SEGA Nomad prototype shown to public for the first time ever

Hey buddy, you like SEGA handheld consoles? Remember the SEGA Nomad? It was a small size SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive that you could take on the game. Yeah, like a Nintendo Switch but in the 90s. Recently SEGA has been celebrating the companies 60th Anniversary and they posted the following video above, a class room type setting going through the history of SEGA hardware. One of the pieces shown off for the first time? The SEGA Venus, which was a prototype that became the SEGA Nomad.

Its interesting to see the early designed console, it looks cool but the color scheme seems to be very different from anything ‘SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive’ related, which went with more ‘black’ slick style, this has a more bronze/grey look. Also seems that this version had more normal looking front facing buttons compared to the final model that hard buttons that sort of reminded me of the launch SEGA Saturn buttons (on the unit itself).

[Via: SEGA-16]

Retro-bit Gaming reveals SEGA Nomad styled portable Genesis

The 2019 Consumer Electronics Show is underway, and Retro-bit (the ones behind those SEGA controllers) tweeted out photos of a prototype of what they call the Genesis Portable System. The handheld resembles the beloved SEGA Nomad, with several differences. Aside from different button shapes and placement, the portable promises HDMI out and has a widescreen display. Based on the photos, there is an NTSC/PAL switcher and a reset button (which made X-Men unbeatable on the Nomad thanks to the “reset the computer” feature). The bottom hasn’t been seen, so no idea if there is a player 2 controller input. Also no promise of an SD card slot yet.

Despite the Nomad resemblance, it is important to note that this is not a Nomad and there is no promise of quality emulation yet. I know the Nomad gets a lot of grief for the battery life, but I have to say as a longtime Nomad owner that battery technology has improved to the point where one can get 6 hours of playtime on quality rechargables. Heck, I had a 3DS die on me in less time than that. Coupled with near perfect sound and the ability to mod the display to modern technology on a Nomad, this Genesis Portable System is no heir to the Nomad throne just yet. We’ll share more as we hear it!

Update: Retro-bit confirmed a player 2 input in a tweet to us.

Why the SEGA Nomad is Awesome

The Mona Lisa

SEGA’s last handheld caught a lot of flack in its day. It was large, clunky, and while I’ve found accusations of the battery life to be rather outlandish, its paltry 3-5 hours of battery life was nothing compared to its contemporaries, particularly the hugely successful Game Boy.

In the days since, though, it seems people have grown a little more appreciative of the Nomad. The system has sold regularly on eBay for between $70 and $150 for over a decade now, having become sought after by collectors and Genesis fans alike as an ideal way to experience the vast Genesis library.