Brief Ramblings on Mobile Phone Gaming, and N-Gage Delays

Aw, it seems that Nokia’s anticipated launch of their N-Gage service has been delayed, again. Apparently, due to ‘delays in software testing’, the gaming platform will not be launched till ‘early 2008′. Given that it was originally expected back in September this year, I wonder just how early in 2008 they’ll be able to deliver.

For those of you who have not been following the story, you may remember that the brand ‘N-Gage’ originally used to refer to this particular gaming handset. However, given the lack of success experienced by the somewhat awkwardly designed phone, Nokia announced back in 2005 that they would be rebranding ‘N-Gage’ to refer to a whole gaming platform which would be available across a series of their smartphones in 2007. Thus, N-Gage now refers to this gaming service platform instead.

I’ve had a bit of an interest in mobile gaming since 2005/2006, when I (along with two friends) started a student mobile games development company, and looked to start developing a particular mobile phone game concept (which will remain hush-hush for now, because I may pick up development of it in future). We went along to Develop Conference 2006 in Brighton, and particularly along to the Mobile section of the conference, where we gained quite a valuable insight into the state of the mobile gaming market, and I think a lot of what we learnt remains much the same today, although I think consumer attitudes are slowly changing; I really do hope that the N-Gage service goes a long way towards furthering that.

(Actually, funnily enough it was also at the Develop Conference last year that we had a sneak peak at the N95, and all marvelled at it. With any luck, I should finally be getting my own N95 in just a few days… fingers crossed!)

This entry was posted on December 30, 2007, 5:48 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

http://www.geocities.com/john_kotas John

You are on a fast track, not to be irreverant, but respectful. I didn’t do well in school, and haven’t been ‘commercially’ successful with my products. The way of the mobile phone is certainly a popular one (everyone has one nowadays), though it was difficult, for me at least, for instance, going to an interview at Lexmark with a business suit on an giving ‘appropriate’ answers to exam like brain inspection questions. As you can tell, the environment, and I’m speaking of IBM, MIT, Lexmark, and other 1,000 plus head count institutions, is not right for me. That is why I am respectful of you. You are able to take a Global situation, and apply it to the microcosmic world of a small company (your own) and proceed. I am attempting a FPS port/new idea to the DS right now, Solo, and have to more or less infect myself with dealings with Nintendo and and other larger than 1 person Corporations to get this thing off the ground. It’s a crap shoot anyway, I mean, getting up every morning and programming the game and making sure I have debugged the hell out of my app., and then to have larger than life ‘others’ leering over my shoulder whilst I attempt this can be a drawback. This is why I have left so many programming companies in the past. I really can accomplish things. I don’t need to have people tell me when to make a precomputed sin or cos table. I learn and do. I am, as they say, a self starter, and more or less a pain in the you know what. School, as you may surmise, sort of damaged me in that it was to structured and didn’t fit with my creative ways. Sure, this may sound childish, but I’ve found this is what I must do to stay intact. You, on the other hand, I applaud, because the world of academia has a lot to offer one who can meet deadlines, listen exactly to what professors have to say, and produce what they require. Then, and only then, you can go ahead and do what you want to do. Getting inside info, register hacks, secret codes, these are all things I have to struggle for. I wish you the best, and, remember, do respectfully appreciate you can put up with what I could not.
http://www.geocities.com/john_kotas John

You are on a fast track, not to be irreverant, but respectful. I didn’t do well in school, and haven’t been ‘commercially’ successful with my products. The way of the mobile phone is certainly a popular one (everyone has one nowadays), though it was difficult, for me at least, for instance, going to an interview at Lexmark with a business suit on an giving ‘appropriate’ answers to exam like brain inspection questions. As you can tell, the environment, and I’m speaking of IBM, MIT, Lexmark, and other 1,000 plus head count institutions, is not right for me. That is why I am respectful of you. You are able to take a Global situation, and apply it to the microcosmic world of a small company (your own) and proceed. I am attempting a FPS port/new idea to the DS right now, Solo, and have to more or less infect myself with dealings with Nintendo and and other larger than 1 person Corporations to get this thing off the ground. It’s a crap shoot anyway, I mean, getting up every morning and programming the game and making sure I have debugged the hell out of my app., and then to have larger than life ‘others’ leering over my shoulder whilst I attempt this can be a drawback. This is why I have left so many programming companies in the past. I really can accomplish things. I don’t need to have people tell me when to make a precomputed sin or cos table. I learn and do. I am, as they say, a self starter, and more or less a pain in the you know what. School, as you may surmise, sort of damaged me in that it was to structured and didn’t fit with my creative ways. Sure, this may sound childish, but I’ve found this is what I must do to stay intact. You, on the other hand, I applaud, because the world of academia has a lot to offer one who can meet deadlines, listen exactly to what professors have to say, and produce what they require. Then, and only then, you can go ahead and do what you want to do. Getting inside info, register hacks, secret codes, these are all things I have to struggle for. I wish you the best, and, remember, do respectfully appreciate you can put up with what I could not.
Mitu

Thanks very much for your comment! :)
Mitu

Thanks very much for your comment! :)

Mitu.nu

"Star stuff contemplating the stars."