Author Topic: Nokia's new handheld a gba killer (Read 8253 times)

nolimit19 · « **on:** February 06, 2003, 12:42:44 PM »

i really can see this as the end of nintendos glory days. i dont want to sound all negative, but i cant help but think that no one really likes nintendo that much. there are already some big developers that are making games for this thing. nintendo is barely alive in the console market, will it become the same in the handheld market??? i think it may.

Ian Sane · « **Reply #1 on:** February 06, 2003, 01:00:43 PM »

"Nokia gave no word on prices, saying only that the consoles will cost less than 500 euros (about $539)" - Gamepro.com

Over $500? I think the GBA's market share is safe. Nokia is clearly targetting a different market with that price. Plus the N-Gage is pretty much a European only device. GBA sales will be largely unaffected. The GBA will be affected by the N-Gage less than the PS2 is affected by the Gamecube and Xbox.

Mingesium · « **Reply #2 on:** February 06, 2003, 01:15:39 PM »

The N-gage is basically for cell phones users who want to play games not the other way around. I can see Nokia having a big advantage over other cell phone makes, but the GBA is a different market. The handheld market is different than the console market. The most powerful handhelds have been defeated by the gameboy. I think that there are three keys things for success in the handheld market:

1) Price (keeping cost down on the system. nothing over $100)
2) Battery Life (Nintendo pays a lot of attention to this. thats why they didn't have a backlight because the drain in batteries)
3) games (until Nokia can come up with something better than Pokemon, then it has no chance)

BlkPaladin · « **Reply #3 on:** February 06, 2003, 05:24:11 PM »

To have a chance they have to get more developers on board than the ones they have its a good start but it takes more than five developers to support and undertaking such as this. They have Sega, which is no surprise since they announced they were going to make software for something like this as the dreamcast was dying.

A good example is the Wonder Swan they are supported by Capcom, Bandai (believe it or not but they are a big name in Japan), and Square and look how well its incarnations are doing.

The only way this gets a user base is that its a cell phone that has game functions. It won't be a gold mine since gaming isn't the primary objective of cell phone users its a good perk.

RickPowers · « **Reply #4 on:** February 06, 2003, 06:05:10 PM »

The GameBoy's market is safe. The only way Nokia is going to get a foothold is if they can get it priced UNDER the Game Boy, and I don't see that happening in it's lifetime. Plus, there is so much software for the GBA that Nokia will never catch up, Sega or no.

Then there's the fact that the screen is tiny, far to tiny to game on comfortably. It also seems like there have been some significant compromises in their typical phones to make the device, namely the thicker size, awkward layout, etc.

And the battery life SUCKS.

Seriously, while this might appeal to people who game on their phones anyway, aren't interested in carrying two devices, and can afford the steep price ... none of those people are in Nintendo's core market.

nolimit19 · « **Reply #5 on:** February 06, 2003, 07:10:32 PM »

i had no idea it was 500 dollars. even though i may only be 200 in a year, that is still way too expensive. i rather by a normal cell and stick with the gba. i really think that nintendos next gb should be a cell phone. and set up a thing with t moble or some other company. we could get our next cell phones and game boys for free with a 2 year subscription.......well maybe that wouldnt be a good idea, but i think nokia has its foot in the door now. this can only be bad.

aoi tsuki · « **Reply #6 on:** February 07, 2003, 06:44:48 AM »

The Register gives their impressions.

Definitely an interesting piece of tech, though it seems way too ambitious. Until they sign some deals with local carriers i wouldn't expect its userbase to expand beyond the usual early adopters. It's just another portable device that plays games, not a GBA killer. PDAs have had games for years, and Gameboy has flourished in spite of it. Come to think of it, N-Gage is really a PDA phone.

i'm glad Nokia's moved further into games though. Other companies are looking at the N-Gage, and i'm sure have begun incorporating similar technologies in their devices. i kinda wonder if GBA SP has built-in bluetooth given that there's supposedly one feature it has that the standard GBA doesn't. Hmm...

