Ovi Orion: The phone we wish Nokia would make
No one has made a great gaming phone. Sure, Apple sells lots of iPhone games but have you ever tried to play a first-person shooter or football game on an iPhone? It's not a terrible experience but it's nowhere near as good as playing those types of games on a Nintendo DS or Sony PSP. As for why Nintendo or Sony hasn't released a gaming phone yet is beyond us but the demand for a device that bridges the gap between a smart phone and a portable gaming console is definitely there.
Some time ago Nokia tried to fill this mobile gaming gap with N-Gage, a mobile phone range that mimicked gaming devices. The problem with N-Gage though was that it was way ahead of its time and Nokia could only offer users Java-based distractions rather than full-on gaming experiences. After lacklustre sale figures Nokia dumped the N-Gage handset range and instead focused on gaming software and do-it-all smart phones but we think it's time for Nokia to make a gaming comeback.
Our Ovi Orion concept is an evolution of N-Gage handsets, it is a phone/platform offering with a heavy slant on gaming. In other words, if the iPhone is Wii, then Ovi Orion would be Xbox and offer Xbox Live style features. A serious gaming phone for serious gamers. Watch our video below to see the Orion in action and click on the next page for close-up pictures and specs.
[graphics credit: Paul Oesten-Creasey]
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