How Nokia Secretly Failed N-Gage!

Nokia N-Gage's complete failure of a portable video game console + its totally forgotten sequel platform N-Gage 2.0 & Metal Gear Solid Mobile!
Support Rerez and get cool stuff! / rereztv
Special thanks to our guests @AdamKoralik & @StopSkeletonsFromFighting
And extra special thanks to twincitykillaz for sending us SIM cards for our N-Gage!
Fullscreen N-Gage & N-Gage 2.0 Emulation captured with EKA2L1
#gaming #videogames #gamingvideos #worstgames #worstgame #justbadgames #rerez #games #console #consolegaming #Ngage #WorstEver #BadGames #TheWorstEverSeries #metalgearsolid #metalgearmobile

[@markusTegelane]

the fact you had to remove the battery to change games is a sign that Nokia was a phone manufacturer first, game console maker second it's actually kind of like switching SIM cards on their old phones

[@thearousedeunuch]

It's exactly like that, actually.

[@julhizantwo2277]

Also more like sdcard, but later one they put that little to top and not blocked by friggin battery

[@hyperturbotechnomike]

My opinion: If the N-Gage was released as a dedicated console without a phone, but with a regular button layout and a larger screen, it would have been a smashing success.

[@thearousedeunuch]

@@hyperturbotechnomike Assuming that third-party developers would've sided with Nokia's vision, I agree. I wonder what Nokia's Switch would look like nowadays.

[@cnhnx]

Also the choice for vertical oriented screen that only fits for vertical scrolling shooter, pinball, puzzle games like Tetris, and nothing else. Nothing wrong with those kind of games, they have huge fanbase, but not the one that N-Gage tried to market itself into with the way they showcased its 3D graphics capability.

[@Jeloetta]

The commitment to the bit of not letting Adam finish "It's Just Bad" - incredible.

[@rerez]

IT'S ALWAYS MY LINE!

[@PunakiviAddikti]

Can we get an F for Adam?

[@lrobin-is8dg]

@@PunakiviAddiktiF

[@AmEv7fam]

@@rerez inb4 the "and so is my life" comments.

[@nonamepasserbya6658]

@@rerez How many Adams do you know?

[@Jamangbai]

One of my fond memories of working as a GameStop employee around post-launch of the N-Gage was talking with the Nokia sales representative when he'd drop by the store. It was probably no more than a few times in total. By that last visit, he'd ask the same question that he'd ask each time he'd come in: "How are the N-Gage sales?" "There aren't any." I replied. Also...awesome video!!!

[@thetwistedsamurai]

Aw man. I feel kinda bad for that poor guy. I bet he was lowkey excited to find out even despite the poor sales, based on the way he said it.

[@ralphtaylor7448]

This is the time that mothers left their kids at GameStop to be babysitted by employees

[@Drain-Life-Archive]

The fact you had to remove the battery to switch cartridges shows they had no idea what they were doing.

[@Nianfur]

Piracy solved this problem...

[@peacelovingindian9907]

They fixed it with QD

[@Bobo-ox7fj]

"To adjust volume, fully disassemble the unit and find trimpot VR2 located below the JTAG pins, then reassemble the device to test."

[@Elyseon]

"To change screen brightness, disassemble casing, locate graphics board, disconnect cable ARJ-32 (red), connect to desired slot and resolder. Not to be mistaken for ARJ-31B, which controls the power on LED light."

[@ReactigatorDile]

What I love about the Worst Ever series is that it fully disects whatever hardware is featured. Most other people would just show things off, laugh and say "wow look at how bad this is," and then end things at around 15 minutes or so, but the Rerez team really dive deep and deconstruct every aspect about a video game system's faults and explain why systems fail. Even the not so obvious causes. I've learned so much about the gaming industry just from these videos. It's like I'm watching a docummentary each time.

[@thearousedeunuch]

Exactly. That's what's great about Rerez. Criticism with reason. I hope that they don't go into the shorts format instead, as this is the right way of doing things.

[@DE-GEN-ART]

not the most original idea ever to be pondered and broadcasted to youtube, but yeah rerez is OG

[@benmalsky9834]

I know, it's great!

[@benmalsky9834]

I really think videos on gaming are more engaging when you really delve into it, and are being very informative rather than just being jokey the whole time.

[@TheCommanderTaco]

​@@thearousedeunuch done right shorts can be good as well. If they do shorts I hope it would either be teasers for the full video or just small tidbits here and there that either wouldn't fit in or be long enough for it's own video.

[@douglasthequilava]

I love that mini Just Bad Games segment during this episode. Makes me feel like it’d be possible to see more mini JBG segments in future Worst Ever episodes

[@ryanbauer3680]

All its lacking is a Money Ghost haunting and a Batman cameo sometime after 22:15.

[@SalivatingSteve]

My brother won a free N-Gage in October 2003 at their launch party in LA. The only game he had was Tomb Raider, I remember taking off the backplate to put in the game and it stayed there forever. It was more powerful than a GBA, but less powerful than the DS which released a year later. You're spot on about the games being very difficult to control. The loading screens are because it used MMC (too early for SD, yet still had some kind of DRM) cards, and the transfer speeds are similar to that of a CD-ROM.