Ian Sane · « **Reply #7 on:** February 07, 2003, 09:51:14 AM »

"I really think that nintendos next gb should be a cell phone. and set up a thing with t moble or some other company."

I don't think the next Gameboy should BE a cell phone but rather have the technology be included with some cell phones. Nintendo still makes a standalone Gameboy and certain cell phone makers license the GB technology so that Gameboy games can played on their phones. Personally I think Nintendo should do this with all of their future consoles. Hmmm, that sounds like a good topic for a new thread.

Marcus Arillius · « **Reply #8 on:** February 07, 2003, 02:23:00 PM »

Just as everyone else has stated, there is no way Nokia will be able to take over any of Nintendo's hold on the Hand-held market The system is priced way over the range for the average gamer. Also, I don't agree that everyone dislikes Nintendo. I'm a die-hard nintendo fan. I only own a PS2 for the FF series, and I would have never discovered FF if it weren't for my SNES. Just because the Gamecube hasn't sold as well as the PS2 does not mean its "dead" in the market. You have to consider that the PS2 has had around a Year head start over Nintendo, and quite obviously they advertise a lot more. Nintendo knows what its doing, hopefully. I think they're waiting for the next generation of consoles. Thats when Nintendo will really shine.

Termin8Anakin · « **Reply #9 on:** February 07, 2003, 05:51:18 PM »

You have to remember that mobile phone usage is WAAAAAAAAAAAAY above anything that console can get. Whereas you would only have one console a family average, sometimes each member of the family would have a mobile phone each.
Nokia, though, is REALLY pushing their gaming thing, which is quite scary. They are the Microsoft of mobile phones, so unlike Ericsson and that Red Jade, or something, they won't just pull out as soon as the GBA SP comes out unless it becomes such a massive loss.
And, I heard that the Red Jade was a handheld that could play a fully 3D version of Quake 3 arena, with full online support. Now how scary is that! And the GBA beat it!

Grey Ninja · « **Reply #10 on:** February 07, 2003, 06:32:35 PM »

There is something seriously wrong with people if all they look at when deciding what to buy is the specs. Consoles and Handhelds are NOT PCs. The one with the highest specs is not the winner. The one with the best games is the winner.

Nintendo - Lots of good games
Nokia - they have games?

Bottom line - Nintendo is perfectly safe.

Termin8Anakin · « **Reply #11 on:** February 07, 2003, 07:15:24 PM »

That IS true.
But, like the PS2, mobiles are very popular with teens in this day of age. It is cool. If you have a mobile with all the latest features, then you are cool. I see kids in the Year 4 with mobiles. Sure, the cost may be high, but you have become the select few who can afford this beast. Or you may be the only one. People will envy you, and envy turns into a want to become more like you. And thus, more people will have the cool item. You are not just playing Snake II or Space Impact anymore. You are playing full games made by reputable developers.
The new Nokia game-phone may be seen as this type of item. It may not. Just remember that teens are more willing to spend money on personal items like phones, clothes, etc, then a new home console, or even the GBA, which is ONLY a game machine, since they will more likely have their own jobs or over-spoiling parents.
This materialistic socity is running on it's own fuel. People spend more to make themselves look good. If that means getting the latest phone that's being advertised on TV, then it must be so. And Nokia WILL advertise this phone with all it's might. And for it's worth, it might even find the first dent in Nintendo's handheld armour. Or it might not.

And for all intensive purposes, I dearly hope not. The Game Boy has come a LOOOONG way. It'll be sad to see a mobile phone knock it over.

mac<censored> · « **Reply #12 on:** February 08, 2003, 03:20:47 PM »

The thing is, the N-gage is not just more expensive, it's worse -- the screen is physically a lot smaller than the GBA's, with lower-resolution and fewer colors, and the battery life sucks. The design is sort of ... meh. It's clear they're trying really hard to look radical and cutting edge, but the result is the sort of overblown attempt at cool that only a marketing department could come up with (look at their website for more evidence of this... lots of models looking really constipated).

