BERJAYA

I was just wondering how the hell Nokia can say that they sold 400,000 N-Gage units after 2 weeks of launch, when in the fist week only 5,500 were sold. I'm a manager at a Gamestop and this system has started to collect dust and it's not just in my store. Since the price drop to $200, I still haven't sold one. My store only sold 3 since this thing came out. So I was just wondering if Nokia is saying BS or not when it comes to the numbers. Thanks.

Chadd responds: Many people were initially confused about the figure of 400,000 units Nokia announced were sold globally in the first two weeks. It refers to the total N-Gages sold to retailers (shipped to stores), and does not represent the amount sold to consumers. The number of actual units sold to consumers is still unknown, but judging by retailer's decision to drop the price from $300 to $200 we can tell they aren't exactly flying off the shelves as Nokia had planned.
Nokia representatives have said that the N-Gage strategy wasn't to seize a large portion of the handheld market right away, but to establish N-Gage brand, and make people aware that there is a new game machine in town. While this may be a partial explanation of low sales, a poor selling system can quickly lose consumer confidence.

We hope Nokia is currently developing a new course of action to stimulate interest in its new omni-portable. Maybe if there were more original games available instead of quickly ported GBA games, players would pay more attention to the N-Gage. Nokia had better hope the next wave of titles contains a few killer apps, or the new handheld could face a harsh holiday season.

Paranoia and Concern

So will the N-Gage site ever be updated? Are you guys going to answer any new mail? Or was it a one-shot site paid for by Nokia marketing?

Chadd responds: I guess a couple of you noticed the N-Gage channel's recent dry spell. We were actually just holding the site for ransom in order to get more money out of Nokia for all the quality propaganda we produce. Until any of you N-Gage fans can provide me with a solid gold Rolls-Royce so my baby-mama can get her hair did in style, I'm not updating.

All joking aside, you'll notice that most N-Gage sites haven't updated much in the past couple of weeks and that's due to the lack of news and game releases lately. During the N-Gage's downtime, I was actually busy working on one of IGN's top-secret internal projects that will undoubtedly revolutionize the Internet as we know it. Well, at least that's what I tell my baby-mama.

So, as we enter the month of November with a couple of new games on the horizon, the N-Gage channel will see regular updates once again. And in celebration of our continued activity, we introduce to you the new IGN N-Gage mascot, and I think he sums up the commencement of the site back in action best… take it away Captiain!

BlueTooth Blues

I'm trying to use BlueTooth to connect my N-Gage with my computer but I've been having trouble. Any advice?

Chadd responds:Well, it's hard to pinpoint your problem without knowing what hardware and software you are using, but assuming you have a BlueTooth compatible computer, first make sure that the N-Gage's BlueTooth option is turned on:

Main menu-> Tools-> BlueTooth, then make sure BlueTooth is set to "On", set My device's visibility is set to "shown to all", and also create a name under My BlueTooth name.
When the N-Gage's BlueTooth mode is on, a small dot will appear towards the upper right corner of the display under the battery indicator. Configuring your computer depends on what OS and software you are running.
I am currently using an Apple G4 (I better not hear any Apple bashing!), which displays a BlueTooth icon from the desktop. By clicking on that icon I can choose a "send file" option, which automatically searches for BlueTooth devices to send transfer files with.

Your computer probably has a similar BlueTooth program to help you transfer files to and from your N-Gage. Don't give up trying, because transferring sound files, contact info, schedule data, and pictures, using BlueTooth is one of the system's coolest features.

Side Talkin'

Ijust wanted to send this web site's URL. It's a bunch of people using the N-Gage (and other stuff) to "side-talk".

Chadd responds:Oh we know just the site my friend. With the release of the N-Gage, a "side-talkin" phenomenon has consumed countless gamers, and as a result, more than a few poor souls have lost their fragile grip on sanity. Those brave enough to stare in the face of madness should head over to Sidetalkin.com to experience it first-hand, but take heed, if you think your shoe is beginning to talk to you, close your browser immediately. Good luck.

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