[@tv321123]

To be fair, the same thing could be said for things like PS1 games. They worked enough at the time because we did not know any better and got used to how not great they were. I remember the same with the ngauge. It was not good, but perfectly playable at the time. The point of reference for a 'good' 3d portable controls did not exist yet. The DS with the touch screen was a bit better at the time, but kind of crap when you go back and try it now. And at the time. Being able to play online multi-player in a 3d FPS over cellular network. Was revolutionary for the time (call of duty)

[@gnarfarmer]

Bethesda designing an elder scrolls game exclusive to a weird phone-game hybrid thing nobody wants is somehow very on brand for them

[@dadwithnomustache]

Fun fact: Ngage actually pretty popular in my country Indonesia, because it was the first phone released in my country that can be used to emulate gameboy games which is a big deal considering how hard to find real gameboy cartridge in Indonesia

[@Lyiidayoooo]

i do surprise when i learn that people outside indonesia doesn't like n gage. like you said, here in indonesia n gage is a dream device for every child here😂

[@Lyiidayoooo]

also i remember that time when i was a kid drooling at gba emulation on this device, all i got is nokia x-2 that can only emulate gbc

[@vaillant_500]

Yup, the gamer dream phone. But looking back, I understand why they hate it wkwk (I mean, playing COD in 10 fps? Just no...)

[@username-jb6zy]

​@@Lyiidayooooi miss using java phones solely for the reason of being able to play GBC games. Sure, we can do so much more with Android, even iPhone isn't a bad emulation device if you know how to do it but back in the early 2000s, you were the don if you had games like that on your phone

[@NeoGeo2006]

Damn

[@MikePhalin]

I worked at EB Games as a second job during the N-Gage's V2 release. We had about 20 of them in the back room. Not a single one sold. Nor did any of the games. I still have a picture of the backroom with the stacks of N-Gages.

[@Rebel_Railroad_Productions]

Damn, that's sad.

[@psychotenshi8084]

What ever happened to them?

[@lordlundar]

@@psychotenshi8084 SOP for such a situation is to either return the assets to the manufacturer or if unable to because the manufacturer already wrote them off, to destroy the assets at either the distribution center or the stores themselves.

[@MikePhalin]

@@lordlundar That was the case with a lot of stuff we'd get in at Walden Books, too.

[@kirarakurokawa8747]

pic?

[@WarioSaysSo]

I had a Nokia N-Gage phone and i honestly LOVED it 🙂 It was actually a very good phone to talk and text with and its radio and blutooth was working very well. Oh and it was fun to play game on. Not all N-Gage games was fun due to poor controls but overall it offered nice graphics and possibilities.

[@Bro-cx2jc]

I'm confused by the "it looks like you're holding a taco to your head" complaint. How about just holding it to your head the way you hold *every other cell phone in existence,* and suddenly that problem would be solved XD

[@WarioSaysSo]

@@Bro-cx2jc Indeed!

[@AtheistJr]

Wow, the level of detailed research for this video is commendable. Great job Shane, Adam, and Rerez crew. 👍

[@NationalGuard5]

Love how you were able to fit a "Just Bad Games" segment into the "Worst Ever" series. Maybe we'll get more videos like this in the future.

[@ddjsoyenby]

that wouldn't be the "worst ever" idea........in fact it might be "just good"

[@tarstarkusz]

This whole thing start to finish is Millennial cringe.

[@tarstarkusz]

@@romancatholicgameing Huh? How is this in any way related to what I said?

[@emperorfaiz]

I still remember what a "big hit" that phone was in my country, Malaysia but the users cared more about playing Java games especially pirated ones on it than physical games which I think that's not what Nokia wanted exactly. I remember I wished to have that phone when I'm old enough but I completely ignored it once PSP and Nintendo DS arrived. Eventually, I got my first phone Nokia 6120 which was a great phone, and bought and downloaded dozens of Java games. EDIT: Now, I just remember playing N-Gage for the first time in a Nokia kiosk playing Sonic and Tomb Raider. Interesting experience.

[@chokeeweebee]

it was a big hit for countries plagued with piracy because they didn't have to deal with removing the battery to switch games. But failed in countries where games were being developed (Japan) because Nokia didn't even try to compete in that Galapagos island market of (from the early 90's till 2010's) highly super advanced mobile phones.

[@ameirull506]

I remember bought mine (Ngage QD) in 2006, I was like the hottest kid in class. Imagine playing Sims and Asphalt game during recess and everyone wanted to try it. I also bought a 512mb card just to fill it with ROMs and MP3s. Really good time

[@thegunnersfan00]

Demo kenal barey

[@Randkaz]

​@@ameirull506 I remember a guy in 2010 who had a freaking Sonic Ericcson Playstation phone. Madlad was very popular lmao

[@Isaac-gh5ku]

I remember a classmate of mine back in 2003 also had one. I don't know how much it was cost at the time since I think the value of the US Dollar back then is probably different than it was today. It also reminds me of an episode in an anthology TV series from the early 2000s called "Kisah Benar" where a boss or an office superior was calling on a Nokia 3650. I think me and the rest of Malaysia had no idea that the Nokia 3650 was absolutely HATED because of its odd keypad design.

[@ringfitmaster3079]

This was a really fun video to watch. So many people like to always knock on the Nokia & I totally understand but it's nice to see someone show the strengths while acknowledging it's flaws that doomed the system. I miss those days of video games feeling like video games and hardware makers were coming up with new ideas to make their hardware unique.

