History Platform / NGage

Despite these things, however, the N-Gage had 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 gameplay. Second, the game slot was essentially a [=MultiMediaCard=] slot, and like most high-end color screen phones at the time, that slot was located inside the battery compartment, meaning the user had to essentially disassemble the device and 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. 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 so you had to hold the edge of the phone to your ear as you made calls, [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sidetalking-n-gage making it look like you had]] a [[MemeticMutation taco stuck to the side of your head]]. After years of speculation (mostly around the question of "what were they thinking") in a BBC documentary about Nokia, the people responsible for that design broke silence and, amazingly enough, not only this was intentional decision and not some sort of weird compromise, that sideways design was supposed to be uniform for all future Nokia phones! That's right, that was Nokia's idea of brand visibility - making people immediately recognize a Nokia phone by the way owners were holding them. Only two phones were made with this design - the original N-Gage itself and another one which never went past the prototype stage, before Nokia realized that while people are sometimes keen to go the extra mile to display a brand (just ask Apple), they usually prefer not to look like a complete moron by doing so. 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 2000's typically did not have phones, let alone a Nokia 3310]]. 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; Nokia did at some point [[https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/nokia-plans-n-gage-redesigns-considers-cdma/ consider releasing a variant for CDMA networks]], but nothing of note came out of it considering the N-Gage's failure.

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, though the former can be brought back through third-party media players (such as [[https://www.lonelycatgames.com/apps/lcgjukebox LCG Jukebox]] by Lonely Cat Games).

Despite these things, however, the N-Gage had 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 gameplay. Second, the game slot was essentially a [=MultiMediaCard=] slot, and like most high-end color screen phones at the time, that slot was located inside the battery compartment, meaning the user had to essentially disassemble the device and 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. 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 so you had to hold the edge of the phone to your ear as you made calls, [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sidetalking-n-gage making it look like you had]] a [[MemeticMutation taco stuck to the side of your head]]. After years of speculation (mostly around the question of "what were they thinking") in a BBC documentary about Nokia, the people responsible for that design broke silence and, amazingly enough, not only this was intentional decision and not some sort of weird compromise, that sideways design was supposed to be uniform for all future Nokia phones! That's right, that was Nokia's idea of brand visibility - making people immediately recognize a Nokia phone by the way owners were holding them. Only two phones were made with this design - the original N-Gage itself and another one which never went past the prototype stage, before Nokia realized that while people are sometimes keen to go the extra mile to display a brand (just ask Apple), they usually prefer not to look like a complete moron by doing so. 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 2000's typically did not have phones, let alone a Nokia 3310]]. 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.

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, though the former can be brought back through third-party media players.

On the positive side of things, the N-Gage was a more powerful device than the GBA[[note]]The GBA was comparable to the Platform/{{Super Nintendo|EntertainmentSystem}}, while the N-Gage was closer to the Platform/PlayStation.[[/note]] and certainly had all the features of a cell phone. In fact, it actually boasted [[OlderThanTheyThink several features that are common nowadays in modern handhelds and smartphones]]: it made use of Bluetooth technology and had internet connectivity (both of which could be used for multiplayer titles), allowed for {{UsefulNotes/MP3}} audio/video playback, could be used to check email, and even had a built-in FM radio.

The '''N-Gage''' is a handheld device created by Creator/{{Nokia}} and released in October 2003, based off their Series 60 mobile phone platform running on top of UsefulNotes/{{Symbian}}. As cell phones began to become more commonplace at the TurnOfTheMillennium, Nokia saw a valuable opportunity: as it was, gamers had to juggle both a cell phone and their gaming handheld of choice -- why not combine both pieces of technology into single device and hopefully lure people away from Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s competing Platform/GameBoyAdvance?

* UsefulNotes/{{Symbian}} 6.1 (Series 60 1st Edition, Feature Pack 1). The N-Gage is compatible with almost all software and games written for the Series 60 1st Edition platform, save for those which require a camera.

The '''N-Gage''' is a handheld device created by Creator/{{Nokia}} and released in October 2003, based off their Series 60 mobile phone platform running on top of UsefulNotes/{{Symbian}}. As cell phones began to become more commonplace at the TurnOfTheMillennium, Nokia saw a valuable opportunity: as it was, gamers had to juggle both a cell phone and their gaming handheld of choice -- why not combine both pieces of technology into single device and hopefully lure people away from Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s competing UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance?

On the positive side of things, the N-Gage was a more powerful device than the GBA[[note]]The GBA was comparable to the UsefulNotes/{{Super Nintendo|EntertainmentSystem}}, while the N-Gage was closer to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation.[[/note]] and certainly had all the features of a cell phone. In fact, it actually boasted [[OlderThanTheyThink several features that are common nowadays in modern handhelds and smartphones]]: it made use of Bluetooth technology and had internet connectivity (both of which could be used for multiplayer titles), allowed for {{UsefulNotes/MP3}} audio/video playback, could be used to check email, and even had a built-in FM radio.

