According to Reuters, Nokia recently cut back the target number of N-Gage games launching for the year. Originally set at 100 new games, that number has now been scaled back to 40. Nokia originally planned last December to expand their range of titles from 50 to a 100 by the end of 2004, something that they will apparently fall short of.[br][br]"For the Christmas market, there will be (altogether) 40 games available," Nokia's Chief Strategy Officer Matti Alahuhta said in a presentation at the Nokia Connection 2004 event in Helsinki. There are some 20 titles available now, he said. [br][br]The N-Gage has been as troubled as a game system can be since the release of the system late last year. Everything from the design (side-talking), to the price ($299 at the start), to the game library has suffered a severe amount of derision from the gaming community. Recently, Nokia has seen fit to try and correct some of the complaints, with the newer, cheaper, sleeker N-Gage QD. While N-Gage QD released a couple weeks ago in Europe, it's US release was recently delayed more than a month, pushed back from the original date of June 24th to July 27th. With the Nintendo DS coming this winter and Sony's PSP due early 2005, now is a critical time for N-Gage to acquire market share before powerful competitors come knocking. ...

Nokia has reduced the number of N-Gage games expected this year from around 100 to 40 due to a stuttering start, according to reports from Reuters.[br]The Finnish mobile phone manufacturer announced the modest figures at Helsinki's Nokia Connection 2004 event, admitting that sales figures for the console-cum-phone had so far been disappointing.[br][br]The original N-Gage enjoyed a major launch last year, but immediately failed to challenge Nintendo's hold on the handheld market by some distance (if it is fair to assume that it was competing with Nintendo, that is), with clumsy battery changing and a small screen adding to the machine's lack of software support. [br][br]Consequently, the company responded with the revamped N-Gage QD phone in May, but so far, even this has failed to re-ignite interest.[br][br]That said, Nokia has still managed to acquire a few major gaming franchises, many of which debuted at E3, which it hopes will be amongst its 40 titles to release before the year's out. These include EA's Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004, Activision's Call of Duty and Spider-Man 2, Ubisoft's Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm, THQ's Worms and WWE, as well as first-party releases Operation Shadow and Pathway to Glory. [br][br]How this will translate to the N-Gage format remains to be seen, but on paper at least, there certainly seems to be a modicun of potential amongst its trimmed line-up. ...

We are having problems posting news at this time, an upgrade was done to the security of the server 2 days ago and it seems to be playing up the news script with strange 406 errors, im getting the same at VGN too so its a server issue, i or others will keep you informed of any news relating to this issue. ...

Comments made in a Japanese newspaper by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata indicate that the company is planning to continue to sell the GameCube hardware well into the lifespan of its next-generation console, codenamed "Revolution."[br][br]Iwata told Yomiuri Shimbun that Nintendo may well sell the "Revolution" device alongside the GameCube hardware for quite some time - presumably hoping to follow in the footsteps of Sony, which continued to sell large volumes of the PSone long after the launch of the PS2.[br][br]However, it's not clear whether Iwata's comments represent a commitment from the company to continue developing new software for the GameCube into the next console cycle, or simply an intention to continue supplying the channel with new units for as long as they are required.[br][br]The "Revolution" system, which is Nintendo's next home console, will be unveiled at E3 next May in Los Angeles, and is expected to launch in 2006 - although the E3 unveiling could equally indicate a late 2005 launch in Japan.[br][br]Nintendo has pledged that "Revolution" will mark a genuine departure from traditional home consoles, with a focus not only on increased processing and graphical prowess but on new ways of interacting with the system and new forms of gameplay. ...

Industry bosses speaking at the Piper Jaffrey conference in New York have sounded notes of cautious optimism about Microsoft's next-generation plans, with EB president Jeff Griffiths saying that the system could win 30 per cent market share.[br][br]"Yes, they could get a 30 per cent share, " Griffiths told the conference, speaking about the Xbox 2 console which is widely expected to launch by late 2005. "I think if they got less than that they'd be disappointed. If they come out earlier than Sony, if they have the breadth of exclusive titles like Sony had for PS2, I think they'd definitely have potential for market share leadership."[br][br]While it's obviously positive that key industry executives such as Griffiths believe that the Xbox 2 could share leadership in the next generation, his statement has a number of important caveats - particularly in terms of Microsoft's ability to deliver on exclusive titles as Sony has.[br][br]"I think Microsoft is being more aggressive," agreed THQ CEO Brian Farrell, but like Griffiths, he too qualified his optimism heavily. "Can they gain share?" he asked, "Yes. Do they have to have a solid value proposition? Yes. Do they have to have aggressive marketing? Yes."[br][br]The aggressive marketing, at least, is almost guaranteed - reports within the industry suggest that Microsoft has earmarked a marketing spend for Xbox 2 which is twice as large as the massive above the line campaign for the original console.[br][br]Xbox 2 is expected to launch well ahead of its competitors from Sony and Nintendo, with the new console potentially arriving at US retail by the middle of 2005 - having slipped past Microsoft's original highly aggressive target of Christmas 2004.[br][br]Although many in the industry expect the Redmond-based software giant to grow its market share of the games industry significantly in the next generation, some industry bosses have expressed concern at the prospect of having to support both Xbox 2 - a next generation platform with a small installed base - and PlayStation 2, a current generation system with a massive installed base - for a number of years, as cross-development between the two platforms will be extremely difficult, if not impossible. ...

