10 Video Game Consoles The World Wasn't Ready For
6. Nokia N-Gage
These days, hundreds of millions of people use their cellphones as their primary gaming device. Think about it--you probably play something while sitting on the toilet... most of us do, but it wasn't always like this. Years ago, the best a phone could do was a vigorous game of Snake, which is why the Nokia N-Gage seemed like such a good idea.
This was a phone, which was also a handheld video game system. It took cartridges like the other handhelds in the market and was released to take on the might of Nintendo's Game Boy Advance.
Not only could this thing play games, but it was also a phone! While that's normal now, it was pretty new back in 2003. Despite the innovative concept, the system completely bombed and was discontinued within a couple of years.
Many of the problems arose from its clunky design and the simple fact that the buttons, which were designed more for phone use than anything else, made it incredibly difficult to play any of the games. Add to that the need to nearly disassemble the taco-shaped phone to put in a cartridge, and you have a recipe for a failed game system. It was a great concept, but ultimately, a poorly executed design for a market, which would eventually catch up with phone-based gaming only a few years later.