they should implement a function where when a user uses this phone, the game registers this phone. When the user switches phone, he can register with the new phone.

mcool93

What the hell kind of stupid sh_t is that? What are they pulling from the school of Verizon? Simple, if I am buying games from "n-gage", for my "Nokia Phone" -- then it transfers END OF STORY.

Anything LESS, will have me download them for free else where. Get it! And that sorry ass explanation is BULLSH_T! Because it's totally possible to get around that. It will be a pain in the ass, but it can be done. Good job Nokia. I'm not trying it at all.

jamBot

Anybody willing to actually pay money for anything with the N-Gage brand attached deserves all the anger, frustration, and socially-awkward moments they get.

RubyMars

@Zips

I suppose thats a possibility but wouldn't the DS/PSP done more for you? Honestly...

Tietsu21

This is why I don't have any games on my cellphone. I bought a few games for my last cellphone, and then when I got my new phone I realized I would have to buy them again if I wanted them. I won't support that b/c w/Verizon you get a pretty big discount on a new phone every 2 years and after 2 years has passed, phones are always quite a bit outdated.

Spartan1308

@Tietsu21: Speak for yourself. I happen to enjoy a few titles released in the mobile market. Hell, the Doom RPG helped me through some really boring lectures in my senior year of college.

Zips

Wow, another reason why this shit is gonna fall flat on it's face.

RaepGoblin

I would ask for my money back if my phone would break or I would decide to get a new one...

Shad0X

These are the reasons why cellphone gaming will not change the gaming market anytime soon. I think only Apple with the iPhone will do mobile gaming some justice.

jackal888

Why did the N-Gage cross the road?

Because the angry owner threw it there!

Atsumi

But they're... cards?

Huh. They make killer handsets from a functionality POV, but way to dig up the N-Gage's corpse and kill it again!

fuchikoma

"As long as games are prized and handled like ringtones, up to $10.00, I think most people won't care. "

N-Gage games cost £8 in the UK - way more than other mobile games.

cdammers

Wait is that the real gamercard thing? Thats a totally shameless rip off of the XBL gamercard. I have to believe its a joke... right?

CCCombobreaker

I'm pretty sure most cellphones follow this model. My cell phone broke so I had to get a replacement, and I had to rebuy all my old games.

Jeff Paine

@sedarisan: In order for someone to pirate a game, doesn't someone have to make a game for it? How are people even supposed to pirate nothing?

Tiber

LOL, microsoft can suck my balls.

EmilioBuono

ooooooooh burn!!!

Nice one, Luke.

Or should I say Duke Lukem?

Billkwando

Piracy should be the last thing on Nokia's mind at this point.

Robotube

It's stuff like this that makes me lol so hard at people who have been claiming..oh for the last four years that cellphones will completely and utterly replace anything Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft might do. Every time they pipe up and say "It's just around the corner, just you wait." not a few weeks later, we get something like this.

Developing games for cellphones seems like the biggest clusterfuck in history for devs.

Foxstar Sixtail

Some people need to start reading the EULA, it's clearly stipulated there.

Not that it makes Nokia's move any better, just saying.

Dontdrop

Is that picture photoshop, or does the service seriously have absolutely no shame about ripping off Xbox Live?

Moonshadow101

@Phazon:

Exactly. Who the hell would want to pirate an N-Gage game?

sedarisan

@zzt: The point isn't that people want an NGage. I had one of those (Nokia gave me one). It's now their high end smart phones that have powerful processors now. My N95 is part of their NGage platform. It's a hell of allot more expensive than a DS, and every other phone on the market almost, but then again I was purchasing a phone with a nice camera. The fact that they want to capitalize on these high end smart-phones having gaming capabilities is a bonus. Most gamers don't understand the cellphone game market. It's more casual & mobile than the DS & PSP can ever hope to be.

kermit007

As long as games are prized and handled like ringtones, up to $10.00, I think most people won't care.
Lots of people spend tons on ringtones, wallpapers etc and wont mind repurchasing one game they liked. Cant imagine somebody repurchasing their whole previous game catalogue, perhaps because I dont expect many games to be worth repurchasing

sander_dutch

Whaaaaaaaahhh... You would be an well deserved idiot to get an N-Gage in the first place. If your desperate for gaming on the go, get a DS.

zzt

idiots...

Darkedge

If people pirated N-Gage games it would only likely benefit the N-Gage by possibly bringing more people to the platform.

Phazon

So basically they're discouraging their customers from upgrading to a new phone. they're taking money out of their own pockets!

Milkham

Um... I haven't really been able to take everything across from my phone each time I've upgraded either. In fact, a friend of mine was quite stoked that she acquired so much free junk when I gave her my old phone.

Donutta

@Luke Plunkett

Forgot to mention, in the US, our companies do hate us and make you sign a 2 year contract even if the phone breaks b/c of their shoddy shit. However, this can be changed by some clever tips from the Consumerist <3

超外人

Risk of piracy?? Ha ha, they should be chuffed if anyone wants this at all. I know a lot of people here in the UK who won't even contemplate an 18 month contract.

Spoffoth

Wow, is that a real bio thing? It looks like they knocked off XBL.

@Datheron: A better TM is the "PlaysOnThis4Sure" seal. That's some ugly DRM, so how many Nokia fanboys are going to wait until the next upgrade before buying this phone?

超外人

WOW. This must be part of Operation:FTL

Downlord

Isn't it like that on every phone? You always have to buy everything back...

OneManFreakShow

How wonderfully irrelevant to any REAL gamer.

Tietsu21

Now all they need to do is preinstall rootkits onto every phone and slap on a Nokia Seal of Quality (tm).

Datheron

Nokia have already admitted this was "a miscommunication" and that they're working on a way to allow users to port games between phones. Basically they gave in to the weight of criticism.

Furie