Nokia has unveiled a newly redesigned version of its N-Gage portable gaming handset at a secretive summit in Santa Monica for a number of high-profile developers and publishers.
The attendees, according to specialist website PocketGamer.co.uk, included representatives from Disney, Sega, Sony, Universal, Square Enix, Capcom, EA Mobile and Vivendi Games. With so many parties paying attention, it seems the new N-Gage could benefit from a large catalog of recognizable gaming names.
But how is Nokia going to win us over where it failed so spectacularly before? Especially as the smirk-causing sidetalkin' phenomenon of the gaming phone's early days isn't likely to make a comeback, depriving N-Gage of its own unique - if laughable - ability to stand out from the crowd.
Above: With its amusing sidetalkin' feature gone, how will N-Gage catch our attention this time
With the success of Virtual Console and XBL Arcade, though, classic SNES andGenesis titles from some of the above developers would certainly be a start. Though they'd have to be at least as cheap as the equivalent Wii or 360 purchase. So what do you want from the new N-Gage? Make your voice be heard over at the GamesRadar forum.
January 31, 2007
