As you may well remember, Nokia brought out the N-Gage games/phone back before 2003, following it up with the N-Gage 1.5, then the second generation N-Gage QD (June 2004). None of them really set the world alight.
After buying Sega’s mobile gaming unit (2003), they finally got around to launching the service that let N-Gage owners buy games online in 2006.
The Evolution of Chips
Fast forward to today, when those who are registered with Nokia’s N-Gage Website receive an email letting them know that they can have N-Gage functionality on a selection of their ‘normal’ Nokia phones.
A clearer demonstration of the continual march of the power of mobile phone chips could not be had. Five years back it needed a dedicated handset to be a games machines. Today, it’s a bit of software that you can load into your phone to run as an application that will provide the same function.
Nokia handsets able to run it now are the N81, N82, N95 and we’re told that the N73, N93 and N93i will follow soon.
FIFA08 for free
By way of a bribe encouragement to download the N-Gage player to your phone, Nokia are giving away 20,000 copies of the FIFA08 to run on it. It normally costs 10 Euro/ £8.