Last year I had a real passion for this thing. I bought one on ebay, added in a new screen, attached some rechargeable batteries, and breathed new life into my nomad. It's now probably the coolest gaming piece that I own.
it is. imagine nowadays you can just play your ps4 game on the road and continue at home. This thing didn't compromise on power and Genesis was the peak of home console technology at the time alongside SNES. Now Nintendo Switch's is far lower than it's rival.
***** Yeah, All of Sega's controller's bar the Dreamcast have amazing quality D-pads. I even like the weird Mk1 Saturn one as it's really high quality. Thanks for another great vid.
SEGA was making a portable Genesis in 1995, predating the Switch by 22 years. SEGA was ahead of their time. And it was one of those things that just ended up leading to their downfall.
The Gospel: JESUS died for our sins on the cross, HE shed HIS holy, innocent , precious blood for us (HIS blood washes away ALL sins) HE was buried but on the third day GOD raised HIM from the dead. All you have to do to be saved is: Believe in JESUS, trust in HIS blood. JESUS did everything for you, no works are required for salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9) . (Don’t forget to repent of sin. )!
It only failed because the Nomad was fucking terrible. Whats the point of handheld if you have to be plugged into the wall the whole time because it killed 6 AA batteries in 3 hours? That automatically makes it unplayable.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is the best channel on UA-cam. Interesting, well-researched, well presented and nowhere near as OTT as half the gaming channels on UA-cam. Please never stop.
Smash Bros 4 u and me The youtube rule is you must offer at least one example link for bothering to challenge ones opinion on this being the best video game channel on youtube
It's interesting to see the lack of success for some of these systems. The Nomad in many ways is not that different from what the Nintendo Switch is today, which is seen as revolutionary to many.
But it's just how these things go go. It's not simply about having the right idea or product. You also have to release it at the right time. Timing is really important in terms of if the market is ready for said product. In the 90s the market probably just wasn't there pre Internet and smartphones.
The Gospel: JESUS died for our sins on the cross, HE shed HIS holy, innocent , precious blood for us (HIS blood washes away ALL sins) HE was buried but on the third day GOD raised HIM from the dead. All you have to do to be saved is: Believe in JESUS, trust in HIS blood. JESUS did everything for you, no works are required for salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9) . (Don’t forget to repent of sin. )!
Its because the Nomad was a piece of shit, that killed all your batteries so you have to be plugged into the wall the whole time and the Switch is a system that's actually good, so thats why.
The nomad also suffered from Turbo Express syndrome, which was basically the setback of playing games on a small screen that were designed for your tv. Basically, it meant many texts or fine details were scaled down unevenly and hard to see.
+Vinnie J Because games were still selling for about 30-40 bucks each at that time. Old business rule....Sell them the razor, and THEN you sell them the blades. :)
indyracingnut dude you don't understand we had multiple games anyway. Me and my brother use to get into daily fist fights over who got to play the game boy. In retrospect I would have gladly given them my allowance or birthday money to buy a second game boy.
Realistically, almost EVERYONE tried to do what Sega did back then. The Gameboy's first competitor was the Atari Lynx. Huge system, full colour screen, 4096 colour support, better hardware rotation and scaling capabilities than a SNES, designed by several people that made the Amiga. It had an 8 bit screen, but it's graphics hardware was more on par with a 16 bit console. It released within a month or two of the gameboy as well. Vastly more powerful than a gameboy. Awful battery life, big and bulky. TurboExpress - a full on portable Turbograpx system that supported the exact same games. Full colour screen, basically the TurbographX 16 as a handheld. Only thing it didn't support was CD games. Vastly more powerful than a gameboy. Awful battery life. Game Gear - Portable full colour handheld that is basically an enhanced Master system. Eats batteries. IS bulkier than a gameboy. Nomad - Portable full colour handheld which can play Mega Drive/Genesis games. Bulky, eats batteries. Towards the late 90's we got the Wonderswan, which was like a better gameboy, had great battery life, etc. Probably failed at that point entirely due to lack of games available. (the gameboy was 7-8 years old by then.) Was followed up by colour version. Neo Geo Pocket. A handheld Neo Geo. Didn't do well. Not much more successful than the Neo Geo home console. PSP - portable playstation, somewhere vaguely in the same ballpark as a PS2 (not really when you look at the low resolution screen). Powerful, decent battery life. Did reasonably well for a handheld trying to compete with Nintendo. Definitely more powerful than a DS Vita - powerful handheld console, though not actually as powerful as it was made out to be. (couldn't exactly run PS3 games at the same quality, but could run them) again more powerful than the Nintendo handheld of the time. Failed for less obvious reasons. Anyway, not all systems failed for the same reasons, but you can see that the majority of Nintendo's competitors ALL tried to pull off the same basic concept, and all failed. The exceptions that tried something different still failed though, so that alone isn't proof. But trying to 'win' using raw power is THE norm for gameboy competitors, NOT the exception.
@@Green24152 The "mode" button turns your 6 button controller in a 3 button controller. It was made in case some games have compatibility issues with 6 button controllers
My folks got me this as a kid. It was amazing. I didn't have a 6 button controller and the Nomad was the perfect solution for fighting games. It even later replaced my Genesis when it started to crap out. Its probably the most versatile console I can think of.
Tarrnack I remember deliberating getting one when it was being sold off at a discount. I remembered thinking "there must be some catch", as the price was phenomenal. Ultiamtely I didn't get one. I wish I had. That and the virtual boy are my biggest regrets. Yes the VB was garbage, but they were practically GIVING them away.
JazGalaxy Ha-ha yeah that stinks. I think my folks picked up the same deal. It was a random treat getting it on my birthday. I didn't even know it existed. They must of seen it and been like "why not" at a heavily discounted price. I was a sentimental kid and I remember loosing it somehow at lunch in school. I never cried when I got hurt or mad about something but I remember crying thinking "How irresponsible of me to loos a great gift from my thoughtful and loving parents"...I eventually found it. I was so revealed. I later left my virtual boy under a tree during a forth of July party and it was stolen. I felt the same way but worse. I was pretty good about not leaving stuff around like as too. I think sometimes I was a little to trusting...now I'm a emotionally cold and untrusting individual............
