Handheld games are something we don't look at very often here at Deaf Gamers. This isn't through choice though and it's something we would like to do on a more regular basis and in the future this is a wish that should come true. Until now we've only looked at the Game Boy Advance from the many handheld systems that are out there but from now on we'll also be reviewing titles for the Nokia N-Gage thanks to Nokia providing us with a N-Gage QD. In this brief article we'll take a look at the N-Gage QD and give you our initial impressions of the platform.

You probably know that the N-Gage QD is not just a handheld console and in fact it's a fully featured WAP enabled phone that allows you to browse the Internet, send e-mail, text message and a whole range of other things. We're interested in the N-Gage's ability as a gaming platform though so we won't go into detail about it's many other abilities. You'll probably also know that this isn't the first version of the N-Gage. The N-Gage QD is only a few months old and was released to address a few concerns that arose with the original N-Gage device. Below you'll find pictures of the original N-Gage and the N-Gage QD. I've also included a picture of a N-Gage QD next to a Game Boy Advance SP so you can get an idea of how small the N-Gage QD really is.

N-Gage QD Specifications

• 176x208 pixel display with 4096 colours
• Hot swap MMC-card slot that can use MMC cards as external memory
• 3.4 MB internal user memory
• 16 MB SD RAM
• Bluetooth 1.1 for multiplayer gaming and connectivity with other devices
• In built vibration
• Screen capture application (can be used to capture game screens)
• Series 60 UI that allows multitasking and full support for Series 60 applications
• 8-way directional pad and comfortable numeric buttons that can be used in games
• Supports java games
• Separate 'OK' key for menus (the original N-Gage required you to press the d-pad)
• Uses a lithium battery that can offer around 10 hours of gaming
• Supports Enhanced SMS for advanced messaging
• Full Email Support
• Full Multimedia Messaging support
• Browse the Internet with a GPRS connection
• Supports the N-Gage Arena online service

The main problem for gamers with the original N-Gage was the method of game insertion. You had to take the back off the N-Gage, remove the battery, insert the game, replace the battery and then replace the back cover. As you'd expect this makes for an awful experience whilst on the move. There is no such rigmarole with the N-Gage QD though. You simply lift the rubberised flap at the bottom and insert your game card. By default the game will begin automatically (although you can alter the options to prevent the game from automatically starting if you so wish). This method of inserting a game is much simpler and far more acceptable than it was with the original N-Gage and immediately increases the ease of use which is what on-the-move gamers look for in a handheld console.

At the time of writing we have only had chance to play The Sims Bustin' Out but from what we've played of the game it shows the N-Gage QD to be a very capable handheld console. The directional pad feels very comfortable. The same can be said for the numeric keypad, although you might think that it would prove awkward with all those buttons within such close proximity to each other but it doesn't prove to be the case at all. The 5 and 7 buttons appear to be the main gaming buttons and if you take a look at our close-up picture (below) you'll notice that the rounded appearance makes them easy to press. Even when other buttons need to be pressed though they still feel comfortable. You don't have any shoulder buttons though like you have on the Game Boy Advance, which feels a little strange to begin with although obviously you have a lot more buttons overall but I suspect many games will only use a few to keep things simple.

The biggest difference between the N-Gage and other handheld consoles though is the portrait style display. The Game Boy Advance has the more natural landscape style display and to be completely honest the N-Gage screen has more in common with the many mobile phones out there than the handheld consoles. Whether it's going to make gaming awkward at all remains to be seen. We had no problems at all with the screen in The Sims Bustin' Out, so I suppose it depends on how the games developers make use of it. After all the original Game Boy screen didn't have the landscape style screen of the Game Boy Advance and caused no problems at all. The screen itself is backlit and games are playable even in the darkest of locations, which is especially important for those of you that like to game whilst you're traveling through the night.

The feel of a handheld console is always important and we are perfectly happy with the feel of the N-Gage QD. It's a similar shape to the original Game Boy Advance, although quite a bit smaller, and it fits snuggly in your hands. The case is mainly made up of a texturised plastic that means you won't be suffering the misfortune of the console slipping out of your hands during a heavy gaming session. Round the edge of the console is a thick rubberised band that is probably there for shock absorption should you even drop the N-Gage and on the right hand side of the console you have the power button. It's not apparent that it is a button to be honest and it's only signified by the circle with a line through it on the rubberised band. It requires a firm press to either turn on the console or to bring up a menu that allows you to remove the game/ MMC memory card or to chose whether to turn off the N-Gage completely.

The games are on copy-protected MMC cards and are extremely small (you'll find a picture below that compares the size of a N-Gage game with a Game Boy Advance game so you'll gain an idea of how small they are). As we mentioned earlier the N-Gage QD now allows you to hot swap the games which makes things a lot easier. If you're a gamer in their thirties you'll be pleased to learn that you can download a ZX Spectrum emulator from the Internet which works very well indeed and will allow you to play all those classic Spectrum games of yesteryear. It's also worth mentioning that Nokia have now included a dummy SIM card that allows you to use the N-Gage QD simply as a console if you want to. You couldn't even turn on the original N-Gage without a SIM card so this is a definite improvement.

Of course the real test of how good any console is, handheld or otherwise is how good it's software collection is. We can't make a judgment on that yet as we have only seen one game in action and it's a very good one at that. Over the coming months we'll see more games and get a more accurate picture of what the N-Gage QD can really do. As a piece of hardware though it's impressive. The N-Gage QD can be bought for £140 online and £150 with The Sims Bustin' Out, which is an excellent deal. If you want the ability to text message you can even get the QD for nothing as long as you take a year subscription with a mobile phone company (paying as little as £14 per month with a minimum contract of 12 months), which is certainly an option that would suit a lot of people. Any hearing gamers reading this will also be pleased to know that as a phone it's excellent and Nokia have done away with the silly side-talking feature that plagued the original N-Gage. That's it for now but it's not going to be our only look at the N-Gage console and in the coming months we'll take a look at what other games have appeared on the console (we're especially looking forward to Tiger Woods and Sid Meier's Civilization appearing on N-Gage) and maybe even a look at the ZX Spectrum emulator and anything else we can find. Hopefully we'll also be able to comment on the multiplayer side of things too and fully test the Bluetooth and N-Gage Arena features that future games will support.