N-Gage (device)
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| Manufacturer | Nokia |
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| Type | Handheld game console and mobile phone |
| Generation | Sixth generation |
| Release date | 7 October 2003 |
| Retail availability | 2003–2005 |
| Discontinued | 26 November 2005 |
| Units sold | 3 million (as of 30 July 2007) |
| Media | MultiMediaCard |
| Operating system | Symbian OS 6.1 (Series 60) |
| CPU | ARM920T @ 104 MHz |
| Storage | MultiMediaCard, 3.4 MB internal memory (1st gen N-Gage) |
| Connectivity | HSCSD, GPRS, Bluetooth |
| Online services | N-Gage Arena |
The N-Gage (a pun on engage) is a smartphone and handheld game system from Nokia, announced on 4 November 2002 and released on 7 October 2003. It runs the original Series 60 platform on Symbian OS v6.1. Its original development codename was Starship.
N-Gage attempted to lure gamers away from the Game Boy Advance by including mobile phone functionality. This was unsuccessful, partly because the buttons, designed for a phone, were not well-suited for gaming and when used as a phone the original N-Gage was described as resembling a taco, which led to its mocking nickname "Taco phone".
Nokia introduced the N-Gage QD in 2004 as a redesign of the original "Classic" N-Gage, fixing widely criticized issues and design problems. However, the new model was unable to make an impact, and with only 2 million units sold in its two years, the N-Gage and its QD model were a commercial failure, unable to challenge their Nintendo rival. The N-Gage was discontinued in November 2005, with Nokia moving its gaming capabilities onto selected Series 60 smartphones. This was announced as the N-Gage platform or "N-Gage 2.0" in 2007, carrying on the N-Gage name.
Around 2000, gamers increasingly carried both mobile phones and handheld game consoles. Nokia spotted an opportunity to combine these devices into one unit. Nokia announced in November 2002 that they would develop the N-Gage, a device that integrated these two devices. Instead of using cables, multiplayer gaming was accomplished with Bluetooth or the Internet (via the N-Gage Arena service). The N-Gage also included MP3 and Real Audio/Video playback and PDA-like features into the system.
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