Nokia N-Gage

Nokia + Video Games = ?

Nokia N-Gage is the gaming system or rather known as the gaming platform available for the Series 60 devices of Nokia. Originally, N-Gage was released in year 2003, as a dedicated mobile device which was similar to Gameboy Advance. The device in design looked similar to a Gameboy Advance, yet it was a series 60 based Mobile phone. The keypad was designed as handheld mobile games’s keys which made gaming a lot easier.

I too, owned a Nokia N-Gage classic game deck in year 2007 for a few months, and it was a great mobile telephone, except for the fact that you had to hold it like a Mexican Taco in your ear whenever you wanted to make or receive a call as the speaker was located on the side of the device. Apart from that, and a memory issue (known as the White Screen of Death), it was a great mobile telephone. The device had the ability to record audio clips from FM Radio, which I didn’t see in any other device.
The device also supported stereo headphones, and had a slot for SD memory cards. In some European regions, Games were sold as SD cards and, also you could download the setup files and install on device memory or SD card Memory. For Nokia, N-Gage became a total failure according to reviews, as the games were cracked (Unlocked full versions) and became widely available on the cyber space for free.

Replacing the classic Game deck, Nokia released a follow up device, The Nokia N-Gage QD. (QD –quaque die, which meant everyday day in Latin). The N-Gage QD was released in 2004, and certain features such as MP3 Playback, FM Radio and USB were not present on the device. The N-Gage QD was smaller in size compared to the Classic N-Gage device.

Second Generation of N-Gage

The New release of N-Gage (the Second Generation), known as the N-Gage NextGen is a gaming platform was an application software rather than a device. The N-Gage NextGen was announced in E3 2005, and it was launched on 2008. During the launch the N-Gage NextGen platform was released to a several N-Series devices as a beta test. Later on the final release was made available on their N-Gage home page.

Games designed for the Classic N-Gage platform were not compatible with the N-Gage NextGen. With Hooked On : Creatures of the deep as their leading game title, several other games received good reception. Late on popular PC game titles such as Prince Of Persia, Need for Speed Undercover and Metal Gear were released for the N-Gage NextGen platform.

The N-Gage application which needs to be pre installed to the device, was similar to X-Box 360’s Live service. It has the ability to manage your own profile, keep you connected with friends and even grant access to latest games and updates via the showroom.

At present Nokia is working together with Gameloft, Capcom, EA and Vivendi , a few leading game developers, and in future we can expect some great games from Nokia N-Gage.

To get N-Gage on your device visit their www.n-gage.com, and select your device to download.
To Read more about N-Gage, visit the Official N-Gage Blog.

I am an N-Gage user as well. Though the N-Gage site does not support N73 officially, there were certain un-official ways to install this on Nokia N73. Currently, Im Hooked on with Creatures of the deep.

My N-Gage Player Name is JazonX and Feel free to Add me as a Friend on your N-Gage Profile.