The Game Developers Conference was overtaken this year by mobile and wireless gaming, and Nokia was on hand with the new Nokia N-Gage. I was very skeptical of this new device, but I went hands-on with everything that Nokia could throw at me and tried to be open-minded.

The Stats:

Here’s a partial breakdown of the features of the Nokia N-Gage according to the press release:

Features

• High performance mobile 3D gaming

• Gaming-optimized design and functionality

• Bluetooth

• Digital music player and recorder

• Stereo FM radio

• Nokia Audio Manager PC software

• New design concept, new UI experience

• Multimedia messaging

• Full email support (IMAP4, POP3, SMTP, MIME2)

• Content with XHTML browser

• Tri-band EGSM 900/GSM1800/GSM 1900

• Series 60 UI enabling application multitasking

• Bluetooth

• Slave USB 1.1. for digital music download from PC

• MP3, AAC, Midi, WAV ringing tones

• WAP over GPRS

Size

- Weight: 137 g (with standard battery)

- Dimensions: 133,7 x 69.7 x 20,2 mm, 139cc

Design

- Exciting games oriented design:

- Ergonomic game controls for two-hand use (keys divided on both sides

of the screen)

- Five-way directional controller (works eight ways in games)

- High fidelity stereo headset for music player, FM stereo radio, and voice

calls (mono)

- Internal antenna

- Built-in vibrator

- IHF speaker for calls, game sounds, music

- Stereo line in for audio recording (analog)

- Slave USB 1.1. for digital music download from PC

Phone companies are jamming more and more into phones these days, and N-Gage has to be the most thoroughly equipped of the bunch. It has almost everything except an on-board digital camera. Games, MP3s, and applications can be stored on separate MultiMediaCards, which can range in size from 8MB to 128MB. On-board memory is slim, and only a few applications can be accessed at the same time. Battery life is also an issue, being rather short no matter how you’re using the device. You can multitask with the N-Gage by taking calls or listening to MP3s while you’re playing games, but this will add additional battery drain and force you to recharge within an hour or two.

At first glimpse, the unit looks like a smaller version of the GBA. Holding it was a lot different than I expected. It sort of feels like a GBA, but with a less contoured top. It took a few moments for me to adjust to the feel of everything, but it’s not bad. The rocker (The D-pad disc-like controller) felt comfortable and the layout of the main buttons (the 7 and 5 buttons) are much like the A-B buttons on the GBA. Some games do utilize some of the other number buttons, because three buttons (the d-pad also acts as a button) aren’t enough for everything.

The screen is vertical with a resolution of 176x208. The screen does have a backlight (not a front-light like the GBA SP), and when idle, it turns off to conserve battery life, which is a decent and much needed feature.

The N-Gage has a PDA-like interface, and that’s where you can access games and the other functions of the device. Actually starting a game is a bit cumbersome, and the PR rep had to show me how to launch it. Since the system functions like a PDA device (more like a Pocket PC) you load games and programs like you would on a PC. You also have to manually close programs or games after you’re done, or you will run out of system memory.

There also isn’t a cartridge slot per se. N-Gage games come in two forms, on a 8MB MultiMediaCard (MMC), or a java downloadable game. To insert a MMC card you need to remove the back cover, take out the battery, and then insert the card. What an engineering masterpiece. The format isn’t completely proprietary like the GBA (MMCs still need to be purchased from Nokia) so developing for the system is much cheaper and more attractive for publishers, as well as newbie developers. Games are rumored to cost around $30.

The N-Gage also has built in Bluetooth technology, so you can play games wirelessly with other N-Gage systems. Since the system can get online, you can also play multiplayer games online with other people, download patches, updates, and other downloadable content.