The Nomad was my favorite handheld for many years until the GBA, then Vita, and now Switch. And yeah, the battery life was terrible. I often just played it plugged in at home. But it was awesome to be able to play Sonic on the couch so the rest of the family could watch regular TV. Great video, man!
I was actually kind of surprised when I saw short battery life constantly cited as a big problem for the early color handhelds. I had the Atari Lynx. I rarely used batteries because at the time, I didn't think of the handhelds so much as something you could take anywhere (way too big to fit in your pocket anyway) but more about being able to play games when you didn't have access to a TV. Coming from a big family with ONE TV, that was a common problem for me and a handheld was the only way I could play games in my own bedroom.
I clearly remember walking into a Toys R Us and seeing a whole mound of Nomads being clearanced for $50 a piece. What I wouldn't give for a time machine.
I remember getting one at that price back in 1998 then I ended up selling it to Funcoland because of the blurry screen. 5 years later I buy one again from Gamestop for $40 I still have it today.
Could be worse. I got one for Christmas in like 5th grade, treasured it, then when I was in late high school let my mom give it to my cousin. 15 years later it’s long gone.
I remember that too. I never saw it for sale anywhere but Toys R Us. The bad reviews it got from magazines swayed my opinion so I didn't buy one. Along with the fact that I had "moved on" to N64 by that point.
this guy is easily becoming my favorite retro youtuber , reminds me of the days of old , when it was fun to watch these videos, keep it up my dude, u are awesome.
I also liked how he's current with modern youtubers with combining two themes together like his travel and video game combo (which is really nice when he brings out the portables, and I liked how he introduced the system with comparing it to the nomads of the village he was visiting). He's taken it seriously and stepped up his game(boy).
My Grandpa was in town and bought me one around the time it released. I thought it was great. It was like a Switch before the Switch. I was able to hook it up to TVs and plug in more controllers for 2 players. Took it with me on family road trips. It sadly broke after a year or so. I think my dad broke it cause he was mad my Grandpa bought the thing, but I had a lot of fun with the thing for awhile. lol.
Technically it was the closest we got to today's Nintendo Switch, since you can save your game, then continue on the go, just on a separate console. I think Sega was onto something, but was too far ahead of their time.
I had one of these. I didn't have one for very long, but it was an interesting experience. I had a battery pack for it, which extended the lifespan to at most, six hours (depending on the game you were playing), but it did help with some games, like Columns, Sonic, and Man of Steel. I do not ever recommend playing any sports titles on the Nomad; those will drain the batteries very quickly, and even the battery pack won't help much. Oh, and over time, the cartridge bay can become loose, so the connection will as well. Be careful not to bump or trip over anything (best to not be walking or standing at all while playing); you'll get a lost cartridge connection and ruin the entire game you had going (this was a problem with the Game Boy even though less likely to occur).
Never had a Nomad. But my younger brother had a game gear. Loved that thing (though it also ate through batteries). I had a GameBoy, often swapped it so I could play in colour!
I always plugged mine in. Used to take it to my friends house with the genesis av cable, ac adapter and a second controller. It was great to use on my own tv too because I had super street fighter 2 but not the 6 button controller that made it playable, except for the nomad.
Living in the midwest US I remember the lead up to the Nomad's release, reception and failure. If it had been released in 1992 or early 93 it may have had a chance of being successful. But by the time it was released in 1995 it was guaranteed fail! A whole lot of good will towards Sega in the US was destroyed by the 32X debacle in late 94 & early 95. Along with the surprise introduction of the Saturn which itself was destroyed by the Playstation in the US in almost every way. Why would anyone want to pay $250 for a handheld version of a console that was 6 years old and was clearly at the end of it's run? The poor screen & laughable battery life sealed it's coffin. But in 92/93 the Genesis was still a hot console and a lot more people would have paid for a handheld version of it. Heck, I remember my friends being more excited about the Virtual Boy than the Nomad! We all know how much of a fail the Virtual Boy was!!!
Love the Sega Nomad! The OG of the switch 💪 sure it’s not perfect, however the concept was brilliant and the technology limitations in 1995 still makes it a beauty 🙌
Yeah, but it ripped off the NEC TurboExpress portable that ran TurboGrafx-16 console (TurboChip) games & had a better-looking screen. They had a TV tuner, too. No video output, that I can remember though.
I finally got a modified Nomad with a modified rechargeable battery back in 2018 and as someone who travels for a living I have it with me quite often I simply love it.
Awesome video! I love the Sega Nomad. Got one on release and thought it was pretty awesome back in the day. The smaller screen meant higher pixel density so lots of games looked sharper (although it did suffer from blurring during fast movement due to passive screen). I was blown away that I was able to play Virtua Racing on a handheld and then could hook it up to a TV. It wouldn't be til 2019 when I'd be blown away again by playing Virtua Racing on the Switch in handheld with the ability to hook up to a TV. When Nomad accessories were on clearance, I picked up two of the rechargable battery packs at $10 each which meant I had quite a bit of playtime when swapping packs. Good times/memories all brought back by this video.
Regarding region locks: yes, it does carry one, but it is compatible with the Game Genie so you can free up the whole library. Virtual Racing also struggles a bit because of how it stretches the hardware.
One detail you've missed is that when the system came out in the US, it was only sold at one retailer, Toy R' Us. At the time I would had gotten one of these in a heartbeat, but the problem is that I was living no where near one at the time.
I was recently gifted a Nomad from a friend and used it to play through Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday on Twitch last month. ^^d Didn't really find it that much more cumbersome to play than using a regular SEGA Genesis pad, and thanks to RetroBit, the AV cables were cheap and easy to find as well.
As a kid I only ever saw whispers of the Nomad in a handful of magazines. Along with Sega cd, 32x, and unreleased Sega things I never actually saw any of these in real life. As a kid, I was limited to what cousins had at their house around holiday visits and whatever was at department stores I'd occasionally visit on errands. All that said, I never actually knew the Nomad actually released for sell. Magazines made it seem like this item that might come out and with all the Sega stuff that didn't really release or widely release, it just faded in the background and forgot about it til seeing one in person until about 6 years ago, still believing it never actually released or at least never released in the west.