[@yoshiyajoshuakiryu3198]

I worked at a Verizon contracted call center and saw that phone and wanted it so bad. But it was a few hundred dollars and making only $8.50 an hour there was no way I could afford a phone and a plan. Verizon’s plans were so friggin expensive. Especially the data plans and they did throttle people though we were never to say that or we’d get written up. Such memories lol. 😂

[@TheCommanderTaco]

"E3 is no longer relevant" such words hit the heart harder then I thought lol. I remember it was always a dream to one day save enough money to attend. Even if it turned out to be a terrible year for games you could at least take contentment with the fact you attended gaming's biggest event. Now that dread is just "dust in the wind dude"- Bill and Ted Lol.

[@nikoladedic6623]

You still got stuff like Gamescom and TGS

[@aitehs]

​@@nikoladedic6623it's not the same...

[@Bro-cx2jc]

What happened? Why did it end?

[@nikoladedic6623]

@@Bro-cx2jc Companies are at this preferring to have their own events rather than share spot on the same one.

[@user-73a]

2007 was the best E3 ever being an Xbox fan, I wish the fanboys of Sony could have felt that type of excitement

[@TweezyJay]

It’s always a good day when Rerez posts!

[@ElPablomunger]

When he uploads' problems become a myth for an hour

[@TheFuriousFandango]

Work? What work?

[@notkimpine]

can't wait for the wii u episode that scott the woz tweeted recently... ooohhhh i'm so pumped...

[@anuranjanneog1679]

Definitely!

[@gimmickmusic8827]

I’m genuinely ecstatic to see this show up on this channel. I remember Nokia went hard on advertising the N-Gage when it first released. I also remembered the first time I had seen the N-Gage. I walked into a Gamestop and it was front and center in the store and nobody cared except me because I was curious. I never knew that it supported 3D graphics since I only got to play the one game they had on hand and that was the port of Sonic Advance from the GBA. It was… ok. I had a lot of experience with Sonic Adv, since I had beaten it on my own GBA a ton. The biggest issue that I noticed was the control input didn’t feel quite right. The GBA just felt right, where the N-Gage felt like a phone trying to be a game handheld… which makes sense.

[@jacksonteller3973]

yeah I never knew that either, I saw one at multiple Gamestops near me and assumed it was a GBA knock-off, it blew my mind to find out they had full 3-D games with voice acting. I actually downloaded an emulator to play Glimmeratti and it's actually pretty enjoyable in a weird way, and the title theme kinda slaps.

[@DoctorTex]

They say Adam is still yelling "SHANE?! SHANE?!" to this day.

[@julcaos]

A "Worst Ever" with an "It's Just Bad" cameo is what everybody needed to finish off the week. Thanks guys!

[@Nolroa]

Finish off the week? If it's only Tuesday (Tuesday, May 9, 2023 when this video was uploaded)

[@matthias6933]

Some devs at Sony had probably a good chuckle at that time when they discovered that the N-Gage's most impressive games were just PS1 ports and they realized that they could cramp a processor into a handheld that makes the entire PS1 library compatible.

[@NoahDaArk]

Hell, their whole attempt at a cool price reveal had the same exact price as the PS1. And we all know how awesome the Price Heard Around The World was

[@scottthewaterwarrior]

Yup. Got a hacked PSP now, originally just for PSP stuff, but being able to play nearly every PS1 game is awesome too! Though I can't really imagine playing the likes of Medal of Honor without a joystick.

[@matthias6933]

@@scottthewaterwarrior it's the most mindblowing thing to me about the PSP. Making the whole library of the most previous last gen home console in a portable device run basically natively must have been some true engineering wizardry

[@WinVisten]

@@scottthewaterwarrior The PSP isn't compatible with PS1 discs, so how can you play nearly every PS1 game on it? Besides emulation from hacks, I mean? I know there were a lot of PS1 ports, but weren't most of those on the PSP store, which has since been shut down?

[@scottthewaterwarrior]

@@WinVisten Your right, a stock PSP isn't capable of such things, but a modded one is and that is stupid easy to do these days. Took me about 15 minutes to install custom firmware and I've never done anything of the sort before. Then you just rip the PS1 disks with a PC, run them through a file converter, and plop them onto the PSP. Or just download them pre-converted.

[@jonathanm5894]

I loved n-gage. I wish sega would re-release Pocket Kingdom, an online rpg for it. And splinter cell 3d was ahead of its time !

[@Toastys0ddysee]

I came in here for an episode of The Worst Ever & was treated to an episode of Just Bad Games at no extra cost. What a steal of a deal!!

[@hjalfi]

One massive issue with the N-Gage is that it wasn't a games console --- it was a primarily a smartphone running Symbian. There were a huge number of applications available for it, including games, and it had a mobile JVM which let it run MIDP and CLDC games (remember them?). The N-Gage games system was an addon. That's why it did things like not boot directly into the game, or the weird card changing system; powering off your smartphone to change storage cards was completely standard for these devices. It was also why it was so expensive. $299 was pretty standard for a smartphone of the day. Unfortunately it was then _sold_ as a purely mobile gaming device. But it wasn't one! So peoples' expectations of it were all wrong.

[@LordVarkson]

I used mine to emulate NES and Gameboy games, which worked pretty well.

