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Ngage Launch Next Week?

By The Guru on December 13, 2007

ngage
According to ikona at the FutureWatch official Ngage blog, the new gaming platform from Nokia is set to launch sometime next week! However, I’m a bit disappointed in the suggested launch plans.

Apparently, owners of the Nokia N81 (either the microSD or 8GB version) will have exclusive access to the pre-release version, as well as access to the N-Gage First Access forums, where you can offer up feedback on the experience, as well as other suggestions or criticisms you’d like to offer.

Personally, I already have some criticism – launching to a single device is stupid stupid stupid. So owners of the N81 will have access, and obviously it’ll be talked about across the web that Ngage is out. Thus, owners of the N82, N95 8GB, and N95-1 will all be firing up that Ngage icon in their menus, only to be disappointed to find that it’s still useless. Hows that for generating massive amounts of consumer confusion?

Didn’t Nokia learn with the first Ngage? Launching Ngage with a single handset is NOT a good idea. Regardless of whether additional handsets are added, and how quickly (I’d bet it’ll be 2 weeks minimum before the N81 ‘exclusive’ opens up) they’re added, you’re still putting a bad taste in consumer’s mouths.

**Update** The guys over at NokNok.tv seem to have a few more details. Looks like Tuesday is the big day, and it will indeed be N81-only, until JANUARY! Seriously, Nokia, you’ve been doing soo good lately.

What do you think?

(Rest assured that I’ll be firing it up on my N81 8GB to give you the Guru’s perspective on the new Ngage platform, complete with a video and plenty of screenshots).

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The Guru

The Guru, aka Ricky Cadden, started Symbian-Guru.com in November 2006, out of his excitement for the S60 3rd Edition version of Symella. The Guru has used Symbian devices since the Nokia 6620, and is known for his perspective as a power user. You can follow The Guru on Twitter at @Rcadden

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  • coli

    any chance of knowing a release date for n95-1 please

  • coli

    any chance of knowing a release date for n95-1 please

  • http://nokiausers.net/ PseudoFinn

    WTF? You’re absolutely right- consumer confusion. Nokia seems to be all about that the last couple months with all the N95 variants, not to even mention all the different firmwares available for the devices. It’s been causing havok over at N95user for me and the rest of the members. All the vague abstract bits of details we’ve been getting about Ovi.

    I was so excited when you told me about the Ngage launch this week a couple minutes ago- obviously thinking that we’ll be seeing that coveted N95-3 update with demand paging, ngage and everything else- though it’s apparent that this is not the case.

    Grrrrr… I’m very frustrated this week. :(

  • http://nokiausers.net PseudoFinn

    WTF? You’re absolutely right- consumer confusion. Nokia seems to be all about that the last couple months with all the N95 variants, not to even mention all the different firmwares available for the devices. It’s been causing havok over at N95user for me and the rest of the members. All the vague abstract bits of details we’ve been getting about Ovi.

    I was so excited when you told me about the Ngage launch this week a couple minutes ago- obviously thinking that we’ll be seeing that coveted N95-3 update with demand paging, ngage and everything else- though it’s apparent that this is not the case.

    Grrrrr… I’m very frustrated this week. :(

  • hyperkind

    dammit lol now im gonna be checkin my ngage app everyday cause of u!!!!

    oh well…i cant wait!

  • hyperkind

    dammit lol now im gonna be checkin my ngage app everyday cause of u!!!!

    oh well…i cant wait!

  • http://adonisdemon.blogspot.com/ Adonisdemon

    Will Nokia ever learn how to get something done the first time and properly? Just seems there is no seamless integration with services or handset updates with them.

    I’m just interested in seeing whether the N-Gage 2 platform will be dead before it learns to walk. What’s wrong with releasing it with the current S60 3rd Edition devices which support it? N95-1 for one has it since the firmware upgrade to V20.

    Hopefully the rumours aren’t true and the platform will be launched for all current handsets available at the time of release.

  • http://adonisdemon.blogspot.com/ Adonisdemon

    Will Nokia ever learn how to get something done the first time and properly? Just seems there is no seamless integration with services or handset updates with them.

    I’m just interested in seeing whether the N-Gage 2 platform will be dead before it learns to walk. What’s wrong with releasing it with the current S60 3rd Edition devices which support it? N95-1 for one has it since the firmware upgrade to V20.

    Hopefully the rumours aren’t true and the platform will be launched for all current handsets available at the time of release.

  • http://www.nokiacreative.com/ James @ Nokia Creative

    Gutted!!! I have no N81 and so I’ll be missing out on the launch. I cannot overstate how much I want the new N-Gage platform to be a success.

    Phone gaming in it’s current form is almost completely useless. The best game I ever played in a mobile phone was Mr. Driller on the Nokia 3600! Since then only Meteos has ever really kept me playing for more than 5 minutes.

    So, I’m really praying for this thing to work and work well… Come on Nokia, don’t fail us now!

    I totally stunned that it’s not available on the N95 from launch.

  • http://www.nokiacreative.com James @ Nokia Creative

    Gutted!!! I have no N81 and so I’ll be missing out on the launch. I cannot overstate how much I want the new N-Gage platform to be a success.

    Phone gaming in it’s current form is almost completely useless. The best game I ever played in a mobile phone was Mr. Driller on the Nokia 3600! Since then only Meteos has ever really kept me playing for more than 5 minutes.

    So, I’m really praying for this thing to work and work well… Come on Nokia, don’t fail us now!

    I totally stunned that it’s not available on the N95 from launch.

