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Sega NomadFrom Sega Retro
The Sega Nomad, codenamed Venus, is a handheld game console manufactured by Sega. It is a handheld Sega Genesis, and Sega's second handheld system after the Sega Game Gear. The Nomad was based on the semi-portable Sega Mega Jet, and only saw release in North America. The Nomad debuted on store shelves in October 1995 for an asking price of US$180. The Nomad was unsuccessful in this region for a variety of reasons, the most prominent being that by this period of time, the Sega Genesis was being phased out in favor of the Sega Saturn. Rumors state a European PAL release was on the table, but was scrapped after failures in the US. The Nomad is built very similarly to the Game Gear and also shares several design flaws. It has a built in high-quality backlit 3" passive-matrix LCD screen, a D-pad and six face buttons and can be hooked up to a television (using identical leads to the Sega Mega Drive II). Also included is an extra DE-9 port for an extra player, though player 1 must always use the controls built into the Nomad unit. The Nomad accepts any Sega Mega Drive cartridge (though is still region locked), though its design means it is not compatible with add-ons such as the Power Base Converter, Sega Mega CD or Sega 32X. The Nomad also suffered from other issues. There are minor incompatibilities with some Mega Drive games, and though the LCD screen was of a higher resolution than other handhelds at the time, the technology means that fast action scenes suffer from "ghosting" (i.e. blurry graphics). Like the Game Gear before it, the fluorescent backlight rapidly drains battery life, giving approximately three to five hours of play. Furthermore, the system is powered by six AA batteries, meaning it is expensive to maintain, however the Nomad PowerBack, which is charged via an AC adapter, can extend play time by a couple of hours. Mega Drive games with small text are also difficult to read on a Sega Nomad. Similar problems occur when attempting to play Sega Master System games on the Game Gear via the Master Gear Converter. A combination of all of these issues meant the Nomad failed to see widespread adoption. Game IssuesThe following Mega Drive titles are known to have difficulty with or not to work at all on the Nomad:
Note that Sonic the Hedgehog and Streets of Rage's incompatibility issues can be worked around by running their 6-Pak counterparts. Box Scans
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