[@Chronon88]

My dad got it for me to replace my phone, I remember mentioning the expensive price so I bet it was more expensive than my previous Nokia; which was probably just some dumb brick. I remember liking mine enough to get the updated version later instead of something else. Also the new version fixed that awkward taco-talk mode, though I mainly just texted anyway. Speaking of texting, these seem like a pretty bad time for that considering it's not ergonomic to double thumb it so it's actually a compromized phone experience, heheh.

[@ReigoVassal]

It was ahead of it's time indeed

[@ReigoVassal]

But it has a lot other problem

[@MegaZeta]

That’s often the story of dumb ideas and failed products: a company that thought it could make customers conform to their way of seeing the product. This dumb idea was sold under the empty catchphrase of “disruption” a few years ago

[@AdamKoralik]

Yes, yes I did have an N-Gage when it was relevant. Who wants my autograph? 💅

[@hwogrillo]

I had an Ouya. Wanna be friends?

[@gracekim25]

Oooo me!😊

[@NS222]

I also got an N-Gage on release. I actually liked tony hawk 😅

[@MegaMato]

Please sign my Virtual Boy!

[@diemwing]

wait, when was it relevant? (j/k, what did you think about it at the time?)

[@MajorFleshbang]

One thing I always liked about the N-Gage (a friend had both versions at different times) is the design. Especially the first N-Gage looks great from a purely aesthetic standpoint. If only it's the stuff inside these things were equally good designed. :/

[@fairrodthecapacitor]

I love how you included Colin McRae Rally 2005. I really love that game. It is probably the best mobile port of a Colin McRae Rally game. But I really wanted some more coverage about it in this video. But you gave those game justice! Fun fact, despite it being an N-Gage port it is in reality Colin McRae Rally 2.0. They used the 2005 cars but with 2.0 stages and car sounds from the PS1. This also a fun game to speedrun, I do speedrun the games. Edit, Colin McRae Rally Plus on PSP is an exact port of Colin McRae Rally 2005!

[@SDK2K9]

Love that you threw in a short "It's Just Bad" segment into this informative and well put together entry into "The Worst Ever" series. Keep up the good work Shane and Adam.

[@crazyluigi6664]

@Super Nostalgia At this point, part of me wonders if there are Christian bots that do this for years on end...

[@akhimahathir2004]

@@SuperNostalgia. sir this is wendy

[@zyzzy-ko4ww]

@@SuperNostalgia. Some misdeeds are so crazy they make me envision Jesus jumping down from his cross and using said giant plus sign to whack everything in sight (which is no doubt something he failed to do when he was busted for believing his own press releases).

[@peterullinger2814]

Rerez is up there as one of the most underappreciated game channels. So much effort goes into research, writing and editing while making the videos gleefully entertaining and knowledgeable. Still a hidden gems after all those years. Kudos to all involved.

[@Kimarnic]

Sadly, that's the reason he's underappreciated. He needs to release more videos faster instead of taking his time

[@peterullinger2814]

@@Kimarnic F**k the algorithm.

[@aiis6821]

Hey atleast the vids do really well for the most part

[@ihatecabbage7270]

I just gonna say this, this channel reminded me of the Ngage

[@JeremysBlackWalMartBouncer]

​@Kimarnic Not all YT channels put out short videos everyday to be a hit or to stay revelent. Most times quality is better than frequency. Look at JonTron and Caddicarus, both put out 1 video every month or so and get thousands of views once they put it out. If it works for you as a creator, that's great. If you prefer to put out a video every date or two, that's fine, too. As long as it works for you and you channel and it makes you happy, by all means go for it.

[@DCFatCat]

N-Gage and N-Gage QD owner here, and I'm not happy. Well happy to see my devices from my college years being covered. You missed so much: 1) The N-Gage was missing a 3.5mm headphone jack. The N-Gage came with a 2.5mm jack that you needed a Palm Treo conversion plug to work. It limited it's functionality compared to the IPod 2) The carrier limitations. The $399 price tag was WITH a contract, that wasn't just the price itself. Then you could only use it with GSM and with the conversations starting about LTE, it was dead in the water as a data device. 3) the N-Gage storage card was NOT a SSD but a proprietary MMC which was EXTREMELY costly at that time and almost impossible to get. MicroSD was too thick for conversation. 4) The N-Gage QD actually took away features. The FM Station was removed and was a PAIN to jailbreak to get working with the international versions of Symbian. EDIT: Charging! Oh how I hated that I needed a barrel jack for this thing. The barrel plug was slow and I think the N-Gage and QD had different plugs.....

[@shinrailp1416]

Funniest part about the whole battery removal is that the game cartridge is really close to the outer shell anyways, they just neede to move the wiring a little bit and turn the slot 90° so the cartridge could be slottet in from above

[@deadWu]

Rerez, the real mistery is why the heck your channel hasn't skyrocketed. Edits, script, informations, they are all top quality. This channel is not an N-Gage, it's a PS2.

[@gracekim25]

Love it 😊 your wording works perfectly because the PS2 was my first console and I love this channel a lot

[@garrycowan4394]

Shilling dodgy kick starters probably

[@Code7Unltd]

>Edits, script, informations, they are all top quality If this is "top quality" to you, you haven't seen Caddicarus' recent videos yet.

[@planescaped]

@@Code7Unltd I haven't seen Caddicarus in about 5 years. I guess I got sick of his shtick.

