

Upcoming N-Gage games titles include Ashen, Pathway to Glory and Pocket Kingdom: Own The World as well as The Sims: Bustin’ Out, Crash Nitro Kart and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 2004. In fact, the earlier model is not being withdrawn even though the QD is a clear attempt to improve on its predecessor. The price could be as low as €99 with subsidies.Ĭurrent N-Gage titles are compatible with the new handheld. The device will be available in Europe from next month and is expected to retail for €199 excl. For phone calls, we reoriented the speaker and microphone to support ‘classic talking’.” We also added support for hot-swap MMC and extended the battery life. “With improved gaming ergonomics, gamers can now start to play games at the push of a button and enjoy the increased responsiveness of the game keys. “After six months on the market with the N-Gage platform, we wanted to expand our device portfolio based on the feedback we’ve received,” he said.

Announcing the N-Gage QD, even Nokia senior vice president of games, Ilkka Raiskinen, referred obliquely to the travails endured by the previous model. The earlier version came in for flak because users had to hold the device like a seashell when making calls.Īt least Nokia can’t be accused of not listening to its critics. In phone mode, the N-Gage QD has been revised so that the position of the microphone and speaker have been rearranged and placed on the front of the device, more akin to a standard mobile phone. On the first N-Gage, users had to remove the battery in order to fit games cartridges. Specifically, the new N-Gage QD mobile game deck offers longer battery life, improved gaming controls, a brighter screen and a hot-swappable slot for installing new games. If at first you don’t succeed, try again: a mere seven months after first releasing the N-Gage mobile games system, Nokia has launched its successor which addresses many of the widely perceived snags with the earlier version.