Picked up a new Sega Nomad at a comic con in Indianapolis and it cost me more than my rent! It is in fantastic condition and came with a carrying case and a brand new ac adapter. It really is a fascinating piece of hardware.
I had one back in the late 90s and I brought it on multiple deployments when I was on the aircraft carriers. It definitely was my go to handheld after 12-14 hours of working on the flight deck. Playing endless games of Super Street Fighter 2 on that system was my nirvana.
Living in Australia, it was a damn shame when I heard they only released the Nomad in the US. Reading up on the system, I saw these can be modded in the most delightful ways now so I bit the bullet and got one online. I shipped it across to Jason at Videogame Repair who specializes in handheld restorations. I had the aged screen replaced with a modern LCD, all the cheap 90's capacitors prone to leaking were replaced with brand new ones. Jason also installed a Mega Nomad Board which adds switchless region free and 50/60hz capability to the system. VGR also repurpose the original Nomad batteries and fit them out with modern rechargeable batteries so you can play it truly portable for longer. I grabbed one of those too. All up, its one awesome system. There are additional mods you can do to have MegaCD games enabled when playing from FPGA carts like the MegaSD from Terraonion. Well worth it. Here's the link to the MNB - www.videogameperfection.com/products/mega-nomad-board/
I was able to purchase a Nomad from Toys R Us back in 1997 or 1998 when it was on clearance. For about $100, it was worth it for road trips (powered through a cigarette lighter adapter), long before there was reasonable access to emulators and laptops/tablets. I remember the system had a port for A/V cables to connect to a TV (and connect a second controller to the Nomad itself), which were cool features, but counter to the portability factor. Thank you for this video!
Watching this video prompted me to pull out my Nomad. Back when I got it (25 years ago?!?), I came across a nice little cassette tape holder/bag that was made out of a better-grade vinyl with zipper-around closure and a couple of hand grips. It fit the Nomad within it, along with ~8 games, the battery pack and even a 12v power cord. I always wrap a little cloth around it and it is still in pristine condition to this day. Nomad...a great product that was released too late, for too much.
What I find bizarre is, games magazines in the UK seemed oblivious to this existing. It wasn't mentioned in UK games magazines or available from importers at all, yet we had all the various obscure Japanese PC Engine consoles available from importers and reviewed. Including the PC Engine GT LT. It's like the Nomad never existed in the UK.
I remember wanting one so bad when it came out so bad. I had a subscription to EGM so knew all about it. Sometimes I look at my 3ds in amazement of all the games I can play on it. Having a portable n64, Super Nintendo and nes is everything I dreamed of when I was a kid. I remember looking at my gameboy and thinking in the future it would be as powerful as a home console
What I find bizarre is, games magazines in the UK seemed oblivious to this existing. It wasn't mentioned in UK games magazines or available from importers at all, yet we had all the various obscure Japanese PC Engine consoles available from importers and reviewed. Including the PC Engine GT LT. It's like the Nomad never existed in the UK.
I had re chargeable AAs back then. Though they didn't perform as well as regular name brand batteries. Today they make rechargeable AAs that are just as good.
I never heard of it until it showed up under the Christmas tree. But then again I never heard of the Saturn until I saw it in a mall. I read Nintendo Power lol
You should check out the rechargeable battery pack for the nomad. It says right in the instructions that you have to charge it for 10 or 12 hours, and you'll have to recharge it after 1-2 hours of play.
Yo, I got a Nomad at a flea market about 5 yrs ago. It works fine & I love it, but rarely play it due to the battery issue. When I do play it, I have it plugged into the wall, so...
I honestly wouldn't mind picking up a Sega Nomad and then having it redesigned and updated with things like a better screen, a reset button, recharable battery and maybe better buttons/dpad for it if possible.
I actually owned a Nomad after my Genesis/MD bit the dust. I played Shining Force 2 and Sonic 3 and Knuckles often. Unfortunately, it became difficult to use, because the power port was defective, and would shut my games off if the cord would even shift slightly in the port.
I had a Nomad as a kid, it was one of my gems. However... it got ran over by a bike while it was laying on the floor next to a plug. One of my worst experiences ever. the screen was destroyed, I still used it as a Genesis console as it still worked, but I think we eventually tossed it. Later on in life my ex got me one as a gift one year, she trolled me by putting it in a popcorn box, knowing I hate popcorn. I'm very happy to have it even thought I don't use it much.
Hello top hat gaming man. I just watched the video where you explain why you stopped collecting video games 1 year ago. And I found it to be very interesting. You changed your life completely, and now you seem to be happy and enjoy every single moment. Personnaly, I am still at school and I started collecting retro games in 2018. I spent more than 400 euros in video games, and I feel stupid. I know that material goods never brings happyness to a life, so I don't know what to do now. I should spend my time studying, because I have bad marks, but I think everyone needs a hobby. I hope that you will answer to me. Thank you so much for your videos.
Thank you. It's true, older poeple see the world differently. For example, I don't understand the purpose of having children but I'm sure I will in a few years ; ) Good evening
I had a classmate that brought one to school. He brought a second controller and challenged EVERYBODY to Mortal Kombat 3 and also Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters
If you saying that nomad had an issue with the batteries try gamegear for a change,i remember putting new alkaline on it and after half an hour or so the system stopped working! And amazingly i discovered that the batteries wasn't drained out completely because i have tried them on gameboy afterwards to see how much power left.The battery life wasn't enough as i discovered and it wasn't the issue of draining as i understood.Telling me that nomad works with those batteries close three hours i believe its an achievement for this beast talking also about a 16bit handheld!
I owned one of these, it was like holding a brick. I gave up on the batteries and always plugged it into the wall. The buttons where a little odd feeling being almond shaped but worked. The screen killed it for me I found it to be rubbish, smallish too washed out and blurry with almost any screen action. It made some fast-paced games almost unplayable. The Genesis made for a far more enjoyable experience and seldom used the Nomad after the novelty wore off. I kept it until 2009 when I ended up selling on eBay to pay the bills due to having lost my job. As a bit of a game collector I still do miss it.
