that was located inside the d-pad. It was ugly in 2002 and it is hideous now. The aesthetics of the phone were even worse - despite the N-Gage being positioned as a high-dollar device, it had the color scheme of the cheapest of brick nokia phones. ![]() The speaker and mic were on the edges of the phone, giving birth to the ever-popular Taco Phone meme. The ergonmics of the phone itself were horrendous. To change games, as an example, you had to remove the battery compartment: Because people expected something primarily aimed as a games machine, inexcuasable flaws birthed from it's design as a phone annoyed gamers. This is a small distinction to make but, ultimately, it wound up dooming the system. The system was intended to be a phone that played games, but it was marketed mainly as the reverse - a games machine that was also a phone. The sticker shock was bad enough, but the system itself had a bevvy of problems beyond. ![]() Famously, the entire N-Gage line sold less than 800 units throughout the entire continent of Europe during a very highly publicized launch night. More than anything else, the launch price of the N-Gage killed it - there was zero momentum out of the gate and it never picked any up going forward. This was a pre-iphone world where dropping several hundred dollars on an entertainment handheld wasn't really very common or accepted. I specifically remember seeing it next to Playstation 2's at Gamestop and the PS2 was cheaper. The N-Gage launched for a whopping $299 upon its release. Unfortunately, absolutely everything about the N-Gage was botched. ![]() Nokia realized that mobile phone technology was quickly catching up to dedicated handhelds and wanted to get in on the tech early. The N-Gage was Nokia's answer to the Gameboy Advance. No part of this site may be reproduced without permission.First, let's give a quick history lesson for those who were too young to remember the N-Gage. Registered trademarks and tradenames are property of their respective owners. ![]()
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