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Looks like Nokia want a piece of the pie, the pie which for the past few years Nintendo have been munching all to themselves. Yes Nokia will enter the world of handheld gaming devices. Nokia are famous for their mobile phones and there latest handset incorporates a mobile phone with a handheld console, makes sense to have more options to the user and the combination of both may well appeal to a lot of people.
The device that seems to have shocked some and please others is the N-Gage, very little is known about it sadly at this stage other than they plan it to be available for next Christmas. First issue that I must say concerns me is the cost. Most of us already know that consoles are sold for less than they cost to make and the profits come from the selling of the games. So something like the GBA will cost £60 - £90 and the games costing around £30 each. Now take mobile phones, some of them cost £100's so that means that this new Nokia device could be an expensive toy.
Only people it will appeal to is those who wants games and a phone together or those who like gadgets, nobody will pay that just for the phone or the games alone. They would be stupid too.
Of course this is me guessing that they wouldn't sell the handset at a loss, if they did, hoping to make money from selling games then it could sell quite well.
Also the unit hasn't been designed to well for the gamers out there, you have to remove the backing, the battery and then remove the game before inserting another one. Also the game come on memory cards (much like flash memory cards) which are not only expensive but also nowhere near as robust as the GBA cartridges.
Still is looks cool. But that might not be enough. Check out what it looks like on the news part of the site (Upwire)
As we all know after countless arguments it mostly always comes down to games, Nintendo have their own but it seems the Nokia device will have a number of developers who are interested in working on it. Sega, Eidos to name a few. Expect more come launch time.
It has been a while since Nintendo has had any competition, last real contender was Segas Game gear which is no longer around since Segas on going problems with hardware and getting it to sell.
Since then Nintendo have been the only handheld developers, well the only ones worth getting and this means they have been getting quite a lot of money out of it, after all the handheld market alone is making millions if not billions so it does seem like a good market to enter if you can succeed.
Personally I like the idea of it, more competition means that more effort will be needed to produce better quality games and devices in the future. May also attract others like Sony, Microsoft etc to enter this part of the industry which can't be bad news for us gamers but could be bad news for Nintendo who may no longer get all the pie to themselves.
But Nokia?? I'm not so sure on this, A phone to me is a phone. There is no need for fancy games etc that will eat up the batteries and increase the size, weight and cost of the phone. Also it may lead to more and more kids being mugged, more and more pressure being put on them to get the latest handset etc when all they really should be for is to make calls.
But the added feature of the phone could play a big part come the time that the 3G network is up and running. The ability to play against people, friends etc over the network is there. It would be an even better added bonus if the games where of a high quality (although how much would such features cost?).
This is one to watch. Could be a huge success and revolutionise the handheld industry or crash and burn like so many others have done in the past.
I'm hoping it is a success. Would be nice to get a bit more of an option and variety. Better games hopefully, just shows what potential there is in the industry. Good news for all us then.
The device that seems to have shocked some and please others is the N-Gage, very little is known about it sadly at this stage other than they plan it to be available for next Christmas. First issue that I must say concerns me is the cost. Most of us already know that consoles are sold for less than they cost to make and the profits come from the selling of the games. So something like the GBA will cost £60 - £90 and the games costing around £30 each. Now take mobile phones, some of them cost £100's so that means that this new Nokia device could be an expensive toy.
Only people it will appeal to is those who wants games and a phone together or those who like gadgets, nobody will pay that just for the phone or the games alone. They would be stupid too.
Of course this is me guessing that they wouldn't sell the handset at a loss, if they did, hoping to make money from selling games then it could sell quite well.
Also the unit hasn't been designed to well for the gamers out there, you have to remove the backing, the battery and then remove the game before inserting another one. Also the game come on memory cards (much like flash memory cards) which are not only expensive but also nowhere near as robust as the GBA cartridges.
Still is looks cool. But that might not be enough. Check out what it looks like on the news part of the site (Upwire)
As we all know after countless arguments it mostly always comes down to games, Nintendo have their own but it seems the Nokia device will have a number of developers who are interested in working on it. Sega, Eidos to name a few. Expect more come launch time.
It has been a while since Nintendo has had any competition, last real contender was Segas Game gear which is no longer around since Segas on going problems with hardware and getting it to sell.
Since then Nintendo have been the only handheld developers, well the only ones worth getting and this means they have been getting quite a lot of money out of it, after all the handheld market alone is making millions if not billions so it does seem like a good market to enter if you can succeed.
