Why The Sims 3 Will Highlight Flaws in N-Gage and Ovi Store

It's pretty obvious what to do, turn the exclusive N-Gage games into exclusive Ovi Store titles, stop doing non-exclusive third party N-Gage, and combine everything under a single Ovi brand. Ovi Store would provide a large range of cheap third party titles, while the exclusive first party games would help to make Ovi Store more competitive compared to rival app stores.

How would they handle the Arena and forums branding if they do that, though? They've got something complicated there.

How would they handle the Arena and forums branding if they do that, though? They've got something complicated there.

You'd just change the name from N-Gage Arena to Ovi Arena or Ovi Multiplayer or something like that. All the behind-the-scenes stuff can stay exactly the same.

Last time Sims 3 got a pass because it was a java app that works accross many many phones but this time it doesn't.

How is Nokia suppose to complete gaming wise when iphone gets a fully polygonal 3d Sims 3 while their native symbian version still looks like a java app.

How is Nokia suppose to complete gaming wise when iphone gets a fully polygonal 3d Sims 3 while their native symbian version still looks like a java app.

iPhones cost about 600 dollars whereas the average Nokia phone costs 60 dollars.

iPhone has 1.5% of the phone market, Nokia has 38%.

What kind of competition are you talking about?

You're not going to fall into the ageold trap of claiming that gamers buy games mainly for graphics? That's never ever been true in the gaming world... can you name a single console or computer generation where the device with the best graphics came out on top?

The N97 has five ways go getting new software
N-gage, Download!, Ovi store and SW update, pre installed trials that you can upgrade in app.

confused? you will be:

also check out the inconsistent pricing:
http://hellon97.tumblr.com/post/148303970/pricing-mismatch-joikuspot-is-17-via-the

>iPhones cost about 600 dollars whereas the average Nokia phone costs 60 dollars.

So you're saying the average symbian phone costs 60 bucks? I think not.

>You're not going to fall into the ageold trap of claiming that gamers buy games mainly for graphics? That's never ever been true in the gaming world

If graphics have nothing to do with it then we would have never had console updates at all. Even in this special case the Wii, why upgrade it at all. Why not stick a sensor remote to the gamecube and call it a day.

So if an app costs about the same, should one expect that much less on the n-gage platform vs the same game on the iphone? And lets remember too it also works on the ipod touch which doesn't cost any where near 600.

And completition exists in lots of forms. Mindshare, or maybe pure $ Are you saying Nokia can proudly say to the work Sims 3 looks like this on the N-gage vs their completitor?

"And completition exists in lots of forms. Mindshare, or maybe pure $ Are you saying Nokia can proudly say to the work Sims 3 looks like this on the N-gage vs their completitor?"

I don't think they care as long as it sells. Mindshare is a much touted phrase that means nothing when it comes to results.

Tzer2: the hard fact is that NGage/Symbian users get a poor game while iPhone users get a state-of-the-art game for the same money (free updates, unlimited re-downloads included from a working store).
I don't know where you live but in my country iPhone isn't more expensive than a new Symbian phone.

>iPhones cost about 600 dollars whereas the average Nokia phone costs 60 dollars.

So you're saying the average symbian phone costs 60 bucks? I think not.

Most Nokia devices and most Ovi Store devices aren't Symbian, they're mostly Series 40, and do indeed have an average sale price of approximately 60 dollars. But even Symbian is getting very cheap indeed, for example the 6120 Classic costs about $120 unlocked. Because of the way they're now manufactured, there's nothing to stop Nokia making a $60 Symbian device if they wanted to, and I bet we'll see one some time in the next couple of years.

(In fact that's probably what Nokia are planning to do, as it looks like Symbian is set to take over Nokia's mid-range and lower-end devices while they introduce Maemo Linux phones for the top end. These Maemo phones would have much faster processors, 3D graphics chips, higher res screens etc etc.)

This is yet another reason why iPhone comparisons are misleading, because Nokia's and Apple's services are clearly aimed at totally different segments of the market. It's like comparing a michelin star restaurant to a railway station cafe, they're aiming to do totally different things even if they seem similar on the surface.

If graphics have nothing to do with it then we would have never had console updates at all.

Yes graphics do get updated but it's not like Nokia's graphics have stood still.

And it's never been the device with the best graphics that won any generation. Graphics are nice to have, but they're clearly not the deciding factor. Compare PS3 graphics to Wii graphics, then compare PS3 sales to Wii sales... Of course PS3 fans will say it's aimed at a different market to the Wii, but that just reinforces what I was saying above.

And completition exists in lots of forms. Mindshare, or maybe pure $

The only mindshare that matters to a company and its shareholders is how many people buy their products.

If Nokia sells phones to 38% of the market while Apple sells to 1.5% of the market, who is attracting more customers? Who is selling more products?

I think you're confusing the state of the tech media in the USA with the state of the global phone market.

Most english-language tech bloggers are in America, where Nokia has never done well. Even before Apple entered the phone market Nokia was in something like 5th place in the USA. It's never been a strong market for them.

Nokia's top markets are Europe, China and India, and it's those places where they get their sales from. Apple's sales mainly come from the USA. So they're two companies succeeding in separate parts of the world, with very little demographic or geographical overlap in their target audiences. It's not really accurate to call them competitors, certainly not direct competitors.

Samsung is a much more likely rival to Nokia because they make similar products at similar price levels in similar volumes and sell them to similar markets. If you want to follow Nokia's fortunes it's Samsung you should watch, not Apple.

To put this in car terms, Nokia and Samsung are dull but large volume manufacturers like Toyota and Nissan, whereas Apple is much more of a sexy but small niche manufacturer like Land Rover or Jaguar. Even though they both make cars, you'd never say Jaguar was in competition with Nissan.

