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MobileGaming posts

Nokia announces the end of its N-Gage gaming platform

by Laura June posted Oct 30th 2009 @ 1:31PM

Nokia has officially announced that it will put an end to its problem-plagued N-Gage gaming service, integrating it into its Ovi Store. The move isn't really a shocker, and while Nokia has confirmed that no further games will be published, it's also said that it will continue to sell currently available games in the Ovi Store (as of today) until the end of September 2010. The N-Gage website, which holds the Arena and community boards, will also continue until that time. Nokia says that any already purchased games will continue to run on the mobile device, but that any connected community features will be non-functional come 2010.

[Via Pocket Lint]

Nokia says N73, N93 and N93i won't be N-Gage compatible

by Darren Murph posted Mar 27th 2009 @ 5:26AM

Tough news for N73, N93 and N93i owners -- a respected N-Gage Arena Forum moderator has just stepped forward to let the world know that the aforesaid phones will not be N-Gage compatible. For folks who've moved on to newer, more powerful handsets, we're sure this tidbit means nothing; for those who've held tight to prior promises to bring the N-Gage experience to this trio, it's far more detrimental. We're told that Nokia tried for months on end to make it all work, but in the end they simply weren't satisfied with the experience on these aged devices. No need to tear up though, it's just the perfect excuse to line up for that N97 you've been eying.

[Via All About Symbian]

Smartphone videogame market explodes in 2008; dumbphone market wounded, but struggling on

by Tim Stevens posted Feb 2nd 2009 @ 3:32AM

With the economy lodged so firmly in the toilet we're always glad to see some sort of good news on that front, so check out the latest numbers from comScore that show the market for downloadable time-wasters on smartphones grew by a massive 291 percent in the period between November of 2007 and 2008. That's thanks in large part to the iPhone and its App Store, with sales on that platform alone accounting for 14 percent of all mobile game downloads and nearly one third of all iPhone users reporting they'd downloaded at least one game. That compares quite favorably to non-smartphone users, of whom just 3.8 percent have downloaded a game, driving that market to decline by 14 percent since 2007. Overall the mobile gaming industry bucked recessionary trends, grew a healthy 17 percent, and will now be shopping in the husky clothing section.

[Via PHONE Magazine]

Nokia Quake III gains on-phone server, Bluetooth keyboard and mouse support

by Darren Murph posted Nov 28th 2008 @ 1:02AM

Remember when playing Quake III at a decent resolution required a $5,000 Alienware? Man, those were the days. Now, we can't help but be thankful for a few special Nokia handsets (the N95 8GB, E90 and N82 in particular) that can all handle the game by their lonesome. In fact, the latest version of the software adds a few remarkably awesome extras. For starters, users can now take advantage of on-phone server support, meaning that your handset can actually host a Quake III multiplayer battle (and may we recommend the server name "trashaccident?"). Also of note, the devs have tossed in support for Bluetooth mice and keyboards. We know, right? Tap the read link for all the juicy installation instructions.

[Via Decoder, thanks Olli]

Samsung looks to patent two new gaming phone designs

by Brian White posted Aug 13th 2007 @ 11:04PM

Samsung looks to move forward into the realm of mobile gaming with two new U.S. patents involving gameplay-oriented handsets. For starters, patent #1 (pictured above) describes a "portable communication terminal for games." The display on this design involves a hinged "flip" that unveils a dual-row numeric keypad complete with phone navigational array when opened, and a gaming d-pad when closed (we hope that hinge is solid); the 'A' and 'B' buttons are near the earpiece and always visible. More info on the second patent application after the break.

[via Unwired View]

Read - Patent 1
Read - Patent 2

Continue reading Samsung looks to patent two new gaming phone designs

Verizon Wireless intros 'Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved'

by Brian White posted Jul 25th 2007 @ 6:28PM

We love seeing console and even old-school arcade games being ported to cellphone screens, and Verizon Wireless has done us a solid in that respect. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved can now be landed on the screens of those with Verizon's 'Get It Now' service. Want some gameplay deets? The BREW-based Geometry Wars version serves up Untouchable, Survivor, Monster, Trenches, Speed, Multiplier, Feline, and Bomber modes. We call that mobile game playing paradise. Get it now for a one-time $6.49 fee or $3.49 for a month of use. It's now available on 25 Verizon handsets, including the MOTOKRZR K1m and the LG enV.

Samsung files patent for joystick phone

by Joshua Topolsky posted Jul 16th 2007 @ 4:11PM

Making a grab for our adult wallets by aiming for our childlike love of video games, Samsung has recently filed a patent for a clamshell cellphone which can transform into a 2600-style controller. Last time we checked, killing at "Snake" on our phone wasn't so difficult that we needed to collapse or otherwise totally re-jigger the device to play it, but as mobile games become increasingly complex, using the keypad is starting to feel just a little limiting -- and that's where Samsung's engineers step in. The basic premise is that the bottom half of your flip-phone would pivot not only open and closed (or backward and forward), but also left and right, thus allowing you to escape from Blinky more quickly, jump over barrels more deftly, and generally get a serious game on.

