We had an opportunity to play with Zeemote's -- this name is somehow familiar -- JS1 mobile joystick at MWC this week and while we first thought it a bit kitschy, it's actually a pretty amazing little device. Zeemote supplies an API to game developers and in short order -- apparently anyway -- the game can adapted to use the Bluetooth-enabled JS1as a controller. The device features an analog joystick and four user configurable triggers for control in a really comfortable controller that is small enough to pop into a pocket when not being used. The best bit is that it's not a gimmick, it works, and really well. We checked out the Heli game shown in the picture above and the JS1 really made the game fun to play. Games such as Tomb Raider, Hellstrike 3D, and Sonic have already been ported and we hope more to come, no word on pricing but we're not expecting this to be a pricey toy. Hit the gallery for pics and read on for some video footage

[Thanks to Ohad from Mobile Game Developer for the vid]

The delayed, revamped N-Gage client still isn't ready for prime time, but the First Access preview service -- which is just a little bit more functional than the preview shipping on some Nseries devices already -- has finally launched. The service introduces a full suite of social gaming tools (though with compatibility officially limited to N81s for the moment, that's a very small social circle indeed) and lets users download several game demos; Nokia promises that the service will evolve and expand as it ramps up for a full-scale release, so don't get too down on the lack of content and community just yet. Oh, and just a word of warning, downloaders: your data will get reset prior to the full-scale launch, so don't get too attached to your high scores, k?

[Via All About Symbian]

Apparently, Nokia just hasn't swallowed the fact that the world doesn't seem ready (or interested, whatever the case may be) in a handheld gaming system / cellphone hybrid. 'Course, with all that PSP phone chatter going on, we guess the times could be a-changin', and Nokia definitely doesn't want to miss its shot at redemption. A fresh patent application from the outfit details a handheld device that acts as a phone, multimedia player and gaming machine, but rather than forcing users to feel as if they're handling an NES controller, this concoction provides two wings that slip down for added comfort. Whether or not this thing would double as an acceptable boomerang remains to be seen.

[Via UnwiredView]

Corporate denials aside, a gaming handset from Sony Ericsson seems to make flat-out good sense -- particularly in light of Nokia's renewed emphasis on making N-Gage a success. What's more, you figure that Sony Ericsson has swiped Sony's Walkman and Cyber-shot brands for its own devices, so why not PlayStation, too? Indeed, it seems the "PSP phone" rumor ain't dying until the phone is magically willed into existence by the hopeful masses, and here's another bundle of kindling to toss into the fire: a shot of Stuff's latest issue in the UK, featuring an unusually real (and realistic) looking PlayStation-branded handset. Of course, odds are that Stuff's graphics peeps have just taken a little creative license in rendering their dream phone, but if that's the case, we think Sony Ericsson would be wise to pay attention -- it's a beaut, is it not?

[Via Unwired View]

We're not exactly sure how huge an audience there will be for subscription-based gaming on the cellphone, but nevertheless, Sprint is all set to find out. Announced at the Electronics for All Expo, the aptly-named Sprint Arcade will bring a number of titles from EA Mobile to "most data-enabled Sprint phones" for $9.99 per month. Among the titles listed are Sudoku, Mini Golf, Mahjong, Hearts, Air Hockey and Blue Blocks, but the carrier is already promising that more are on the horizon. Separately, the firm also proclaimed that it had partnered up with Namco Networks to bring Sprint users a mobile version of the Popeye arcade game, but it failed to cough up any pricing details to go along with it. So, anyone buying in? Or is that sound we hear the collective balking of Sprint customers everywhere?

If you've noticed an uptick in the number of gaming announcements coming out of Espoo recently, there's likely a very good reason for that. As expected, the New York Times is reporting that Nokia will officially announce this week a totally revamped N-Gage platform this week, turning the brand from a series of dedicated gaming-oriented phones to a full fledged service supported by a variety of its S60-based handsets. It sounds like N-Gage will take a number of cues from the current crop of online services for video game consoles, offering "try before you buy" game demos, player skill matching, recommendations, and other features that look to give the service even more of a community feel than it had before. Perhaps most importantly, Nokia will step up casual game offerings -- crucial for those times when you have literally one or two minutes to bust out some entertainment -- and offer the games as downloads rather than pesky cartridges. There's no word yet on exactly what existing handsets will be compatible, but it's safe to say superphones like the N95 will make the cut -- and odds are this doesn't spell the end of the gamephone form factor, either.

