n-gage this
Categories: l33t
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There are some bad ideas in history, and then there are some really bad ideas in history. Remember the original DivX without the ;) at the end? The one that tried to create a format war with DVD? The discs that would only play once and then make you pay to unlock the rest, but because of the encryption, it only stored video at VHS quality? Fortunately, the idea tanked, but what were these people thinking?
Now flash forward a few years to the days were DivX ;) rules (the pirating type rather than the disc type). Nokia has just released the N-Gage portable gaming system. I can’t look at this thing without thinking “big mistake. You’re just going to 3DO yourself.” First off, it’s $300. I can buy a GCN, a GBA, and like three games for that price. When you are triple the cost of your competitor, you better offer triple the value. Sadly, N-Gage fails in this too. For a handheld system, you need portability. The N-Gage is as big as the Atari Lynx, and we all know how well that did against the original GB.
Secondly, it needs games. The GBA has a great collection of games– not even counting the sixty ton electric-type gorila that is Pikachu. The N-Gage? Tomb Raider. That franchise has been done many years ago. Stick a fork in it. Lastly is something that Nokia promotes as a selling point of the N-Gage: a hip style that will appeal to adults. I looked at this thing the other day at Gamestop, and it did not appeal to me. It looks gaudy, cheezy, and I wouldn’t want to show this off. I think they aimed for 18-33 and got 8-13 instead with their focus groups. The GBA SP, on the other hand, looks damn good. It has that understated style that doesn’t scream “Look at me!” yet is completely functional.
Maybe the N-Gage will stick around, but knowing the fiscal hardships for high priced consoles, I doubt Nokia will reap profits from this venture. The N-Gage will one day go the way of the 3DO, the Neo Geo, and the Atari Lynx in being too much price for too little value. There are things Nokia can do– for instance take Microsoft’s lead and eat the cost of the console and drop the price to something more reasonable, like, oh, $200. Then get an A-list of games going. If they don’t have access to those golden Zelda and Metroid franchises, try to get Final Fantasy N-Gage or Soul Calibur on the console instead. Get games people want, not games people wanted six years ago.
But… me… ? I think it’ll be hilarious three years from now N-Gage will be scrapped, and Nintendo desides to name their next handheld console as the Gameboy N-Gage ;).
