Nokia Sets High Expectations For N-Gage Sales
On the eve of the actual launch of the N-Gage gaming phone from Nokia, Nokia has announced that the devices would be available in 30,000 retail locations by Tuesday, and that they intend to sell "millions" of the units in 2004. The N-Gage is a phone with gaming functionality competitive with the Nintendo GameBoy Advance SP, multi-player Bluetooth connections, MP3 playback, and FM radio. But some have wondered if Nokia can hit their numbers with the high price of the device: 299-350 Euros compared with 129 Euros for the Nintendo. My speculation is that many of the units will come with a discount, or a rebate if the buyer activates mobile service with contract, such as seems to be the case with MM02 in the UK who will sell the device for 99 pounds (the attached article contains a quote from MM02 saying that MM02 isn't subsidizing it - this is either an error, or bollocks.) The MSRP in the USA is $300, somewhat cheaper than in the EU. Game on!
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