Nokia Unveils N-Gage QD

Nokia executives have unveiled a new iteration of the N-Gage hardware, at a press conference in London today. The new machine fixes all of the prominent design issues from the original console but features the same internal technology, minus MP3 and radio functionality. This is primarily to help reduce the cost, which is estimated at €99/$99 with a contract and around €199/$199 without. The unit is expected to go on sale in May, although it will have no specific launch date. Nokia representatives were keen to point out that the new machine was not the “N-Gage 2” and would be sold alongside the existing version as a cheaper, games-only alternative. As such the QD (which stands for the Latin quaque die, meaning “every day”) is smaller and features a redesigned joypad and buttons. More crucially users no longer need to remove the battery to change games and the placement of the mobile phone speakers and microphone have been altered to eliminate the need for “sidetalkin’”. At the, sometimes unconvincingly staged, conference various future game titles were also demonstrated with first person shoot ‘em-ups Ashen and Pathway to Glory being most prominent. Further exclusive titles were also promised but were not revealed at this time. Source: Nokia