Nokia shifts focus from gaming News
N-Gage News by Games Industry.biz
Nokia's VP of corporate strategy, Antii Vasara, has confirmed that there are no plans to develop future versions of the N-Gage as the company turns its focus towards other mobile entertainment media.
Speaking to Vnunet, Vasara admitted that the N-Gage did not achieve projected targets, stating: "N-Gage is still being sold but it was not a success in the sense of developing a new category.
"We learnt that people want to play games on all devices. As such we are integrating the gaming software into Series 60 phones."
Nokia will now focus on mobile TV and music with the introduction of handsets such as the N91 - a smartphone that can hold up to 3000 music tracks.
According to Vasara, Nokia will place a greater emphasis on mobile gaming in 2007, by which time screen sizes and quality will allow for better games.
Support for the existing N-Gage and N-Gage QD handsets continues, despite the fact that there are no plans to introduce further iterations in the series. Nokia recently announced the release of a raft of new software, and launched a new online store selling hardware and accessories. The company also continues to run N-Gage Arena, the mobile equivalent to Microsoft's Xbox Live online gaming service.
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Comments: 1-28 of 28 in total
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From my understanding of it Infinium and Gizmondo have tried their very best to keep going in spite of overwhelming odds, and at least until now, have succeeded.
For example, I imagine it is extremely difficult to find enough suitably gullible investors that would be willing to fund the Infinium dream for as long as they have with no product, and no return. |
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TheDifficult3rdAlbum
25/11/05 @ 16:02
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Well, Nokia's still putting a lot of money into this area, they're just not branding it N-Gage anymore.
On the whole mobile/phone gaming is a massively expanding area. But yeah, Gizmondo = Not Teh Win |
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SeesThroughAll
25/11/05 @ 20:26
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"Okay, okay, so the N-Gage was not exactly a success..."
Aaaaaw.... REALLY?? |
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The Symbian platform is fantastic for a whole bunch of apps and games, not to mention ports of existing engines and emulators...
/Strokes 'classic' Ngage Plus, mine has a radio and works as a USB mass storage device when I connect with USB, so it's taken the place of at least three gizmos in my pocket! \o/ Nokia have proven themselves clueless from the very start on this. The hardware is great but their design decisions and marketing have been bloody terrible. |
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As much as we all cuss the Gizmondo, I have a look at it in the rack at Comet everytime I go there - eventually it will go tits-up, and hopefully I will get a GPS for a bargain price, and another failed piece of gaming hardware to go next to the Virtual Boy in the collection!
Have to say ALL the games they have there look absolutely shite, seems to me even the Zodiac had better titles! |
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zErOb_cOOl
27/11/05 @ 13:21
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The N-Gage (especially the more recent QD) seemed pointless to me. Ok the controlls are set out like a Gamegear/PSP etc, but standard series 60 phones are smaller and can play tons of games, and can even emulate the Megadrive/SNES. If I'm not mistaken there are 'N-Gage only' games which will only work on the N-gage platform, but this is the only thing that seperates the N-game from a standard S60 phone (although 'm sure I've seen software for S60 phones to play N-Gage games on. Besides, I have Doom on my S60 phone (thanks Koti) which is better than any N-gage only game, as I don't think I've seen one N-Gage game that has tempted to buy one.
BUT, as a phone the N-Gage Taco sucks. Its no where near as good as a standard S60 handset, and it loses big time there. I really don't know what market niche Nokia were even trying to appeal to in the first place TBH. |
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The Bodybuilder
27/11/05 @ 18:22
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>"It's always hilarious when someone borrows my phone for the first time and discovers the joy of sidetalking :)"
Otherwise known as "Taco Talking Technology". |
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kaosridder
28/11/05 @ 09:01
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best phone ive owned. radio, mp3, movies, usbcard, c-64 & spectrumgames via emulators and pathway to glory. Ive enjoyed it thorughly!
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 28/11/05 @ 09:01
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kaosridder
29/11/05 @ 09:38
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Mo - among others the sentinel. Also tried out azure bonds but it crashed on me (damn it). Spectrum games : ao head over heels. really awesome classic game!
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Comments: 1-28 of 28 in total
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