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See the original image at gizmodo.com

Nokia N-Gage First Hands-On Video

gizmodo.com — Looks like Xbox Live, but all time on through 3G. Apparently all Nokia phones will have it from now on. It seems solid and the game they show has great graphics. Author says: "could Nokia make it this time?" I think they could, specially if Nokia gets a decent carrier deal in the US.

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  • KnockoutNerd, on 02/13/2008, -1/+25Sounds like it would be successful on paper but how many people will sit there and play games on their phones that isn't tetris and or bejeweled.
    • dilibau, on 02/13/2008, -0/+16if crysis comes out for N-Gage I'm sold...
      • theaceoffire, on 02/13/2008, -0/+2If a cheap phone can play crysis, I bet it could be a heck of a comp.
    • valardur, on 02/13/2008, -1/+3I used to play Brothers in Arms, and glimmeratti during my commutes to work. They are still great games :D
      and I know that some of the looks I got was of actual curiosity and a hint of jealousy, beliave it or not.
      I think this could work.
    • ilves7, on 02/13/2008, -1/+2lot of people would love to play tetris or bejeweled on a large screen
    • madk, on 02/14/2008, -0/+1Doom RPG, Orcs and Elves and Vijay Singh Golf are all amazing cell games. After playing those I think the platform has great potential.
  • mattcoady, on 02/13/2008, -0/+38I'm surprised they're still using the n-gage name even after the n-gage tanked.
    • extratired, on 02/13/2008, -1/+11not really since the brand is already well known. people just didn't buy the old n-gage because it meant they were getting a clunky handset that made you look like an idiot. this time around, n-gage isn't a handset anymore but a software system you can get on a big number of (future) handsets that also appeal to 'normal' users.
    • Dracusis, on 02/14/2008, -0/+2Screw you, I looked hot even with a Taco glued to my ear!
  • sam3, on 02/13/2008, -14/+437 Diggs and it's on the front page?!

    Anyway, keeping the name is at least one strike against themselves already.
  • diggymow, on 02/13/2008, -5/+3Awesome, now everyone can find out how much I suck at extreme snake.
  • lorddazzer, on 02/13/2008, -1/+4Urgh the N81 has such a crappy keypad for playing games. (I have one :( )

    16 Buttons. Nothing like having your media playing suddenly while in the middle of a game.
  • doctorweird, on 02/13/2008, -3/+17The first *****-head who start comparing this to the iPhone is going to get dugg down.
    • Aharoni, on 02/13/2008, -1/+5Its ok, I'll digg you back up just to spite.
    • BearinG, on 02/14/2008, -0/+3I think you're the first one..
  • CameronakaCam, on 02/13/2008, -1/+4I agree strike for the name alone.
  • Cubedude04, on 02/13/2008, -3/+9You bought an N-Gage didn't you?
    • MiDri, on 02/13/2008, -0/+2Yes... had the small one... damn thing looked like a choco-taco...
  • reaper527, on 02/13/2008, -2/+9i love my old n-gage, i hope they release a handset thats decent for gaming with this service
    • mike17032, on 02/13/2008, -0/+5I loved mine too, kept it for a long time. For the price it was one hell of a phone, I had the ability to use any MP3 for a ringtone long before any of my friends did, along with full web access and the ability to use it as a modem for my laptop (though the connection was very, very slow).

