<![CDATA[Kotaku: N-gage]]> http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/kotaku.com.png <![CDATA[Kotaku: N-gage]]> http://kotaku.com/tag/n-gage http://kotaku.com/tag/n-gage <![CDATA[It's The N-d Of The Line For N-Gage]]> Act fast, N-Gage users. You only have until September 2010 to snap up games for the platform, as Nokia Oyj is putting the oft-ridiculed mobile platform turned mobile games service down for good. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5393951&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Nokia Closes Vancouver N-Gage Studio]]> Oh, Canada. You marvelous country with your marvelous Canadian things. While we'd never want to leave the country, Nokia has shuttered its N-Gage development outfit in the region. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5314054&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Nokia Say N-Gage Popularity Increasing]]> Ah, N-Gage. Such a...tarnished brand. You'd think after two failed N-Gage handsets and a "who cares?" launch of an N-Gage gaming portal, Nokia would just give up. But they're not. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5183155&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Nokia Seeks Out Gaming Innovation, Has Cash]]> Sturgeon's Law states that "Ninety percent of everything is crap". I don't think I am being too controversial by suggesting that if Theodore Sturgeon had ever encountered mobile phone games he would have revised upwards. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5066623&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[The Force Unleashed On Everything Mobile]]> THQ today announces that Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is now available on mobile handsets the world over. This includes the iPhone, where it has been lurking for quite awhile, Nokia's N-Gage gaming platform, and more than 850 different cellular handsets. Should you pick it up? Well Star Wars plus iPhone equals extra nerd chic of course, and Star Wars plus N-Gage equals you might as well, you obviously went out of your way for an N-Gage platform supporting phone. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5056397&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Nokia Adding Zeemote Support To N-Gage]]> The ZeeMote JS1 is a nunchuk-like Bluetooth analog controller that we first covered back in October last year. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5042172&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Firemint Real Racing For iPhone/N-Gage]]> PocketGamer got a look at a new accelerometer-based mobile racing game from Firemint. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5038886&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[N-Gage Games Don't Carry Over To New Phones]]> I'm not really sure how they do things in the US, but down here, standard mobile phone contracts last for two years. Once that time's up, 99.8% of people go and get a new phone. Simple plan, everybody wins. OH. Except for anyone with a Nokia phone who actually buys games over their new N-Gage platform. See, the games are locked to the handset you purchase them on. If you break your handset, you'll get them reissued, but if you upgrade to a new phone, you lose your games. Nokia's explanation?
Our policy is that the N-Gage activation codes only work on the device where they were first activated. As with any digital media there is a potential risk of piracy and this policy is one of the ways we are dealing with piracy and ensuring our partners receive their rightful revenues from our platform.
Way to go, Nokia. Didn't think anybody could have a worse DRM track record than Microsoft, but then, records are meant to be broken. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=392906&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[N-Gage Gets Konami Games (Yes, Including Metal Gear)]]> In case you missed it, the "new" N-Gage service is out. The one that makes the games available over a variety of Nokia handsets, instead of a single, dedicated unit. If you didn't know that, it's OK, it wasn't that interesting. This might be. Konami have signed onto the service, and will be releasing a ton of their mobile games onto Nokia's fledgling platform, including a version of Metal Gear Mobile that will supposedly "raise the bar with respect to graphical detail and made-for-mobile features". All relative terms, of course. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=391940&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[N-Gage Goes Live! Hello? Anyone?]]> Nokia's second attempt at N-Gage-ing mobile gamers has unofficially gone live, with the official N-Gage blog announcing that the revamped platform is now available for download. If you have a Nokia N81, N81 8GB, N82, N95 or N95 8GB, you can bask in the warmth of the new N-Gage, bringing a try-before-you-buy, Xbox Live-like experience to your phone. Offerings from Gameloft, EA and others are available now or coming soon, which don't look too terribly bad. Yeah! That was kind of a compliment. We won't even make a sidetalkin' dig! More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=375897&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[N-Gage Aren't Scared Of The PlayStation Phone]]> The last two N-Gages were a mess. And that's being kind. The third, a software platform that will feature across a number of Nokia handsets, is more promising, but still far from a proven concept. So are Nokia worried that Sony are looking more and more likely to enter the mobile gaming market and walk all over them? No. No they are not. Nokia games boss Jaakko Kaidesoja:
I'm not scared about anybody. The real question is how do they [Sony Ericsson] do it? Can they create a link between the PSP games and a phone? Can they do the multiplayer and online stuff? We've been doing this for two years and it hasn't been easy.
