Mobile phone giant Nokia on Tuesday released the first major update of the N-Gage, the company"s ill-starred entry into the portable video game market.
As previously reported, the N-Gage QD, available now at major retailers, addresses some of the most glaring design complaints surrounding the original N-Gage. The new model is held flat to serve as a cell phone, as opposed to the awkward "sidetalking" design of the original. And game cartridges can now be swapped out without removing the battery.
Price was another limiting factor for the original N-Gage, which debuted at $300 but was quickly dropped to $200. The QD will sell for $99 with a service contract from a participating carrier. Subsidizing hardware costs is a typical practice in the cell phone industry but one Nokia avoided with the original N-Gage. Nokia introduced the N-Gage last year in a high-profile bid to grab a chunk of the booming portable game market. The company has declined to reveal sales figures for the device, but executives have acknowledged that results have been at the low end of expectations.