Nokia to decide on N73 N-Gage compatibility "within a month", N93 not mentioned

Well Tetlee, if you're still reading this site, looks like we might find out about the N93 compatibility fairly soon.

I don't think the signs are good though, he didn't even mention it, and N93 sales were nowhere near those of the N73.

On reflection, I don't think they should make it compatible.

If the N73 is added to the mix, that will restrict what the developers could do with games because they'll have to make the games work with a device that's significantly less powerful than the current devices. Even if they did two versions of each game, that would mean more work, and if they did one version that would mean cutting down what the game could do.

Also, although there are 20 million N73 owners how many of them will actually bother to install the N-Gage application? It seems that for the app to succeed it has to be embedded, but it's too late to embed it on the N73 as the bulk of the phones are already out there.

IMHO it would make a lot more sense for Nokia to put their efforts into getting N-Gage onto as many new phones as possible, including the new touch-based models due out next year. If the app is embedded on popular models right from the beginning, that's how N-Gage's userbase will grow the most.

But obviously that's going to annoy existing N73 (and N93) owners and they have a total right to be annoyed because Nokia promised them N-Gage compatibility. If the support doesn't happen, then Nokia may have to compensate them in some way, because Nokia haven't really been honest and straightforward with the entire situation regarding the N73 and N93. They still advertise them as "support coming soon", but it now seems that actually Nokia aren't sure if support will ever come.

Tzer2 , i really dont think the compatibility with a N73 is a problem , i had one , i wanted to have n-gage on it , but as soon as noticed (not that soon , 6 months later i guess) i decided , "if i want n-gage games , why blame nokia for not giving a nokia N73 the n-gage support" i guess i think same as you , it will only slow the gaming industry , i decided to get a N82 1 month ago , and i did it , now my N73 is waiting home for a emergency 😊

What the hell! NOW THEY ARE TELLIN US! It took em over an year to find it out... Come on. Not every one can buy a smart phn when they feel lyk it! Ngage was one of the main reasons i bought the n73. If they are cancelling it we should at least get a better deal whn it comes 2 updating our phn.

I think they knew N73's specsheet (RAM, processor, etc.) when they announced support for it in August 2007. I would hold the same things responsible in this case - lack of preparation before launching the platform and lack of communication between PR and technical staffs.

Instead of making nGage compatible with the slower phones, it would be better if nokia gave the n73 and N93 users a rebate on purchase of a newer nGage phone, something in the range of $50 to $100.

I am a N73 owner, and i had held back upgrading for the very reason that no new phone is offering me anything new, even nGage is going to come to n73 when it launches. After waiting for more than an year, and seeing no response from nokia, i finally decided to upgrade to n85, and now they announce this!!

What should i do? Upgrade right now or wait? Upgrading is decided, am not staying with the 73 any longer, so the question is right now or after a month?

I definitely want N-gage on my N93, but being a programmer myself I realise, like has been said above, that this might hamper the N-gage platform as a whole.

However, Nokia did promise that the N93 would get N-gage. For example, the N93 was featured (before it was even launched) in N-gage promotional material during the spring of 2006 (yes, I've been waiting 2 and a half years). Specifically, a video of One was released and it said that it was rendered in real time on an N93.

So Nokia can't just drop N93 support with good conscience either. N93 owners have been lead into believing, before they bought their N93s, that they would have N-gage. Therefore it would only be fair if Nokia compensated N93 owners with a rebate of, say, �50 or �100 on their purchase of a new N-gage compatible device as as been suggested above.

And by the way, on www.n-gage.com it now says "We're working on bringing N-Gage to even more devices, including the Nokia N78, Nokia N73, Nokia N93i, and Nokia N93" where it previously said that support for these devices would be "coming soon". So at least the N93 got mentioned there.

I think Enfors sums it up well.

The N73 and N93 would possibly hold the platform back as a whole due to their older computing hardware, which would mean they shouldn't get compatibility.

BUT the owners of those devices definitely deserve compensation if they aren't going to get N-Gage.

Nokia not only used the N73 and N93 in their promotional videos for N-Gage but also have had "N73 and N93 coming soon" notices on the official N-Gage site since the platform launched. Those coming soon notices are still there, the N73 and N93 are still on the official compatible devices page:

http://www.n-gage.com/ngi/ngage/web/g0/en/get_ngage/devices.html

and on the app download page:

http://www.n-gage.com/ngi/ngage/web/g0/en/get_ngage/download.html

Anyone who visits the N-Gage site is being told officially by Nokia that the N73 and N93 will be N-Gage compatible. Unless you follow the mobile phone world very closely, you would have no reason to doubt that N-Gage would come to these models. The N73 is still on sale so there may be people STILL buying these phones in the belief that they will get N-Gage eventually.

What Nokia should have done was removed all those "coming soon" notices the minute they realised that N-Gage might not come to those phones (which I'm guessing was in late 2007 as the platform was delayed time after time). Then they should have offered some kind of compensation for those who had bought an N73 or N93 for N-Gage, either on hardware or on games.

Therefore it would only be fair if Nokia compensated N93 owners with a rebate of, say, €50 or €100 on their purchase of a new N-gage compatible device as as been suggested above.

