Nokia's N81 8GB now shipping with N-Gage preview

Nokia's N81 is now, at this very moment, "available globally" according to Nokia. Pre-tax, pre-subsidy €360 / $515 for the 2GB microSD model or €430 / $615 for that full 8GB of on-board flash experience. Since the revamped N-Gage platform isn't online yet, the N81 comes pre-loaded with three playable demos of FIFA 07, Asphalt 3: Street Rules, and Space Impact Light. Those same games will be available for free download-and-preview over HSDPA when the service goes live sometime "later in 2007." Still, while Nokia touts a global launch, the fact that this quad-band GSM phone only sports 2100MHz WCDMA will limit its effective use in North America -- even if it is FCC approved.

[Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Oct 22nd 2007 3:18AM]

...

Why not to try to license Nintendo's DS technology?

Nokias are traditionally thick - there should be plenty of space for cartridge.

[Singh @ Oct 22nd 2007 3:18AM]

It's going to be totally awesome....Waiting for this one!

[mushrooshi @ Oct 22nd 2007 3:19AM]

Wow, they actually made a good gaming thing.

Space Impact seems cool too.

This here is good.

[MAIcrosoft @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:57AM]

lol they need to hurry with the new n-game platform. My nokia n93's PowerVR MBX is hungry to finally do some work Xp

[Jiten @ Oct 22nd 2007 1:00PM]

d phone looks quite cool... bt the most important time would be when sony ericsson enters the gaming phone market with its "PlayStation" phone .. like it has done the branding for "Walkman" series of the phone... Well there is a buzz goin around that it has a prototype and it may launch the phone quite soon... but still no confirmed reports from any one of the officials. Well we'll probably keep our fingers crossed and hope that the announcement comes quite soon... Then it would be quite an amazing competition which will be quite good for the mobile gaming market..

[John M @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:34PM]

N-Gage sucked then and it will suck now...Everything doesnt need to be all in one...Check it out..I got an iphone and a PSP...thats good nuff for me

[Magallanes @ Dec 14th 2007 11:52AM]

Are you always carrying both?.

[JohnTitor @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:41PM]

ever since the first N95 released, Nokia just gets cooler and cooler

[cyuzna @ Oct 22nd 2007 9:24PM]

The key thing with the N81 is that it's freakin' HAWT as a phone/media-player combo device even without taking gaming into account.

The gaming's a bonus.

[Dull @ Oct 22nd 2007 10:51PM]

This is what the N-Gage should have been in the fist place. On this you can dial with one hand.