N-Gage Hardware and Software Price Dropped

GamesIndustry.biz has the news that Nokia is dropping the price on N-Gage Hardware and Software. They also reconfirmed the thought that the deck may recieve another redesign. From the article: "Despite putting significant weight behind the launch of the original device, and responding quickly to consumer feedback by launching the much-improved N-Gage QD handset within a matter of months, Nokia has had very limited success with N-Gage - selling only 1.5 million units of the platform worldwide to date."

Development SDK

[CrazyJim1]

How do you get an Ngage SDK. I may be interested in making games for it. Nothing like good ol 2d for something easy to code.

Re:Development SDK

[Anonymous Coward]

You use Google, and get this [symbian.com].

Re:Development SDK

[TonkaTown]

As well as the Series 60 SDK, there's J2ME (MIDP 1.0), Nokia's Python port (with Perl supposedly coming soon) and even the venerable old OPL.

Oh, and the basic development tools are all free, can you say the same about GBA, PSP, etc?

A great phone (esp for the $) and OK game platform

[slithytove]

I've got an Ngage-QD, and I'm quite happy with it as a phone. The interface is nice, the screen is bigger and brighter than most phones, and it has features like an MMC slot and Bluetooth that you have to spend more to get with any other phone. I got it mostly because it was the cheapest symbianOS phone with bluetooth that I'm aware of. I use it with Bemused to control XMMS and slimserver. As a portable gaming platform, its clearly inferior to my Nintendo DS, but its always in my pocket, and its not bad

Re:A great phone (esp for the $) and OK game platf

[UWC]

Is there some technical or licensing reason that the Series 60 phones that use MMC don't also use SD? I have a 3660, and I'm doing okay with the 16MB MMC that it came with (though I guess that's primarily because I've yet to buy a Bluetooth dongle and IR is slow and feels so insubstantial), but I can't just go to Wal-Mart and pick up a new one. Most physical stores I've seen don't carry MMC. Pretty much everything that uses flash memory of that form factor tends to use SD... except for Nokia phones, and som

Re:A great phone (esp for the $) and OK game platf

[Kris_J]

Given that you have Wal-Mart, I'm guessing you don't have Dick Smith Electronics. Have you got a Radio Shack or Tandy near you? I had no problem walking in to a DSE and buying a 128MB MMC card for my N-Gage.

Re:A great phone (esp for the $) and OK game platf

[UWC]

I've not tried Radio Shack for memory, as I had assumed that regardless of their selection, price would be high. Also, you'd be correct in your assumption of a lack of DSE in the area.

My original question stands, though, of whether there's any technological or business reason that N-Gage, 3660, et al. only use MMC.

Re:A great phone (esp for the $) and OK game platf

[Kris_J]

I think it's a licensing issue rather than a tech one.

Nokia's time to take notes

[computertheque]

Nokia had a lot going against them in the market. Poor product reviews, terrible product design and a fairly high price tag are not going to sell systems.

This possible redesign should be a product overhaul. It's not as if they can turn a blind eye to customer response to the problems with the current product and expect to succeed.

Their competition has increased, and there are a total of four major handhelds fighting for market share, GBASP, DS, NGage, and the PSP which has yet to arrive but isn't far off.

Re:Nokia's time to take notes

[Kris_J]

Let's see. It's by far the cheapest Series 60 mobile phone, has a great layout for games (except that the screen is portrait and all the games makers are too stupid to release games that suit the orientation) and they did respond to customers with the first revision, removing the side-talking all the sheep mocked and making the MMC slot more accessible.

The actual problem is that the range of games suck and the marketing sucks worse. The device itself is brilliant.

Re:Nokia's time to take notes

[subsonic]

Well, two of those competitors are Nintendo products, so really there are only three competitors. However, now onto the third revision (which still sounds like an aesthetic revision and not a technological one) maybe the note Nokia should be taking is, "get out of portable gaming!"

They're mucking around with a now outdated product that is only getting older. Maybe as a phone it'll do some business- with boosted gaming performance compared to other mobile phones- but it can never claim to be a true compet

Not a price issue

[white1827]

For me, it isn't a price issue. I would love to buy an Ngage, however, only one cell provider offers it as an option. And that isn't my carrier (verizon). The fact that so few carriers picked it up really hurt it more than anything.

Re:Not a price issue

[mobby_6kl]

... it isn't a price issue. I would love to buy an Ngage, ...

So...why don't you buy one? Can't you just get it in a cellphone store?

Good move

[Gothic_Walrus]

If nothing else, they're persistent.

The N-Gage has been written off as a failure by most gamers since before its release, but Nokia is still pushing it, still supporting it with new titles and redesigns.

This kind of faith in a product is a bit unusual, but refreshing. They're still trying to make it work, and while general opinion doesn't match mine, there's still no guarantee that it won't catch on eventually.

If Nokia decides to remain in the gaming industry after the N-Gage is gone, I see potential for great things. After all, if you try this many times, you'll be bound to strike gold eventually. :)

Good news!

[Master_T]

Now you can get that piece of hardware that nobody wants and nobody owns for less money that still nobody wants to spend.

Meh.

[oGMo]

Call be back when they'll pay me to take one.

Re:Meh.

[Dehumanizer]

"It has a bad reputation, so I won't even look at one".

Sheep! :)

Re:Meh.

[rwrife]

Some providers will pay you take one....check amazon.

price drop????

[rwrife]

So how does this "price drop" actually work?? Nokia sells the phone to the carriers, they determine the price and sell the device. Which from what I've seen it ranges from -$200 to $150 with service and $200 with prepaid service.

Re:price drop????

[69sofine]

was wondering the same thing myself

Sucks for Less?

[Anonymous Coward]

so is their new marketing program going to say "Now Sucks For Less"?

Isn't that like...

[binaryspiral]

Another redesign?/i?

Isn't that like polishing a turd?

Yeah, real speedy..

[Guppy06]

"and responding quickly to consumer feedback by launching the much-improved N-Gage QD handset within a matter of months,"

Considering that most of those complaints were lodged well before the system was actually released, I'm not sure if the "quickly" adverb applies here. Complaints about the location of the cartridge slot and good ol' side-talking were made before the unit ever went into serious production, and yet they went ahead anyway.

Gerard

[trixy_1086]

From TFA: " Nokia's director and general manager of the games business, Gerard Wiener" He replaced Anwar Boobie early last year.

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

n-gage vs psp?

[TheBrakShow]

With the DS and the PSP around, who is gonna pay $200 for a sub-par gaming handheld like the n-gage? That said, I have to replace my mobile phone soon and I'm definitely more inclined to buy the n-gage now with this price drop.