I had a Nomad as a kid. Great little thing to show off with, a nice way to have a Genesis at home, because I could play it without taking over the living room TV. The Nomad's battery life made it not very useful as a handheld on the go sadly. Take it to school one day, after two recesses and an hour after school gaming and, I needed to recharge my rechargeable AAs for it. It was great for road trips with the cigarette lighter power supply though. It was fun, but never practical. Just like the Lynx and GameGear before it. My Game Boy remained the handheld of choice because of its reasonable form factor, long battery life, and inexpensive games.
Love my Nomad! The screen is ok, but overall it’s just really convenient. I can easily take it to someone’s house with an extra controller and some games and play on their tv.
Got a Game Gear for a birthday from an aunt and had it for couple weeks. The library was small, the screen was hard on my eyes, and it ate batteries so I returned it. With the experience with the Game Gear, I never tried the Nomad.
The main reason I didn’t buy a nomad was that the screen was terrible... the passive matrix made it almost impossible to play any fast action games. One one thing the Atari Lynx has above everyone else.
I hope that you are recieving some of this ad revenue. I do enjoy your videos. I like that you feature lesser known consoles. Could you subtitle your videos please? I want to share your videos with my buddy here in Mexico. Keep up the good work and throw a haduken at the credits.
I had the Nomad. It had horrifically bad battery life, no built-in rechargeable battery, and a blurry screen. Turns out, you'd need to wait for the GBA-SP before you got a really good handheld.
I loved the Sega Nomad as child. My friend had one but my parents couldn't afford one and from their prespective I already had a Sega Game Gear and a Gameboy so it didn't make sense to them that I get a portable Genesis that had shorter battery life than my Game Gear. I wonder if Retrobit is still going to produce a modern and licensed Nomad. Maybe Analogue's upcoming portable console will get a Mega Drive/Genesis core.
I loved my Sega monad, I never had a problem with batteries because I purchased rechargeable batteries that only took 15 minutes to recharge from radio shack.
I have a Sega Nomad and I loved it I think if Sega had released the Nomad first instead of the game gear and TFT screens have been made in 1995 so they should have putt a TFT screen in it and I think the Nomad would have done well.
I never owned one at the release. At the time I picked up the Sega CD model 2. I think there were only a handful of people who bought them back in the day. I always wanted one so badly. Fast forward to now I have 2. Got them rather cheaply too ($20 for my first and $25 for the second).
It's a shame that the Nomad didn't work out. It could have provided a "lifeline" for the Mega Drive, continuing it as a portable/budget system for some years longer, similarly to how the Game Gear did for the Master System.
It is because I am full time on here now, so I have actual time to pump into the channel, rather than having to kill myself every weekend to get anything out.
I was 9 when this came out and while me and my friends thought it was a cool idea, even back then we couldn't understand why Sega was putting it out so late into the Genesis' lifespan, since even the TurboExpress came out only a year after the TurboGrafx-16, not 6 years later.
I was one of the lucky few to own a Nomad. It ate batteries like no other, so I always left it plugged into the AC adapter. Unfortunately the plug became loose and power would cut out. I took it to show and tell in 5th grade! The kids ooh'd and aww'd
Picked one up in 96 for $30 new. From what i remember the game gear rechargable battery worked but only netted you an hour and a half. Unfortunately due to heavy use my power adapter metal got bent by 2000. I used it sparingly until the gba in 01. It was great for going on trips if you brought an adapter but is nothing but an anomaly today.
The Nomad is kinda like the PSTV. A system that was unceremoniously released that plays games from an existing console (just in a new environment) and was given little to no attention by the company. It thus flopped, ended up in bargain bins but eventually became expensive on the 2nd hand market (seriously, PSTVs aren't cheap anymore)
Back then my dream was the Turbo gt Nec..I had a game gear. This one..yes but expensive and short baterry life 2-3h. Now,I use a gpd or just a tab with a blutooth snes control with mame. It's great.
The sega nomad was the best mortal kombat handheld experience until the psp's midway collection and mortal kombat unchained (with a cameo by sony's Kratos).
I never had one, though I do remember seeing an import model in a game/model import shop in Wolverhampton maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaany years ago, and was completely blown away by it. Price was nuts and the terrible screen/battery life means I'll never get one in the future.. but damn if a portable handheld Mega Drive wasn't mindblowing to my teenage eyes :D
The Nomad is the only system I ever returned to the store. The deal breaker? The screen. It not only was a low contrast smeary mess, but it couldn't handle some of the Genesis modes, like the interlaced one. I recall some games being difficult to even make out the text on a background, the screen was utter shit. Otherwise, an outstanding ideal for the time, but the Turbo/PC Engine Express was a far better idea (with far more pocket sized games).
Wonderful video I just wish you mentioned the Turbo Graphics 16s Turbo Express it basically did the same thing for TG-16 users that the Nomad did for Genesis players.
For the sake of my Megadrive collection I own one of these, but only played with it a coupe of minutes, as I prefered to play on an bigger TV screen with a real Megadrive :) I also own the rare Multimega, Megadrive and MegaCD on a single more compact device.
