As we'd already predicted, Nokia are opting to quickly but quietly begin distancing themselves with their noble but failed platform. The phone 'gamedeck' hybrid device was certainly an ambitious move by the firm to create a system capable of rivalling the Nintendo's and more recently Sony's of this world, sadly the device failed to excite the public as the Finnish firm might have hoped. Indeed, the system never really caught the attention of phone purchasers (in part perhaps because the original N-Gage looked a bit silly when used as a phone, an oversight fixed with the later QD model) or gamers. Now Nokia's head of corporate Antii Vasara has revealed that new iterations of the N-Gage gamedeck are not planned.

Vasara told Vnunet: "N-Gage is still being sold but it was not a success in the sense of developing a new category... We learnt that people want to play games on all devices. As such we are integrating the gaming software into Series 60 phones."

Music and 3G services such as video appear to be Nokia's new focus, with mobile games just another part of this broader entertainment category, where phone developers and networks see their future profits emerging. More phones embracing MP3 playback functionality are planned, whilst we're told events like next year's will drive popularity for video on mobile phones.

Despite this minor u-turn, the N-Gage will continue to be supported with new titles, new software will be released, and the N-Gage Arena remains live. More as we get it on this.

Source: Eurogamer.net

By Luke Guttridge