Nokia delays N-Gage revamp

Nokia has announced another delay in its N-Gage First Access platform, originally scheduled for a November launch, GamesIndustry.biz reports.

The pre-release version, delayed into December, was going to work only on Nokia N81 or N81 8GB phones and was to feature one or more games. Those with access to the application could post feedback and make suggestions on the company's forums.

Now, however, even the pre-release version of the revamped N-Gage platform has been delayed.

"We know all of you are eager to get started with N-Gage First Access, and we are just as eager to get it into your hands and start hearing your feedback. We have teams of people around the world, literally, working overtime to deliver this experience to you," said a statement on the official N-Gage blog.

"Unfortunately, as can sometimes happen in software development, unexpected difficulties can occur. We have been doing an internal run with more than 1,000 global testers this week, and during this process we uncovered an issue we feel we need to address.

"Overall, the games and service are working smoothly, but because of this issue, we feel we could not release N-Gage First Access before the holidays as planned."

While working on a solution, and carrying on extensive internal testing over the holidays, Nokia plans to "polish the overall experience" even as it readies more games.

Nokia released the original N-Gage, a combination phone, handheld gaming device, MP3 player, PDA, and FM radio, in 2003. A year later, a subsequent redesign - the N-Gage QD - removed radio reception and MP3 playback features.

The latest iteration of the N-Gage is an application, built into or downloaded to a supported Nokia phone, that acts as a central hub for content including games.