Is Nokia planning another dedicated gaming phone?

The Nokia N-Gage, the dedicated gaming mobile phone, is lost to history and most see it as a failed wedding of a phone and a gaming device. Meanwhile, Nokia has moved on and is set to launch a new mobile gaming platform with the same name, N-Gage. Before this came about, there were rumors of an N-Gage 2 gaming phone, but then it appeared that the cellphone company had learnt its lessons and decided to focus only on creating a comprehensive game distribution platform for its mobiles.

However, in a fresh development, Nokia has filed a new patent application titled “Handheld Electronic Device.” This new device is described in the application as a “computer game console” which can be used to make phone calls and click photos. Here is an excerpt from Unwired – the patent application that has evoked a lot of interest:

“…is a computer gaming console, input elements 121, 122 being provided for user input by the left hand of a user and input elements 123, 124 being provided for input by the right hand of user. The games are displayed on the display 110, but in other embodiments, the games can additionally or alternatively be provided for display on another electronic device associated with the device. In the present case, the device 100 also allows the user to make radiotelephone calls (e.g. using cellular telephone functionality), take pictures (camera on reverse of device 100 is not shown), and play recorded/streamed audio (e.g. music/speech etc).”

The device looks very sleek and the control options are pretty similar to the PSP (see picture). If this device ever sees the light of the day, then the control options better be good and comfortable, as this has been one major issue with many handheld devices in the past. It is hard to tell at this point whether Nokia has any concrete plans of launching another dedicated gaming device, after the disaster that was the first N-Gage.

Read [Unwired] via [Gizmodo]