Nokia N-Gage Gray Console

You notice two things pretty quickly when you first unbox Nokia's new N-Gage. First, it's a lot smaller than you think it will be (and this after having already spent time with it at E3 and several retailers). Second, this thing is not so much one gadget as the ultimate Swiss Army Knife of gadgets. The face of the N-Gage has so many buttons and controls that I swear there's one for just about anything you may want to do. If there isn't, no worries, several buttons are programmable and can set to whatever function you wish.



Once you get everything sorted out, the battery charged up, and actually power on the system you'll notice one of N-Gages great strengths; logical organization. With all of the features, options, adjustments, and gizmos slammed into it's black and gray case (I lost count somewhere north of 15), N-Gage could have ended up a nightmare to use. Instead, everything is laid out with precision and the core options fall easily to hand. Simply press the menu button and presto, a full screen, icon driven, menuing system that uses the deck's D-pad to navigate. Pressing the pad in works just like clicking a mouse, it's a system everyone knows how to use.



You'll have plenty to choose from since the N-Gage features a full PDA (contacts, calendar, alarms, notes, images, installable applications, currency converter), cell phone –(endless ring tones, screen savers, wallpapers, styles and speed dials. Each name in your address book can even have it's own custom ring tone so you know who is calling with out looking. Caller ID is also supported), XHTML Browser (supports standard web pages), POP3 and IMAP email – both of which support multimedia (images, music and video) attachments, Text Messaging, FM Radio (and a mighty fine one that actually rivals my Sony walkman and will let you record from the air to an MMC if you wish), MP3 Player, Record audio messages and notes, Real Audio downloads and streaming, and the usual list of customization options; Including a Screen saver, start up message, time display method, background image, and over a dozen included ring tones (you can DL hundreds more or compose your own with N-Gages' built in midi composer).



Getting everything set up, especially contacts and your calendar is a snap, since N-Gage ships with software that functions exactly like what any PALM or PPC device comes with. Sync software let's you use the included USB cable (or via blue tooth if your PC supports it) to keep you PC and your N-Gage in agreement, and you can also install any JAVA applications you may fancy into your N-Gage as well.



Even with all that going for it, there is really only one Icon that most gamers are going to care about, and it appears at the bottom right corner of the N-Gage main navigation screen. The currently installed game is always visible in this position. Click it, and the N-Gage switches from serious work companion, to equally serious gaming system.



Gaming with the N-Gage can be a mixed bag. First, the majority of the titles you'll find at the local game shop are ports of titles' you've probably already played on one of the major consoles. This isn't really such a bad thing. After all, Nintendo Launched the Gameboy Advance with a similar line up of ports and re-hashes and not too many people complained about that. Nintendo may have reached back into its SNES archives to stock the GBA lineup, but Nokia has tapped everything from Dreamcast to the Playstation 2 for titles. The most impressive thing about any of the launch titles is their graphics. N-Gage may sport an unusual screen layout (tall instead of wide) but there's no arguing that the screen itself is unmatched. It's closer to the typical PDA screen than to an LCD like on the GBA. Plus it's a true backlit design, which makes it seem even sharper than it actually is. In fact I'd venture that overall quality is even better than many of the $100 plus external LCD panels you can pick up for the current generation consoles.



N-Gage puts that screen to good use as well. With plenty of horsepower under the hood many of the current crop of titles are dead ringers for their originals. Take Tomb Raider for example. It's visually identical to the Playstation version. Same with Tony Hawk and Pandemonium. Several titles (Sonic N comes to mind) even offer a way to combat the N-Gages odd screen alignment. You can switch between a 'letterbox' view and a 'full screen' view. If you've ever watched a letterboxed movie on a small TV, you'll know that yes it does solve the problem of constant side scrolling and blocked views, but it makes a tiny image in the center of the screen. With 'full screen' mode (especially in Sonic N) you get a much better view of the immediate area, but the narrow screen means fast motions off to one side or the other can result in disaster.

Overall however, N-gage is capable of churning out titles that look as good as the last generation of 32 bit console systems and that's no small feat.



Controlling those titles might be a little dicey however. The N-Gage relies on a left hand mounted D-Pad and the standard cell phone keypad on the right for various action buttons. Nokia did thoughtfully raise the #5 and #7 buttons to help orient your thumb on the keypad, and the entire set is lit during game play, but you're simply going to have to crack the manual for most titles to figure out which does what. True, the #5 is almost always used in the same manner as the X button on PS2, but as for the others, all bets are off. There's no 'Standard' setup that I've been able to find. It's not impossible to get used to once you learn which keys do what. There's just minimal consistency between developers.