[@JamesTDG]

More like a PSP considering the better library

[@Wii2PLAY]

I love how this series, that I hadn't seen a new episode of in awhile, also secretly doubled as a 'Just Bad Games' episode as well!!! Very fun to watch!

[@notkimpine]

it's 5 years now... rerez is still an underrated channel than any other retro gamer out there discussing topics of any retro game bonding my childhood...

[@nickglaza]

Wow, I absolutely love what you did with your backdrop lighting man! Very aesthetic, I love how you match, satisfying as heck. Rerez most fashionable gaming channel CONFIRMED.

[@dabrown2178]

Don’t let Soulja Boy see this one 😂😂😂😂

[@l3nsman]

I actually *liked* my N-Gage. I installed a bunch of emulators and had a grand old time with it. The symbian games were awesome and the Snake Port was wonderfully immersive. Yeah, most of the official games sucked, but that didn't mean there wasn't fun to be had with it.

[@laladoopsy]

I watched series 1-3 of Family Guy on mine on bus trips on that tiny screen and now i moan the Switch screen isnt big enough. 😂

[@MarvinPowell1]

I now kinda wish I kept my N-Gage just so I could witness the greatest video game character ever, Penelope Ashcroft from Glimmerati.

[@nicholsliwilson]

To be fair I plaid right through Broken Sward, with all it’s text to read on a Game Boy Micro, as well as many other games. If I can do that you can play through anything on an N-Gage.

[@intosly]

​@@laladoopsy ah man I used the lonely cat games media player back in the day, converting dodgy torrented movies to the size of the MMC card to watch horribly compressed video... Ahh the early 2000's

[@plebb0069]

Loved my ngage, was so awesome for the time

[@megamix5403]

Wow, who would have thought Nokia didn't even try to optimize the N-Gage for E3? No wonder they failed. They didn't have a good start. Good video as always, Rerez!

[@PhantomRenegad3]

I used to own the successor of the original n-gage, the N-gage QD and it indeed had removed some of the issues of the original handheld. You could have a regular phone conversation without holding it weirdly, it had a dedicated slot which didn't require taking the battery away. That aside, it was like a semi-smartphone with Java apps which included Mp3 players (back then uncommon on most phones), videoplayers which supported most formats (mkv, mp4), gameboy and other emulators, multiple browsers like opera and even internet via bluetooth ( yes, you read that correctly...bluetooth )

[@BinglesP]

42:58 (specifically the part 43:10 within the paragraph) Missed opportunity to conclude that mention of N-Gage-lookalike Nokia devices with "TACO 'bout confusing", considering the shape that they're all so similar to

[@wendigockel]

This video made me feel so nostalgic. Not for the N-Gage itself, but for the advertisements in German magazines from 2003. I can vividly remember some of these adverts. One featured an image of a dimly lit toilet stall with a tagline along the lines of "this is where Lara seduced me" or something like that. It wasn't a great advertisement, but it was an easier time for me.

[@genericdude8444]

@@SuperNostalgia.you’re using the lord’s name in vain

[@akhimahathir2004]

​@@SuperNostalgia.Sir this is wendy

[@NobodyDrinksFromMyGal]

Speaking as someone whose very first cell phone was a Nokia 5110, it feels really weird hearing that some people may never have heard of Nokia. Makes me feel old, too. ToT

[@Nolroa]

My first cell phone was a Nokia 1100 launched in 2003

[@Fr0stM00n]

I also owned an older Nokia… still around here somewhere! I earned a nickname of “King Cobra” as I was the only around my circle of friends that could score over 1000 points in the Snake game! :P I need to find it but I have a weird universal remote that has the normal buttons on one side and on the other side is a Nokia looking land line phone! Super rare as I’ve never seen anything online like it!

[@kamo7293]

I love how you showed how the phone calls without talking about it

[@KasumiRINA]

26:12 Gotta love the early 2000s tomboy chic style, low-rise wide pants, tiny top, sporty body instead of silicone, this reminds me of Gwen Stefani circa Rock Steady period.

[@adamriddle7425]

Another problem with N-Gage if I recall, was that it was a carrier specific thing to maybe two service providers. That doesn't sound bad now cause there's only essentially two major service providers, but in '03 there were I think 5 or 6 major service providers, and this was also in the time where most unlimited data plans were so expensive that they were only purchased by rich people or true business people who literally worked and lived on their phones.

[@lasskinn474]

what? ngage wasn't carrier locked for most of the world anyway. there were no practical unlimited data plans, but ngage was one of the cheapest ways to get a gprs data device and the absolute cheapest way back then to get an unlocked device with an operating system that could multitask and keep an instant messaging app running 24/7 without huge charges. the gprs system matters because prior to gprs you would pay per _minute_, whereas with it you paid per mb or bought a 100mb package or whatever, point is that you could keep it connected without it costing per minute, which was essential to starting to use a smartphone like we do today.

[@adamriddle7425]

@lass kinn maybe it wasn't carrier specific. I honestly don't remember seeing it in many cell phone carrier store advertisements.

