N-Gage Gets an Official Launch

Owners of Nokia's high-end N-Gage-compatible phones will now be able to peruse and play six games on the N-Gage platform, with many more on the way.

After moving from concept to public beta testing through the First Access program in February, Nokia’s N-Gage gaming service for its mobile phones finally launched officially on Monday. It includes a marketplace of made-for-mobile games for download, the N-Gage Mobile Arena for multiplayer gaming, plus message boards and live chat for discussing games and setting up tournaments.

Initially, only six games will be available for players to download: FIFA 08, Brain Challenge, Asphalt 3: Street Rules, World Series of Poker Pro, Hooked On: Creatures of the Deep and System Rush: Evolution. Nokia will expand this listing shortly, though, with the addition of seven more games, including Tetris and The Sims 2 Pets.

Compatible Nokia phones include the Nokia N81, Nokia N81 8GB, Nokia N82, Nokia N95, and Nokia N95 8GB. After downloading the N-Gage application, users can download free trials of every game. Full versions cost between six and ten euros.