Nokia N-Gage

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Nokia N-Gage
logo
N-Gage with German menu navigation

N-Gage with German menu navigation

Manufacturer Nokia
Technical specifications
display 35 mm × 41 mm (2.1 ″), 176 × 208  pixels , 4,096 colors
Current operating system Symbian OS version 6.1 with Series 60 user interface
processor ARM920T, 104 MHz
R.A.M. 16 MB
Graphics processor 3.4 MB
Memory card MMC (up to 2 GB)
Connectivity
Cellular networks
  • GSM tri- band 900/1800/1900 MHz
  • GPRS Class 10 (2 Tx / 4 Rx) (up to 40.2 kBit / s)
  • HSCSD (up to 43.2 kBit / s)
Further radio connections

Bluetooth 1.1

connections

USB

accumulator
Battery life
(according to manufacturer) 		Max. 150–240 hours (standby)
max. 3 hours (active play)
Talk time
(according to manufacturer) 		Max. 2-4 hours
measures and weight
Dimensions ( H × W × D ) 57 mm × 130 mm × 26 mm
Weight 130 g
particularities

Java technology (CLDC 1.0, MIDP 1.0, Nokia UI API, Wireless Messaging API (JSR-120), Mobile Media API (JSR-135)), web browser (WAP 1.2.1, XHTML), RealOne video player , audio recorder, MP3 -Player, radio, built-in game console

The N-Gage from Nokia is a smartphone with a built-in game console . It was announced on November 4th, 2002 and finally released on October 7th, 2003. It uses Symbian OS v6.1 as the operating system . In 2004 a new edition was published with the N-Gage QD. It was discontinued for the western market in November 2005. It was sold in Asia until around 2007.

history

In the early 2000s, there were more and more gamers carrying a cell phone and a Game Boy , the most popular handheld console , at the same time . Nokia recognized the possibility of combining these two devices into one. In addition, it offered multiplayer , internet and PDA functions.

Before publication

On November 4th, 2002 Nokia announced the N-Gage.

From August 9, 2003 until the device was released, Nokia promoted the N-Gage with a tour of Europe. Started in Helsinki and ended in Paris, Nokia toured 50 cities. On the tour you could take part in the "N-Gage Challenge". In the challenge you had to achieve the highest high score in Tony Hawk Pro Skater . The winners of the individual countries competed against each other in the final in Paris. The winner was Eric "Xentrix" Riedel (* 1988) from Germany. In Great Britain, the events were supported by stars of the TV series Hollyoaks , Uri Geller and various DJs. A total of around 150,000 people took part. 20,000 of them in the UK.

Sales

Despite receiving a lot of attention prior to its release, the N-Gage did not go as well as Nokia had hoped. Nokia sent 400,000 copies in the first week. Independent marketing firms said Nokia sold 5,000 copies in the US and 800 in the UK during the period. In 2004 Nokia shipped a million devices, which was below the target of six million. By 2007, three million devices had been shipped.

Most gamers blame the small selection of games compared to the Game Boy Advance and the high price of $ 299 for the lack of success. The battery also had to be laboriously removed every time to replace the games. Telephoning was also cumbersome, since the telephone loudspeaker and microphone are located on the narrow top of the device, you had to hold the top edge of the device to your cheek to make a call, which often caused strange looks from bystanders due to the unfamiliar sight. For this purpose, the term “sidetalking” prevailed among N-Gage fans. The N-Gage was also called "Tacophone" or "Döner Handy".

Games

See also: List of all N-Gage games

For the N-Gage 65 games were published by the end of 2006. Notable games include a. Pathway to Glory, System Rush or The Elder Scrolls Travels: Shadowkey.

The quality of the games available was above the usual “mobile phone games” and roughly corresponded to games for the Game Boy Advance or Nintendo DS . Java mobile games are seldom larger than 200 kB, and N-Gage games found enough space for the game data on 32 or even 64 MB MMCs . Save states were stored in the 4 MB internal memory. N-Gage users could only manage games with a file manager or the “Game Manager” developed by Nokia for this purpose. With it it was possible to save memory statuses on a memory card and then to delete them in the device memory. Only N-Gage games were supported. Some games offered multiplayer via Bluetooth or the N-Gage Arena service.

In addition, 22 more games were planned. Among other things, DRIV3R , Leisure Suit Larry: Pocket Party or Virtua Cop . The latter was canceled shortly before publication. Virtua Cop was previously submitted to the USK and was approved for ages 12 and up. In Spain, the film " Reglas de Compromiso " was released along with two games on the N-Gage.

N-Gage Arena

The N-Gage Arena was software that enabled players to play against each other with their N-Gage via a GPRS Internet connection. Thanks to the mobile phone's Bluetooth functionality, it was also possible to play games on the home PC using the normal analog, ISDN or DSL connection with the appropriate equipment and setup, which was usually cheaper and faster. GPRS connections often have a high latency ; H. a data packet runtime of 700 ms, but conventional Internet connections only a tenth or less. This resulted in a faster reaction time when playing. N-Gage Arena was discontinued in September 2010.

N-Gage QD

N-Gage QD

On April 14, 2004 Nokia announced the N-Gage QD . The redesigned handheld had some significant changes compared to its predecessor:

  • Hot-swap slot - allows you to change the memory card (= exchange of games) without removing the battery
  • Telephoning in the traditional position - the handset and microphone are attached normally
  • official memory card support up to 256 MB (previously 128 MB) - in practice, memory cards of up to 2 GB can be used on both models
  • Select / OK button as a separate button and no longer by pressing the control pad
  • only dual band - formerly tri- band
  • MP3 player saved
  • No built-in radio
  • Mini USB port no longer integrated
  • Smaller dimensions (118 mm × 68 mm × 22 mm)
  • Brighter display lighting

N-Gage Next Generation (N-Gage 2.0)

N-Gage Logo (2007-2010)

Originally, the N-Gage was to be continued in November 2007 as a digital game service for various S60 devices, but the release was postponed to April 7, 2008. In the first quarter of 2008, N-Gage was in an open beta phase.

Initially, N-Gage 2.0 was only intended for Nokia N-series phones, the first exception being the 5320 Xpress Music.

On November 2, 2009, Nokia announced that from September 2010 the N-Gage platform will be discontinued. New cell phones have not shipped with the N-Gage application since then. Until 2014, the games were downloaded from the in-house Nokia Store .

The launch titles included:

  • Hooked On: Creatures of the Deep
  • Asphalt 3: Street Rules
  • Snakes Subsonic
  • Mile High Pinball
  • Brothers in Arms
  • The Sims 2 Pets
  • World Series of Poker
  • ONE
  • Midnight Pool 3D
  • Pro Series Golf
  • Space Impact Kappa Base
  • DogZ
  • Block Breaker Deluxe
  • Brain Challenge
  • System Rush: evolution
  • Bounce Boing Voyage
  • Worms World Party

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ German is "N-Gage Champion of Europe". October 6, 2003, accessed February 6, 2020 .
  2. ↑ a b European N-Gage champion crowned. In: GameSpot. Retrieved February 6, 2020 (American English).
  3. ↑ a b Jayson Dubin: Nokia N-Gage Tour gets gamers gagging for it. In: GameZone. May 4, 2012, Retrieved February 6, 2020 (American English).
  4. ↑ N-PAGE.de> read news. Retrieved February 6, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Report on Chip.de ( Memento of the original from November 3, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.chip.de

Web links

Commons : Nokia N-Gage  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files