[@abigailmeryl2174]

​@lass kinn if I remember correct mine was locked to t-mobile

[@kirarakurokawa8747]

2? you mean 3. t mobile, att and verizon

[@Fr0stM00n]

Ours were in the T-Mobile network… sadly we never really did get to take advantage of the NGage Arena. The QD didn’t have a Wi-Fi antenna which was common for phones of that time however it was possible to set up a Bluetooth PAN! I recall setting one up once and shared my internet from a windows laptop to use Opera and another browser called Dorris (i think that was the name). By that time, Arena had already shut down but I do remember some stuff would come up when I did connect! Not long ago, I put an active SIM in one of our QD’s and I was able to get voice / basic SMS to work but it was impossible to get data to show up since it requires a set up process that I have no idea data what to enter.

[@drg19841]

So back in the mid 2000s I was a hobbyist developer for Symbian. When the N gage was out, it took forever to get any support for developing anything to do with that console. After it failed, the N gage service was basically rolled into the Nokia version S60 V2 update. Ironically, most N gage software runs best on non N gage software, specifically later N series phones. Symbian phones were always lean on hardware compared to the competition, but even they advanced over time.

[@matt.willoughby]

You could sign your own certificates?! Bet you were highly sought after at the time

[@leenevin8451]

I updated my n95 and it came with it

[@themizfaar2160]

Yeah i had n73 , i downloaded ngage from internet, it worked great

[@TheWyman555]

Love the camera work this time around!!

[@lifestream_real]

Thank you for making this video, and bringing this issue to light! I, too, had no idea that this was something that happened, even though I was aware of everything you said about the retail performance model N-Gage, thanks to Uncle Derek over at Stop Skeletons from Fighting (thanks for including a clip of his work!). And, I even had the Sonic Heroes issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, which had Seanbaby covering his experience at E3, including the crap performance of the N-Gage! I'm honestly ashamed of myself for not putting two-and-two together on this one, and sadly, it seems nobody else did, either. Until Rerez came along in 2023 to save the day. Thank you, Rerez, for making the public aware of Nokia--most likely unintentionally--self-sabotaging their own product before launch! That's what happens if you're not careful, and if you don't plan correctly; Nokia were absolutely in over their heads with their entrance into an industry they clearly did not understand well enough.

[@zeldagameryt4018]

The only thing I know about the N-Gage is that it had Crash Nitro Kart on it (thanks Caddicarus). But other than that, it’s funny how the idea of a game console that allows phone call failed back in the 2000s but now works today

[@FastTquick]

I think this deserves a future video on the Gizmondo and the whole can of worms that system went through. If there’s any one good thing that could be said about the N-Gage, it’s that it would serve as foreshadowing for the rise of mobile gaming as defined by iPhone.

[@rayelgatubelo]

The Gizmondo itself is hard to find - let alone the games for it, which is why I believe Shane hasn't touched in it yet. But never say never.

[@crazyluigi6664]

@@rayelgatubelo Maybe if someone sends him it (and the games at hand), he'll do it for sure.

[@rayelgatubelo]

@@crazyluigi6664 We'll see. LGR had someone lend him a Gizmondo, but couldn't get their hands on the games for it

[@rabidfirefox8914]

I've been casually watching you guys for a while and i think this is the first time I've seen Adam's face Keep up the great work. You guys are funny

[@rerez]

You'll see Adam's face in a bunch of other videos as well! Keep an eye out for it if you watch some older episodes. 🧐

[@berrie-badopinions]

I remember seeing a post, possibly fake, back on the Something Awful forums ages ago. Someone (claiming) to be part of the team that designed the N-Gage. He was fed up with all of Nokia's focus group like demands, so he submitted a design he thought they'd hate. They loved it, and put it into production. I can't unsee it now. Goatse

[@WraithTDK]

Excited to watch this one. The N-Gage always fascinated me. I got to play it pre-release at E3 so I've always had a soft spot for it. For the record? You could actually sit down and PLAY the thing on the show floor, and it played just fine. I don't know what was happening with that press kit.

[@monkeyman767]

I stumbled on the N-Gage in my local video rental store, they'd a section dedicated to games and consoles. And Tomb Raider was on display at the time, I didn't even like the original game that much, but I was blown away that they managed to get what seemed like the entire game, on a tiny cartridge and also actually be 3D, but for some strange reason, I always just felt it wasn't going to take off and at that stage I didn't even know how silly it was as a phone

[@palp8623]

Found this page recently and I'm so glad I did. Great content

[@eclipiastudios]

16:02 The perfect crossover doesn’t exi-

[@Niko92010]

Nokia really said it's "n-gaging time!" And n-gages all over the place

[@GreenskullAI]

This is so well done. Really enjoyed this! Good stuff, Rerez!

[@cr0wnedt0rtuga]

Wussup Mr. Glubo!

[@Gloves-T-Catzero]

Hi Mr.Greenskull!

[@MatthewCenance]

I wanna know your secret to getting 830k KZbin subscribers in 12 months.

[@vortmanfunny8147]

A not-so-popular comment from the creator of GLUBO? Quite an exhilarating sight to see!

[@Gatorade69]

​@@MatthewCenance1 million now. And the answer is entertaining shorts.

[@ernestoosuna4594]

Excellent video guys!! This is my favorite gaming channel. Every video you put out is just so well done

[@enp82003]

always loved your stuff! Since I was a kid I wondered what sonic n was like! Thanks for the clarification!