Because of these many physical drawbacks and the lack of quality games, the N-Gage sold poorly and was ridiculed by gamers and 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 UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} family 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 in favor of more-conventional candybar-shaped phone models.

* ''VideoGame/MetalGear Solid Mobile''

* ''VideoGame/GhostRecon: Jungle Storm''

* ''VideoGame/TombRaider''

Despite these things, however, the N-Gage had 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 gameplay. Second, the game slot was essentially a [=MultiMediaCard=] slot, and like most high-end color screen phones at the time, that slot was located inside the battery compartment, meaning the user had to essentially disassemble the device and 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. 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 so you had to hold the edge of the phone to your ear as you made calls, [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sidetalking-n-gage 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 2000's typically did not have phones, let alone a Nokia 3310]]. 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.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nokia_n_gage_qd.jpg]]

* ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed: Undercover''

** ''X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse''

The '''N-Gage''' is a handheld device created by Nokia and released in October 2003, based off their Series 60 mobile phone platform running on top of UsefulNotes/{{Symbian}}. As cell phones began to become more commonplace at the TurnOfTheMillennium, Nokia saw a valuable opportunity: as it was, gamers had to juggle both a cell phone and their gaming handheld of choice -- why not combine both pieces of technology into single device and hopefully lure people away from Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s competing UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance?

* ''VideoGame/{{Pandemonium}}''

* ''VideoGame/{{Pandemonium}}''

The '''N-Gage''' is a handheld device created by Nokia and released in October 2003, based off their Series 60 mobile phone platform running on top of UsefulNotes/{{Symbian}}. As cell phones began to become more commonplace at the TurnOfTheMillennium, Nokia saw a valuable opportunity: as it was, gamers had to juggle both a cell phone and their gaming handheld of choice. Why not combine both pieces of technology into single device and hopefully lure people away from Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s competing UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance.

On the positive side of things, the N-Gage was a more powerful device than the GBA[[note]]The GBA was comparable to the UsefulNotes/{{SNES}}, while the N-Gage was closer to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation.[[/note]] and certainly had all the features of a cell phone. In fact, it actually boasted several [[OlderThanTheyThink features that are common nowadays in modern handhelds and smartphones]]: it made use of Bluetooth technology and had internet connectivity (both of which could be used for multiplayer titles), allowed for {{UsefulNotes/MP3}} audio/video playback, could be used to check emails, and even had a built-in FM radio.

Despite these things, however, the N-Gage had 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 gameplay. Second, the game slot was essentially a [=MultiMediaCard=] slot, and like most high-end color screen phones at the time, that slot was located inside the battery compartment. Meaning the user had 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 so you had to hold the edge of the phone to your ear as you made calls, [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sidetalking-n-gage 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 2000's typically did not have phones, let alone a Nokia 3310]]. 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.

In 2008, the N-Gage [[InNameOnly name was recycled]] for a mobile gaming service compatible with a number of Nokia S60 smartphones[[note]]Specifically, S60 Third Edition devices though not all of them are certified to run the N-Gage client.[[/note]], 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.

The '''N-Gage''' is a handheld device created by Nokia and released in October 2003, based off their Series 60 mobile phone platform running on top of UsefulNotes/{{Symbian}}. As cell phones began to become more commonplace at the TurnOfTheMillennium, Nokia saw an valuable opportunity: as it was, gamers had to juggle both a cell phone and their gaming handheld of choice. Why not combine both pieces of technology into single device and hopefully lure people away from Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s competing UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance.

The '''N-Gage''' is a handheld device created by Nokia and released in October 2003, based off their Series 60 mobile phone platform running 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.

The N-Gage made use of Bluetooth technology and the Internet for multiplayer gaming, as opposed to the GBA requiring linking cables. {{UsefulNotes/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.

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 (just like color-screen high-end phones at that time), 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 so you had to hold the edge of the phone to your ear as you made calls, [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sidetalking-n-gage 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 2000's typically did not have phones, let alone a Nokia 3310]]. 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 the 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 UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} family 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 in favor of more-conventional candybar-shaped phone models.

Because of these many physical drawbacks and the 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 UsefulNote/{{Xbox}} family 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 in favor of more-conventional candybar-shaped phone models.

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 (just like color-screen high-end phones at that time), 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 so 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 2000's typically did not have phones, let alone a Nokia 3310]]. 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.

The N-Gage is a handheld device created by Nokia and released in October 2003, based off their Series 60 mobile phone platform running 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.

The N-Gage made use of Bluetooth technology and the Internet for multiplayer gaming, as opposed to the GBA requiring linking cables. {{UsefulNotes/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.

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 (just like color-screen high-end phones at that time), 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, let alone a Nokia 3310]]. 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 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 in favor of more-conventional candybar-shaped phone models.