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Nokia drops price for N-Gage, games
By Grant Gross

Nokia Corp. has dropped the price of its N-Gage QD wireless gaming device and of games available for it in the U.S., the company announced Monday.

Following price drops in Europe and the Asia/Pacific region announced last week, Nokia said that the U.S. base price of the N-Gage QD would be US$99.99 for customers who prepay for wireless service, and that games would cost between $14.99 and $24.99. The base price for the device was previously $199.99, although wireless carriers have offered substantial discounts depending on the service contract customers signed up for, said Nokia spokesman Stephen Knuff. In some cases, wireless carriers were giving away the device for free, depending on the service plan.

Games generally cost between $24.99 and $34.99 before the new pricing announcement, which Nokia made at the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association Wireless 2005 show in New Orleans. The new prices take effect Thursday in the U.S.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, available in late March, will be the first new N-Gage game to launch with the adjusted pricing levels, while the existing games catalog will switch immediately to the new prices, according to a Nokia press release.

The N-Gage platform features online 3D multiplayer game play over Bluetooth wireless technology and GPRS (General Packet Radio Service). The N-Gage QD also functions as a wireless phone.

Posted March 15, 2005 04:24 PM |