Nokia N-Gage Series 60 Gaming Details: It&#39;s Better Than We Expected

Remember the new N-Gage software we told you about a month ago? The ones that were playable on Series 60 Nokia phones? We've got some new details on it.

The easy way to describe the whole experience is Xbox Live Arcade for mobiles. You've got an Xbox Live kind of system with usernames, friends lists, gamer points, profiles, and arcade-like games from studios like EA and Gameloft. What does this mean to you, the Series 60 user? Well, if you've got one of the select Series 60 phones released recently—they haven't specified which yet—or any new Series 60 coming up, you'll be able to load this suite onto the phone and start gaming.

Compared to the Nintendo DS and PSP, the games aren't nearly as good (of course). But compared to standard mobile games, they're great.

Here's how it improves on Xbox Live.

First, it's going to be subscription free. Nokia doesn't charge you for it, and the only thing you'll be paying is for the game itself (from the game providers). That is, unless game publishers decide to release something like an MMORPG and charge subscriptions.

There's also an emphasis on free trials (like XBLA) so you won't have to plunk down money for a crap game that you didn't want. Plus, there's going to be TV-out on some Series 60 phones, which means you can play these same games on your TV as well.

What's also cool is that some games will be cross-platform PC/Mobile compatible, meaning you can play with your buddies on the phone while they're sitting at their computer. However, you don't have to have a PC in order to play this—all this is over the air (OTA) downloadable.

The only thing we ask is not to be forced to buy a Series 60 phone to take advantage of the platform (we've got a billion other phones we're currently using). Or at least not have to wait 'til Fall for it to be released.