The updated version of Nokia's N-Gage hardware, the N-Gage QD, has slipped a month in the USA - with a July 27th date now planned for the device, which Nokia says has been chosen in order to ensure a simultaneous launch across all channel partners.[br][br]The QD is already available in Europe and Asia, and will roll out on schedule in Canada on the 29th of this month; in each of those territories it has been a fairly quiet "soft launch" for the handset, while the American slippage tends to suggest that Nokia hopes to build a much bigger launch presence in that market.[br][br]"While the product is ready for shipment," explained US N-Gage PR boss Steven Knuff, "we have made a business decision to maximise the impact of the launch by synchronising across all channel partners."[br][br]The N-Gage QD improves significantly on its predecessor, with an attractive new design, external port for SD game cards, "front talking" system and other minor tweaks to the software and controls. [br][br]While Nokia's official line is that it is an addition to the N-Gage range rather than a replacement for the original device - which also boasts an MP3 player and radio receiver, functions lacking from the QD - it's expected that it will largely replace the original N-Gage at retail, especially in the USA where the first device underperformed badly. ...

The GameCube console has seen its market share of the European hardware market doubling to 32 per cent following the launch of Pokemon Colosseum on the platform - proof, claims Nintendo, that the Pokemon franchise is still alive and well.[br][br]Pokemon Colosseum, the first fully 3D home console adventure game to be launched in the franchise, has been the single largest Cube release of the year to date in Europe, and is sold both as a standalone game (with a free memory card) and as a bundle with the GameCube console and a number of accessories.[br][br]While sales of all of the consoles are influenced to some extent by the launch of key software titles, this is especially true for the GameCube - not least because with its 99 Euro price point, the console is a possible impulse purchase for consumers.[br][br]The 32 per cent figure quoted for market share in Europe belies the fact that the platform has seen its fortunes vary significantly across the major European territories; while it is in third place in the UK, where the Xbox has a major lead over it in installed base terms, it has beaten off competition from Microsoft's console in both France and Germany, while in Spain and Italy neither console has managed to make much headway against the PS2.[br][br]The Pokemon franchise has generated some 25 million unit sales of games in Europe to date, with last year's Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire titles on the GBA selling 3.3 million units in the region. Two further GBA titles, Pokemon Fire Red and Pokemon Leaf Green, are due to launch in Europe in the coming months. ...

Nintendo Europe was recently proud to reveal that the European market share for Nintendo's GameCube console has recently doubled, going from 16% to 32%. The rise in hardware sales is directly attributed to the release of Pokémon Colosseum which launched to rave reviews across Europe on May 14, 2004 and marked the biggest launch for a Nintendo GameCube title this year.[br][br]European fans of Pokémon had reason to "catch em' all" as the game was being offered with plenty of extras. Pokémon Colosseum could be purchased alone with a free Memory Card 59, but fans looking for a bit more could purchase The Mega Pak. This special bundle contains a copy of Pokémon Colosseum plus a Nintendo GameCube, a Memory Card 251, a Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance Cable and the Pokédex Organizer, Pokémon Box - all for around 159 Euros. [br][br]It appears as though the Nintendo and Pokémon alliance shows no sign of slowing down in Europe as the total number of Pokémon games sold in Europe currently exceeds 25 million, with the hugely successful Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire(Game Boy Advance) having sold approximately 3.3 million in Europe last year. [br][br][br] [br][br] ...

It really does seem that Japan will never quite 'get' Xbox in this generation. Despite reports of extra marketing activity and price-cuts, Microsoft's console continues to falter in Asia's key territory with Media Create reporting weekly sales of just 574 units, for the week ending June 6.[br]Failure to cater for the RPG-obsessed Japanese market and the reluctance of key local developers such as Square Enix to support the machine are two major reasons behind the Xbox's stuttering overseas display. Inevitably, it's a completely different story for both Sony and Nintendo, with PS2 weekly sales almost reaching 30,000 while the GBA SP and GameCube chalked up figures of 24,838 and 5,020 respectively. [br][br]Unless Microsoft finds new ways of expanding its appeal beyond its very 'westernised' image and branding, the Xbox will continue to sink without trace in Asian territories. However, at least some hope was offered to the imminent Xbox 2 after Square Enix recently admitting to the possibility of developing for the machine. Final Fantasy on a Microsoft console? You just never know.[br][br][br][br] ...