Sega Nomad- Is it worth it?

[Tupin]

The prospect of playing Genesis games on the go intrigues me, but I heard that it gets horrible battery life and is subject to scratched screens.

Then again, they are pretty easy to find on eBay, it's just that their weight drives shipping price up...

[c0ldb33r]

When I first got it, I played my Nomad all the time, but I haven't used it in months and months and months. The screen kinda sucks and you've always got to keep it plugged in, so it makes more sense just to use an actual Genesis.

It's neat to have as a collector's item, but you'll get bored of it before long.

One neat thing though is that you can plug in a second controller and connect it to a TV and it'll actually act like a typical Genesis.

[ghostangelofcky]

I have to agree with Coldb33r, it's more of a conversation piece than a playable item. Don't get me wrong when I found mine I played the damn thing for a month straight . But the nostalgia fades. Still looks great on a shelf!

[zektor]

Yeah, while it is a nice piece of history, the system is bulky (although some like the feel) and the screen is not all that great....although a milestone better than the horrible Game Gear screen!

If you are simply looking for on the go Genesis gameplay, you are better off emulating through a PSP or a GP2X. Both systems have emulators that run Genesis games perfectly. I would recommend the GP2X first however, as the screen aspect is more correct and you do not have to do anything to the system (mod-wise) to get your game on.

[c0ldb33r]

I just had a thought. Take the money you'd spend on a Nomad and get a CDX instead. They're much more useful and also much cooler

[Tupin]

I just had a thought. Take the money you'd spend on a Nomad and get a CDX instead. They're much more useful and also much cooler

Yeah, the problem is that I can find a Nomad on eBay for relatively cheap, but the CDX costs so much.

Still, it's pretty much the best way to play Sega CD, so I might try to find one.

[jb143]

I agree with what everyone else said. It's a great collectors item and conversation piece and it's fun to play the genesis on the go. You'll definatly want to have a power supply for longer gameplay. I tend to have gaming sessions that are less than an hour so batteries are fine for me. I use rechargeable digital camera batteries and they work great. You can see the screen start to get darker a while before they go dead so it won't stop on you. You just have to adjust the brightness for a while and fine a stopping point. The screen is fine on some games, some games not so much. I'm pretty sure theres a thread on here about that.

If you want it for your main Genesis unit then it's probally not the way to go but if your looking for a neat collectors item/conversation piece that's a functional portable system then you should pick one up. After all, who outside of the people on this board even know the thing exists.

[Tupin]

You know what, I'm not going to go out of my way to find one just yet. I would rather get a CDX first.

[Superman]

Don't forget, with the CDX you still need a monitor. So, you either have to have a portable monitor with you (and that would make two pieces to haul around), or you have to play it where their is a monitor (i.e. at home, or a friend's house).

Of course, if you have a monitor in your car and that is why you were considering the Nomad, because you travel a lot, for example, it could work. It really depends on why you want the Nomad to begin with.

[retro junkie]

I love my Nomad. I love pulling it out to play a Sega game and it gets good use. I have the Sega Ni-MH rechargeable battery pack and would recommend it to any one that is thinking about picking up a Nomad. I have not yet tried any of the modern AA rechargeable Ni-HM batteries in my Nomad, so I have no idea as to the playtime that you get on those. Past estimates of battery life were determined on regular alkaline AAs, I think, which had very poor lifespan on the Nomad.

jb143 have you determined what the playtime of those AA Ni-HM batteries are giving you?

Do be aware that holding the Nomad in your hands with any of the battery packs and game cart is like holding a brick that has these odd worts.

One good thing about the Nomad is that you can hook it up to a TV and play, and if you have an extra controller, play with a friend.

[c0ldb33r]

I have the Sega Ni-MH rechargeable battery pack and would recommend it to any one that is thinking about picking up a Nomad.

I thought the Nomad's rechargeable battery pack used Ni-CD cells, not Ni-MH. Correct me if I'm wrong, because I'm not 100% sure.

[cyberfluxor]

I haven't really spent time playing the Nomad in over a year. Some Genesis games just don't workout well on a small screen, but for those that do it can be great. Today if I had an itch to play a Genesis game had was going over a friends house I'd bring it so I wouldn't rely on a TV and haul Genesis hardware + cables.

I once brought it into IHOP with a Genny arcade stick hooked into the player 2 port playing Bomberman. It was hard sharing a tiny screen, but it was fun and we got a few odd stares.

[Icarus Moonsight]

I really like my Nomad. Though, as you can no doubt tell by the tone of some posts, it's not all that great to everyone. Chances are if you really want a handheld Genny then the Nomad will be very welcome.

[darkslime]

This is kind of a n00b question, but what is a CDX?

[c0ldb33r]

This is kind of a n00b question, but what is a CDX?

Sega CDX aka Sega Multi-Mega
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Multi-Mega

I love mine. It's nice having a genesis and sega CD that sits comfortably on top of my xbox 360, and only takes up less than half the size of the top.

[darkslime]

Sega CDX aka Sega Multi-Mega
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Multi-Mega

I love mine. It's nice having a genesis and sega CD that sits comfortably on top of my xbox 360, and only takes up less than half the size of the top.

That's cool, I thought the only genny and cd combination was an xeye.

[Xian042]

Nomad is a good system to keep plugged in by your bed to play some Genny goodness before you fall off to sleep. Its hard to read RPG's and see bullets coming in shmups, but its great for action games and arcade classics.

[DeputyMoniker]

Don't forget, with the CDX you still need a monitor. So, you either have to have a portable monitor with you (and that would make two pieces to haul around), or you have to play it where their is a monitor (i.e. at home, or a friend's house).

Of course, if you have a monitor in your car and that is why you were considering the Nomad, because you travel a lot, for example, it could work. It really depends on why you want the Nomad to begin with.

Yeah but having to mess with the monitor would make it really hard to play while you're driving. Go with the Nomad. Safety first.

[MarioMania]

PSP with a Genesis Emu would be better..you don't need to haul all your games with you

[Damaramu]

I agree. PSP w/ Genesis emulated is the way to go.