Corey Cavalier When I bought Super Street Fighter 2 new, it came with a coupon for a Capcom pad, which I sent in and never received. It must not have bugged me too much, because I went out and bought a Sega Arcade pad instead.
Jaybee There is a classic combination with Blanca (strong punch, med kick, strong kick) that I actually could pull off using that 3 button controller. You can't imagine the surgical precision it took to insert that button press into that combo to make it effective.
I bought one of these back in the summer of 1996, along with NHL '96 and a couple of other cheap titles. The idea of bringing a Genesis to work and getting a quick game of NHL or Madden in during my lunch break was too hard to pass up. Unfortunately... as mentioned, the battery life stunk. The Nomad no longer became feasible as a portable system and I eventually traded it in at Electronics Boutique towards something that I still own today: A GxTV.
Nah, you're better off just using an actual Genesis, with a 3 hour battery life, you'll be plugged into a wall anyways so whats the point? Just get a Genesis and thats why it failed so hard.
I received a Sega Nomad between 95' and 96'. My parents could not afford a whole new library of games for a Game Gear. I was never disappointed and am ABSOLUTELY elated as an adult now. I still have it and cherish it in my collection 😊
Both the Game Gear and the Nomad sucked batteries because of the terrible lightbulb choice Sega made for the back. If you mod the system and replace it with modern LED's, you can get a good 20+ hours out of it! But if you were to do that, you might as well replace the screen properly with one with a much higher refresh rate. I also got a Mega Jet when those were being sold off dirt cheap 10 years ago. They're definitely not worth the asking price now.
***** I replaced the caps, and screen on my old Game Gear a few years back, and using rechargeable AA batteries I get about 15ish hours or so out of it, and ir looks better then when it was new. It was well worth the time, and effort, but I will admit for convince factor however I usually just pull out my phone, and pair it with the Moga GamePad I keep in my backpack, then fire up DroidGear running the roms, instead of carrying around my GameGear, and all it's games. .
Ok, let me be more specific then. I have no skills when it comes to modding, soldering or anything of the sort so I thought you might know who can do that.
Ehhh... I'd get one but it's too expensive. x_x I can't do DIY stuff so getting one pre-modded will set you back maybe over £200. You say $100, Gaming Historian? Are you fucking kidding me? Once again, UK rip-off pricing shows its ugly face. I'd put that money towards an Open Pandora. For that price it's not worth it. I'd rather emulate.
The Original GameBoy almost was dead at the end 1995, the Nomad launched. 50$ was a sell out price for a old end lifetime Hardware. GB pocket launched a few months later, and 1998 the GB color. The GB had bad sells at this time. Until Pokemon boost it in the late 90s
The Gameboy used cheap hardware even for its time. One of the reasons is Nintendo never considered it to last, even inside Nintendo some wanted the Gameboy to be a toy while others to be a console but at the end they decited it to try it to sell as a console and see if it works.
Norman talks about the Nomad by playing the Nomad, While another controller is connected to the Nomad, used by the lost brother of Norman called Normad.
@@fifaworldcup1994 I was thinking that too. But the Nomad has something the TurboExpress lacks; Video output. Meaning the nomad is a hybrid home/portable system, while the TurboExpress is purely a portable system.
@@KuraIthys I don't think being able connect the Sega Nomad to the TV with a video output cable makes it a "hybrid console". PSP Go with its cradle accessory is the OG hybrid console imo because you can essentially put the handheld on the dock (which charges the system and has component output to the TV) connect a Dualshock 3 via bluetooth and basically use it as a home console from that point on. Hence the handheld+home console hybrid nature of the system.
I had one of these! Made my mom travel all over San Diego to find me one! I was a Junior in Highschool! My buddy and me would play NHL 95 during lunch at school with the second controller!
There is one, it's called the PXP3 Slim Station. The games are built into the system and a couple cartridges. They're on ebay for about $20 because they're cheap Chinese knockoff consoles, but they play true emulation on well-lit screens and have rechargeable batteries. Different versions have different games and play sound differently.
It would be great to have a new Nomad with the batteries kept inside the actual device rather than an external pack! I would rather have the option to use standard AA Batteries which can be rechargeable rather than a captive battery which bricks the system when it stops holding its charge
And it didn't set you back 3 to 400 dollars like the switch, does almost the same thing, and isn't as fragile. Did I mention it was released 22 years BEFORE the Switch? Sorry Nintendo, I'm a big fan but your reinventing the wheel with the Switch.
I have probably watched almost every video three times over. Something about the nostalgia and your story telling that makes watching these videos extremely fun. Thank you
+XX_SHIALABEOUF_XXJUSTDOIT The Wii U's idea came from the Nintendo DS, not the Nomad. Heck I don't even think anyone at Nintendo even knows what a Nomad is since it never hit Japan, all my friends doesn't even know what it is and they play Genesis all their lives.
My cousin got a Nomad in 96/97. I will never forget the first time he showed it to me and let me play it. I may get one sometime I have seen some cool mods for it.
There was also the lack of a reset button, which made one Xmen game impossible to continue coz at one point, you have to push reset to advance the plot
FantasyAnime seems like the coolest thing Sega ever made doesn't it? I now am more endeared to my PSP Go, but for a long time, the Nomad was a great travel companion.
There is at least one game made unplayable on the Nomad: X-Men. Because the Nomad lacks a reset button, you would be stuck in the Mojo-verse stage and unable to finish the game at all.
I'm a big X-Men fan and Sega too (in fact I never owned a nintendo until the wii, and that was more for my ex-gf than for me) but I think I might have missed one game...did you have to hit reset to beat the level?
I owned that game and died to that level so many times because of the timer. It was so fucking bizarre that I never figured it out as a kid and ended up not playing it anymore because I thought it was broken or that I just couldn't figure out what the secret was.
