History Platform / NGage

* UsefulNotes/{{Symbian}} 6.1 (Series 60 1st Edition, Feature Pack 1)

* Unlike the original GBA but similar to most cellphones and the GBA SP, the N-Gage used a BL-6C lithium-ion battery pack. It is essentially a thicker variant of the infamous BL-5C cell, which saw use on countless Nokia phones and even on non-Nokia devices such as Bluetooth speakers.

The N-Gage is a handheld device created by Nokia and released in October 2003, based off their Series 60 mobile phone platform on top of UsefulNotes/{{Symbian}}. As gamers owned both handheld games and cell phones in the late 1990s, Nokia saw an opportunity to combine the two and hopefully lure people away from Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s competing UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance.

* UsefulNotes/{{Symbian}} S60 1st Edition, Feature Pack 1

The N-Gage is a handheld device created by Nokia and released in October 2003, based off their Series 60 mobile phone platform. As gamers owned both handheld games and cell phones in the late 1990s, Nokia saw an opportunity to combine the two and hopefully lure people away from Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s competing UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance.

In April 2004, Nokia released the N-Gage QD, which fixed some of the previous system's flaws. Not only was it smaller and rounder than before, but it also had the MMC cartridge slot conveniently placed on the bottom, with Nokia even going so far as to releasing an "MMC Expander" accessory allowing players to carry two games at a time and switch between them as needed. The speaker and mic were also moved to the front of the system, making phone calls more convenient and less ridiculous. However, features like [=MP3=] playback and USB connectivity were removed to cut costs.

* ''[[VideoGame/{{Asphalt}} Asphalt: Urban GT]]''

** ''VideoGame/SplinterCellChaosTheory''

Because of these many physical drawbacks and lack of quality games, the N-Gage sold poorly, and was ridiculed by gamers and [[ArsonMurderAndJayWalking even Nokia fans]]. To Nokia's benefit it wasn't released in Japan, which would've made it even more of a joke like how the Xbox was (and still is). Not even the QD was able to boost sales since so few were aware of the redesign. Nokia quietly discontinued the system in 2007.

Despite its superior graphics capabilities at the time of its release compared to the GBA (somewhere between a [[UsefulNotes/OtherSegaSystems Sega 32X]] and the Creator/{{Sony}} UsefulNotes/PlayStation in terms of power, though unlike the 32X and the [=PlayStation=], the N-Gage lacked a dedicated GPU), there were several drawbacks. Firstly, the face buttons were the 5 and 7 keys on the keypad, making it really easy to press the wrong ones during crucial moments. Another was that the game slot[[note]]essentially a [=MultiMediaCard=] slot[[/note]], was located inside the battery compartment, requiring the user to remove the batteries just to switch games. It also doesn't help that the games were distributed on commodity [=MultiMediaCards=], making it susceptible to piracy -- scene groups such as the now-defunct [=BiNPDA=] released cracked versions of N-Gage titles which could be played on most if not all Symbian Series 60 devices, making the purpose of releasing a dedicated gaming phone rather moot. [[RuleOfThree Another thing]] was its awkward screen orientation, restricting the playfield to a very narrow field of view giving the player a disadvantage especially with platform games and first-person shooters. And most infamously, the speaker and microphone were placed on the bottom, you had to hold the edge of the phone to your ear as you made calls, making it look like you had a [[MemeticMutation taco stuck to the side of your head]]. One other thing that isn't mentioned as often but hurt adoption of the device was the fact that one had to have a cell phone contract with your local provider to purchase the device from a lot of stores that carried it -- which made it very hard to purchase for children as presents and essentially limited its demographic, since [[TechnologyMarchesOn children in the early 00s typically did not have phones]]. Not to mention that no CDMA variant was made either, effectively snubbing out those in areas where the likes of Verizon have a better coverage.

Because of these many physical drawbacks and lack of quality games, the N-Gage sold poorly, and was ridiculed by gamers. To Nokia's benefit it wasn't released in Japan, which would've made it even more of a joke like how the Xbox was (and still is). Not even the QD was able to boost sales since so few were aware of the redesign. Nokia quietly discontinued the system in 2007.