Personally I like the idea of it, more competition means that more effort will be needed to produce better quality games and devices in the future. May also attract others like Sony, Microsoft etc to enter this part of the industry which can't be bad news for us gamers but could be bad news for Nintendo who may no longer get all the pie to themselves.
But Nokia?? I'm not so sure on this, A phone to me is a phone. There is no need for fancy games etc that will eat up the batteries and increase the size, weight and cost of the phone. Also it may lead to more and more kids being mugged, more and more pressure being put on them to get the latest handset etc when all they really should be for is to make calls.
But the added feature of the phone could play a big part come the time that the 3G network is up and running. The ability to play against people, friends etc over the network is there. It would be an even better added bonus if the games where of a high quality (although how much would such features cost?).
This is one to watch. Could be a huge success and revolutionise the handheld industry or crash and burn like so many others have done in the past.
I'm hoping it is a success. Would be nice to get a bit more of an option and variety. Better games hopefully, just shows what potential there is in the industry. Good news for all us then.
I agree. While you cannot fault the basic idea, I fear that Nokia will sell it using their Mobile Phone pricing model (make a profit on hardware), rather than the established console pricing model - price the hardware as cheap as possible and make the money on the games.
With the latest phones coming out for £200+, this could end up being a very expensive toy.
Serious design floors, such as having to remove he battery to change the game could further alienate what must be their target audience - the existing mobile phone gamer, who is looking for something more than Snake or Space Invaders.
The biggest plus point here is the possibility of wireless networked gaming through Bluetooth or even something even more remote using the 3G network.
I think what we really require is a company who have the ability and financial clout to put together a handheld console which has the est elements of both the GBA and N-gage.
- Established gaming brands from major developers/publishers
- Easy to use interface and simple switching of games
- High quality colour LCD screen
- Bluetooth/3G network compatability - for use with games
- Relatively high powered 3d graphics chip to outshine the excellent GBA
What we really need is an existing console manufacturer, which relationships with the largest publishers in the world and with its own extensive catalogue of exclusive quality titles. A company that already has a presence in the mobile phone industry and therefore the requisite technological knowledge. And someone who has a well established brand, perhaps someone who is an established general electrical manufacturer too.
But I'll be damned if I can think of someone who fits that profile...?!
With the latest phones coming out for £200+, this could end up being a very expensive toy.
Serious design floors, such as having to remove he battery to change the game could further alienate what must be their target audience - the existing mobile phone gamer, who is looking for something more than Snake or Space Invaders.
The biggest plus point here is the possibility of wireless networked gaming through Bluetooth or even something even more remote using the 3G network.
I think what we really require is a company who have the ability and financial clout to put together a handheld console which has the est elements of both the GBA and N-gage.
- Established gaming brands from major developers/publishers
- Easy to use interface and simple switching of games
- High quality colour LCD screen
- Bluetooth/3G network compatability - for use with games
- Relatively high powered 3d graphics chip to outshine the excellent GBA
What we really need is an existing console manufacturer, which relationships with the largest publishers in the world and with its own extensive catalogue of exclusive quality titles. A company that already has a presence in the mobile phone industry and therefore the requisite technological knowledge. And someone who has a well established brand, perhaps someone who is an established general electrical manufacturer too.
But I'll be damned if I can think of someone who fits that profile...?!
Looks like Nokia want a piece of the pie, the pie which for the past few years Nintendo have been munching all to themselves. Yes Nokia will enter the world of handheld gaming devices. Nokia are famous for their mobile phones and there latest handset incorporates a mobile phone with a handheld console, makes sense to have more options to the user and the combination of both may well appeal to a lot of people.
The device that seems to have shocked some and please others is the N-Gage, very little is known about it sadly at this stage other than they plan it to be available for next Christmas. First issue that I must say concerns me is the cost. Most of us already know that consoles are sold for less than they cost to make and the profits come from the selling of the games. So something like the GBA will cost £60 - £90 and the games costing around £30 each. Now take mobile phones, some of them cost £100's so that means that this new Nokia device could be an expensive toy.
Only people it will appeal to is those who wants games and a phone together or those who like gadgets, nobody will pay that just for the phone or the games alone. They would be stupid too.
Of course this is me guessing that they wouldn't sell the handset at a loss, if they did, hoping to make money from selling games then it could sell quite well.