Yeah, I think that sounds about right.

Alternatively they could offer vouchers for ten free games, which would be of similar value (€70 to €100).

I think they knew N73's specsheet (RAM, processor, etc.) when they announced support for it in August 2007. I would hold the same things responsible in this case - lack of preparation before launching the platform and lack of communication between PR and technical staffs.

There was a massive delay in the platform's launch (originally it was meant to be September 2007, then Nov 2007, then Dec 2007, then Jan 2008... the actual launch was a beta test in Feb 2008 with the real thing in Apr 2008 and embedding in Sept 2008). They clearly ran into severe problems that they didn't anticipate when the original launch date was announced.

Perhaps this was caused by them running into unexpected problems getting the games to work on the N73 and N93?

Tzer2 wrote:Well Tetlee, if you're still reading this site, looks like we might find out about the N93 compatibility fairly soon.

I don't think the signs are good though, he didn't even mention it, and N93 sales were nowhere near those of the N73.

Yep, I still check this site daily, don't really comment here anymore as I just don't feel part of NGage for obvious reasons and have pretty much given up on support being given to my N93.

Thanks for the info though, even if bad news for me personally I'd rather be given an official "support has been dropped" than for Nokia to continue leaving us hanging on for another 6-12 months(it's getting a bit silly now).

alsiladka wrote:Instead of making nGage compatible with the slower phones, it would be better if nokia gave the n73 and N93 users a rebate on purchase of a newer nGage phone, something in the range of $50 to $100.

This would be one possible solution to compensate the patient owners of N73/N93 phones, can't really see how it could work though. I for one don't have a receipt as I bought my N93 second hand on ebay, I did however buy it at the beginning of the year with the main selling point being the lovely design of the phone for NGage gaming. Either way I've been left sorely disappointed with Nokia over their dealing with this issue, too many months left completly in the dark & not really sure if I'd be interested in upgrading even with a $50-$100 debate compensation offer now, would have to further consider on the moment if an offer like that was to materialise I guess.

You folks honestly think Nokia should give anyone with a N73 or a N93 a $50-100 rebate if they buy a new N Series phone? 😃 Even if they should or could, they won't. Probably about 20 million N73s sold by now... half that and multiply by even $10 and you see the impact = potentially a $100m or more loss (yes, it would be almost a direct loss to Nokia as most people with N73 will probably buy another N Series anyway) just to please fairly few (yes, its just a few people, in particular compared to the millions with N73s) who have seen the N Gage being 'promised' for the N73... Sorry, but that my honest opinion.

You folks honestly think Nokia should give anyone with a N73 or a N93 a $50-100 rebate if they buy a new N Series phone? :

Not out of the goodness of their cold corporate heart. 😊

And not to anyone, just the people who bought one for N-Gage.

Since late 2007 Nokia have advertised (and STILL advertise) the N73 and N93 as future N-Gage compatible devices.

At the same time they're also talking about the N73 and N93 not getting N-Gage at all, which isn't great PR.

Probably about 20 million N73s sold by now...

That's a fair point, I mentioned that number in the original article too.

However, the rebate would only apply to devices bought after late 2007 because Nokia made no direct promises about compatibility before then.

That would exclude most N93s because they had mostly been discontinued by then. It would also exclude the vast majority of N73 sales too, because its sales peaked long before then.

The sale date of any device can be found from its IMEI, so in theory Nokia could ask people to give their IMEIs when asking for a rebate. Only those who purchased a device after late 2007 would be entitled to a rebate. (I believe Nokia already checks sale dates when repairing phones under guarantee, to make sure they're still covered.)

If a hardware rebate was too expensive, it could be replaced by an offer of ten free first party N_Gage games. This would be worth about 100 euros to gamers, and it wouldn't cost Nokia anything directly because they own all the rights to first party titles.

who have seen the N Gage being 'promised' for the N73

This isn't some rumour, compatibility with the N73 and N93 was definitely promised.

In fact it still is being officially promised, go to the bottom of this page:

http://www.n-gage.com/ngi/ngage/web/g0/en/get_ngage/devices.html

Tzer2 wrote:This isn't some rumour, compatibility with the N73 and N93 was definitely promised.

In fact it still is being officially promised, go to the bottom of this page:

http://www.n-gage.com/ngi/ngage/web/g0/en/get_ngage/devices.html

Indeed, and even now in the official forums the title for the NGage enabled devices forum remains unchanged:

N-Gage Enabled Devices Forum
Discussions related to the various next generation N-Gage Enabled Devices (n73, n81, n93, and n95).

ngage on 73 will rock the ngage world..

i and many of my friends in india are not able to buy costly phone like n95 or n81...
so we buy n73 in the hope that ngage will work on n73..
but nokia had some other plans..

i think peole will sue nokia if they dont bring out ngage on n73... as many people bought n73 for ngage only.

Well so much for that then.

If they did decide within the month(this story was posted on Oct 30th) then I guess they decided to keep it to themselves once again.

I don't know, Nokia never fail to amaze me these days🙄

Any news from Nokia?

The news from nokia is that UNFORTUNATELY nokia n73, n93 and n93i will NOT get the ngage support. I am as disappointed as you are cuz i have a n73 too...........