[@skipperxiv9401]

16:40 You know you're in for a bad time when one of the reviews for the game describes it as one of the "most playable" games on the system

[@VGGBrayden]

I can’t believe you crossed over The Worst Ever Series and Just Bad Games. It’s so cool

[@thomascharnock]

Superb video history. I didn't own an N-Gage at the time it was out (actually, I've never owned one!) but I do remember seeing it in stores and playing on a demo unit. As described in the video, playing a fully 3D Tomb Raider on a handheld was really quite impressive at the time.

[@bitwisedevs469]

Damn! Great content, this is the very first N-Gage review that tackles every detail about the handheld. Many videos out there are all just the same saying its taco shape is the worst but here you guys even review the E3 event on the day of its debut. Such a good and detailed video. However I want to add 7 Days Salvation game

[@araigumakiruno]

You absolutely needed to talk about Sony Ericsson Xperia Play in more detail Sony's failed attempt to enter the mobile gaming market back in 2011. it has the same goal as the Ngage but spectacular...

[@emperorfaiz]

I think Sony put more effort into it more than Nokia did but alas.

[@araigumakiruno]

@@emperorfaiz i see Xperia Play has the same issues as the Ngage but worse, history just repeats itself.

[@carn9507]

Xperia Play had a nice slide out flat PS controller pad. That made it already far better than the N-Gage to me.

[@Dynaman21]

I think this is why most modern attempts at making cell phones into gaming devices, still not what I would call a successful endeavor, just have regular controllers with places to put your cellphone.

[@lasskinn474]

whatchatalkingabout, xperia play was great for emulators. it doesn't have the same issues tho. only thing that sucked about the play was the touch-dualstick thingies. I mean what do you people even classify a failure by? xperia play also sold a lot for a phone model, so did ngage.

[@animeismylife2718393]

OMG my friend had one of these I remember seeing it at a convention and after a little bit of talking with the vendor he sold it to us for like 30 dollars I think its still in his gaming colection

[@maharajajaja]

I used to play ngage games on my dad’s 6600 and later 7610. It was the only console in my childhood and it lit the fire of gaming in me. I still remember all the maps of Ghost recon, and configurations for Pathway to glory. For a 12 year old, these games were incredible and I was completely hooked. I am sometimes still amazed at what my steam deck can do to when I think of old times.

[@LiquidButterAlternative]

Goddamn every rerez video is great. Always excited too see it in my feed.

[@Apache616]

I was given this as a birthday gift last year in its original box and it sits with my console collections. Don’t have games for it but I’d like to get some for it some day. So cool to see you making a video on it.

[@robertd7275]

I had a N-gage. I enjoyed it for what it was. The emulation scene for the system ended up being pretty good and the aspect ratio was good for arcade games.

[@theenderkirby939]

Well sound like you had good time with it I was too young to even have self awareness by the time it was out but I say it had a potential for many great stuff

[@JV-ll1cu]

I had it too and I liked it. And I never used it like a "taco" when calling to someone. Just holded it the way that the screen was towards your face, like in normal phone, and could heard just fine.

[@Fr0stM00n]

@@JV-ll1cu with the QD, the “taco phone” was no longer an issue but on that topic … I’m totally sick of seeing people holding their current smart phones like a piece of TOAST 😂 This is seen so often in my area with stupid people thinking that’s good enough to not get a ticket for using their phone while driving! If you are holding your phone to talk on it, that’s NOT hands free!!! 😂 (it’s illegal to use your phone while driving in my area but I still see people everyday texting and driving and of course, talking to toast!)

[@natecw4164]

This is exactly what happens when a company is more concerned with getting to market *first* instead of hitting the market *finished*

[@assassin8636]

It hasn't happened before right?

[@Blarg]

Great episode. I love that your intro shows your personal experience as a kid and then explained the flaws. Also crazy that the E3 demos was worse than the actual consumer product.

[@BinglesP]

Finland’s history with involvement with the international video game/electronic market is honestly funny to me. They started with simple games like Snake on phones that are even known nowadays(for their durability of all things). They later made complex games on the N-Gage, and that console failed. But, the country came back into gaming relevance by making a simple game again; Angry Birds. Admittedly through a different company, but still Finnish. (Which blew my mind when I found out about it; I was a huge fan of it when I was younger, and the whole time in that obsession I thought it was from the US!) Not a bad rise-and-fall-and-rise-again(in terms from The Company Man), for a country far away from both the United States and Japan simultaneously.

[@michaels3429]

Not to be weird Shane but I’ve watched your older videos recently, and it looks like you’ve slimed down, you look good brother. Keep up the excellent videos. Dunno if Adam is the editor but the production is great. Literally you two found your calling and I hope it’s as satisfying to you as what you make is to us.

[@teckno0641]

i agree with all about N-gage. even so i for some strange reason still love that device. i wish there was a Snapdragon 850 modded board with a modern screen, and android installed so i could use my Ngage QD today.

[@deadox]

I fondly remember playing MGS mobile on N95 as a high school student. Sure I didn't have any handheld nor console at the time since my parents didn't allow it, but the game was solid and enjoyable enough. It let me experience how cool feels like to play this thing called video game that everybody was playing. I am thankful to Nokia forever for that.

[@matt.willoughby]

I never played ngage 2.0, I had an n95 but couldn't figure out how to get the games up and running

[@reeshthesheesh]

Cool

[@daviddamasceno6063]

I'm impressed on how you guys dig up all that stuff. You never disappoint!