No, it hasn't been easy! Then again, maybe you just weren't doing it right... More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=362168&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[A New Snake For A New N-Gage]]> Nokia's revamped N-Gage, now a multi-handset platform rather than standalone hardware, is trying to learn from its predecessor's mistakes. Ditching the rubbish hardware was a good first step. Harking back to Nokia's one shining triumph in the gaming world - Snake - might be another. This is Snake for the N-Gage, which is nothing like your granddaddy's Snake. It's got online leaderboards, a snazzy new colour scheme and reacts to the background music (though, criminally, not your own mp3s). Definitely looks like an improvement, but then...what was wrong with the old Snake? More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=356847&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Star Wars Coming to... the N-Gage?]]> No, you didn't just misread that headline. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is coming to N-Gage—not the phone, the platform. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=329392&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[N-Gage Service Delayed]]> Look, I know you were all sitting in front of your PC with cellphones gripped in your white-knuckled fists, refreshing the N-Gage website over and over again as you anxiously awaited the next step in mobile gaming, but you're all just going to have to wait a little bit longer. Nokia has delayed the release of their N-Gage platform client, citing problems with software development holding up the software for a few weeks. Despite the setback, Nokia is confident that the website for the service will be going live by the end of the year, delivering premium mobile gaming from the likes of EA, Capcom, and Vivendi to all the good little boys and girls with compatible cellphones (read: not me.) I am actually hoping the service proves successful, so we can finally stop having the urge to look for pictures of tacos in Google whenever we write an N-Gage story. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=318175&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[N-Gage Launch For November, New Titles Revealed]]> Nokia is just pumping out the N-Gage news lately, trying desperately to get people to stop thinking taco and start thinking global gaming service. They've just announced that the N-Gage service will be available all over the world this November, first in the form of an application that can be downloaded and installed in compatible devices and later embedded in Nokia mobile gizmos right out of the box. New games revealed include EA's Fifa 08, The Sims 2 Pets, Tetris, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour, as well as Crash Bandicoot from Vivendi and whatever Capcom has up their sleeve. N-Gage.com has been relaunched with a focus on the new service as well, along with a link in the upper right to reserve your player name, which will be the N-Gage version of a gamertag. I've already reserved Fahey, despite the chances of me ever having a compatible phone being close to nil. Can't have just any jerk playing under the family name. Just one specific jerk. Hit the jump for more details than would fit before the jump. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=294713&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Crash Crashes N-Gage]]> If you had any doubts that the new Nokia N-Gage mobile gaming platform initiative would be anything short of a total success...hold on to them for awhile longer. Nokia has announced that Vivendi Mobile will be bringing none other than the world's most famous Bandicoot to the mobile platform this fall. No one could be more excited to see Crash than Gregg Sauter, Nokia's director of third party publishing. Seriously, no one.
"Vivendi Games Mobile is one of the most respected publishers in mobile gaming," said Gregg Sauter, Nokia's director of third party publishing. "Crash Bandicoot is a gaming icon as well as a global powerhouse, having sold more than 33 million units worldwide. With its fun appeal to people of all ages and incredible graphics, the Crash Bandicoot franchise is the perfect fit for N-Gage."