Which is why when so many people became frustrated with not finding the solution, most magazines had to step in and reveal the solution, which in a way was a clever way of breaking the 4th wall before Hideo Kojima made it into a big deal with Metal Gear Solid and the infamous ''switch your controller to the other port to keep Psycho Mantis from figuring you out'' trick.
Your choice of that particular Sega music really bumped this up, from your usual greatness, to great plus some wonderful nostalgia, while enjoying information about a console I've never even encountered in person.
You and the LGR should make a video together, or have a baby, either one works for me so I'll leave the choice for you. It could be about the history of online (or network) gaming which would make sense considering the fact that you might need to collaborate online to make the video. Or the two of you could just have a baby together. It's really up to you.
yep, I noticed that too, and I think Nintendo are doing it out of necessity because the console gaming landscape is not the same anymore, what with mobile gaming looking to overtake it as the next big thing.
I still have my original Nomad from Christmas of 1996, as well as an extra I bought bout ten years later on Ebay. I loved almost everything about it: the design, the feel, the control, the optional power adapter, the buttons, the socket for a second controller. Only thing that sucked was the massive battery drain.
I had one. This is a pretty accurate review. It had flaws, but the fact that it could be played on the TV or carried portable was a great concept. And it didn't require developers to create new system specific titles.
They also suffered from dead pixels. I purchased one of them and was completely disappointed by the dead pixels on the side and middle of the screen; I exchanged it for another at Toys R Us and the new one only had a dead pixel on the left side... I decided to live with it. The rechargeable battery seemed to last longer than the AA pack (not now, those NiCads are probably old, so use AA lithium)
Closed captions: "In 1998, Nintendo released "Pokémon in North America(Which is why the Dreamcast was sold in 1998, to try to stop Pokemon from continuing the success". That's not true. The Dreamcast was released in NA in 1999 (and late in '98 in Japan, after Pokémon's NA release), and it had no such purpose (seeing as the Dreamcast was never a handheld). Whoever made those captions is clearly trying to misinform the hearing-impaired.
I remember getting this for my birthday one year and honestly, i LOVED IT! I had no idea what a nomad was or that it even existed but i remember not sleeping for....3 hours...lmao because I would stay up on school nights playing NHL 96(Go Red Wings!). I never knew what happened to my nomad but i probably got tired of the battery life. lolThanks for this btw!
I used to have a Nomad and loved it! With the rechargeable battery pack I don't remember having issues with battery life but It was decades ago so I may just have forgotten 🤷♂
This was really a great system. Although I didn't own one (I was a Nintendo kid) I can't understand why Sega fans weren't interested in the Nomad. It's versatility was impressive, and was essentially a Nintendo Switch released 25 years earlier.
I VAGUELY REMEMBER SEEING IT IN TOYS R US AT THE ALBEE SQUARE MALL(DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN,NY) IN THE LATE 90'S FOR $40 OR $80 BUT I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS!!
My cousin came down for Christmas, and had a Nomad. With him, came Phantasy Star IV, one of my favorite classic RPGs. I had never played it but, I was hooked. Loved it. I beat it the day he left for home, so it was perfect.
I had one of these in 1998. My dad got it for 30 bucks. He didn't know what it was other than the box saying Sega and him being a fan of Super Street Fighter 2. We both enjoyed the crap of out. I never met anyone else during my childhood that had it, sadly. My father still has it and he still uses it.
Because of the 32X-Saturn debacle and confusing, changing roadmap, SEGA didn't have enough money available to market the Nomad. Most people who would've considered buying it as a Father's Day or Christmas gift never saw any ads for it and didn't know what it was.
toe jam & earl is one of the best games ever made its a masterpiece & ill never forget driving to Florida playing this on family vacation. The game gear external battery pack worked with this so you didn't even need battery pack installed if you owned that, better yet a AC converter in your car
You ever heard the saying its nothing new under the sun, remember the dick Tracy watch they had the tech for it back then but we're just now getting smart watches
We used to use this in my dads conversion van back in the day. we hooked it up to the tv and ran the controller with and extension cable to me. It was amazing and fun to use made road trips so nice :)
The battery life is 95% of the reason the thing failed. If the batteries lasted a reasonable time, it would have made a great companion to the Saturn, and could have extended the life of the Genesis. But Sega, being Sega, outright refuses to learn from their mistakes. The Game Gear had the same problem. Scaling down a Master System into a handheld didn't work, and scaling down a Genesis into a handheld didn't work.
Also making a portable version of an existing home console isn't actually a very profitable decision. After all companies never make much if anything on the hardware. Most of it is sold at a loss, they make money with the software. Most people that will buy a Nomad are those that already have a genesis and will therefore not buy new games. With Nintendo they waited 2 generations so often people that had an old console have already buried it in a basement or sold it off.
@@charlesjohnson3138 well, I should have said I had my Nomad modded - just paid someone else to do it. As far as I know there's only one screen people are using, it's a huge upgrade over the original screen, but keep expectations in check as it's certainly not a OLED or comparable to a smartphone, etc.
***** If you want a small portable Genesis get the SEGA CDX, while a bit pricey these days it's well worth it for the size, and it can take the 32X but it makes the unit a bit top heavy, so I prop mine against the wall my gaming TV is near, and for me that fix it.
Last year I had a real passion for this thing. I bought one on ebay, added in a new screen, attached some rechargeable batteries, and breathed new life into my nomad. It's now probably the coolest gaming piece that I own.
Well yeah, it’s a portable Genesis. I think it’s awesome, especially for the time!
Joe Public it’s the OG Nintendo Switch but people always seem to forget that and say it was the first to do that
it is. imagine nowadays you can just play your ps4 game on the road and continue at home. This thing didn't compromise on power and Genesis was the peak of home console technology at the time alongside SNES. Now Nintendo Switch's is far lower than it's rival.
Billy Norris he didn’t what?
No you didn't.
“The handheld market wasn’t doing too well, this is when SEGA saw an opportunity to make a handheld”.
Classic Sega
NuthinNew HA!! Yes, well stated.
