The SEGA Genesis Nomad was a North American exclusive handheld Mega Drive released in October 1995. The console features a 3.25″ backlit display, a 6 button controller setup, additional controller port for multiplayer gaming and an AV output to allow the console to connect to a television set. The Nomad can be powered with 6 AA batteries, a battery recharger called the Genesis Nomad PowerBack or a traditional Mega Drive AC adapter. Like the Game Gear, the Nomad suffers from poor battery life (2-3 hours) and a screen that suffers from extreme ghosting when games scroll quickly. As the only in-house SEGA-developed portable Mega Drive system, the Genesis Nomad has become a collector’s item. Due to the late release of the system and its high price point (originally releasing for $179), the Genesis Nomad was not a success with only an estimated 1 million units sold during its lifespan.

Specifications

CPU
Motorola 68000 @ 7.6 MHz
Zilog Z80 @ 3.58 MHz

Display
Progressive: 320×224, 256×224 (NTSC) or 320×240, 256×240 (PAL) pixels, 512 color palette, 61 colors on-screen
Interlaced: 320×448, 256×448 (NTSC) or 320×480, 256×480 (PAL)

Audio
Yamaha YM2612
Texas Instruments SN76489

RAM
72 kB of RAM
64 kB of video RAM

Storage
ROM Cartridge

Images

Images sourced from Wikimedia Commons