I had a gameboy and a game gear in the late 90's I had like 2-3 games for each of them, I ended up trading them for ultimate mk3 fro snes. Years later I kept wanting to buy another game gear, never got around to it, as for a nomad goes, in the early 2000's a lot of genesis [megadrive] games used were like $5 each or less so I have a good amount of games for that system, so having a nomad would be a plus if I get rechargeable batteries for it, however, as a teen I couldn't drive, I had my parents, grandparents, pretty much my family, but now, most of my family is gone, even friends [RIP] and I'm constantly driving, so very little time to play games anymore, on top of this, I hate phones, but use laptops quite often, I have a joybox when I can plug a usb and use any ps1/ps2 controllers on any laptop, so I use mame, it is the perfect arcade translations compared to 16 bit anyway, so besides a controller in my laptop bag, thats about all I'll need, running off my laptop battery [if I have 1]. Deep down I always want a nomad and game gear again 1 day, perhaps as an old man, but I just don't know, this has been a battle on my mind for years, 1 thing I'm sure of, due to the not impressive screens, and battery power, I guess if I can get 1, or both game gear and nomad for $50 and are in good condition, so a very low price would be a must for me to buy, then maybe I would have a nomad 1 day, other than that, I might as well use even a crappy laptop to play 32 bit mame games perfectly, I have over 6000 games, take up about 13 gigs which isn't bad if you think about it.. I guess time will tell if I ever end up with these systems. I had to comment on this because this video as well as it being such a good question. These new mega drive/genesis systems with built in games, if a "nomad" version was release for $30.00 portable with built in games, this might also push me to buy, but old video game systems aren't too different than films being released over and OVER, they come out on dvd....then 5 10 years later, blu ray....4 k, extended cut, new scenes, new interviews, then 10 years later, new special features, yet, SAME FILM if you think about it, its the same with these old game systems, keep getting RE releases so people can buy them over and OVER, the same with ps4 store and xbox, new system, give us more $$$ so you can RE buy the same old classing games for your new PS5,6,7....20..... so to buy the mega drive games AGAIN a few years later, but a newer version of the same OLD games, to keep putting $ into what you already own and have been playing for years is a HHMMMM isn't' it? it would only catch my interest to play these old 16 bit games with multi player online feature, but like ps3 games, no one will be around online on that system to play them as the rooms forever stay empty :/ . For anyone who has read this far, free online gaming [especially street fighter
Instead of spending tens of millions developing and marketing the 32X, SEGA might've put that into the Nomad. If they'd sold 1/10 of what Gameboy sold, that would increase the global Genesis/MD market by one-third, moving millions of game carts and keeping the 16-bit platform alive for several more years in stores.
The screen looks bad because Sega chose to have the connection be composite instead of RGB. It boggles the mind why the decided to do this. It's the only reason I won't buy one for my current console collection. Sad that the EU never got the Nomad, but at least you got to save money on batteries
I find the idea of playing Mega Drive games on the go, however I'd prefer an emulator over the Nomad. I either will get a gamepad for my smartphone, or go extreme and build something using the Raspberry Pi Compute Module (it turns out it's not too hard to get a MIPI DSI display from Alibaba, the hardest part is to hook it up to the Pi (as most displays require 4 lanes and the default DSI port only has 2) and to either hack the firmware or use the unofficial one to boot up the screen).
Hmm...the nomad wasn't really rare here in some parts of the US. But a lot of us were still dealing with the last bit of the Genisis/SNES console wars.
Bran Castle isn't Vlad Tepes' "keep". He had 2 primary fortresses: one in Targoviste and the other, Poenari Castle. Bran Castle was originally constructed in the 1200's by the Germans (300 years before Vlad Tepes was even born). And he never went in it. Also, it's pronounced Bra-Shove. My wife is Romanian.
Hi Mister! Would you make a video of the exclusive games launched in Brazil? This topic deserves a video!! :) Do you know SMS is still being selling in here? Alongside with PS4 and XONE?
Yes, I have uploaded lots of videos on Brazilian gaming including on the Megadrive 4 and Master system 3. Made a vid on Mastersystem Brazil exclusives too.
I loved mine it travel everywhere with me on active duty till one day the screen went out and off to eBay it went.i wish I could change that mistake but live and learn
No, it wasn't. I could see that it was a rock with the Game Gear edited in. Looks very convincing, but I was able to see the few frames where the jagged edges of a rock protruded. Either way, it shows the utter disappointment all too well... :(
The Nomad was my favorite handheld for many years until the GBA, then Vita, and now Switch. And yeah, the battery life was terrible. I often just played it plugged in at home. But it was awesome to be able to play Sonic on the couch so the rest of the family could watch regular TV. Great video, man!
I was actually kind of surprised when I saw short battery life constantly cited as a big problem for the early color handhelds. I had the Atari Lynx. I rarely used batteries because at the time, I didn't think of the handhelds so much as something you could take anywhere (way too big to fit in your pocket anyway) but more about being able to play games when you didn't have access to a TV. Coming from a big family with ONE TV, that was a common problem for me and a handheld was the only way I could play games in my own bedroom.
Instead of the 32X, SEGA could've put those marketing resources into the Nomad and Nomad optimized games for greater battery life.
I clearly remember walking into a Toys R Us and seeing a whole mound of Nomads being clearanced for $50 a piece. What I wouldn't give for a time machine.
That is how I got mine. Unfortunately it got stolen.
I remember getting one at that price back in 1998 then I ended up selling it to Funcoland because of the blurry screen. 5 years later I buy one again from Gamestop for $40 I still have it today.
Could be worse. I got one for Christmas in like 5th grade, treasured it, then when I was in late high school let my mom give it to my cousin. 15 years later it’s long gone.
I remember that too. I never saw it for sale anywhere but Toys R Us.
The bad reviews it got from magazines swayed my opinion so I didn't buy one. Along with the fact that I had "moved on" to N64 by that point.
I think that I got one of those when the price was right.
this guy is easily becoming my favorite retro youtuber , reminds me of the days of old , when it was fun to watch these videos, keep it up my dude, u are awesome.
I also liked how he's current with modern youtubers with combining two themes together like his travel and video game combo (which is really nice when he brings out the portables, and I liked how he introduced the system with comparing it to the nomads of the village he was visiting). He's taken it seriously and stepped up his game(boy).
Nice rocket knight adventures and ghouls n ghosts tune in the background there... I love recognizing these tunes in the background you put in.
My Grandpa was in town and bought me one around the time it released. I thought it was great. It was like a Switch before the Switch. I was able to hook it up to TVs and plug in more controllers for 2 players. Took it with me on family road trips. It sadly broke after a year or so. I think my dad broke it cause he was mad my Grandpa bought the thing, but I had a lot of fun with the thing for awhile. lol.
Technically it was the closest we got to today's Nintendo Switch, since you can save your game, then continue on the go, just on a separate console. I think Sega was onto something, but was too far ahead of their time.