Hahahahaha love this. Sega was ahead of their time but they also made awful business decisions. They didn't deserve their fate
You know what they say. They like to hit it while the iron is frozen
Lex Nuqui Look in the mouth of a gift horse
Cosmo Dookie and how did that work out for SEGA?
Imagine if Sega still made consoles. The Switch would be going up against the Sega Uranus.
Oh no
Sega Jupiter
@@chivalrous_chevy1163 That actually sounds pretty cool.
Going up against... Uranus?
SEGA SONY PLAYDRIVE 64 PS5 BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE
I got a Nomad for Christmas 1995, and it was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen.
yes
yes
yes
@@theamazingaustin3360 are you on a gaming historian binge watch too?
@@jranimations5955 nah. I just rewatch some of my favorite episodes from time to time. I really like his Sega themed ones
I must say it again: The D-Pad really is amazing on the Nomad.
Hope you all enjoy the new video! :)
***** Yeah, All of Sega's controller's bar the Dreamcast have amazing quality D-pads. I even like the weird Mk1 Saturn one as it's really high quality. Thanks for another great vid.
***** Are those ALDI batteries I see? Represent!
***** streets of rage 2
***** in the bar
Its the soundtrack of streets of rage 2 stage 4
SEGA was making a portable Genesis in 1995, predating the Switch by 22 years. SEGA was ahead of their time. And it was one of those things that just ended up leading to their downfall.
The Genesis was Originally made as a home console not a handheld
@@Victoria3232-j7o I know that.
The Gospel:
JESUS died for our sins on the cross, HE shed HIS holy, innocent , precious blood for us (HIS blood washes away ALL sins) HE was buried but on the third day GOD raised HIM from the dead. All you have to do to be saved is: Believe in JESUS, trust in HIS blood. JESUS did everything for you, no works are required for salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9) . (Don’t forget to repent of sin. )!
And here I thought the Nintendo Switch was innovative and special, lol
It only failed because the Nomad was fucking terrible. Whats the point of handheld if you have to be plugged into the wall the whole time because it killed 6 AA batteries in 3 hours? That automatically makes it unplayable.
I wish it was compatible with the 32x because that would look hilarious!
I'm visualizing this in my head, along with the Sega CD... Dear God...
@@blackhatfreak ewww...
@@blackhatfreak too soon
Just a giant fucking tumor
I hooked it up to my 32x way back when. Just gotta unscrew the case of the 32x and jam the cords into the nomad to a scary angle.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is the best channel on UA-cam.
Interesting, well-researched, well presented and nowhere near as OTT as half the gaming channels on UA-cam. Please never stop.
Adam Bibilo Thanks, Adam! Appreciate that.
Adam Bibilo not the best, but Really enjoyable to watch, Keep it up GH.
Smash Bros 4 u and me The youtube rule is you must offer at least one example link for bothering to challenge ones opinion on this being the best video game channel on youtube
Woah, it’s Adam from the AE Podcast!
Yeah... but... where are the clickbaity titles and thumbnails of scantily-clad girls that aren't even relevant to the content of the video? ^_^
I loved my Nomad. I specifically remember playing a lot of Vectorman and Sonic 3 on it.
Vectorman is such a great game!
It's interesting to see the lack of success for some of these systems. The Nomad in many ways is not that different from what the Nintendo Switch is today, which is seen as revolutionary to many.
But it's just how these things go go. It's not simply about having the right idea or product. You also have to release it at the right time. Timing is really important in terms of if the market is ready for said product. In the 90s the market probably just wasn't there pre Internet and smartphones.
Battery life for a portable system really mattered back then. You’d spend so much extra money on just batteries.
The Gospel:
JESUS died for our sins on the cross, HE shed HIS holy, innocent , precious blood for us (HIS blood washes away ALL sins) HE was buried but on the third day GOD raised HIM from the dead. All you have to do to be saved is: Believe in JESUS, trust in HIS blood. JESUS did everything for you, no works are required for salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9) . (Don’t forget to repent of sin. )!
@@believeonjesus7215 Hey buddy I think you got the wrong door, church is two blocks down.
Its because the Nomad was a piece of shit, that killed all your batteries so you have to be plugged into the wall the whole time and the Switch is a system that's actually good, so thats why.
The nomad also suffered from Turbo Express syndrome, which was basically the setback of playing games on a small screen that were designed for your tv. Basically, it meant many texts or fine details were scaled down unevenly and hard to see.
interesting how all Sega episodes start with "what was this, and why did it fail?"
how do you have 122 likes and no replyes??????
You can tell the guy loves Nintendo 🤣
@@Theironminer-ky2pg Why would you think that's odd for? There's tons of comments with plenty of likes and no replies.
Especially because Sega has a history of great ideas, at the wrong time.
Jontae Grace yeah like the Dreamcast it was great and was better than the competition but we still failed it 😑😐🥺😢😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
wait a second the gameboy was just 50 bucks?! why did my parents make me share a gameboy with my brother for years!!!
+Vinnie J Man, I feel bad for you my dude.
+Vinnie J Because games were still selling for about 30-40 bucks each at that time. Old business rule....Sell them the razor, and THEN you sell them the blades. :)
indyracingnut dude you don't understand we had multiple games anyway. Me and my brother use to get into daily fist fights over who got to play the game boy. In retrospect I would have gladly given them my allowance or birthday money to buy a second game boy.
Most likely because 50 bucks was a lot more money back then.
+Seth Hackley true but it was never about the money it was about learning to share but it was more like rabid dogs having to share a steak.
4:12 so It's a Sega Switch in 90s
Sega did it before Nintendo made it cool
More like a Genesis U.
sega had great ideas but no luck at all
@@karl-heinzgrabowski3022 I guess the biggest problem was war between Sega of America and Sega of Japan
*New Genesis U Deluxe
It’s so insane that we lived through, remember, touch, and felt the tech from this era. We really do live multiple lives.
time is weird like that
@@simonmagus2199 misspelled your own name?
@@LosDefinit nope, it's simon magus.
I miss my Nomad. I used to take it everywhere, and I distinctly recall playing Sonic 3 at a restaurant once.
