February 6^th, 2003 (12:00am) - In history over and over again many handheld consoles came to battle Nintendo’s Gameboy and all fell. Most not even hitting American shores. But Nokia is out to change that. Nokia today showcased its new mobile games console, the Nokia N-Gage game deck, at "Get Ready to N-Gage" events in London, UK and Sydney, Australia. The Nokia N-Gage game deck enables an enriched interactive gaming experience by intorducing an innovative wireless multiplayer platform for both local and remote gaming. The Nokia N-Gage game deck allows users to play the latest high quality titles in a new way - multiplayer games connected locally via Bluetooth wireless technology or over-the-air games over mobile networks. Enabling new business models, the Nokia N-Gage is a unique platform that also provides opportunities for game developers and publishers, network operators and other service providers to generate new revenue streams and develop new games and service concepts.

Nokia is working with some of the worlds top game publishers, including Activision, Eidos, Sega, Taito and THQ, and other developers to provide an appealing and balanced catalogue of high quality games to the marketplace. Titles will include a variety of titles across game genres. The game experience can further be enhanced when network operators and service providers enter the value chain by providing game related mobile services such as downloadable game levels, additional features and game characters or even running online multiplayer games and communities. The high performance games for Nokia N-Gage game deck are sold separately on game cards (using the MultiMediaCard standard). Game card distribution eneables a new kind of mobile gameplay experience with richer graphics, enhanced sound and more extensive game worlds in which to play. Nokia will also act as a game publisher to create branded N-Gage game titles and develop an evolving games portfolio. The N-Gage is set to launch 4Q 2003. And the only thing known about price is that it will cost under $300 dollars.

Features:
- Large color screen with backlight, 176x208 pixels with up to 4096 colours
- Series 60 platform and Symbian Operating System
- Bluetooth wireless technology for gaming
- An eight-way directional controller "Rocker" for game play
- Multimedia messaging (MMS)
- Triple band GSM (900/1800/1900), GPRS mobile phone
-Digital Music player (AAC/MP£) & Stereo FM radio
- Nokia Audio Manager PC SW for managing own music files
- Comprehensive range of applications; e-mail and personal information management
- XHTML browsing
- JavaTM application support
- Connectivity: calendar sychronization with PC, USB for music file and application download

Usage times:
- Games up to 3 - 6 h (depending on game type)
- Talk up to 2 - 4 h
- Standby up to 150 - 200 h
- Music up to 8 h
- Radio up to 20 h

Size:
- Volume 139cc
- Dimensions (L x W x D) 133,7 x 69,7 x 20,2 mm
- Weight 137g

Game List:
- Pandemonium(Eidos
- Tomb Raider(Eidos)
- Bounce(Nokia)
- Kart Racing(Nokia)
- Virtually Board Snowboarding II(Nokia)
- Puyo Puyo(Sega)
- Sega Rally(Sega)
- Sonic N(Sega)
- Super Monkey Ball(Sega)
- Virtua Tennis(Sega)
- Puzzle Bobble(Taito)
- Space Invaders(Taito)
- Major League Baseball(THQ)
- Moto-GP(THQ)
- Red Faction(THQ)

The Look:

My Thoughts
The thing does sound good. But they better try to market it to tech-heads alone. Try to take GBA SP head on will end in a nasty way. Like it did with all others.

~ditto~