Loose Threads: What does the future hold for the N-Gage?

[Fraser]

Now that the platform has been available for quite a stretch now, it's high time we did some speculating as to its long term prospects based on its performance so far.

With the number of N-Gage capable Nokia handsets that are currently in circulation currently numbering several million, the N-Gage has a huge potential market. Sadly, besides Reset Generation, the platform has had few genuine big hitters to really shout about. The fact that the iPhone has stolen a greedy share of the handheld gaming limelight has also had a bearing on the N-Gage's visibility.

But Nokia might well just be getting started. Despite the lack of a full on advertising campaign, there are signs that the company is ramping up its efforts. Though not to everybody's taste, the forthcoming Dance Fabulous featuring the talents of both Cindy Gomez and Dave Stewart could well snare Nokia hordes of the X-Factor/Pop Idol generation.

Then there's the N97 to consider and Nokia's inevitable adoption of more touchscreen screens across it's N-Gage capable line. And let's not forget, the N-Gage Arena is still the service to beat for sheer ease of use in the realm of online handheld gaming.

What say you scribes?

[hunter_alien]

Well Nokia will have one tough mission to get into the hand-held gaming market with the N-gage. First they make a hardware that fitted only a few people ( N-gage), then they ditch the hardware and made a software-only, more open-ended platform, that had an extremely slow start... oh and did I mentioned that they had no mass-market advertising campaign for it since the release of the first N-gage model... yep, for over 6 years.

Unfortunatly games like Resident Evil Degeneration will never make the N-gage platform a mainstream one, and all that it will be is a more popular option to download games for you Nokia handsets... shore, we could see some cool, ultra complex movie/music download service, but at the speed things are going now ( even slower then how Sony works) Im not seeing it happen any time soon, and when it will ( if it will) it will probably be to late.

[GideonB]

Now that's a hard question which can be responded to by, we have absolutely no idea at all. Only a few top quality titles like reset generation have been released.

I personally think that there is no future for the doomed system/distribution software. The games aren't that good and dedicated 'gaming' phones by Nokia aren't really dedicated 'gaming' phones which isn't really that good. So the future of the N-Gage is simple, it either limps on (slowly) or dies off quicker than it was released.

[cartmann2]

i really don't think the platform will die... i think Nokia only launched it the wrong way, if they have done the First Access a "closed beta" program, (i know that they have done it before, but dont making it public is better) it would be better, cause dont make this much hype that done in the beggining... other problem is, nokia have a lot of partners on "stealthy mode", like they had with Firemint and Mega Monsters game, the problem is, Nokia shows what N-Gage can do and really advertise well or make the things really slower like its being... but i think that was a mistake taking off 3d hw support in n-gage, makes easier for the developers and makes the games look greater! But the future is good, since they're installing n-gage since the launch of the mobile (see N96) hope that N97 have n-gage installed too =D

[klouud]

I am incredibly qualified and unqualified to comment on this subject.

I say I am qualified because I was a bonified fan-boy while the N-Gage and N-Gage QD were around. Long storey short, I grew tired of waiting for Nokia's messiah of new N-Gage phones to arrive. When they did they were highly overpriced and seriously lacked in software support. Needless to say, I purchased another phone and bought a DS and PSP. - Spent less on a new phone, DS, and PSP then I would have if I bought an N-Series phone!

I am unqualified because I have only spectated as Nokia limps on with its pitiful attempt to compete in the handheld gaming world. I can only comment on the quality of the software as an outsider. I am impressed with some of the games. However I personally don’t think it is enough. Nokia seems to be caught in a time vortex - they made exactly the same mistakes they did at the launch and re-launch (QD) of the original N-Gage! All of us on the official forums told them what to do, how to market, what hardware to bring, what we would pay, and how we wanted the OS to operate. All of our suggestions were legitimate, reasonable, and wildly realistic! They obviously did not listen...

ironically... a company that did not have the vision Nokia did accomplished in 4 months what Nokia has not been able to... ever. Now a phone that started out being "really cool" threatens the footing of giants like Sony and Nintendo! That must be a real slap in the face for Nokia. Obviously I am referring to the iPhone. And yes I bought one. But not for the gaming...

With the momentum accumulated by Apple all hope (what little there was) for the N-Gage platform to flourish is gone. Obviously Nokia is going to keep throwing money at N-Gage in order to keep it alive... so I don’t expect it to go away in the near future. However, when it does... no-one will notice.

klouud