I'd have to agree on the perfect fit part, but not for the same reasons I am sure. Is there some sort of hard date when Crash Bandicoot stops being a selling point I don't know about? More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=294337&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[N-Gage Feels The Capcom Love]]> While I still have to stifle a shudder every time I read the name, Nokia's transformation of N-Gage from useless taco phone to global mobile community-focused gaming platform is moving full-speed ahead, with Capcom announcing support for the platform in 2008. Capcom is the first Japanese company to show support for the fledgling platform with the tainted name. Capcom Europe's mobile director Yosuke Yoneda believes.
"Capcom is dedicated to creating great mobile games, and believes that N-Gage will allow us to bring some of our most famous franchises to the platform. Our dedication to quality and creative thinking has seen the company produce a series of ground-breaking titles, with stunning visuals and in-depth game play, never before seen on the mobile".
While I am still of the school of thought that mobile games lack depth because they are being played on phones in public toilets, a really enjoyable mobile version of Mega Man could be just the thing to turn me around...that is if I hadn't sworn never to buy anything with the word N-Gage on it three years ago. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=293678&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[N-Gage - All About Community]]> Say the name N-Gage in a room full of gamers and you are still more likely to get greeting with laughter and take out orders from the local Mexican place than you are fond stories of gaming sessions past. Nokia is looking to change all of that now, as the N-Gage morphs from hilarious taco phone into a dedicated mobile platform based on the concept of community and connectivity. Scott Howard, the network games product manager for Nokia took some time during a session at the Develop Conference in Brighton to hammer home the importance of shared experiences to the fledgling platform. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=282701&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Sony Poo Poos PSP Phone Patent]]> After patents surfaced from Sony Ericsson recently that hinted at a PlayStation Portable-like telephone, complete with swiveling screen and a PSP-comparable button layout, rumors swirled that Sony and British Telecom's deal to add mobile communication functions to the PSP would mean something more. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=267861&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[N-Gage Again... Really?]]> You might recall that Nokia announced at this year's GDC that they were taking a third run at the mobile gaming market, this time abandoning the hardware side of things (goodbye N-Gage taco) and aiming instead to fill a very big need on the development software side of things. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=257502&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Nokia Unveils N-Gage 3.0]]> This afternoon Nokia plans to talk about their third swipe at the mobile gaming arena using the N-Gage platform. Fortunately, this time around the platform won't include their own game-centric phone. Instead the phone company is concentrating on the backend and lining up publishers and games. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=241566&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[The N-Gage GDC Schedule]]>
We reported earlier this week that Nokia was once more pushing their N-Gage platform. Fortunately, as previously announced, that platform is a software-only one and in no way taco-shaped. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=234705&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Rumor: N-Gage: The Second Coming?]]>
Technically, I guess it would be the third coming since they tried a new model after their disastrous taco-design. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=232585&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Side Talking's Dead, But N-Gage Lives]]>
We were all a bit relieved when the N-Gage handheld bit the big one. There was nothing really wrong with the idea of a gamer oriented mobile phone, but the execution — particularly side talking, a phenomenon that turned even the coolest-handed Lukes into raging doofuses — left something to be desired. As many early adopters discovered, talking into the side of your phone draws just as many incredulous stares as talking into it upside down. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=176850&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Who's Next? Nokia, I Guess]]>
It's no secret that the best thing about Nokia's empty, desolate N-Gage booth at E3 was that perfect for cutting through the crowds. The company is gung-ho about their upcoming cell phone fighter One—Who's Next? I didn't check out their stuff at E3 that much (see booth cutting comment above), but the images floating around online are impressive. Nokia says the game clip is real time, but is it really real time or just real time? —Brian Ashcraft More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=175167&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Warhammer 40,000 Hits the N-Gage]]> Warhammer 40,000: Glory in Death just shipped for the N-Gage. Yes, they're still making games for the cell-portable. The game looks a bit like Fire Emblem, but with Orks, Eldars, Space Marines and Chaos Space Marines. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=165531&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[How to Launch a Platform]]> Next-Gen has notes from an interesting talk given at the Game Marketing Conference about how to survive a platform launch. