N-gage arrives today

We couldn’t let the day pass without a quick mention of the Nokia N-gage which arrives in the stores today. One of the most hyped phones of recent years the N-gage packs an MP3 player, FM radio, gaming device, and of course a phone into one pretty compact and funky-looking package.

However, like many in the mobile and gaming industry, we think the N-Gage is on a hiding to nothing at the hands of Nintendo GameBoy Advance (to say nothing of Sony’s upcoming PSP) and may prove a very costly mistake for the world’s leading phone manufacturer.

It is not because it is too expensive – O2 already has it for £100. It is just that it will never match the GameBoy Advance in terms of games, battery life will be a real issue and the very annoying way a person has to take out the battery to change games is a real flaw.

Still for other people’s take try the BBC for the background, CNN for a scathing review and Wireless Gamer for the verdict from the streets.