Also the unit hasn't been designed to well for the gamers out there, you have to remove the backing, the battery and then remove the game before inserting another one. Also the game come on memory cards (much like flash memory cards) which are not only expensive but also nowhere near as robust as the GBA cartridges.
Still is looks cool. But that might not be enough. Check out what it looks like on the news part of the site (Upwire)
As we all know after countless arguments it mostly always comes down to games, Nintendo have their own but it seems the Nokia device will have a number of developers who are interested in working on it. Sega, Eidos to name a few. Expect more come launch time.
It has been a while since Nintendo has had any competition, last real contender was Segas Game gear which is no longer around since Segas on going problems with hardware and getting it to sell.
Since then Nintendo have been the only handheld developers, well the only ones worth getting and this means they have been getting quite a lot of money out of it, after all the handheld market alone is making millions if not billions so it does seem like a good market to enter if you can succeed.
Personally I like the idea of it, more competition means that more effort will be needed to produce better quality games and devices in the future. May also attract others like Sony, Microsoft etc to enter this part of the industry which can't be bad news for us gamers but could be bad news for Nintendo who may no longer get all the pie to themselves.
But Nokia?? I'm not so sure on this, A phone to me is a phone. There is no need for fancy games etc that will eat up the batteries and increase the size, weight and cost of the phone. Also it may lead to more and more kids being mugged, more and more pressure being put on them to get the latest handset etc when all they really should be for is to make calls.
But the added feature of the phone could play a big part come the time that the 3G network is up and running. The ability to play against people, friends etc over the network is there. It would be an even better added bonus if the games where of a high quality (although how much would such features cost?).
This is one to watch. Could be a huge success and revolutionise the handheld industry or crash and burn like so many others have done in the past.
I'm hoping it is a success. Would be nice to get a bit more of an option and variety. Better games hopefully, just shows what potential there is in the industry. Good news for all us then.
The device that seems to have shocked some and please others is the N-Gage, very little is known about it sadly at this stage other than they plan it to be available for next Christmas. First issue that I must say concerns me is the cost. Most of us already know that consoles are sold for less than they cost to make and the profits come from the selling of the games. So something like the GBA will cost £60 - £90 and the games costing around £30 each. Now take mobile phones, some of them cost £100's so that means that this new Nokia device could be an expensive toy.
Only people it will appeal to is those who wants games and a phone together or those who like gadgets, nobody will pay that just for the phone or the games alone. They would be stupid too.
Of course this is me guessing that they wouldn't sell the handset at a loss, if they did, hoping to make money from selling games then it could sell quite well.
Also the unit hasn't been designed to well for the gamers out there, you have to remove the backing, the battery and then remove the game before inserting another one. Also the game come on memory cards (much like flash memory cards) which are not only expensive but also nowhere near as robust as the GBA cartridges.
Still is looks cool. But that might not be enough. Check out what it looks like on the news part of the site (Upwire)
As we all know after countless arguments it mostly always comes down to games, Nintendo have their own but it seems the Nokia device will have a number of developers who are interested in working on it. Sega, Eidos to name a few. Expect more come launch time.
It has been a while since Nintendo has had any competition, last real contender was Segas Game gear which is no longer around since Segas on going problems with hardware and getting it to sell.
Since then Nintendo have been the only handheld developers, well the only ones worth getting and this means they have been getting quite a lot of money out of it, after all the handheld market alone is making millions if not billions so it does seem like a good market to enter if you can succeed.
Personally I like the idea of it, more competition means that more effort will be needed to produce better quality games and devices in the future. May also attract others like Sony, Microsoft etc to enter this part of the industry which can't be bad news for us gamers but could be bad news for Nintendo who may no longer get all the pie to themselves.
But Nokia?? I'm not so sure on this, A phone to me is a phone. There is no need for fancy games etc that will eat up the batteries and increase the size, weight and cost of the phone. Also it may lead to more and more kids being mugged, more and more pressure being put on them to get the latest handset etc when all they really should be for is to make calls.
But the added feature of the phone could play a big part come the time that the 3G network is up and running. The ability to play against people, friends etc over the network is there. It would be an even better added bonus if the games where of a high quality (although how much would such features cost?).
This is one to watch. Could be a huge success and revolutionise the handheld industry or crash and burn like so many others have done in the past.
I'm hoping it is a success. Would be nice to get a bit more of an option and variety. Better games hopefully, just shows what potential there is in the industry. Good news for all us then.