  • http://www.intomobile.com/2007/12/13/n-gage-launching-next-week-at-least-for-some-people.html N-Gage launching next week, at least for some people

    [...] Nokia’s software platform for delivering video games to Nseries users, is poised to launch next week, but only for owners of the N81. Ricky Cadden shot me a very angry instant message with the news. [...]

  • http://www.blogbusinesssummit.com/ Jason Preston

    I remember when the last N-Gage hit stores…it fell to the bottom of the pack like a rock to the bottom of the pond. I don’t have a lot of confidence in this version.

    Guru: If you’re planning to be at CES this year, us Blog Business Summit folks are doing another blogger party on January 8th. It’d be great to have you there.

    If you want any more info or an invite, shoot me an e-mail: jason AT blogbusinesssummit DOT com.

  • http://www.blogbusinesssummit.com Jason Preston

    I remember when the last N-Gage hit stores…it fell to the bottom of the pack like a rock to the bottom of the pond. I don’t have a lot of confidence in this version.

    Guru: If you’re planning to be at CES this year, us Blog Business Summit folks are doing another blogger party on January 8th. It’d be great to have you there.

    If you want any more info or an invite, shoot me an e-mail: jason AT blogbusinesssummit DOT com.

  • None of your business

    well, thats marketing. i dont think you can blame nokia for trying to do business. sure, there are disappointed users who already spent hundreds of dollars on a cool handset like the n95-3, but on the other hand there are users who dont own a nice smartphone and who then decide to not buy a self-seller like the big n95. “you can have n-gage platform exclusively on the n81? woah, i buy it”… hope you all get what i mean. by the way, i neither own a n81 nor a n95… but i love my e65…

  • None of your business

    well, thats marketing. i dont think you can blame nokia for trying to do business. sure, there are disappointed users who already spent hundreds of dollars on a cool handset like the n95-3, but on the other hand there are users who dont own a nice smartphone and who then decide to not buy a self-seller like the big n95. “you can have n-gage platform exclusively on the n81? woah, i buy it”… hope you all get what i mean. by the way, i neither own a n81 nor a n95… but i love my e65…

  • http://www.womworld.com/nseries/2007/12/14/n-gage-makes-tentative-steps-towards-release/ Nseries WOM World » Blog Archive » N-Gage makes tentative steps towards release

    [...] for example, will think when they hear that N-Gage has launched, but they can’t use it. The Symbian Guru agrees asking if Nokia have learned nothing from their previous N-Gage [...]

  • Morten

    Hmmmm … wouldn’t it make sense to wait until you have seen what is actually launched, before commenting ??!??

    … and in my opinion the old N-Gage’s didn’t fail as such – the where just ahead of their time. Most people didn’t have data subscriptions with their phones, and therefor they couldn’t get the best features from the N-Gage (racing against other players ghosts and on-line challenges)
    My son has been playing the N-Gage since day 1 (using a data subscription obviously), and he still prefers it over all the other game-platforms, saying that the only problem is there are not so many new games coming, but that might change soon :-)

  • Morten

    Hmmmm … wouldn’t it make sense to wait until you have seen what is actually launched, before commenting ??!??

    … and in my opinion the old N-Gage’s didn’t fail as such – the where just ahead of their time. Most people didn’t have data subscriptions with their phones, and therefor they couldn’t get the best features from the N-Gage (racing against other players ghosts and on-line challenges)
    My son has been playing the N-Gage since day 1 (using a data subscription obviously), and he still prefers it over all the other game-platforms, saying that the only problem is there are not so many new games coming, but that might change soon :-)

  • http://www.thenokiaguide.typepad.com/ Devin Balentina

    Horrible decision indeed. It should have been ready atleast for christmas, so somebody could like vouchers and you could play your games on christmas morning. They could have a made a lot more on this for the holiday season, oh wel, they will never learn.

  • http://www.thenokiaguide.typepad.com Devin Balentina

    Horrible decision indeed. It should have been ready atleast for christmas, so somebody could like vouchers and you could play your games on christmas morning. They could have a made a lot more on this for the holiday season, oh wel, they will never learn.

  • http://www.simmobilez.info/n-gage-launching-next-week-at-least-for-some-people/ N-Gage launching next week, at least for some people | Simmobilez:- Mobile News

    [...] Nokia’s software platform for delivering video games to Nseries users, is poised to launch next week, but only for owners of the N81. Ricky Cadden shot me a very angry instant message with the news. [...]

  • http://net9.blogspot.com/ NET9

    Ouch. Missing a key holiday launch will hurt the platform for sure. Gonna be lots of disappointed customers out there because of this.

  • http://net9.blogspot.com/ NET9

    Ouch. Missing a key holiday launch will hurt the platform for sure. Gonna be lots of disappointed customers out there because of this.

  • NEo

    Till JANUARY??? That is f***ing insane…Nokia never learned from the past n-gage flop it seems.

  • NEo

    Till JANUARY??? That is f***ing insane…Nokia never learned from the past n-gage flop it seems.

  • wow3

    it is next week overhere in Holland. . .

  • wow3

    it is next week overhere in Holland. . .

  • http://www.symbian-guru.com/welcome/2007/12/nokia-n81-8gb-r.html Symbian-Guru.com » Blog Archive » Nokia N81 8GB Revisited

    [...] I won’t spoil the conclusion, but I will say given the new build quality, cheaper price, and news that Ngage will first be available (with a free game, to boot!) on the N81, it’s certainly a very attractive model to look [...]

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