I had a Nomad in 1996. I remember playing Hard Drivin' in college. I liked to swerve off of the vertical loop and go flying in the air.
@referral madness I would have kept every game and system I ever had. My mind has it's ups and downs.
@referral madness I'm Bipolar.
I got to play that one. Pretty fun to just mess around, lol
I had one of these. I didn't have one for very long, but it was an interesting experience. I had a battery pack for it, which extended the lifespan to at most, six hours (depending on the game you were playing), but it did help with some games, like Columns, Sonic, and Man of Steel. I do not ever recommend playing any sports titles on the Nomad; those will drain the batteries very quickly, and even the battery pack won't help much. Oh, and over time, the cartridge bay can become loose, so the connection will as well. Be careful not to bump or trip over anything (best to not be walking or standing at all while playing); you'll get a lost cartridge connection and ruin the entire game you had going (this was a problem with the Game Boy even though less likely to occur).
Never had a Nomad. But my younger brother had a game gear. Loved that thing (though it also ate through batteries). I had a GameBoy, often swapped it so I could play in colour!
Tossing that in the river was illegal. It has mercury in it
Yeeeaaaahhh...video editing magic.
That was a joke from before when some fucking nutter freaked out about the same thing in a previous video, then was racist to THGMs wife, so yeah.
LyingSecret racist to his wife? Is she Indian or east Asian?
mercury or not, please don't litter :(
So do CFL bulbs and we're suppose to just throw them in the trash now.
Every time you say “big daddy top hat” I always crack up. Not sure why but I find it funny and cute
I love this channel he's in my top 5 gaming subscriptions.
Same, the channel has really come a long way!
@@alaric49 A gaming man of culture, yeaaaaah..
I love Brasov! As soon as you popped on the screen I was like "that looks like Brasov" WOOT Probably my favorite place in Romania!
I had the nomad, it was great but after am hour or so it would die and need 6 more batteries
Yeah, I love the MD/Genesis but Sega had no common sense back then, or sense of practicality.
I always plugged mine in. Used to take it to my friends house with the genesis av cable, ac adapter and a second controller. It was great to use on my own tv too because I had super street fighter 2 but not the 6 button controller that made it playable, except for the nomad.
Living in the midwest US I remember the lead up to the Nomad's release, reception and failure. If it had been released in 1992 or early 93 it may have had a chance of being successful. But by the time it was released in 1995 it was guaranteed fail! A whole lot of good will towards Sega in the US was destroyed by the 32X debacle in late 94 & early 95. Along with the surprise introduction of the Saturn which itself was destroyed by the Playstation in the US in almost every way. Why would anyone want to pay $250 for a handheld version of a console that was 6 years old and was clearly at the end of it's run? The poor screen & laughable battery life sealed it's coffin. But in 92/93 the Genesis was still a hot console and a lot more people would have paid for a handheld version of it. Heck, I remember my friends being more excited about the Virtual Boy than the Nomad! We all know how much of a fail the Virtual Boy was!!!
Love the Sega Nomad! The OG of the switch 💪 sure it’s not perfect, however the concept was brilliant and the technology limitations in 1995 still makes it a beauty 🙌
Yeah, but it ripped off the NEC TurboExpress portable that ran TurboGrafx-16 console (TurboChip) games & had a better-looking screen. They had a TV tuner, too. No video output, that I can remember though.
I hear that classic streets of rage music in the background nice
I finally got a modified Nomad with a modified rechargeable battery back in 2018 and as someone who travels for a living I have it with me quite often I simply love it.
Awesome video! I love the Sega Nomad. Got one on release and thought it was pretty awesome back in the day. The smaller screen meant higher pixel density so lots of games looked sharper (although it did suffer from blurring during fast movement due to passive screen). I was blown away that I was able to play Virtua Racing on a handheld and then could hook it up to a TV. It wouldn't be til 2019 when I'd be blown away again by playing Virtua Racing on the Switch in handheld with the ability to hook up to a TV. When Nomad accessories were on clearance, I picked up two of the rechargable battery packs at $10 each which meant I had quite a bit of playtime when swapping packs. Good times/memories all brought back by this video.
Regarding region locks: yes, it does carry one, but it is compatible with the Game Genie so you can free up the whole library. Virtual Racing also struggles a bit because of how it stretches the hardware.
Given that's a 32X game, that doesn't surprise me any...
One detail you've missed is that when the system came out in the US, it was only sold at one retailer, Toy R' Us. At the time I would had gotten one of these in a heartbeat, but the problem is that I was living no where near one at the time.
I was recently gifted a Nomad from a friend and used it to play through Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday on Twitch last month. ^^d
Didn't really find it that much more cumbersome to play than using a regular SEGA Genesis pad, and thanks to RetroBit, the AV cables were cheap and easy to find as well.
As a kid I only ever saw whispers of the Nomad in a handful of magazines. Along with Sega cd, 32x, and unreleased Sega things I never actually saw any of these in real life. As a kid, I was limited to what cousins had at their house around holiday visits and whatever was at department stores I'd occasionally visit on errands. All that said, I never actually knew the Nomad actually released for sell. Magazines made it seem like this item that might come out and with all the Sega stuff that didn't really release or widely release, it just faded in the background and forgot about it til seeing one in person until about 6 years ago, still believing it never actually released or at least never released in the west.
Picked up a new Sega Nomad at a comic con in Indianapolis and it cost me more than my rent! It is in fantastic condition and came with a carrying case and a brand new ac adapter. It really is a fascinating piece of hardware.
I got a Nomad back in 95'. I enjoyed it and took it to school and played street fighter with friends!
I had one back in the late 90s and I brought it on multiple deployments when I was on the aircraft carriers. It definitely was my go to handheld after 12-14 hours of working on the flight deck. Playing endless games of Super Street Fighter 2 on that system was my nirvana.
@referral madness Someone broke into my place one year and stole many of my systems which included the Nomad, Dreamcast and PS1.
Living in Australia, it was a damn shame when I heard they only released the Nomad in the US. Reading up on the system, I saw these can be modded in the most delightful ways now so I bit the bullet and got one online. I shipped it across to Jason at Videogame Repair who specializes in handheld restorations.