      I had a Nintendo Emulator on it, and a big chunk of the NES library. I could play almost any Nintendo game I wanted to, and the design of the device was perfect for it.
    • Dracusis, on 02/14/2008, -0/+1I loved to hate mine. I'm all for convergence, but even the N-Gage couldn't pull it off (which is why it failed). Get a DS or a PSP and a small clamshell/flip-phone and I guarantee you'll be 200% better equipped for gaming-on-the-go.
  • l800LEMMINGS, on 02/13/2008, -4/+2i hope this is the beginning of descent mobile games but they should of called it ngage 2 at the least
    • positron, on 02/13/2008, -2/+6You want descent(sic) mobile games? Get a freakin' DS or PSP.
  • jsin1276, on 02/13/2008, -1/+9I wish they would stop trying to make games for cell phones as I never see anyone on the streets playing games on their phone as I see them with a PSP or a DS. I use to sell the original N-Gage phones as it would change the gaming scene on cell phones and look how that turned out as they say "Epic Fail". I have only played a couple of decent games on cell phones though I wouldn't spend more then 5-10 mins on it as I have better games to play. They should stop trying and let games stay on video game consoles.
    • contradictator, on 02/13/2008, -0/+9Who knows, maybe someday portable gaming consoles like the DS will merge with cell phones. With cell phones becoming better at games, and handhelds getting features like VOIP, media capabilities, GPS, the lines between the two continue to blur.
    • Aharoni, on 02/13/2008, -0/+4Dunno, there are plenty of times I wish my cellphone (E61) had some normal games in it... especially when I'm in the can... or waiting in line for something... you don't see people playing cellphones on the street because, well, you have plenty of other things to do on the street.
      I don't want to carry a DS or a PSP everywhere I go - and a cellphone is a perfect time killer seeing how I already have to bring it with me everywhere I go (it practically runs my life).
    • Dracusis, on 02/14/2008, -0/+1I love the idea of phone/gaming convergence, but the reality of these two functions are not parallel. Gaming requires a device that is comfortable to hold a arms length with a screen that's large enough to see and read from at that distance. This is at odds with most design philosophies of a good compact phone.

      I used to own an N-Gage, but since it going through the wash (thanks Mum), I've picked up a PSP and would never go back to gaming on a phone. I still like the idea of convergence, but dedicated portable gaming devices will always win out. That's not to say there isn't room in the market for this kind of thing, but I very much doubt it will displace or have any real effect on the current face of the portable console space.
  • maximusdigg, on 02/13/2008, -14/+1I'm sick to death of those Nokia people with those horrible English accents. Go learn the language, suckers!
    • SamOut, on 02/13/2008, -2/+0*GASP* Nokia is not an american company. Why don't you learn Finnish so we don't have to hear your lame Finnish accent? I can understand perfectly what that guy was saying. The touchscreen-chick had a terrible accent though but you could still understand.
  • mbthompson, on 02/13/2008, -0/+2Maybe it will work if they come out with a decent handset. Right now, I couldn't see the DS or the PSP losing any ground to this.
  • Blitzwing84, on 02/13/2008, -2/+11What, no sidetalkin?! Count me out.
    • Inverno, on 02/13/2008, -1/+9I agree. This phone doesn't look enough like a taco.
    • negativefx, on 02/13/2008, -0/+3They should go for a burrito look this time. You could talk into the end of it. It would be not unlike the elephant form on WarioWare on wii.
  • Miche1987, on 02/13/2008, -4/+1N-Gage? What's that?
  • TheMightyBorys, on 02/13/2008, -3/+2TACO PHONE LIVES
  • poisonborz, on 02/13/2008, -2/+1Did Nokia recruit only philippinos on their show floor? Meet the husband of touch UI lady.
    • worthone, on 02/13/2008, -0/+1Do you mean the guy who's trying to advertise the N-gage to the assumed gizmodo reporter? If that's who you were talking about, he's probably Finnish, which accounts for his silly accent.
  • missingnoh4x, on 02/13/2008, -1/+16I saw the title and thought, "Wow, this must be one really old dupe..."
  • wave789, on 02/13/2008, -3/+0So let me get this straight... they retained the name of one of the least successful consumer electronics in recent memory and applied it to a service they expect people to use?

    Not only will the name confuse people, it will turn them off completely. This is an abnormal level of stupidity coming from a large international corporation.

    Then again, this is coming from the same company that made the N-Gage...
    • mike17032, on 02/13/2008, -0/+1Ever hear of a Gizmondo? Ya didnt think so.