What's wierd is that despite having a larger screen, the GBA SP is actually smaller than the N-gage (the N-gage is slightly smaller than the original GBA, but the SP folds into half that size)!

It seems pretty clear that Nokia was thinking their competition was the original GBA, and Nintendo's sudden release of the GBA SP is going to hurt them.

aoi tsuki · « **Reply #13 on:** February 08, 2003, 03:39:09 PM »

The Magic Box has a video of the N-Gage and two other Symbian phones playing games.

There's several more videos in the same directory as that video, including one with an interview with MonkeyStone games. i know John Romero is in the company, but i don't know what his position is.

Also, don't forget that the N-Gage isn't the only Nokia device capable of playing games. There's the 9210i Communicator, the 6800, the 3650, and then the N-Gage. The N-Gage obviously has a bigger focus on gaming. This is a definite plus for Nokia, because a businessperson who owns a 9210i can buy and play the same games as a teen with an N-Gage.

i'm sure over time we'll see several developers looking at these phones because of the three major advantages they have over the GBA - communications (both short and long range), access to the other functions on the phone, and the fact that most people always have their cell with them. Now that i think about it, i'm really excited to see what will come of this.

Perfect Cell · « **Reply #14 on:** February 08, 2003, 03:45:33 PM »

I like the idea of wireless multiplayer and the posibility of masive multiplayer gaming thanks to the blue tooth, but the fact is its still a cell phone, you need to actually get a subscriber, so its 200-500 dollars plus 40-50 dollars per month plus 10-30 dollars per game, added to the fact that they have around 5 -6 developers only vs the thousands of games in the GBAs library and its safe to say that the N-gage wont be a serious contender to Gameboys market share, heck the Neo Geo Pocket Color had better specs than the GB Color and the GB color crushed the thing from SNK ( I should know i bought one!)

ruby_onix · « **Reply #15 on:** February 08, 2003, 03:53:57 PM »

*applicant*
"Hi! I'm applying for the position of Gameboy Killer. Is it still available?"

*desk clerk*
"Yeah right. Don't quit your day job."

*applicant*
"I'm not quitting my day job. I'm a cell-phone."

*desk clerk*
"Really? Well, I guess that means you won't be face down, dead in a gutter in under two years. Wait a minute... Hey! Congratulations! You're already the most successful handheld system that hasn't been made by Nintendo! Who cares what your qualifications are! If this rate of growth keeps up, you just may stand a chance of being the one to kill that damn system."

*guy beating on outside door*
"Hey! Don't forget about me! I'm the PocketStation! If that doesn't work I can be a PSX with an LCD screen! That's almost portable! Just you guys wait until I'm the Pocketstation 2! Then you'll all be sorry! I, Sony, am DESTINED to be the one to end all monopolies! Just you wait and see!"

Sir Daniel Fortesque · « **Reply #16 on:** February 08, 2003, 09:04:28 PM »

Who knows if Nokia's handheld will beat the GBA, people these days are inclined to buy trash (not saying Nokia's products are) and products based on "cool" factor and propaganda, quality doesn't really count to them.

Nintega · « **Reply #17 on:** February 10, 2003, 09:39:37 AM »

I can say that this will not beat the GBA. It's basically a cell phone with a feature that allows you to play games. Also, the games must be purchased. I own a Motorola T720 and I don't even use it to play games. You just got to look at it this way. Who buys a cell phone just to play games?

nolimit19 · « **Reply #18 on:** February 10, 2003, 07:42:13 PM »

most everyone now adays has one, and games are often a deciding factor. thats what makes the cell phone a potential gba killer.