Despite its superior graphics capabilities at the time of its release compared to the GBA (somewhere between a [[UsefulNotes/OtherSegaSystems Sega 32X]] and the Creator/{{Sony}} UsefulNotes/PlayStation in terms of power, though unlike the 32X and the [=PlayStation=], the N-Gage lacked a dedicated GPU), there were several drawbacks. Firstly, the face buttons were the 5 and 7 keys on the keypad, making it really easy to press the wrong ones during crucial moments. Another was that the game slot[[note]]essentially a [=MultiMediaCard=] slot[[/note]], was located inside the battery compartment, requiring the user to remove the batteries just to switch games. It also doesn't help that the games were distributed on commodity [=MultiMediaCards=], making it susceptible to piracy. [[RuleOfThree Another thing]] was its awkward screen orientation, restricting the playfield to a very narrow field of view giving the player a disadvantage especially with platform games and first-person shooters. And most infamously, the speaker and microphone were placed on the bottom, you had to hold the edge of the phone to your ear as you made calls, making it look like you had a [[MemeticMutation taco stuck to the side of your head]]. One other thing that isn't mentioned as often but hurt adoption of the device was the fact that one had to have a cell phone contract with your local provider to purchase the device from a lot of stores that carried it -- which made it very hard to purchase for children as presents and essentially limited its demographic, since [[TechnologyMarchesOn children in the early 00s typically did not have phones]]. Not to mention that no CDMA variant was made either, effectively snubbing out those in areas where the likes of Verizon have a better coverage.

Despite its superior graphics capabilities at the time of its release compared to the GBA (somewhere between a [[UsefulNotes/OtherSegaSystems Sega 32X]] and the Creator/{{Sony}} UsefulNotes/PlayStation in terms of power, though unlike the 32X and the [=PlayStation=], the N-Gage lacked a dedicated GPU), there were several drawbacks. Firstly, the face buttons were the 5 and 7 keys on the keypad, making it really easy to press the wrong ones during crucial moments. Another was that the game slot was located inside the battery compartment, requiring the user to remove the batteries just to switch games. [[RuleOfThree Another thing]] was its awkward screen orientation, restricting the playfield to a very narrow field of view giving the player a disadvantage especially with platform games and first-person shooters. And most infamously, the speaker and microphone were placed on the bottom, you had to hold the edge of the phone to your ear as you made calls, making it look like you had a [[MemeticMutation taco stuck to the side of your head]]. One other thing that isn't mentioned as often but hurt adoption of the device was the fact that one had to have a cell phone contract with your local provider to purchase the device from a lot of stores that carried it -- which made it very hard to purchase for children as presents and essentially limited its demographic, since [[TechnologyMarchesOn children in the early 00s typically did not have phones]].

In April 2004, Nokia released the N-Gage QD, which fixed some of the previous system's flaws. Not only was it smaller and rounder than before, but it also had the cartridge slot conveniently placed on the bottom. The speaker and mic were also moved to the front of the system, making phone calls more convenient and less ridiculous. However, features like [=MP3=] playback and USB connectivity were removed to cut costs.

Because of these many physical drawbacks and lack of quality games, the N-Gage sold poorly, and was ridiculed by gamers. Not even the QD was able to boost sales since so few were aware of the redesign. Nokia quietly discontinued the system in 2007.

Despite its superior graphics capabilities at the time (more or less to par with the Creator/{{Sony}} UsefulNotes/PlayStation in terms of power), there were several drawbacks. Firstly, the face buttons were the 5 and 7 keys on the keypad, making it really easy to press the wrong ones during crucial moments. Another was that the game slot was located inside the battery compartment, requiring the user to remove the batteries just to switch games. [[RuleOfThree Another thing]] was its awkward screen shape. And most infamously, the speaker and microphone were placed on the bottom, you had to hold the edge of the phone to your ear as you made calls, making it look like you had a taco stuck to the side of your head. One other thing that isn't mentioned as often but hurt adoption of the device was the fact that one had to have a cell phone contract with Nokia to purchase the device from a lot of stores that carried it -- which made it very hard to purchase for children as presents and essentially limited its demographic, since [[TechnologyMarchesOn children in the early 00s typically did not have phones]].

