Extending Reach of N-Gage

By Siti Syameen Md Khalili

IN mid-2007, the N-Gage experience will evolve into the next generation of mobile gaming,” so goes the message posted on Nokia’s Web site at http://futurewatch.n-gage.com.

As this deadline approaches, Keith Liu, head of games and Internet experiences, multimedia experiences, Nokia AsiaPacific, dropped a few hints on the future of the N-Gage.

Armed with a couple of Nokia Nseries devices preloaded with the flash- based parking game La Car Jenne and the three-dimensional game Systems Rush: Evolution, he reinforced Nokia’s direction for the N-Gage platform, which has been set to exist as an integral part of the company’s multimedia computers.

Instead of releasing specific models such as the N-Gage Classic and N- Gage QD to carry the platform, the new approach is to have multiple devices supporting it, Liu said.

He added that the strategy will broaden N-Gage’s reach and take mobile gaming to the next level.

With extended battery life, expansion slot and an ergonomic form factor that have become standard characteristics in all Nseries devices, mobile gaming is set to take off through models such as the upcoming N76 and N95.

Pointing to the Downloads tab that has been made available on current Nseries devices, Liu demonstrated how easy it is to download more N-Gage titles onto enabled models. Upon launching the application, a catalogue of games can be accessed and selected for downloading.

Another way to encourage the return of garners to the N-Gage platform is through the try-and-buy method, which allows gamers to download free trials onto their device and make a purchase within the game itself.

Liu also revealed that Nokia’s studies show that parallel to Internet trends of networking and sharing, gaming, too, is part of online social activity.

So, the new N-Gage plat form will harness the Nseries’ always-on connectivity to build its social networks on the Internet, like the one provided by Nokia through the N-Gage Arena.

Besides locating sparring partners and engaging serious contenders online for multiplayer games, even players of casual games can post their highest scores online and be part of the gaming community.

(c) 2007 New Straits Times. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.