Uglydot · « **Reply #19 on:** February 11, 2003, 10:51:22 AM »

With that price tag, a lot of people just can't afford it. You guys say that so many people use cell phones...well not that many use 500 dollar phones. If it was in the 100 dollar range, then I might be nervous. It is an interesting idea, but not 500 dollars interesting. Sounds like another 3DO, but weaker than the standing console.

Ian Sane · « **Reply #20 on:** February 11, 2003, 11:10:50 AM »

"It's basically a cell phone with a feature that allows you to play games. Also, the games must be purchased."

The games must be purchased?! Holy f*ck that system is DOOMED!!

Think of the N-Gage this way. Are people willing to pay more money for a cell phone that plays games? I think so. Are people willing to pay more money (as in $400 more) for a portable game console that can be used as a cell phone? Not likely. The N-Gage is directed at cell phone users and is competing with cell phones. As a game console it doesn't offer enough of an advantage over the GBA to directly target gamers (at least not at like five times the cost).

RickPowers · « **Reply #21 on:** February 11, 2003, 12:22:19 PM »

There's just one main problem here ... something that the folks at Nokia seem to have forgotten. The people who are playing games on their cell phones are playing them as a momentary diversion, between business meetings (ok, sometimes DURING), on the bus, etc. These are places and times where it's more convenient to use your cell phone to play a simple game than your GBA. For anyone that really enjoys games, the GBA is always the better option for any prolonged gaming.

They've added colors, graphics, etc. to these simple games trying to get a piece of the handheld gaming market Nintendo is making so much money with. Unfortunately, they're also making the "simple" games more complex, and less the sort of thing you could play between meetings or on a bus. The cell phone used to be the "pick up and play" sort of game machine for people who don't play games, and they're losing that focus. As a result, it's entirely possible they'll start losing market to other cell phone companies, or even to Nintendo itself.

Termin8Anakin · « **Reply #22 on:** February 12, 2003, 02:05:06 AM »

You know, I didn't even think about it that way. Just the fact that Nokia had enough guts to defy Nintendo was enough to set up this thread.

I think that people who buy this will be a bit disappointed by it cause they probably have more important things to do, like that darn business meeting. Which would limit the uses of it.
I think it IS cool that Nokia have this much support, considering what it wants to do. But for less than AUS$500, you can get a Platinum GBA SP with three games, whilst keeping the faithful old mobile you have now (since basically everyone has a mobile). Or if you already have a GBA, there is no reason why you would want to buy an N-Gage. So I think that N-Gage is going the way of Ericsson's Red Jade: being beaten by GBA before it's even released.
But there probably will be some people stupid enough to buy it. I know my uncle will. He's a damn impulse buyer, wants to be on the top of the technology hill, much to the distress of his wife - my aunt. He bought a projection system, then 2 months later bought a new one cause it was 'state-of-the-art, then 4 months later, bought a rear projection TV because it had better picture quality, so I think these are the sort of people that will give Nokia a bit of profit.

More to the point of mobiles, he bought Ericsson's new mobile cause it had a camera, and he spent all of Chinese New Year's bragging about it, taking pictures. Siemens has released their mobile with a FLASH camera, so he's got that now. So I'm sure when Nokia releases the N-Gage, he's gonna get it.

Termin8Anakin · « **Reply #23 on:** March 13, 2003, 02:20:22 AM »

In light of Billy's impression's of Nokia's N-Gage at the GDC, thought it would be a good idea to resurrect this thread, and say how utterly useless the N-Gage if you can't even play the games properly on it. I needed info like this on the N-Gage, since the only things I've heard about are PR repeats. No REAL impressions. Good Work Billy.

But it might not even be necessary to bring the thread back at all.
We all know that this handheld will be the next in a long line of handheld failures.
As far as I'm concerned, Nokia is trying to be the 'Microsoft' of the handheld gaming industry.
And the phone, for the N-Gage, is like the feature that Nokia forgot and tacked on at the last minute.

Long live Game Boy.

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Author Topic: Nokia's new handheld a gba killer (Read 8253 times)