The Nomad vs. Game Boy back then seems reminiscent of today's Vita vs 3DS.
I guess you could say that Sony tried to do what Sega did then.
The GB wins! Dummy!
Realistically, almost EVERYONE tried to do what Sega did back then.
The Gameboy's first competitor was the Atari Lynx.
Huge system, full colour screen, 4096 colour support, better hardware rotation and scaling capabilities than a SNES, designed by several people that made the Amiga. It had an 8 bit screen, but it's graphics hardware was more on par with a 16 bit console.
It released within a month or two of the gameboy as well.
Vastly more powerful than a gameboy. Awful battery life, big and bulky.
TurboExpress - a full on portable Turbograpx system that supported the exact same games. Full colour screen, basically the TurbographX 16 as a handheld. Only thing it didn't support was CD games. Vastly more powerful than a gameboy. Awful battery life.
Game Gear - Portable full colour handheld that is basically an enhanced Master system. Eats batteries. IS bulkier than a gameboy.
Nomad - Portable full colour handheld which can play Mega Drive/Genesis games. Bulky, eats batteries.
Towards the late 90's we got the Wonderswan, which was like a better gameboy, had great battery life, etc. Probably failed at that point entirely due to lack of games available. (the gameboy was 7-8 years old by then.)
Was followed up by colour version.
Neo Geo Pocket. A handheld Neo Geo. Didn't do well. Not much more successful than the Neo Geo home console.
PSP - portable playstation, somewhere vaguely in the same ballpark as a PS2 (not really when you look at the low resolution screen). Powerful, decent battery life. Did reasonably well for a handheld trying to compete with Nintendo.
Definitely more powerful than a DS
Vita - powerful handheld console, though not actually as powerful as it was made out to be. (couldn't exactly run PS3 games at the same quality, but could run them) again more powerful than the Nintendo handheld of the time. Failed for less obvious reasons.
Anyway, not all systems failed for the same reasons, but you can see that the majority of Nintendo's competitors ALL tried to pull off the same basic concept, and all failed.
The exceptions that tried something different still failed though, so that alone isn't proof.
But trying to 'win' using raw power is THE norm for gameboy competitors, NOT the exception.
I don't know if I would agree with that unless the Vita was able to play PS3 games.
@HammerBroGH okay, no. Project Diva F, F 2nd, and X. Persona 4 Golden, Rayman Origins and Legends, Shovel Knight, etc.
@@TheChefBoo werent most of those ports besides p4g
"X-Men you must Reset" the Nomad has no reset button, so that X-men game that requires you to press reset is incompatible with the system.
How about Mode?
@@Green24152 The mode button doesn't do anything for X-Men. You pretty much need to press the reset button to even have access to the final level.
@@Green24152
The "mode" button turns your 6 button controller in a 3 button controller.
It was made in case some games have compatibility issues with 6 button controllers
@@paradoxzee6834 thank you, I've always wondered about that
That game sucked any way.
My folks got me this as a kid. It was amazing. I didn't have a 6 button controller and the Nomad was the perfect solution for fighting games. It even later replaced my Genesis when it started to crap out. Its probably the most versatile console I can think of.
Tarrnack I remember deliberating getting one when it was being sold off at a discount. I remembered thinking "there must be some catch", as the price was phenomenal. Ultiamtely I didn't get one. I wish I had. That and the virtual boy are my biggest regrets. Yes the VB was garbage, but they were practically GIVING them away.
JazGalaxy Ha-ha yeah that stinks. I think my folks picked up the same deal. It was a random treat getting it on my birthday. I didn't even know it existed. They must of seen it and been like "why not" at a heavily discounted price.
I was a sentimental kid and I remember loosing it somehow at lunch in school. I never cried when I got hurt or mad about something but I remember crying thinking "How irresponsible of me to loos a great gift from my thoughtful and loving parents"...I eventually found it. I was so revealed.
I later left my virtual boy under a tree during a forth of July party and it was stolen. I felt the same way but worse. I was pretty good about not leaving stuff around like as too. I think sometimes I was a little to trusting...now I'm a emotionally cold and untrusting individual............
Wow, pressing start to toggle between punch and kick on SF 2. Man, the stuff we put up with to play our favorite arcade games at home.
Corey Cavalier Ha, no joke!
Corey Cavalier When I bought Super Street Fighter 2 new, it came with a coupon for a Capcom pad, which I sent in and never received. It must not have bugged me too much, because I went out and bought a Sega Arcade pad instead.
Jaybee There is a classic combination with Blanca (strong punch, med kick, strong kick) that I actually could pull off using that 3 button controller. You can't imagine the surgical precision it took to insert that button press into that combo to make it effective.
Corey Cavalier YOU COULD JUST PLAY THE SNES WHICH WAS NOT A PILE OF SHIT?
***** I AGREE THAT SEGA IS A PIECE OF SHIT IN GENERAL, YES
absolutely nothing makes me happier than the Nomad. I carried this around with me like a blanket when I was a kid 🖤
I bought one of these back in the summer of 1996, along with NHL '96 and a couple of other cheap titles. The idea of bringing a Genesis to work and getting a quick game of NHL or Madden in during my lunch break was too hard to pass up. Unfortunately... as mentioned, the battery life stunk. The Nomad no longer became feasible as a portable system and I eventually traded it in at Electronics Boutique towards something that I still own today: A GxTV.
NHL 96 was a great game!
if this thing wasn’t that rare than this would definitely be the best way to play genesis games 100%
but you still stuck near power plug, because it's a power hog, only play games on batteries for 2-3 hours.
Nah, you're better off just using an actual Genesis, with a 3 hour battery life, you'll be plugged into a wall anyways so whats the point? Just get a Genesis and thats why it failed so hard.
The Nomad is probably my most fondly remembered consoles. A portable Genesis that felt great in your hands, it was amazing on road trips.
I received a Sega Nomad between 95' and 96'. My parents could not afford a whole new library of games for a Game Gear. I was never disappointed and am ABSOLUTELY elated as an adult now. I still have it and cherish it in my collection 😊
Sega, we're nomad. just disappointed.
