No N-Gage QD in US until July

Two weeks ago, the N-Gage QD hit store shelves in Europe and Asia. Some reports had mobile phone carriers subsidizing the reworked game deck/cell phone to the tune of 49.99 euros ($60.53), sparking something its forbear didn't--widespread interest among gamers. Nokia, though, was still in negotiations with American carriers and couldn't confirm that the QD would sell below its $199 list price when it arrived stateside on June 24.

Now it seems Nokia will have a bit longer to work out a QD price-subsidy deal. The cell phone giant announced late today that it has delayed the American release of the QD for over a month. "The N-Gage QD game deck will now have a street date in the US of July 27, 2004," said the company in a brief press release.

Nokia explained the delay with this chestnut of modern marketing-speak: "While the product is ready for shipment, we have made a business decision to maximize the impact of the launch by synchronizing across all channel partners." No other reason was given, nor was a price point for the QD offered.

However, Yankee N-Gage lovers living close to the Canadian border will be able to bypass the delay with a simple road trip. The QD is sticking to its previously announced ship date in the United States' northern neighbor and will land there on June 29.