The exact nature of Nokia's next-gen N-Gage efforts still aren't entirely clear, but at least we know we'll be able to get our mahjong on. Nokia has announced a partnership with mobile game purveyor I-play to offer a full range of "casual" games to the N-Gage platform starting this fall. Interestingly, this announcement seems totally unrelated to the Shockwave Mini deal that was also recently inked -- so by all appearances, Nokia's putting a lot of weight behind its entertainment offerings over the next few months. There's no mention of how exactly the games will be delivered, though it's a safe bet that the upcoming N-Gage download client will play a role. Expect I-play's offerings to focus on -- as they call it -- "one-thumb" gaming experiences that make it easy to catch a quick game on the bus to work without having to get too involved. Just don't go trying World Rally Championship while you're driving, k?

Wireless handsets are becoming better gaming machines, although we're not seeing PSP-level playability yet on that slim-n-fast handset just yet. Toshiba, though, may want to change that -- and it's announced that a new 3D LSI chip that can render 100 mega-polygons per second to take mobile gaming and realism to the next level. As such, Toshy's new "TC35711XBG" chip is slated to be available to OEMs and ODMs in October. With 38 times the performance of existing solutions, built-in shading and reflectivity and WVGA support, we're chomping at the bit to see what this brings to the handset gaming table soon.

When you hear the word N-Gage, you probably get weird, grossed-out feelings and maybe a little stabbing pain in your side, right? Well, Nokia is attempting to make the transition from the N-Gage as a handheld gaming device (and a bit of a failed one at that), to N-Gage as a standalone game platform -- one which can be implemented on the PC as well as other mobile systems. The company is currently in the thick of development on a top-secret title known as "Project White Rock", which will be the first bound for the PC. The game is being developed by RedLynx (creators of popular handheld fare like "Pathways to Glory"), and produced by Scott Foe, who's known for his work on the first mobile MMOG "Pocket Kingdom: Own the World". According to reports, the game contains over a thousand lines of recorded dialogue, though sources say the game-play experience will be largely the same on both the PC and handheld platforms. Whatever the case may be, the few glimpses we've seen of the "next generation" N-Gage look pretty promising, and this scheme may just be the shot in the arm Nokia's gaming division is looking for.

[Via Joystiq]

With under a week to go until the iPhone launches, all bets are officially off. Of course, we'd still risk the farm (okay, at least the barn) that this rumor will remain just that, but an "anonymous source" has reportedly suggested that Nintendo could end up partnering with Apple for iPhone gaming. Interestingly enough, it was stated that any content pushed out for the iPhone would "cater to older audiences," which enables us to take all of this very lightly considering the Big N's obsession with less-than-mature titles. Additionally, these "exclusives" would unsurprisingly be released via iTunes for a whopping $29 apiece, but controlling Mario without a trademark D-pad could prove difficult. Frankly, we're hardly buying into this one just yet, but it's not like Apple hasn't done the impossible before.

[Via TUAW]

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]

We fully understand that there's nothing a lot of you would rather be doing on a Friday afternoon than enjoying a carefree round at the club, but those backscheduling reports aren't running autonomously just yet. Still, it looks like LG's elusive GPS-L2000 can add a dash of leisure to your hectic day provided you can sneak out of the office, as it reportedly provides distance judging assistance when nearing the cup, electronic scorecards, GPS navigation, some sort of depthfinder for the anglers in the house, and of course, the obligatory MP3 / movie / DMB TV playback that Koreans probably take for granted. Internally, the unit sports a 520MHz Intel PXA270 processor, 3.2-inch 320 x 240 touchscreen LCD, 128MB of Flash memory, 128MB of RAM, a SiRF Star III receiver, miniSD card slot, and Windows CE Net 5.0 running the show. So if you're interested in checking out the perfect weekend handset, and don't mind the stubby antenna, be sure to hit the read link for a smattering of hands-on photos.

Just because Nokia hasn't committed to making a direct successor to the original N-Gage doesn't mean there won't be focused devices in the pipeline to support its next-gen gaming platform. Although the N73 and N95 are apparently the only launched models that'll support its game download service when it launches this September, neither device is well-suited to the rigors of a hardcore game, and that's where the new handset comes into play (pun intended). Though details are scant, the Wall Street Journal reports that it'll have dedicated game keys, "among other features," for the expressed purpose of making life a little easier on the on-the-go gamer. As long as we can dispense with the taco talking, we're game (again, pun intended).

[Via MocoNews]

With Nintendo's staunch resistance to anything outside the narrow focus of gaming -- though it looks like they're loosening up on that standard quite a bit with the Wii -- it's quite surprising they ever even gave a phone a second thought, but even more surprising they have a patent for just such a device dated November 2001. For some reason, it took the USPTO until June 2006 to issue this thing, so there's no telling if Nintendo still has any interest in its "Electronic apparatus having game and telephone functions," but that doesn't mean we can't ogle the mockup screenshots all the same. Peep 'em after the break.

[Thanks, Steve P]