I had the aged screen replaced with a modern LCD, all the cheap 90's capacitors prone to leaking were replaced with brand new ones. Jason also installed a Mega Nomad Board which adds switchless region free and 50/60hz capability to the system. VGR also repurpose the original Nomad batteries and fit them out with modern rechargeable batteries so you can play it truly portable for longer. I grabbed one of those too. All up, its one awesome system. There are additional mods you can do to have MegaCD games enabled when playing from FPGA carts like the MegaSD from Terraonion.
Well worth it. Here's the link to the MNB - www.videogameperfection.com/products/mega-nomad-board/
I was able to purchase a Nomad from Toys R Us back in 1997 or 1998 when it was on clearance. For about $100, it was worth it for road trips (powered through a cigarette lighter adapter), long before there was reasonable access to emulators and laptops/tablets. I remember the system had a port for A/V cables to connect to a TV (and connect a second controller to the Nomad itself), which were cool features, but counter to the portability factor. Thank you for this video!
Watching this video prompted me to pull out my Nomad.
Back when I got it (25 years ago?!?), I came across a nice little cassette tape holder/bag that was made out of a better-grade vinyl with zipper-around closure and a couple of hand grips. It fit the Nomad within it, along with ~8 games, the battery pack and even a 12v power cord. I always wrap a little cloth around it and it is still in pristine condition to this day.
Nomad...a great product that was released too late, for too much.
It's such a shame that the Mega Drive Nomad was never created.
Ever drive carts, or any thousands of clones from China
They had the MegaJet
What I find bizarre is, games magazines in the UK seemed oblivious to this existing. It wasn't mentioned in UK games magazines or available from importers at all, yet we had all the various obscure Japanese PC Engine consoles available from importers and reviewed. Including the PC Engine GT LT. It's like the Nomad never existed in the UK.
@@alexojideagu It's all part of a social experiment.
That close up of your face was giving me Half-Life flashbacks, lol. "Rise and shine, Mr. Freeman."
Great vid, btw :)
I remember wanting one so bad when it came out so bad. I had a subscription to EGM so knew all about it. Sometimes I look at my 3ds in amazement of all the games I can play on it. Having a portable n64, Super Nintendo and nes is everything I dreamed of when I was a kid. I remember looking at my gameboy and thinking in the future it would be as powerful as a home console
TIGER LCD GAMES? THEY DESERVES SOME LIGHT.....
Not to much, that would fade the screen out on some of them.
They deserve some darkness is more like it
What I find bizarre is, games magazines in the UK seemed oblivious to this existing. It wasn't mentioned in UK games magazines or available from importers at all, yet we had all the various obscure Japanese PC Engine consoles available from importers and reviewed. Including the PC Engine GT LT. It's like the Nomad never existed in the UK.
I never even knew about it.
And I was a GameGear kid.
No internet to find out, lol.
I had re chargeable AAs back then.
Though they didn't perform as well as regular name brand batteries.
Today they make rechargeable AAs that are just as good.
I never heard of it until it showed up under the Christmas tree. But then again I never heard of the Saturn until I saw it in a mall. I read Nintendo Power lol
Daamn Richard!! u over there stylin' and profilin' great outfit!! Yeeeeeaaaahhh!
Love that Streets of Rage background music
Sega's handheld systems eat batteries the way Guy Fieri eats...everything!
You should check out the rechargeable battery pack for the nomad. It says right in the instructions that you have to charge it for 10 or 12 hours, and you'll have to recharge it after 1-2 hours of play.
Yo, I got a Nomad at a flea market about 5 yrs ago. It works fine & I love it, but rarely play it due to the battery issue. When I do play it, I have it plugged into the wall, so...
I honestly wouldn't mind picking up a Sega Nomad and then having it redesigned and updated with things like a better screen, a reset button, recharable battery and maybe better buttons/dpad for it if possible.
I actually owned a Nomad after my Genesis/MD bit the dust. I played Shining Force 2 and Sonic 3 and Knuckles often. Unfortunately, it became difficult to use, because the power port was defective, and would shut my games off if the cord would even shift slightly in the port.
I had a Nomad as a kid, it was one of my gems. However... it got ran over by a bike while it was laying on the floor next to a plug. One of my worst experiences ever. the screen was destroyed, I still used it as a Genesis console as it still worked, but I think we eventually tossed it. Later on in life my ex got me one as a gift one year, she trolled me by putting it in a popcorn box, knowing I hate popcorn. I'm very happy to have it even thought I don't use it much.
Hello top hat gaming man. I just watched the video where you explain why you stopped collecting video games 1 year ago. And I found it to be very interesting. You changed your life completely, and now you seem to be happy and enjoy every single moment.
Personnaly, I am still at school and I started collecting retro games in 2018. I spent more than 400 euros in video games, and I feel stupid. I know that material goods never brings happyness to a life, so I don't know what to do now. I should spend my time studying, because I have bad marks, but I think everyone needs a hobby.
I hope that you will answer to me.
Thank you so much for your videos.
Enjoy collecting for now, if you are stuck studying then you need some way to relax. I am old now, so therefore have very different priorities.
Thank you. It's true, older poeple see the world differently. For example, I don't understand the purpose of having children but I'm sure I will in a few years ; )
Good evening
Great video as usual Top Hat Gaming Man! Thank you for your effort and uploading this.
I had a classmate that brought one to school. He brought a second controller and challenged EVERYBODY to Mortal Kombat 3 and also Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters
If you saying that nomad had an issue with the batteries try gamegear for a change,i remember putting new alkaline on it and after half an hour or so the system stopped working! And amazingly i discovered that the batteries wasn't drained out completely because i have tried them on gameboy afterwards to see how much power left.The battery life wasn't enough as i discovered and it wasn't the issue of draining as i understood.Telling me that nomad works with those batteries close three hours i believe its an achievement for this beast talking also about a 16bit handheld!
Never had a Nomad, but I wish I did at the time looking back at it. I do remember looking for one at 2nd hand stores in 99, but never found one.
