N-Gage Gets Lower Price; New Model To Be Revealed At E3

The revamped N-Gage QD deck is set to receive a lower price point; Nokia's combination handheld game machine and cellular phone will go down to $99.99, with games also receiving a price drop to $14.99-$24.99 per title. (The lowered price of the system itself is still dependent on buying a service plan alongside the actual QD deck.) The N-Gage, which launched in October 2003, still has a mere 1.5 million units sold worldwide of both the old design and the newer QD model put together. Nokia's new price point is aimed at helping to increase the system's install base, which is one of the biggest problems the system faces at the moment, despite higher-profile games such as Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, WWE Aftershock, and X-Men Legends either in development or shortly to be released for the handheld. In addition, a second redesign of the N-Gage unit is expected to be revealed at the E3 trade show in Los Angeles this May, according to online reports. "We will be making a significant announcement at E3 regarding our next generation," said Gerard Wiener, general manager of Nokia's games business program, to CNN Money. The new current-gen N-Gage pricing schemes should go into effect March 17th. No projected date, or any other information, about redesigns of the N-Gage have yet been revealed.