Genius
@@awsanteina5152 Sega Genius
I love how every episode feels like a PBS special. No joke. ❤️
Both the Game Gear and the Nomad sucked batteries because of the terrible lightbulb choice Sega made for the back.
If you mod the system and replace it with modern LED's, you can get a good 20+ hours out of it! But if you were to do that, you might as well replace the screen properly with one with a much higher refresh rate.
I also got a Mega Jet when those were being sold off dirt cheap 10 years ago. They're definitely not worth the asking price now.
***** I replaced the caps, and screen on my old Game Gear a few years back, and using rechargeable AA batteries I get about 15ish hours or so out of it, and ir looks better then when it was new. It was well worth the time, and effort, but I will admit for convince factor however I usually just pull out my phone, and pair it with the Moga GamePad I keep in my backpack, then fire up DroidGear running the roms, instead of carrying around my GameGear, and all it's games. .
***** And where can one even do modding like that?
*****
In your own home?
Ok, let me be more specific then. I have no skills when it comes to modding, soldering or anything of the sort so I thought you might know who can do that.
Ehhh... I'd get one but it's too expensive. x_x I can't do DIY stuff so getting one pre-modded will set you back maybe over £200. You say $100, Gaming Historian? Are you fucking kidding me? Once again, UK rip-off pricing shows its ugly face.
I'd put that money towards an Open Pandora. For that price it's not worth it. I'd rather emulate.
I need it, but I don't know why.
Have a good one.
Danger Dolan (Gaming) OH MY! DANGER DOLAN! :O
0_0 DANGEH DOLEHN
You should think of the top ten reasons you want a sega nomad and make a video!
Danger Dolan (Gaming) lol
“The game boy was only 50$”
*DAMN YOU INFLATION*
It's also much more modest tecnology, even for the time. Today we expect a lot of standards and perks that inflate the price.
The Original GameBoy almost was dead at the end 1995, the Nomad launched. 50$ was a sell out price for a old end lifetime Hardware. GB pocket launched a few months later, and 1998 the GB color. The GB had bad sells at this time. Until Pokemon boost it in the late 90s
I got my first Gameboy back around ‘95 back when it was $60. Those were some good times.
The Gameboy used cheap hardware even for its time.
One of the reasons is Nintendo never considered it to last, even inside Nintendo some wanted the Gameboy to be a toy while others to be a console but at the end they decited it to try it to sell as a console and see if it works.
I mean, I picked up a Gameboy color for about $30 converted last year. Checking just now, and yeah it still goes for about $30 converted where I live.
Norman talks about the Nomad
I'm a Long time subscriber of your channel
Sorry guys, I posted this like 2 years ago, I had no idea about the meme lol.
The Normad
Nomad talks about the Norman.
Norman talks about the Nomad by playing the Nomad, While another controller is connected to the Nomad, used by the lost brother of Norman called Normad.
This is like the 1995 equivalent of the Nintendo Switch
AlmostFantastic *cof cof* TurboExpress *cof cof*
@@fifaworldcup1994 I was thinking that too.
But the Nomad has something the TurboExpress lacks;
Video output.
Meaning the nomad is a hybrid home/portable system, while the TurboExpress is purely a portable system.
@@KuraIthys I don't think being able connect the Sega Nomad to the TV with a video output cable makes it a "hybrid console". PSP Go with its cradle accessory is the OG hybrid console imo because you can essentially put the handheld on the dock (which charges the system and has component output to the TV) connect a Dualshock 3 via bluetooth and basically use it as a home console from that point on. Hence the handheld+home console hybrid nature of the system.
Turbo grafix express is the original hybrid console
In What way is the Nomad like a switch?!?
I had one of these! Made my mom travel all over San Diego to find me one! I was a Junior in Highschool! My buddy and me would play NHL 95 during lunch at school with the second controller!
Is there a sega yeshappy?
HAH
xD
avngsv Nintendo made a handheld SNES called the Negativedemented, however
avngsv Had to think, but I finally got it. Kudos.
cookie huffman No Mad. Yes Happy
Love that Streets of Rage music
Someone should re-make this, but give it a better screen and modern rechargeable battery.
There is one, it's called the PXP3 Slim Station. The games are built into the system and a couple cartridges. They're on ebay for about $20 because they're cheap Chinese knockoff consoles, but they play true emulation on well-lit screens and have rechargeable batteries. Different versions have different games and play sound differently.
Cpugh switch cough.
It would be great to have a new Nomad with the batteries kept inside the actual device rather than an external pack! I would rather have the option to use standard AA Batteries which can be rechargeable rather than a captive battery which bricks the system when it stops holding its charge
AT Games likes to do some stuff similar, you might wanna check that out.
I saw some at targert the other day
is that a Nintendo switch?
Chuck McCracken It's a SEGASWITCH
BrOKeN Damon no it's da blurry switch.
Chuck McCracken SEGA does what Nintendon't
No. It's a sega nomad.
People actually bought Switches.
And it didn't set you back 3 to 400 dollars like the switch, does almost the same thing, and isn't as fragile. Did I mention it was released 22 years BEFORE the Switch? Sorry Nintendo, I'm a big fan but your reinventing the wheel with the Switch.
I have probably watched almost every video three times over. Something about the nostalgia and your story telling that makes watching these videos extremely fun. Thank you
When it's put into a TV it basically turns into a Wii U.
Jamie Dickinson Lol precursor to it.
+Jamie Dickinson So thats how.. wii u.. got the... idea....
+Jamie Dickinson The Wii U gamepad is a second screen, not just a replica of what's on the television.
+XX_SHIALABEOUF_XXJUSTDOIT The Wii U's idea came from the Nintendo DS, not the Nomad. Heck I don't even think anyone at Nintendo even knows what a Nomad is since it never hit Japan, all my friends doesn't even know what it is and they play Genesis all their lives.
All these years Sega has been doing what Nintendo hasn't...
Always been a huge Nomad fan. 2020 is the year the Nomad will be making a comeback. So many good things made just for it this year.