[Via Unwired View]

Report shows adults biggest consumers of mobile games

by Sean Cooper posted Apr 30th 2007 @ 5:36PM

Middle aged gamers for teh win (or something)! The NPD Group is reporting that in an average month, 29 million cell owners play games on their mobile devices and more than 7 million download games -- though there isn't any mention of where they are downloading from. NPD further break this down with 29 percent downloaded by people aged 24 - 34, 27 by the 18 - 24 set, and 15 percent by the youngest group aged 13 - 17. No shocker here -- the oldest group typically has the means, a credit card to shop with, and depending on the career choice, time.

[Via mocoNews]

Gameloft bringing games to BlackBerry smartphones

by Brian White posted Mar 28th 2007 @ 9:50AM

If you're a mobile gamer, odds are you're probably not using a BlackBerry -- but if a major publisher has any say in the matter, that may not be true for long. Gameloft, Europe's biggest mobile phone games provider, announced this week that it will soon be making and selling games for the BlackBerry platform. This is quite a boost for BlackBerry owners who have probably wanted official support for cutting-edge mobile games for some time. Right off the bat, Gameloft titles such as "Asphalt Urban GT 2," "LOST" and "Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones" will be the first titles for the BlackBerry platform released by Gameloft, and will cost from $5.99 to $7.99 each depending on where the carriers price each title. With the U.S. mobile gaming market seeing 2006 revenues of $722 million, it's no wonder Gameloft saw such a nice opportunity here. BlackBerry owners aren't all business, right?

Get your Second Life live on your cellphone

by Brian White posted Feb 13th 2007 @ 4:00PM

Are you sneaking away from work early to get your "Second Life" with it in the virtual space? Well, millions do that every day, so it seems strangely natural for someone or something to port the Second Life virtual environment to a mobile somehow. It's been done -- and as a J2ME application that should work on almost any java-enabled cellphone. Killer features here, according to Comverse Technology which created the app, are integrated SMS and instant messaging -- and even streaming of mobile video directly inside the Second Life mobile app. But if that data connection drops out, expect your avatar to wilt over and wait for that nifty EV-DO or HSDPA connection to return in full force.

CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XII - Kiloo exec extolls virtues of crack cocaine business model

by Peter Rojas posted Aug 22nd 2006 @ 1:05PM

We usually don't have to wait long for some tech industry exec to give us new fodder for CE-Oh no he didn't!, and Karl Woods, pusherman/Executive Vice President of sales and marketing for mobile developer and publisher Kiloo delivered the goods earlier this week. He decided we should witness the strength of his street knowledge by comparing his job of marketing mobile games to, and we're quoting here, "the crack cocaine model." (Could someone tell him that his company is named "Kiloo," not "Kilo"?) Says Woods:

"You offer the customer a free rock, and they get hooked. That's what we're going to have to do with the 90 per cent. But everyone has to do it, the whole industry has to try and crack this, or we'll just keep fighting over that 10 percent."

We feel you, Karl. All the crackhouses on our block learned years ago how to stop fighting over that 10 percent and go after the mass market.

[Via MoCoNews]

Women do the lion's share of mobile gaming, sez study

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 1st 2006 @ 4:51PM

Cellphones seem to have a way of busting gender stereotypes. First we hear that men are more likely than women to buy a phone as a fashion accessory (Nokia probably wishes they'd caught wind of that before showing the decidedly feminine L'Amour Collection), and now we're being told that some 59% of all mobile gamers represent the fairer sex -- at least that's what research firm Parks Associates has concluded in surveying some 2,000 Internet-connected gamers. "Women are the foundation of the gaming market, and as an industry, we need to cater to their preferences," says Parks Associates' director of research John Barrett. Of course, if this means more games like Spore dropping on our phones, us boys say, "bring it on."

Nokia announces six games for N-Gage, N-series, S60 devices

by Evan Blass posted May 10th 2006 @ 3:00PM

Just because you're a Mobile reader. doesn't mean you can't join in on the E3 fun. Nokia used the world's biggest gaming show to unveil several upcoming titles compatible with not only the N-Gage, but N-series and some S60 devices as well. Among the six games announced were three sequels to popular franchises, Space Impact, System Rush: Evolution, and ONE-Who's Next?, which improves upon the 2004 fighter with better graphics, frame rates, and support for landscape mode. The new titles also look rather promising, and include an Internet-enabled version of Texas Hold'em called Pocket Aces, which allows players to convert winnings into digital swag for their online avatars, and even allow those avatars to play in their stead. Rounding up the bunch are the N-Gage Arena-compatible Pro Series Golf and a fishing simulator called Creatures of the Deep that uses vibration feedback to enhance the otherwise boring activity of watching a fishing pole on your phone's tiny screen.