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=160105&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[N-Gage Civilization]]> It came about two years too late, but there's finally a reason to buy an N-Gage. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=157985&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[New N-Gage Tourney Announced]]> Hey, nice to see Nokia still supporting the N-Gage deck and players, even though plans to continue developing the N-Gage have been cancelled: N-Gage have just announced a new Tournament, to run until February 5th. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=146639&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Thank the N-Gage for Annoying Graffiti Art]]> The Washington Post has an excellent article up on the graffiti trend in advertising. Sony's PSP graffiti campaign was the latest in a laundry list of companies that includes Nike and Nokia. Seems back in 2003, the cell phone company used sidewalk chalk drawings to advertise that ill-fated gaming phone the N-Gage. It's a wonder that other companies like Sony have even followed suit, seeing on how disastrous the N-Gage release panned out. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=145099&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Nokia Cell Tycoon Game]]> Nokia has a created a cool little web-based game called Nokia Network Tycoon. It's a basic simulator that lets you plant cell towers, choose rates and ad campaigns and control a few other options on your road to cell phone provider dominance. I played through once with a company I called N-Gage and lost my ass, so it's a pretty good simulator. Double Zing! More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=142070&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[N-Gage "Not A Success"...]]> So the head bod over at Nokia responsible for the n-Gage has finally admitted that perhaps the dedicated deck, side-talkin' frankenphone was possibly not the best way to go. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=139407&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Nokia Miserable About N-Gage]]> Oh dear, this may be it for the n-Gage: Nokia's Head of Multimedia Development is not happy about the handset's sales, having hit a mere third of the target that he trumpeted at launch. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=134969&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[N-Gage Still Alive and Kicking]]> I don t know which is more shocking, that Nokia has confirmed that they won t be making any new N-Gage models or that they still plan on pushing the N-Gage platform and its online arena. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=130776&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Cheap N-Gage Knock-Off Hands On!!!!]]> I was cruising through the Reject Shop (think dollar store, but pricier) in a town north of Sydney a few weeks back when I stumbled upon an old-school-side-talking N-Gage. Imagine my delight when I discovered that it wasn t really the crap phone-game device by Nokia, but a cheap knock-off. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=128619&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[What Is Nokia's E3 N-Gage Move?]]> Brian is on a plane somewhere over the Atlantic (which is weird, since he's flying from Denver to LA) so I've decided to abuse my newly-wrought Kotaku posting rights and post up some good, old-fashioned speculation. Unlike Brian, I often use correct grammar, so if that is anomalous to your normal Kotaku diet, please forgive me. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=103675&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[N-Gage Treasure Island Game Announced]]> Nokia, the plucky cell phone game designer, continues to pump out games for their N-Gage QD despite lackluster interest and recent announcements of yet another redesign. The latest title announced is High Seize, a strategy game based on Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. The single player game has you taking on an evil pirate to save your dad. The game also includes Bluetooth multiplayer support. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=35443&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Nokia Cuts N-Gage QD Prices]]> Nokia has announced sweeping price cuts on their N-Gage QD and games for the system in the UK. Games for the phone and game handheld will now range from 15 to 25. No word on how much the phone will drop, especially since pricing is often dependent on contracts and the like. The cuts come as the PSP and Gizmondo prepare to storm the U.S. and UK in the next month or so. I don't think it's really going to help much, but who knows. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=35137&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[N-Gage Neo]]> Some N-Gage fans, yes they do exist, have posted a couple of pretty cool concept shots of a next generation game phone. One is an update of the QD, called the Neo, which features a 1.3 megapixel camera, landscape screen and built in flash light. The other, well, let s just say the other is a bit old school. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=31760&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[N-Gage Takes More Then a Year to Tie Ds's First Month]]> Nokia has finally released some real numbers for the amount of N-Gages they sold. Cumulative sales for the system since its launch in October 2003 is 1.3 million. It took Nintendo about a month to sell that many DSs. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=31644&view=rss&microfeed=true