2 years later and apparently you were wrong LOL
@@shadycnetwork pokemon fanboy detected
My cousin got a Nomad in 96/97. I will never forget the first time he showed it to me and let me play it. I may get one sometime I have seen some cool mods for it.
You'd be great on a did you know gaming episode!
Two of my favorite channels making a video I could finnaly die happy
CrispyMarshmellows I agree. They need to get Norm to do an episode.
CrispyMarshmellows THIS ^
CrispyMarshmellows isnt he already in one? i mean i dont remenber where i found gaming historian but i have found most gaming channels from DYKG
Magnus Theli No, he's not. I just searched their videos and typed in "Gaming Historian" and I got nothing.
There was also the lack of a reset button, which made one Xmen game impossible to continue coz at one point, you have to push reset to advance the plot
NewController01 Unless you did the level select cheat.
It was impossible on a genesis too because there was no indication you should do that.
I love my Sega Nomad! I love showing it off to friends that have never heard of it or seen one before.
This made me look around for my old Nomad, many an hour spent on Sonic the Hedgehog! I loved it!
I *loved* the Nomad. I played that thing to death.
Sega Venus. Is the codename.
FantasyAnime Crysis joke?
FantasyAnime seems like the coolest thing Sega ever made doesn't it? I now am more endeared to my PSP Go, but for a long time, the Nomad was a great travel companion.
Same here, don't remember the GB ever being that cheap.
What's really awesome is connecting the 4 player adapter for an NBA JAM fest on the small screen!
Thanks for using Mega Man Legends music. It's therapy for folks that want our friend back from the moon.
There is at least one game made unplayable on the Nomad: X-Men. Because the Nomad lacks a reset button, you would be stuck in the Mojo-verse stage and unable to finish the game at all.
Which is literally why I hate that game so much.
I'm a big X-Men fan and Sega too (in fact I never owned a nintendo until the wii, and that was more for my ex-gf than for me) but I think I might have missed one game...did you have to hit reset to beat the level?
I owned that game and died to that level so many times because of the timer. It was so fucking bizarre that I never figured it out as a kid and ended up not playing it anymore because I thought it was broken or that I just couldn't figure out what the secret was.
Which is why when so many people became frustrated with not finding the solution, most magazines had to step in and reveal the solution, which in a way was a clever way of breaking the 4th wall before Hideo Kojima made it into a big deal with Metal Gear Solid and the infamous ''switch your controller to the other port to keep Psycho Mantis from figuring you out'' trick.
Ben Haney that game with the letter is Star Tropics
22 years before the Switch. I love Sega ❤
Loved my Nomad, there was literally no point in using the AA batteries though - had to go through the AC adapter to get more than 30min of life
I mean it was the same with the game gear. Batteries just weren’t ready for a portable like the Game Gaar or nomad. 😅
The SEGA Nomad also shown up later on 1997 on the movie Turbulence with Lauren Holy, it's true.
Your choice of that particular Sega music really bumped this up, from your usual greatness, to great plus some wonderful nostalgia, while enjoying information about a console I've never even encountered in person.
I would have killed to get my hands on the nomad back in 95
@@studiopapa5874 why not both?
Kwasi Williams You and me both! I really wanted one for Christmas. I got a N64 that year instead, so I can’t bitch too much.
Why didn't you?
Jumpy Cat YES
murder then leave town into the mountains to become a nomad?
You and the LGR should make a video together, or have a baby, either one works for me so I'll leave the choice for you. It could be about the history of online (or network) gaming which would make sense considering the fact that you might need to collaborate online to make the video. Or the two of you could just have a baby together. It's really up to you.
adolfojp I vote "have a baby."
***** that would be one creepy baby lol!
makemebabies.com/share?name=BabyFREAK!&storage=5&image=baby/20150409/20150409082218552725cae1be3.jpg
Commodorefan64 I've see you on LGR, I've see you on 8-bit Guy, I've see you everywhere!
I always come back to this nomad review. 🥰
Sooo... I guess the Nintendo NX is doing a SEGA Nomad?
Edit: Now named Nintendo Switch
yep, I noticed that too, and I think Nintendo are doing it out of necessity because the console gaming landscape is not the same anymore, what with mobile gaming looking to overtake it as the next big thing.
+Duane Locsin mobile gaming is trash
+riDQlous same
+riDQlous It sucks for you, because mobile gaming is actually more popular than console gaming. (For the most part.)
Mobile gaming bubble burst like a year ago. I can't name anything big now than Clash Of Clans.
Wow, the Sega Nomad looks awesome! I kinda want to buy one
I still have my original Nomad from Christmas of 1996, as well as an extra I bought bout ten years later on Ebay. I loved almost everything about it: the design, the feel, the control, the optional power adapter, the buttons, the socket for a second controller. Only thing that sucked was the massive battery drain.
I remember buying the Nomad brand new in our local KB toys for $25.
10:30pm: "Ok, one more Gaming Historian video and I'm going to bed"
3:00am: "Well...shit"
I had one. This is a pretty accurate review. It had flaws, but the fact that it could be played on the TV or carried portable was a great concept. And it didn't require developers to create new system specific titles.
The background music from Streets of Rage 2 I believe? Anyways I always loved the sounds, very cool soundtrack.
Dang, your channel has changed drastically over the years
In a good way or a bad way?
They also suffered from dead pixels.
I purchased one of them and was completely disappointed by the dead pixels on the side and middle of the screen; I exchanged it for another at Toys R Us and the new one only had a dead pixel on the left side... I decided to live with it.
The rechargeable battery seemed to last longer than the AA pack (not now, those NiCads are probably old, so use AA lithium)
Closed captions:
"In 1998, Nintendo released "Pokémon in North America(Which is why the Dreamcast was sold in 1998, to try to stop Pokemon from continuing the success".
That's not true. The Dreamcast was released in NA in 1999 (and late in '98 in Japan, after Pokémon's NA release), and it had no such purpose (seeing as the Dreamcast was never a handheld). Whoever made those captions is clearly trying to misinform the hearing-impaired.
