People like to say the PSP is a failure. That would be incorrect. Calling the first N-Gage a failure, on the other hand, is quite apt. We reported back in November that Nokia was interested in making a comeback into the games arena with yet another N-Gage. In the era of the iPhone, a $600 convergence machine that can make calls and play games doesn't seem so outrageous. Does Nokia have what it takes to pull it off?
If Pocket Gamer is to be believed, it appears many top-name publishers are interested in Nokia's latest device. Supposedly, Nokia held a "top secret" two-day event, which was attended by big-name publishers, such as Sega, Square Enix, Capcom, THQ, EA, Tecmo, Namco, Vivendi ... and Sony. What? If this "top secret" meeting didn't seem fishy enough, Sony's presence makes it even more obvious that Pocket Gamer's reporting is downright inaccurate. Why would Sony want to work on a platform that directly competes against the PSP? (Of course, history buffs will remember that Sony did go on to make at least one game for a Nintendo platform.)
If by some chance this mysterious Nokia meeting did happen, and Sony happened to be there, we'd like to think they're simply trying to get ideas for the rumored PSP phone. The validity of Pocket Gamer's claim will be tested next week, during a new conference that will supposedly happen in Madrid.
[Via Joystiq]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-30-2007 @ 8:41PM
JC80 said...
You obviously do not know the difference between Sony, the parent company and Sony Computer Entertainment, the company behind the PSP. They are a massive company with different divisions sometimes competing against each other. Based on your logic, SOE shouldn't have developed Everquest for Windows PC (and they should remove Windows from their VAIO range too).
There are after all products with IPs licensed by Sony Pictures on the Nintendo DS.
/Plays Everquest on my Windows Mobile portable PDA.
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1-30-2007 @ 10:18PM
Andrew Yoon said...
Your logic is flawed, JC80. I specifically mentioned that Nokia is directly competing against Sony with the N-Gage. To my knowledge, Sony doesn't have an operating system that directly competes against Windows. Why should it matter that they're developing for Windows? They have nothing to lose. The N-Gage, on the other hand, is meant to compete head-to-head against the PSP: a gaming-centric convergence device that targets a very similar demographic. Your analogies, while humorous, don't hold up very well.
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1-30-2007 @ 10:30PM
Diman said...
Can you say Bram Stoker's Dracula on the NES? I thought not. Playing MMOS on a portable? Sounds compeling, but what about controlls?
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1-30-2007 @ 10:57PM
spir00 said...
And that folks, is knowledge! That ever challenge the great who reports! ROCK ON.
I for one think N-Gage is another sony.
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1-30-2007 @ 11:27PM
JC80 said...
"The N-Gage, on the other hand, is meant to compete head-to-head against the PSP: a gaming-centric convergence device that targets a very similar demographic."
Care explain then why Sony IPs has appeared on the DS.
It only makes sense from a business perspective. Why do you think a Nokia phone was featured alongside Sony Ericsson mobiles in a Sony Picture film (Casino Royale)? It's all about making money.
And come on, the PSP and Nokia N-series aren't competing against each other. Heck, to most people owning a mobile phone is more important than getting a DS or PSP. If Windows PC and Sony PlayStations can co-exists in the same house, why couldn't the Nokia N-Series and PSP co-exists in the same pocket? And with Sony developing titles for all of them.
Only when the PSP is absorbed into Sony Ericsson's division and gains a GSM antenna, then they would be competing.
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1-31-2007 @ 12:57AM
Unknown said...
"I for one think N-Gage is another sony."
That's priceless. You don't have the slightest clue what you're talking about, do you?
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1-31-2007 @ 12:58AM
Strangler said...
what I dont get is why does sony keep releasing products that compete with each other on vairous sony hardware. Like releasing roco loco on cell phones in japan will result in less people wanting to buy the psp version, or releasing pursuit force on both the ps2 and the psp will dillude the fanabse on each and force people to choose one of the formats to purchase it from. Another example is porting tekken from the psp to the ps3 virtual console. Why do they want their own rpoducts to compete on their own paltforms?
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1-31-2007 @ 2:41AM
Garry said...
Actually the new N-Gage platform is not supposed to be competition against the PSP or the DS, it is it's own type of gaming, for mobile phones. The idea is that all these java games you can get for your phone at the moment are great, but this is better. The games are 3D, online, and full features. Sony have released other games for mobile phones (able to be played on Nokia hand sets) so why not develop for the next generation of Mobile Games?
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