Recognition: Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
- A developer has published a Symbian / N-Gage emulator in the Google Play Store.
- This is a great way to play N-Gage games on your Android smartphone.
The Nokia N-Gage was probably the first real gaming phone to offer a D-pad, face buttons and cassette-based games as early as 2003. It is widely considered a commercial bug, but it had some interesting titles nonetheless.
Now, a Symbian emulator called EKA2L1 has popped up on the Google Play Store that allows you to run N-Gage tracks on your current Android phone. According to developer Play Software, the emulator supports the unfortunate Taco phone from Nokia as well as Symbian S60v1, S60v3 and S60v5.
User ratings for EKA2L1 suggest that it supports “almost all” of the titles released on the original N-Gage, and there were some fascinating titles on the platform. These include games like Tony Hawks Pro Skater, Pathway to Glory, Red Faction, and Call of Duty.
One notable drawback is that instead of being able to play Symbian / N-Gage tracks from the start, you have to download the system files for the Symbian devices you want to emulate. Of course, Google is your friend in this regard.
It’s also worth noting that the setup process is definitely more complex than GameCube, PS2, and other console emulators. You need to install the above system files while running the games doesn’t seem like an easy case with the app pointing to the correct directory. Hopefully we will have a far more rational set up process in the near future. Otherwise, you’ll need a 64-bit Android device with 3 GB of RAM, a GPU that supports OpenGL ES 3.0, and a “good” CPU.
The EKA2L1 developer confirmed that support for N-Gage 2.0 is in the works. Hence, there is hope that N-Gage QD games like Age of Empires 3, Brothers in Arms, Metal Gear Solid Mobile and Tomb Raider Underworld will soon be playable in the emulator.