In 2008, the N-Gage [[InNameOnly name was recycled]] for a mobile gaming service compatible with many Nokia phones, but ''not'' the N-Gage or QD. Some of the original platform's exclusives received remakes or sequels. "N-Gage 2.0" proved even shorter-lived than its namesake, shutting down after less than two years.

* ARM Integrated (ARMI) compatible chip ([=ARM4T=] architecture) running at 104 [=MHz=], the same as Nokia's 7650 and 3650 phones.

* It made use of a special battery similar to that of cell phones as opposed to standard dry cell batteries common in handhelds.

* ''VideoGame/{{Ashen}}''

* ''[[Franchise/CrashBandicoot Crash Nitro Kart]]''

* ''[[Franchise/CrashBandicoot Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D]]''

The N-Gage made use of Bluetooth technology and the Internet for multiplayer gaming, as opposed to the GBA requiring linking cables. MP3 audio/video playback and PDA functionality were also included, [[OlderThanTheyThink features that are common nowadays in modern handhelds and smartphones.]] It even had a built-in FM radio.

* Dedicated DSP (Texas Instruments [=TMS320=]) for MP3 playback (1st gen only; the QD redesign lacks this requiring software decoding through third-party applications for MP3 playback)

Despite its superior graphics capabilities at the time (equivalent to the Creator/{{Sony}} UsefulNotes/PlayStation in terms of power), there were several drawbacks. Firstly, the face buttons were the 5 and 7 keys on the keypad, making it really easy to press the wrong ones during crucial moments. Another was that the game slot was located inside the battery compartment, requiring the user to remove the batteries just to switch games. [[RuleOfThree Another thing]] was its awkward screen shape. And most infamously, the speaker and microphone were placed on the bottom, you had to hold the edge of the phone to your ear as you made calls, making it look like you had a taco stuck to the side of your head. One other thing that isn't mentioned as often but hurt adoption of the device was the fact that one had to have a cell phone contract with Nokia to purchase the device from a lot of stores that carried it - which made it very hard to purchase for children as presents and essentially limited its demographic, since [[TechnologyMarchesOn children in the early 00s typically did not have phones]].

* ''Franchise/RedFaction''

[[caption-width-right:300:The original design of the N-Gage.]]

* ''VideoGame/TheSims: Bustin' Out''

* ''[[VideoGame/ONENGage ONE]]''

The N-Gage is a handheld device created by Nokia and released in October 2003, based off their Series 60 mobile phone platform. As gamers owned both handheld games and cell phones in the late 1990s, Nokia saw an opportunity to combine the two and hopefully lure people away from Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s competing GameBoyAdvance.

* Dedicated DSP (Texas Instruments TMS320) for MP3 playback (1st gen only; the QD redesign lacks this requiring software decoding through third-party applications for MP3 playback)

The N-Gage made use of Bluetooth technology and the Internet for multiplayer gaming, as opposed to the GBA requiring linking cables. MP3 audio/video playback and PDA functionality were also included, features that are common nowadays in modern handhelds and smartphones. It even had a built-in FM radio.

Despite its superior graphics capabilities at the time (equivalent to the Creator/{{Sony}} UsefulNotes/PlayStation in terms of power), there were several drawbacks. Firstly, the face buttons were the 5 and 7 keys on the keypad, making it really easy to press the wrong ones during crucial moments. Another was that the game slot was located inside the battery compartment, requiring the user to remove the batteries just to switch games. And most infamously, the speaker and microphone were placed on the bottom, you had to hold the edge of the phone to your ear as you made calls, making it look like you had a taco stuck to the side of your head.

* ''ResetGeneration''
* ''VideoGame/TheSims 2 Pets''
* ''The Sims 3''

* ''Franchise/MetalGear Solid Mobile''

Despite its superior graphics capabilities at the time (equivalent to the Creator/{{Sony}} PlayStation in terms of power), there were several drawbacks. Firstly, the face buttons were the 5 and 7 keys on the keypad, making it really easy to press the wrong ones during crucial moments. Another was that the game slot was located inside the battery compartment, requiring the user to remove the batteries just to switch games. And most infamously, the speaker and microphone were placed on the bottom, you had to hold the edge of the phone to your ear as you made calls, making it look like you had a taco stuck to the side of your head.

** ''Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory''