N-Gage, Nokia's gaming phone is 6 weeks away from launch and the momentum is slowly building. This week we've seen the purchase of Sega.com (see previous news) and the announcement of the N-Gage Arena. But is this buzz perhaps symbolic of Symbian future?
Rumours about the N-Gage are becoming more frequent. Some of these include the prospect of the N-Gage successor already in development, a camera add-on being available shortly after launch, and very cheap (even free) N-Gage's from Network Operators upsetting the Retail Gaming Establishment. We can expect plenty more over the forthcoming weeks. AAS will keep you up to date and we expect to announce some very interesting news about the future of the site (that will indirectly impact N-Gage fanatics - in a good way).
But the N-Gage Buzz is perhaps symbolic of the wider future of the Symbian world.
The next 4 months promise to be an exciting time in the Symbian world. With the recently released figures Symbian has demonstrated not only its lead in the Smartphone Market but also the potential of the platform to previously luke warm analysts and investors. We'll probably be seeing Symbian becoming a better known company and technology, at least among technical users (yes - no more explaining what Symbian is - at least to follow geeks!).
Its been said many times that Symbian fans have to wait just a bit longer and Symbian's time will come. It has not so much been false dawns as a dawn taking a very long time to happen.
That said I think we may be on the edge of a fundamental change - or at least a potential change - Symbian will never be better placed in terms of its competitors - its is ahead technological and in the market. It needs to exploit this position. There are problems that need to be addressed. For example complaints about the ease of development persist and although there is almost certainly a coherent strategy to ease this issue it could be hurried up a little, similarly the strange consortium (essential the shareholders being competitors who are co-operating to create an OS) that is Symbian will remain confusing to the analysts that don't understand it's merits, or the Symbian ecosystem philosophy.
So what's the potential and what's going to drive it? Well in the main it is going to be new devices. We'll be seeing the Siemens SX1, Nokia N-Gage, Nokia 6600, Benq P30, Samsung D700, and Motorola A920 all before Christmas. That alone double the number of different Symbian powered devices, and perhaps more interestingly triple the number of different manufacturers. Furthermore unannounced devices such as the P810/P900 may make an appearance along with any of the other 19 devices under active development with three new manufactures. This will create mass market momentum so that Symbian devices will reach the devices sold in order to break even.
In some ways that break even is not important, it rather the other impact that this volume of phones will have. Symbian devices will be everywhere - it's already happening - you regularly see Series 60 or UIQ's when your out and about.
The key for really big numbers is for the phones to move out of the current territory of high end geek phones to an everyday phone. The move from what remains relatively niche to a place where it becomes ubiquitous � of course there�s no line, but hopefully you know what I mean.
That's what a phones like the N-Gage, D700, etc. etc. are going to do. The N-Gage may succeed - or it may not (it's going to be down to how good the games are and what you mean by success), but what it represents in interesting - it�s not a Geek phone - it is a Gaming platform. OK, so people may not be ware they are buying Symbian, but that again doesn't matter � it is the after market that is created - in software, knowledge, support and arguably most importantly in services.
So as the N-Gage continues to buzz remember that it may simply represent and be symbolic of the first step of many branching paths. To what destinations? That's the real questions isn't it!
Notes:
Rafe may look at the news, he may even be on the obsessive side when it comes to Symbian (the family and the cat thinks so), but it is all up for discussion, and there there are no 100% predictions. Remember there are no definites and the above is opinion!
Questions about N-gage and GDC-E
AAS will be at GDC-E this week to have a closer look at both the N-Gage and the Mobile Gaming World.
If you have any questions you want answering either about the N-Gage or other aspects of Mobile Gaming let us know and we'll do our best to find out for you. Similarly if you're also going to be there and want to meet up with Rafe let him know ([email protected]).
N-Gage Arena Press Release
Play, share and compete via the N-Gage(TM) Arena!
August 20, 2003
Online and mobile game play has become a reality today, as Nokia reveals the N-Gage(TM) Arena service. Available globally, the N-Gage(TM) Arena will be the home for the worldwide virtual community of gamers, to share their experiences and to find other players for mobile online fun. The service will go live on October 7, 2003 the date when the Nokia N-Gage game deck will be commercially available globally for consumers. The content services are initially offered as free of charge to consumers for a trial period, allowing them to trial the N-Gage(TM) Arena. While content will be offered free of charge, the data traffic fees are applied according operator specific data plans. For operators, the service will enable fast and easy access in the N-Gage business. And for publishers, the service will open new revenue opportunities for their game titles.
"Mobile online elements form a key strategy in the Nokia N-Gage total games experience. The N-Gage(TM) Arena will be the place where gamers meet and create virtual communities, share their experiences, find new challenges and make friends with players all over the world," said Ilkka Raiskinen, Senior Vice President and the Chief N-Gager, Nokia Mobile Phones. "For the first time, a gamer sitting in a park in London can find another player and 'shadow race' against a player in Los Angeles or even Singapore, who has posted a shadow image of his game character in the N-Gage(TM) Arena. The London gamer can in turn post a clip of the game on the site, showing his victory and simultaneously challenge the rest of the game community. We are incredibly thrilled by the versatility of opportunities by this virtual games arena."
The ability to play, share and compete over the air makes the N-Gage(TM) Arena unique in the mobile industry, complementing the games experience and extending business strategies for operators and publishers alike. Nokia will host the service and it will be offered to the gamers through operators. Nokia will also provide publishers and developers the tools to create new and compelling online content for their games.
Some of the key launch features of the N-Gage(TM) Arena include: cheats (downloads that boost the characters abilities or help the player out of a sticky situation), game clips (gamer records a game sequence and uploads it for other players to view), Shadow Gaming (gamer posts a "shadow" of his/her character, which other players can contest), strategy guides and walk-throughs (game recordings to demonstrate how a game challenge is solved), high score posting, as well as 2-player gaming in a live situation. All of these N-Gage(TM) Arena services take place in a mobile environment allowing gamers on-the-fly, immediate access that only N-Gage can provide.