[@Tkillaahh]

Used to have one, i really loved it! Imagene emulating retro games in class on an Ngage in 2003. Great times!

[@LungMing23]

Thank you for another awesomely entertaining video!

[@louisbonoyer3666]

The N-Gage isn't completely useless, heck I use mine as a sledgehammer. Its surprisingly effective.

[@thegamingprozone1941]

Here's your like 👍 😂

[@asurlybarber3620]

I gave my N-Gage to my yellow lab for a chew toy. He carried it over to the garbage can and dropped it in. Good boy, Wilson!

[@uhm175]

@@asurlybarber3620 Stupidity has no limits

[@FH4Player6397]

My day is way better because of a new Rerez video!

[@NecroNehru]

A DOUBLE WHAMMY! MORE BANG FOR UR BUCK, love both series & all the work rerez

[@mtshark7]

Awesome stuff Shane!

[@nthgth]

Loved the mini "Just Bad Games" segment 😄 But yeah, lots of bad ideas leading to squandered potential. Same company that dominated the cell phone market but then basically disintegrated (in that market) when smartphones got big.

[@shinyagumon7015]

The Revelation that Nokia screwed up the E3 Presentation by showcasing worse versions of the actual games was so mind blowing. I'm almost tempted to think that this was sabotage from the inside by some executive who didn't like the idea of going into the gaming market.

[@ultimapower6950]

I wonder if that’s the same executive that choose it’s price tag

[@crazyluigi6664]

@@ultimapower6950 And the design choice.

[@Valcuda]

Normal companies: "Pre-Rendered video, not actual gameplay" Nokia: "Poorly Rendered video, not actual gameplay"

[@ducknator]

Great video, I think the N-Gage was meant to be the ultimate device for the time, not just for gaming but with MP3 capabilities and being a cellphone. I do think saying that the cellphone plan is adding even more cost to the N-Gage, I'd assume most people in 2003 would have been paying for those regardless, at least most people interested in the N-Gage.

[@michaelpitcher2820]

I was only 15 minutes into this absolute GEM of a video before I realized with absolute GLEE that there was still SO much video left to enjoy. (I watch these while I am working on and off and 44 minutes of Rerez bliss can last me all morning sometimes) Thank you to everyone involved in making this great show. I really enjoy it.

[@IYamJayJay]

Stop skeletons from fighting did a pretty definitive video on it with alot of obscure info

[@kirarakurokawa8747]

cringe

[@beautyforashes2022]

Excellent and entertaining review and product history, as always.

[@namelessandsouless1]

It's a twofer! We get a Worst Ever And a It's Just Bad all in one episode! I love it!

[@Cyber_Horse_Studios87]

25:26 “SHANE? SHANE? SHAN-“

[@davidromeroblaya7920]

The only N-Gage I saw in my life was not in a videogame shop storefront but in a phone shop storefront. People thought it was a mobile phone where you can play videogames.

[@TweezyJay]

No no Shane you took the battery out wrong! You’re supposed to spike it on the ground and have the cartridge and battery go everywhere! Cmon it’s a Nokia!😂

[@rottytopszombiewaifu5249]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but perhaps part of the reason why the N-Gage was so overpriced was because it was also a phone? TBH I'm not sure exactly how much Nokia cell phones cost back then, but in a way buying an N-Gage was essentially the equivalent of buying both a cell phone and a handheld gaming system at the same time, which I imagine would cost a lot of money. Like if today you bought a Nintendo Switch Lite and the newest iPhone together in a single purchase at Best Buy, those would be some big numbers next to the dollar sign on your receipt... Though of course those are 2 completely separate devices, rather than them being crammed together in a plastic taco shell that needs to be disassembled just to switch game cartridges, so...

[@christiancsq]

$300 for the original ngage device

[@KasumiRINA]

I think a more correct comparison would be a modern high-end phone with good gaming performance...

[@LetsPlayBojangles]

Most flip phones of the time were free with a 2 year contract and like $80 without.

[@OmarAlikaj]

Yeah, don't get me started with the N-Gage 2.0. Almost forgot about that phase but, on the surface, it was hard to figure out which phones supported N-Gaga without the website. In hindsight, I think Nokia just made their Symbian phones just be able to run 3D games like the Crash racing games but, by this time, iPhone and Android happened. Although, it wouldn't hurt Nokia to try and bring back N-Gage as a PC handheld, or a convertible Android phone.

[@JomasterTheSecond]

The N-Gage has always been an absolute fascination of mine and I have absolutely zero clue as to why. It's like a black hole of intrigue, it sucks you in if you get too close.

[@DrBidoofenshmirtz]

Love the secret It’s Just Bad episode in here. It’s like getting a present in another present. Except the first present is a dead puppy. And in the dead puppy is a smaller, and just as dead, kitten. Thanks, Rerez!

[@adam-xt8te]

I can't believe Nintendo didn't cooperate with Nokia to make GBA with phone function

[@Masonicon]

Nokia's end was butterfly effect from N-gage's failure

[@nodansland303]

Rifts: Promise of Power is the only game made based on the Palladium Rifts Rpg. For some reason, Kevin Siemba decided that the Ngage was the first pony to back. If I recall the dev team was really passionate and cared about the IP, which is how they won him over. Sadly the failure of the system made it impossible for the game to stand a chance. Honestly, I wish they'd find a similar Dev team and make a go of it again on PC. It would be interesting to see.