The N-Gage mobile game deck by Nokia will retail for $299 at EB Games, GameStop and select Target locations. Included in the purchase are the game deck, charger, rechargeable battery, stereo headset, USB cable and a SIM card with a pre-selected telephone number and a $50 value of free T-Mobile service. Gamers can start gaming immediately after opening the box.
"The wireless game revolution is here!" said Nada Usina, general manager of entertainment and media for Nokia Mobile Phones in the Americas region. "Hard core and active gamers now have a way to compete head-to-head with other gamers wirelessly via Bluetooth wireless technology and over-the-air globally via N-Gage Arena."
Retailers are continuing the frenzy by planning "Midnight Madness" and "Dawn Madness" parties for their customers in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago in celebration of the October 7 on-sale date. Some retail locations will open at midnight on October 6, while others will open at dawn on October 7 to quench the gamers' thirsts to get their hands on the N-Gage game deck quickly. In each city, gamers are invited to be one of the first 100 people to buy the N-Gage game deck so they can receive a free game pack including five N-Gage game deck titles. They can also compete head-to-head with other gamers for a chance to win a grand prize trip to the Nokia Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on January 4, 2004. Other prizes for top scores include N-Gage mobile game decks and limited-edition Nokia snowboards. All of those who attend will go home happy with N-Gage swag including t-shirts, caps, stickers and postcards.
"The N-Gage device is an innovative mobile game deck that creates an entirely new market for games," said Jeff Griffiths, EB Games CEO. "EB Games is very excited to be a launch partner for the N-Gage game deck. Bottom line -- N-Gage is a unique product and will be a hot gift this holiday season."
In Los Angeles and Chicago, the "Midnight Madness" parties will take place starting at 10:00 p.m. on October 6. In Los Angeles, gamers can take part at EB Games located at The Promenade at Howard Hughes located at 6081 Center Drive. In Chicago, GameStop will host festivities at Woodfield Village Green at 1472 East Golf Road in Schaumburg. The Electronics Boutique at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York City will open at 6:00 a.m. on October 7.
Dan DeMatteo, President and Chief Operating Officer of GameStop Corp., says: "N-Gage is the latest thing in multi-dimensional handheld gaming systems. Our gamers can't wait to get their hands on this technology in wireless, multi-player gaming. We expect the N-Gage to be on many gamers' Christmas lists this year."
The N-Gage device is an innovative mobile game deck that creates an entirely new market for games. Built for hard-core and active gamers, the N-Gage game deck allows for online, mobile, multiplayer game play with some of today's hottest titles including Tomb Raider starring Lara Croft, Pandemonium and Super Monkey Ball. It features a high-quality, 3D color graphics with backlight, and nine-way directional controller (aka the "Rocker") and an ergonomic design optimized for mobile game play. In addition to its cutting-edge game-playing capabilities, the N-Gage game deck also features a digital music player (MP3/AAC), stereo FM radio, as well as a tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 mobile phone.
N-Gage Arena will be the home for the worldwide virtual community of gamers, to share their experiences and to find other players for mobile online fun. The content services are initially offered as free of charge to consumers for a trial period, allowing them to trial the N-Gage( Arena. Some of the key launch features of the N-Gage Arena include: cheats (downloads that boost the characters abilities or help the player out of a sticky situation); game clips (gamer records a game sequence and uploads it for other players to view); Shadow Gaming (gamer posts a "shadow" of his/her character, which other players can contest); strategy guides and walk-throughs (game recordings to demonstrate how a game challenge is solved); high score posting, as well as 2-player gaming in a live situation. All of these N-Gage Arena services take place in a mobile environment allowing gamers on-the-fly, immediate access that only N-Gage can provide.
About N-Gage
The N-Gage game deck is an innovative mobile device that is creating an entirely new market for the games industry. Built for active and hardcore gamers, the Nokia N-Gage is the first mobile and connected game deck to feature online high-quality 3D multiplayer game play over Bluetooth(TM) wireless technology and GPRS. The N-Gage game deck also offers unique online games services as well as a comprehensive and growing games catalogue from the leading game publishers. Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications.