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[Deg]

http://biz.gamedaily.com/features.asp?article_id=11411&filter=

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/press_release.php?aid=13680

Nokia recently held two workshops to prepare developers for its next-gen mobile platform. The Finnish mobile company is aiming to get "N-Gage quality" games or better on a variety of Nokia mobile handsets and devices. The aim is to offer much enhanced 3D graphics and a global mobile gaming community.

The early feedback from developers appears to be positive, and they seem pleased about Nokia's new direction in the mobile games space. Here are a few of their quotes regarding Nokia's next-gen games platform:

"The workshop left us with a feeling of excitement about Nokia's commitment to making mobile gaming a more accessible and widespread experience across millions of mobile phones. Backbone is working closely with Nokia to create distinctive and entertaining games that harness a phone's technical abilities to create unique and compelling mobile games experiences. The recently announced Shadow-Born is a testament to that collaboration." — Joe Bonar, Executive Producer of Backbone Entertainment, which developed RIFTS: Promise of Power and Atari Masterpieces Volume 1 on N-Gage

"Nokia's new next generation games platform is a forward looking end-to-end gaming strategy, and we're excited about the new opportunities it will bring. Nokia is in the position, and is the right company, to make this platform work." — Tadd Jensen, Senior Developer at Barking Lizards, which developed X-Men Legends and X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse on N-Gage

"Nokia's next generation mobile games platform will allow developers to reduce their development costs by bringing a unique development platform for a wide range of mobiles devices. We believe this new platform has the potential to set a new reference in our industry to bring 3D high quality games to the mass market." — Xavier Carrillo Costa CEO, Digital Legends Entertainment, which developed ONE on N-Gage

"By organizing this workshop, Nokia went through great lengths to actually listen to game developers. By doing so, I'm confident Nokia is taking to right step towards bringing the next generation initiative to gamers." — Martijn Reuvers, B.V. Business Development, Two Tribes, which developed Worms World Party for N-Gage

Nokia expects to hold its next developer workshop at the Game Developers Conference in San Jose, California on March 20 - 21, 2006.

 

[Deleted member 1235]

Being that they must be mega rich, nokia can probably afford to make many balls ups like with the N-Gage before they get it exactly right. If they can get it so that games work on every phone, they could really have something going.

They should opt for more simple bejeweled style games, that developers can just shovel at it so people have lots to choose from and doesn't cost a developer much, once the phones get better, start making better games.

 

[Deg]

Being that they must be mega rich, nokia can probably afford to make many balls ups like with the N-Gage before they get it exactly right. If they can get it so that games work on every phone, they could really have something going.

They should opt for more simple bejeweled style games, that developers can just shovel at it so people have lots to choose from and doesn't cost a developer much, once the phones get better, start making better games.

An average S60 phone is more powerful than the N-Gage. S60 v3 for next year are very powerful devices so you will see stuff across the spectrum.

 

[choplifter]

WTF happened to the next-gen Ngage with PowerVR MBX ?


Nokia should just quit :lol

 

[Deg]

WTF happened to the next-gen Ngage with PowerVR MBX ?


Nokia should just quit :lol

There was never any new N-Gage console planned. Its now a platform for several mobile phones. As far as i am aware mainly Nokia phones. You will get some game centric designed phones so you can play with comfortable dpads and dedicated buttons. Those will likely use PowerVr or whatever and be the lead game devices.

 

[evilromero]

The future lies with casual games. Not only are they more appealing to a broad audience, but they are far easier to play on cell phones.

 

[CamHostage]

Casual gamers are driving the market in ways that all the rest of us can't anymore. PSP seemed to promise a revolution in portable gaming, but cellphones have the best chance of being the second-tier market (handhelds do alright, but Nintendo is the only company that does really well in it, and everybody has a cell, the games are pennies, so as long as they find a way to addict people, it should continue to grow.)

I just wish there was a cell out there actually built for gaming in any way. Nothing's fun to play a game on. If there was actually an attraction to real gamers in cell games, maybe some of us would play, but all the phones are bricks. I realize that gaming isn't the main purpose for most, but there's got to be something somebody can come up with to make them functional gaming pads. Look at GBA Micro, that's fun and still tiny.