That could change if Apple brought out lots of $60 phone models and built a global distribution network that covered the developing world, but they haven't done that. So far they've stuck to just one high-end model per year, aimed almost entirely at the rich world. Going by Apple's history in other areas (Mac and iPod), they'll probably be happy with their expensive rich-world-only niche.

Nokia's products are the kind of thing you might find used in a poor village in Africa. Apple's products aren't. They're worlds apart.

Are you saying Nokia can proudly say to the work Sims 3 looks like this on the N-gage vs their completitor?

Sims 3 isn't a Nokia game, it's a third party title made by EA. Nokia has absolutely no control over it at all. If you want to see what Nokia can do then you'd have to look at games like Reset Generation, Creatures Of The Deep, Bounce etc.

In any case, as I said above, N-Gage and Ovi Store are on devices that cost much less than half the price of the iPhone, so it's difficult to see how the iPhone can be classed as a competitor.

>Most Nokia devices and most Ovi Store devices aren't Symbian, they're mostly Series 40, and do indeed have an average sale price of approximately 60 dollars. But even Symbian is getting very cheap indeed, for example the 6120 Classic costs about $120 unlocked.

This is allaboutsymbian and n-gage is an symbian only service and sims 3 on n-gage is an native symbian game is it not?

>Yes graphics do get updated but it's not like Nokia's graphics have stood still.

So losing the mbx lite from my n95 to n97 I have now is Nokia's way of progress in graphics?

>Nokia's top markets are Europe, China and India, and it's those places where they get their sales from.

So because Nokia does sell products in lesser develope countries they should cater their phones/services for the lowest common denominator?

And the 38% by your numbers that Nokia have of market share, how much of it phones thats even capable of access ovi/n-gage services(and not to mention the even lesser share that know and will use the services) vs an iphone/ipod touch which every body does sync with itunes and knows about the app store.

So why did EA decide to do Sims 3 n-gage on using a minimum approach and who are they aiming to sell the game to. As Sims is a big game and Nokia gave EA no incentive to do a better version for their n-gage service.

As a n97 owner, what is EA and Nokia trying to tell me.

All this talk about Ps3 and Wii... I read that its actually Xbox 360 owners who buy the most games per console.

I saw a statistic that suggested the figure was (something like) 8 xbox games to 1 wii game IIRC.

Anyway, Wii isn't any good for "proper" gaming and the PS3 is too expensive and its games are mostly ports of the 360 ones.

tetris is another similar unfair situation

its not on the N97 via n-gage (though it is on n-gage)
it is on Ovi for n-gage - and you get the java version (�4)
on android you get the identical touch java version for erm FREE!
they both use on screen buttons to move/rotate pieces
its works but isnt great

iPhone/iPod has tetris for �2.99 with an awesome real touch interface
thats so playable its beyond comparison.

UNFAIR

ovi store is going to be a great flop. It should have been only available for e & n series devices only. People who usually buy s40 phones for �60 usually use this phones for calling and msging. How many do actually know of this service? Not many. Well in my country a n96 costs 600. n95 8gb 500. n97 700 (all unlocked)...they dont cost much less than an iphone (u can find an iphone at that price and unlock it). But the fact is that apple offers better quality and service than nokia.. Its really depressing seeing all this crappy games reviewed on this site. Before it used to be more interisting.

Tzer2, you�re excuses are pathetic...you�re being too much of a FANBOY, when people present you FACTS. ngage games SUCK compared with iphone�s. Big game publishers support iphone, and don�t care about ngage, or OVI. This is another FACT for you. Gameloft releases a crap versions of the same games that are awesome on the Appstore. FACT.

"So because Nokia does sell products in lesser develope countries they should cater their phones/services for the lowest common denominator?"

Lesser Developed countries? Europe?

And to the previous poster, you should be looking at yourself more as you are clearly a Apple Fanboy, FACT

>Lesser Developed countries? Europe?

>And to the previous poster, you should be looking at yourself more as you are clearly a Apple Fanboy, FACT

Why would u think Europe was included? I'm not going to partially quote a part of the sentence.

And I actually do have a n95/n97 and a touch pro right now. But should should I be completely satisfied for just having them and be blind to anything I see on other phones?

Why do so many unregistered people post on here with poor english?

I'm pretty tired of seeing this "OMG iPhone costs �450 man!! No one can afford them so Nokias are clearly better and everyone can afford Nokias!!"

is everyone forgetting the fact that both the iPod Touch 1st gen and the iPhone 2G are BOTH capable of using and playing everything the 3Gs can/does at a fraction of the price? IMO including these two you can pretty much factor out price, as both can be picked up cheap now (and in the case of the iPhone 2G, used on every network 😉

So please, take off the fanboy glasses and stop using the silly price argument, as it's pretty much moot point 😊

Tzer2:
"The only mindshare that matters to a company and its shareholders is how many people buy their products."

No. It is the profit that matters.

>No. It is the profit that matters.

Nokia by your numbers have 38% marketshare vs 1.5 for Apple yet Nokia doesn't have 3 times the profits iphone generates so its clear who has better margins.

I would post the link again except it got removed last time. But you can read it yourself by searching for "Apple, RIM Outsmart Phone Market" Its a Wall Street Journal article.

Why will someone pay the same amount for a crappy N-Gage game when he/she gets it in much better quality in iPhone/iPod Touch?

Also, which platform should one prefer - Symbian/N-Gage where 1-2 games are released/month (most of which is trash), or iPhone/iPod Touch, where at least 10-15 good games come out every month?

And I really don't bother whom Nokia has to cater. If I have bought a $700 N97, I will want my money's worth, as a customer.