10 Of E3's Worst Video Game Showcases Yet
3. The N-Gage, 2003
Nokia's short-lived stint into gaming came with the Nokia N-Gage, a cell phone wrapped into a taco shell that doubled as a dedicated game device. This bizarre device was riddled with design flaws, such as a cumbersome game slot that required players to remove the battery, and speaker ports on the side of the device meant holding the console in a stupid manner dubbed "Sidetalking".
Their E3 conference was just as stupid. Starting with hip-hop dancing teenagers, they quickly cleared the way for presenters that showed ugly, barely working games that wouldn't have passed as playable in 1996. Grainy FMV and ugly, blocky 3D didn't impress anybody, and Sony's own announcement of the PSP sucked interest away immediately.
But the capstone to the entire show was a woman being invited onto the stage and being asked "How much would you pay for this?". Her response was to bring off her top, showing a price point of $299 scrawled in black marker on her bikini-clad body. So, so very stupid.