I owned one of these, it was like holding a brick. I gave up on the batteries and always plugged it into the wall. The buttons where a little odd feeling being almond shaped but worked. The screen killed it for me I found it to be rubbish, smallish too washed out and blurry with almost any screen action. It made some fast-paced games almost unplayable. The Genesis made for a far more enjoyable experience and seldom used the Nomad after the novelty wore off. I kept it until 2009 when I ended up selling on eBay to pay the bills due to having lost my job. As a bit of a game collector I still do miss it.
I actually still have the Nomad. I bought it used for cheap and never got rid of it cause I thought that eventually I’d play on it again.
I had a Nomad as a kid. Great little thing to show off with, a nice way to have a Genesis at home, because I could play it without taking over the living room TV. The Nomad's battery life made it not very useful as a handheld on the go sadly. Take it to school one day, after two recesses and an hour after school gaming and, I needed to recharge my rechargeable AAs for it. It was great for road trips with the cigarette lighter power supply though. It was fun, but never practical. Just like the Lynx and GameGear before it. My Game Boy remained the handheld of choice because of its reasonable form factor, long battery life, and inexpensive games.
Love my Nomad! The screen is ok, but overall it’s just really convenient. I can easily take it to someone’s house with an extra controller and some games and play on their tv.
Got a Game Gear for a birthday from an aunt and had it for couple weeks. The library was small, the screen was hard on my eyes, and it ate batteries so I returned it. With the experience with the Game Gear, I never tried the Nomad.
I had a Sega Nomad , great little Genesis system . Just wish it had a reset button because Xmen 1 is unbeatable on it after the computer stage
With the battery life, surprised you made it that far in the game. Kudos.
The main reason I didn’t buy a nomad was that the screen was terrible... the passive matrix made it almost impossible to play any fast action games. One one thing the Atari Lynx has above everyone else.
I hope that you are recieving some of this ad revenue.
I do enjoy your videos. I like that you feature lesser known consoles.
Could you subtitle your videos please? I want to share your videos with my buddy here in Mexico.
Keep up the good work and throw a haduken at the credits.
I had the Nomad. It had horrifically bad battery life, no built-in rechargeable battery, and a blurry screen. Turns out, you'd need to wait for the GBA-SP before you got a really good handheld.
0:59 Honda Civic EK hatch in the background, in Transylvania of all places.
I loved the Sega Nomad as child. My friend had one but my parents couldn't afford one and from their prespective I already had a Sega Game Gear and a Gameboy so it didn't make sense to them that I get a portable Genesis that had shorter battery life than my Game Gear.
I wonder if Retrobit is still going to produce a modern and licensed Nomad. Maybe Analogue's upcoming portable console will get a Mega Drive/Genesis core.
A gpd xd is great now.
wow this should have more views.. glad i found this channel
I loved my Sega monad, I never had a problem with batteries because I purchased rechargeable batteries that only took 15 minutes to recharge from radio shack.
Batteries, batteries, batteries!!!! That what killed it for me being portable. You couldn't fly from dallas to Austin without it crapping out on you.
I have a Sega Nomad and I loved it I think if Sega had released the Nomad first instead of the game gear and TFT screens have been made in 1995 so they should have putt a TFT screen in it and I think the Nomad would have done well.
I never owned one at the release. At the time I picked up the Sega CD model 2. I think there were only a handful of people who bought them back in the day. I always wanted one so badly.
Fast forward to now I have 2. Got them rather cheaply too ($20 for my first and $25 for the second).
It's a shame that the Nomad didn't work out. It could have provided a "lifeline" for the Mega Drive, continuing it as a portable/budget system for some years longer, similarly to how the Game Gear did for the Master System.
The channel has picked up in the past 3months im subscribing but dont mess it up!!
It is because I am full time on here now, so I have actual time to pump into the channel, rather than having to kill myself every weekend to get anything out.
I was 9 when this came out and while me and my friends thought it was a cool idea, even back then we couldn't understand why Sega was putting it out so late into the Genesis' lifespan, since even the TurboExpress came out only a year after the TurboGrafx-16, not 6 years later.
I was one of the lucky few to own a Nomad. It ate batteries like no other, so I always left it plugged into the AC adapter. Unfortunately the plug became loose and power would cut out.
I took it to show and tell in 5th grade! The kids ooh'd and aww'd
Picked one up in 96 for $30 new. From what i remember the game gear rechargable battery worked but only netted you an hour and a half. Unfortunately due to heavy use my power adapter metal got bent by 2000. I used it sparingly until the gba in 01. It was great for going on trips if you brought an adapter but is nothing but an anomaly today.
The Nomad is kinda like the PSTV. A system that was unceremoniously released that plays games from an existing console (just in a new environment) and was given little to no attention by the company. It thus flopped, ended up in bargain bins but eventually became expensive on the 2nd hand market (seriously, PSTVs aren't cheap anymore)
Back then my dream was the Turbo gt Nec..I had a game gear.
This one..yes but expensive and short baterry life 2-3h.
Now,I use a gpd or just a tab with a blutooth snes control with mame.
It's great.
I know I’m late, but congratulations on 50K Subscribers my 7th favorite British fellow! The fellas in Iron Maiden occupy slots 1-6.
The sega nomad was the best mortal kombat handheld experience until the psp's midway collection and mortal kombat unchained (with a cameo by sony's Kratos).
I never had one, though I do remember seeing an import model in a game/model import shop in Wolverhampton maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaany years ago, and was completely blown away by it. Price was nuts and the terrible screen/battery life means I'll never get one in the future.. but damn if a portable handheld Mega Drive wasn't mindblowing to my teenage eyes :D
The Nomad is the only system I ever returned to the store. The deal breaker? The screen. It not only was a low contrast smeary mess, but it couldn't handle some of the Genesis modes, like the interlaced one. I recall some games being difficult to even make out the text on a background, the screen was utter shit. Otherwise, an outstanding ideal for the time, but the Turbo/PC Engine Express was a far better idea (with far more pocket sized games).
Wonderful video I just wish you mentioned the Turbo Graphics 16s Turbo Express it basically did the same thing for TG-16 users that the Nomad did for Genesis players.