      The N-Gage flopped, but there are other things that have flopped worse.
  • a0me, on 02/13/2008, -2/+1I bet that Microsoft are kicking themselves for not patenting the whole Xbox LIVE feature set and GUI first.
    • FredFredrickson, on 02/13/2008, -0/+1Yeah, I bet they are really afraid of the N-Gage right now. /sarcasm
  • chamberlanderic, on 02/13/2008, -3/+0hello my name is eric and i am a former ngage owner... crowd says: Hello eric
  • leonwehttam, on 02/13/2008, -2/+1Looks like xbox live because they came up with it first!
  • REBELNICK, on 02/13/2008, -4/+1n gage will never be cool nokia when will you learn
  • TheKorn2, on 02/13/2008, -2/+1It's like the old saying goes:

    If at first you fail... fail, fail again!
  • FredFredrickson, on 02/13/2008, -3/+1Why do they keep trying to push this piece of *****?

    Hey Nokia, it's pretty simple: a piece of ***** is a piece of ***** is a piece of *****.
    • b-dizzle, on 02/13/2008, -1/+2This is a service, not a reincarnation of the old N-Gage device. RTFA
      • FredFredrickson, on 02/13/2008, -1/+1...and yet, it's still going to be a piece of ***** with no games. Surprise.
  • enderwiggen16, on 02/13/2008, -2/+0*****
  • homosaur, on 02/13/2008, -0/+0Well it certainly has a better chance as an all inclusive platform (think of how many games you cannot play on your phone because it's in the wrong format) than the original N-Gage, which was an abomination of industrial design. I worked for Nokia trying to make these things look cool when the original one came out and had to quit after two months because literally no one would look at it for more than 30 seconds. They plant you in bars and such and you whip out the device and use all the flashy features. It was terrible, and until they gave me the Tony Hawk cartridge, no one would seriously even attempt to the play the games. For the first month all I had was the port of Tomb Raider.

    That being said, I think success would probably mean success compared to other cell phone games, if they think they are going to take on the DS, then they are smoking crack. I think this is more another checkbox in the column of "positive things about Nokia phones" and as long as it doesn't drive up price then I think it is generally a good thing. This new N-Gage ***** is not going to move units, and honestly, how ***** dumb that they recycled the N-Gage name. I don't know anyone that has positive feelings associated with that POS.

    Despite that, how cool have the high end Nokias that have been released in the last year or so been? The N series in nuts, you can stream video live from these things, they come with high end digital camera lenses, and they do practically anything you could possibly dream up. They make the iPhone look like a toy. Now if they could only come up with an interface that doesn't make me want to mutilate my genitals, I would consider purchasing it.
    • davepople, on 02/14/2008, -0/+1you lost 99% of your audience in the first sentence... nice essay though, just wrong forum
  • rishdeep, on 02/13/2008, -1/+2Playing FIFA on a normal phone keypad would be awful, even if the graphics look quite impressive.
  • Barbosa, on 02/13/2008, -0/+2Who cares if it is cool or not as long as it gets the job done. Ngage had decent Java all the way back then! I could use IRC (client or Java), BT, chat, MS document editor/viewer, a nice, stable browser that was perfect for the screen size, along with almost any other app that is available for PC. All of the software I installed was free (except for the MS office document editor which was commercial) and it was like having a tiny PC everywhere I went. I still don't understand how the Ngage and Symbian had such a huge and constantly contributing community overflowing full of homebrew, third party and file sharing if the damn thing was so worthless. I guess people enjoy paying more for something shiny that looks good but does less.
  • ShyGuy91284, on 02/13/2008, -0/+1If they can make good games maybe this will be good. And by good I don't mean some crap puzzle games or some pretty games that feel like the lack a soul/real content. I want to see games that I would pay money for, that are comparable in terms of content to what you'd get on a dedicated portable game system....
  • shelton8706, on 02/14/2008, -0/+1I went to the Sprint store to get a new phone and all of Nokia's phones looked like old cheap chunks of plastic. Screw Nokia.
  • xlgc, on 02/14/2008, -0/+1I just hope they have Mile High Pinball on that thing! Game was FUN!!!
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