Of course, no one likes to game alone all the time, so Nokia has built in two different multiplayer options. The first is your standard link up with a new twist. Instead of having to have a cable for each player, N-Gage uses blue tooth wireless technology to hook up users to the same game. The cool benefit here is that should you be in a multiplayer mood you can simply have your N-Gage "search" for a game to play. If there's another N-Gage within 30 feet or so, you can match up with that person and go at it. You don't have to know them, or even see them.

Option two is via the N-Gage arena. In the Arena you can download another player's "ghost" into your N-Gage and attempt to beat their score or time. Do so and you'll score arena points, fail and you'll lose some. You'll also earn a spot on the global rankings for that game if you're good enough.

As an added bonus, N-Gage even packs in a screen capture utility (catch screens or movies) that will let you prove to your buddies that yes you are in fact the badest of the bad.



By now you've probably figured out that we're pretty fond of our new companions. Everyone here (including one member of the staff that swore that Gameboy was something she'd never see a point in) loves "The Twins" (our pair of N-Gages) and at least one of them is always out and about. Calls are clear and sharp (Although if you don't live in an area with GSM/GPRS service you're stuck), gaming is fun and addictive, the PDA and other options are useful and sometimes great ways to kill time (Converting currency from Yen to franks just for the hell of it). But that doesn't mean we don't share some of the complaints that others have made, we're just not ready to bash the hell out of what is basically a solid concept and design over some odd decisions by the designers.



For example, more ink has been spilled over the "complicated and impossible task of switching games". Frankly we didn't find swapping titles to be complicated nor impossible. It wasn't even all that time consuming. Yes you really do have to remove the back cover (one thumb press and it practically leaps off), and yes you do need to remove the battery (again, one little tweak with a thumbnail and it pops out), and then you can slide out the MMC card and insert a new one. After a couple of tries, switching games can be done in less than 15 seconds. Just to see if it was us or if it really was that easy, we took our units down to a couple of game shops and had people try it. We gave them a game, the N-Gage, and some basic instructions and let them go at it. The absolute worst time anyone came up with was 34 seconds. Average was closer to 23. That's for first timers.



Battery life might be an issue for some. We averaged pretty close to Nokia's claimed talk time of 4 hours and 20 hours of standby as well as the 6 hours of gaming. Six hours looks like a small number on paper, but when you keep in mind that N-Gage is constantly listening for text messages and cell phone calls and the fact that it's also powering a screen with twice the resolution of the GBA and a true backlight and full lit keypad things aren't as bad as they may seem. In fact six hours from the tiny matchbook sized battery suddenly stacks up pretty well against Nintendo's claimed 10 hours for the GBA with the light on. The general thought around here is that had Nokia simply included a light switch, or an option to disable the keypad lighting during game play, battery life would have matched Nintendo's claims.



There's no way around it, and yes it's almost as bad as people make it out to be. I'm talking about what's become known as "Side-Talking". The earpiece and microphone for N-Gage are place along the top edge of the system, thus forcing you to hold the unit sideways to your head while taking a call. Yes you feel a little silly at first, and then you realize that no one is pointing ad laughing. In fact, as soon as most people saw it, they came over and asked if they could see some of the "other stuff" our N-Gage could do. With one exception, every person that we showed it off to immediately changed his or her opinion of the device. In fact, many claimed they would check with their carrier to see if they could get service or "a deal" on one.

If the idea of "side-talking" really bugs you then consider using either the built-in speaker phone (which in our testing was comparable to a typical office speaker phone, even with the N-Gage was on the dash while we cruised along at 65MPH, both hands on the wheel), or you can jack in the hands-free headset included with the deck (it's a stereo design that also works as headphones for the MP3 player and FM radio).





OVERALL

The big question of course is, "should I run out and spend $300 on an N-Gage". The answer isn't so simple. First, don't spend $300 because several retailers are offering N-Gage's as low as $199, and second you may be able to get one for free with a service plan from your cellular carrier. I'd argue that anyone in the market for a new cell phone, or anyone who, like me, currently carries around two or more devices such as a cell phone, PDA, mp3 player, or similar item should seriously consider lightening their load and upgrading their options with an N-Gage. If you're looking at N-Gage as a new gaming toy, then you need to seriously re-think your plans. It's not a competitor to the GBA; it's not even in the GBA's market segment. It's aimed older than the pokemon set and one could argue that it's actually aimed at old crows like myself. Over 30 guys who want one pocket sized device to do everything.

The best all around testament I can offer is a comment my 15-year-old step-daughter (who feels that the Gameboy is for kids and just "dumb") made on the subject; "I want one of these! It does, like everything! And I could use a cell phone now, you know." Mind you, this is coming from a 'kid' who won't touch a Gameboy sitting on the backseat of the car during a 5-hour road trip, but always asks if the N-Gage is going on a trip to the store. Why? Because N-gage is "cool".