I covered it as part of the same series last year.
For the sake of my Megadrive collection I own one of these, but only played with it a coupe of minutes, as I prefered to play on an bigger TV screen with a real Megadrive :)
I also own the rare Multimega, Megadrive and MegaCD on a single more compact device.
...He likes to press wildflowers and hang around in bars" 🎶
I had a gameboy and a game gear in the late 90's I had like 2-3 games for each of them, I ended up trading them for ultimate mk3 fro snes. Years later I kept wanting to buy another game gear, never got around to it, as for a nomad goes, in the early 2000's a lot of genesis [megadrive] games used were like $5 each or less so I have a good amount of games for that system, so having a nomad would be a plus if I get rechargeable batteries for it, however, as a teen I couldn't drive, I had my parents, grandparents, pretty much my family, but now, most of my family is gone, even friends [RIP] and I'm constantly driving, so very little time to play games anymore, on top of this, I hate phones, but use laptops quite often, I have a joybox when I can plug a usb and use any ps1/ps2 controllers on any laptop, so I use mame, it is the perfect arcade translations compared to 16 bit anyway, so besides a controller in my laptop bag, thats about all I'll need, running off my laptop battery [if I have 1]. Deep down I always want a nomad and game gear again 1 day, perhaps as an old man, but I just don't know, this has been a battle on my mind for years, 1 thing I'm sure of, due to the not impressive screens, and battery power, I guess if I can get 1, or both game gear and nomad for $50 and are in good condition, so a very low price would be a must for me to buy, then maybe I would have a nomad 1 day, other than that, I might as well use even a crappy laptop to play 32 bit mame games perfectly, I have over 6000 games, take up about 13 gigs which isn't bad if you think about it.. I guess time will tell if I ever end up with these systems. I had to comment on this because this video as well as it being such a good question. These new mega drive/genesis systems with built in games, if a "nomad" version was release for $30.00 portable with built in games, this might also push me to buy, but old video game systems aren't too different than films being released over and OVER, they come out on dvd....then 5 10 years later, blu ray....4 k, extended cut, new scenes, new interviews, then 10 years later, new special features, yet, SAME FILM if you think about it, its the same with these old game systems, keep getting RE releases so people can buy them over and OVER, the same with ps4 store and xbox, new system, give us more $$$ so you can RE buy the same old classing games for your new PS5,6,7....20..... so to buy the mega drive games AGAIN a few years later, but a newer version of the same OLD games, to keep putting $ into what you already own and have been playing for years is a HHMMMM isn't' it? it would only catch my interest to play these old 16 bit games with multi player online feature, but like ps3 games, no one will be around online on that system to play them as the rooms forever stay empty :/ . For anyone who has read this far, free online gaming [especially street fighter
I’m glad the old theme song is being used again.
Instead of spending tens of millions developing and marketing the 32X, SEGA might've put that into the Nomad. If they'd sold 1/10 of what Gameboy sold, that would increase the global Genesis/MD market by one-third, moving millions of game carts and keeping the 16-bit platform alive for several more years in stores.
The screen looks bad because Sega chose to have the connection be composite instead of RGB. It boggles the mind why the decided to do this. It's the only reason I won't buy one for my current console collection. Sad that the EU never got the Nomad, but at least you got to save money on batteries
I find the idea of playing Mega Drive games on the go, however I'd prefer an emulator over the Nomad. I either will get a gamepad for my smartphone, or go extreme and build something using the Raspberry Pi Compute Module (it turns out it's not too hard to get a MIPI DSI display from Alibaba, the hardest part is to hook it up to the Pi (as most displays require 4 lanes and the default DSI port only has 2) and to either hack the firmware or use the unofficial one to boot up the screen).
Hmm...the nomad wasn't really rare here in some parts of the US. But a lot of us were still dealing with the last bit of the Genisis/SNES console wars.
I've always been a Nintendo Fanboy.... But I've always wanted a Nomad. Ever since I saw one just after release in 95, when I saw it at Toys R Us.
It's certainly on my short list to eventually own
Bran Castle isn't Vlad Tepes' "keep". He had 2 primary fortresses: one in Targoviste and the other, Poenari Castle. Bran Castle was originally constructed in the 1200's by the Germans (300 years before Vlad Tepes was even born). And he never went in it.
Also, it's pronounced Bra-Shove. My wife is Romanian.
I actually owned THIS. Battery life KILLER.I got rid of it quickly. Looking back,it would've made a good conversation piece.
I was going to get one back in the day but the high price tag kept me at bay.
Hi Mister! Would you make a video of the exclusive games launched in Brazil? This topic deserves a video!! :) Do you know SMS is still being selling in here? Alongside with PS4 and XONE?
Yes, I have uploaded lots of videos on Brazilian gaming including on the Megadrive 4 and Master system 3. Made a vid on Mastersystem Brazil exclusives too.
Thats why you use rechargeable batteries... @11:24 they were very common in America by then...
I had a SEGA nomad. and I gave it away because the screen was terrible. If I only knew it would be worth something 20 years later.
And here i thought that original channels were gone from youtube.
I loved mine it travel everywhere with me on active duty till one day the screen went out and off to eBay it went.i wish I could change that mistake but live and learn
imported mine to france back them, it's on display now as one of my most prized possesion :3
Now the big question, does the Sega 196 in 1 game cartridge work in the Nomad?
I bought one in 96 or 97 for 30 dollars and i dident have a problem with battery life when you have rechargeable batteries.
The red civic at 1:01 😍
Where’s the song that kicks in at 6:32 from? Spanks hard
Thunder Force 4
2:28 Was that real :(
I think it was, sadly.
Came to comments to ask that, myself :-(
No, it wasn't. I could see that it was a rock with the Game Gear edited in. Looks very convincing, but I was able to see the few frames where the jagged edges of a rock protruded.
Either way, it shows the utter disappointment all too well... :(
That was a joke from before when some fucking nutter freaked out about the same thing in a previous video, then was racist to THGMs wife, so yeah.
Great video THGM. I could be wrong but could you play 32x and master system games on it with the converter.