Nokia to cut N-Gage price two weeks in?
Finnish phone giant under pressure from gamers and retailers.
Rumour is rife this morning that Nokia is poised to announced a significant price cut for the N-Gage mobile phone/games console hybrid, following a relatively poor global launch.
Although the company is remaining predictably tight-lipped, chatter emerging overnight suggests that a price cut of $100 is expected for the US, meaning the deck - unsubsidised - would have an asking price of $199
A similar cut is expected across Europe, with the retail price for the N-Gage reduced by 100 Euros to 199, again unsubsidised by networks.
In the UK, it is expected that Nokia will broker a deal with cellular service providers, wherein the cost of the subsidised handset, currently priced between £50 and £65, will disappear, with the unit being offered for free, bundled with a game. The cost of this will be split between the CSP and Nokia.
Price was always going to be a sticking point for the N-Gage. When the machine was unveiled at this year’s E3, howls of amusement went up. For Nokia, the conference was a disaster.
In fact, the only person we met during the show who thought it was reasonable was Sega’s Yuji Naka. And he owns several Ferraris and is a millionaire. So what would he know?
We’ll keep you fully updated on this…
Although the company is remaining predictably tight-lipped, chatter emerging overnight suggests that a price cut of $100 is expected for the US, meaning the deck - unsubsidised - would have an asking price of $199
A similar cut is expected across Europe, with the retail price for the N-Gage reduced by 100 Euros to 199, again unsubsidised by networks.
In the UK, it is expected that Nokia will broker a deal with cellular service providers, wherein the cost of the subsidised handset, currently priced between £50 and £65, will disappear, with the unit being offered for free, bundled with a game. The cost of this will be split between the CSP and Nokia.
Price was always going to be a sticking point for the N-Gage. When the machine was unveiled at this year’s E3, howls of amusement went up. For Nokia, the conference was a disaster.
In fact, the only person we met during the show who thought it was reasonable was Sega’s Yuji Naka. And he owns several Ferraris and is a millionaire. So what would he know?
We’ll keep you fully updated on this…
Companies:
Nokia
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