Has N-Gage been hacked?

Mobile phone giant Nokia is investigating whether hackers managed to disable security that protects its N-Gage mobile phone games.

If various web reports are true, someone has discovered a way for the games to be played on any mobile phone that, like the N-Gage portable video game machine, uses the Symbian operating system. Symbian will be used by many handset makers that develop next-generation phones.

"We are aware websites are reporting to have hacked copies of our games," a Nokia representative said. "We are looking into such claims and take them very seriously. It would allow pirates to steal copyright-protected material and that is illegal."

The representative said Nokia is still investigating the claims, which were first reported in late October. However, the representative raised the possibility that N-Gage games, which generally cost between £20 and £30, may soon be available for free over the internet.

At least 400,000 N-Gage units have been shipped to retailers since the gadget debuted in early October. The device is Nokia's first phone built specifically for gaming.

Nintendo, predictably, has dismissed the challenge from N-Gage, citing price as a factor.

"Mainly, we find that when you go over $99, it's a hard thing to sell," a Nintendo executive said in an earlier interview.

The N-Gage is one of several devices aimed at pushing forward the developing market for mobile games. Sony this summer announced plans for the PlayStation Portable, a handheld adjunct to its market-leading home console that will include an advanced screen, multimedia capabilities and a new optical storage format. Sony has yet to disclose a price for the device, which is set to go on sale in late 2004, but it's likely to be in the same range as the N-Gage.

Ben Charny writes for CNET News.com.