A Nokia N-Gage exhibition is underway at the Finnish Museum of Games

The Finnish Museum of Games, located in Tampere, is currently holding an exhibition titled ‘A Fantastic Failure’ covering the story of the N-Gage – the handheld mobile gaming device Nokia invested hundreds of millions into, despite little in the way of interest from consumers.

The exhibition aims to be nostalgic but thought-provoking – while the N-Gage was a flop, Nokia’s investment made Finland a hotbed of expertise in mobile gaming, laying the foundations for future mobile hits.

Never seen before marketing and development materials will be on display, alongside playable N-Gage units. Game developers and designers who worked on the unit also share their insights.

The N-Gage launched in 2003 and was largely ridiculed for its peculiar design – requiring the device to be dismantled to change cartridges – along with its inadequate button layout and small, portrait-oriented, screen. While it did host a few decent games, these were few and far between.