It still says the same thing
Jontae Grace EXPOSED
ua-cam.com/video/i6l8MFdTaPE/v-deo.html
John Garcia bruh
use several alts to confirm the changes
I remember getting this for my birthday one year and honestly, i LOVED IT! I had no idea what a nomad was or that it even existed but i remember not sleeping for....3 hours...lmao because I would stay up on school nights playing NHL 96(Go Red Wings!). I never knew what happened to my nomad but i probably got tired of the battery life. lolThanks for this btw!
I used to have a Nomad and loved it! With the rechargeable battery pack I don't remember having issues with battery life but It was decades ago so I may just have forgotten 🤷♂
The nomad was the Nintendo switch
"Hey Mom, can I have a Nintendo Switch?"
"No, you have a Nintendo Switch at home."
Nintendo Switch at home:
real talk, imagine actually being a kid and your parents refuse to get you a switch b/c you already have a sega nomad
@@markasscop I remember in 2017 my mom was hesitant to get me a switch cuz I had a Wii u
@@demolitiongod64 except that actually makes sense
Just sell the nomad then the switch will be only like 100-150
Maybe you should stop being a mindless sheep consumer, wishing every new fucking product that is advertised to your gullible mind
I LOVED my Nomad. As someone with severe visual impairment the large, bright screen was fantastic.
This was really a great system. Although I didn't own one (I was a Nintendo kid) I can't understand why Sega fans weren't interested in the Nomad. It's versatility was impressive, and was essentially a Nintendo Switch released 25 years earlier.
I had one. Owned it till 2012. Loved it. It was revolutionary for the time.
Olga: We're NOMADS, wanderers.
Snake: I'm a NOMAD too.
I was one of the lucky kids that got one. I loved this and the Game Gear back then.
Streets of Rage background music is a really nice touch!
im so glad i found this channel today. This is just like stumbling across LGR, what a discovery i've made.
I loved my Nomad I was playing it while my wife gave birth to my firstborn and she was pissed!
Lmfao g man.
😂😂
You savage you lol😂😂.
Priorities
This is a big W
I don’t remember seeing the Nomad for $40 🤨 damn I would have snatched that shit up
I VAGUELY REMEMBER SEEING IT IN TOYS R US AT THE ALBEE SQUARE MALL(DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN,NY) IN THE LATE 90'S FOR $40 OR $80 BUT I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS!!
My cousin came down for Christmas, and had a Nomad. With him, came Phantasy Star IV, one of my favorite classic RPGs. I had never played it but, I was hooked. Loved it. I beat it the day he left for home, so it was perfect.
Sega was always ahead of the times..
In hindsight I wish I'd bought one at the time. It would have been perfect for my lifestyle then.
I had one of these in 1998. My dad got it for 30 bucks. He didn't know what it was other than the box saying Sega and him being a fan of Super Street Fighter 2. We both enjoyed the crap of out. I never met anyone else during my childhood that had it, sadly. My father still has it and he still uses it.
Because of the 32X-Saturn debacle and confusing, changing roadmap, SEGA didn't have enough money available to market the Nomad. Most people who would've considered buying it as a Father's Day or Christmas gift never saw any ads for it and didn't know what it was.
It's fitting that it's called the Nomad since the bloody thing couldn't find a home.
the funny thing I would rather play retro games more than call of duty and I am only 13 years old
toe jam & earl is one of the best games ever made its a masterpiece & ill never forget driving to Florida playing this on family vacation. The game gear external battery pack worked with this so you didn't even need battery pack installed if you owned that, better yet a AC converter in your car
Pretty underrated console. It would be crazy to think Nintendo got the idea of a switch because of Sega failed console
You ever heard the saying its nothing new under the sun, remember the dick Tracy watch they had the tech for it back then but we're just now getting smart watches
Opposite of “Sega Nomad” is “Damon Ages”... hahahahaha... so funny
Russian word for cyborg, kiborg when spelt backwards becomes grobik - a diminutive for grob, coffin.
Fun fact: the opposite of Gaming Historian is Nairotsih Gnimag. That's right.
Yeah
Excellent blast from the past. I remember Columns on Game Gear. Great times. Subscribed.
Yay, I helped with the subtitles of this video! I feel like I've done something :P
things sega needs to make:
new console
jet set radio 3
not another sonic
a fresh new franchise
Google "Operation Sega Razor".
We used to use this in my dads conversion van back in the day. we hooked it up to the tv and ran the controller with and extension cable to me. It was amazing and fun to use made road trips so nice :)
The battery life is 95% of the reason the thing failed. If the batteries lasted a reasonable time, it would have made a great companion to the Saturn, and could have extended the life of the Genesis. But Sega, being Sega, outright refuses to learn from their mistakes. The Game Gear had the same problem. Scaling down a Master System into a handheld didn't work, and scaling down a Genesis into a handheld didn't work.
Also making a portable version of an existing home console isn't actually a very profitable decision. After all companies never make much if anything on the hardware. Most of it is sold at a loss, they make money with the software.
Most people that will buy a Nomad are those that already have a genesis and will therefore not buy new games. With Nintendo they waited 2 generations so often people that had an old console have already buried it in a basement or sold it off.
Had one of these bad boys when I was young, it was great except for the AA battery problems. N
I have a fully boxed and perfect condition nomad, really love the machine. I have my Krikzz x7 in it.
I see you shop at ALDI.
Johann Roman Heck yeah I shop at ALDI.
Gaming Historian omg Aldi is in the US. I thought they were only in the UK
I just modded my Nomad to have an LED screen and a built in battery - that should keep it going for another 24 years.
Rod Munch what screen did you buy? I would love to upgrade my nomad as well.
@@charlesjohnson3138 well, I should have said I had my Nomad modded - just paid someone else to do it. As far as I know there's only one screen people are using, it's a huge upgrade over the original screen, but keep expectations in check as it's certainly not a OLED or comparable to a smartphone, etc.
Nice
Street fighter 2 at lunchtime at school must have been wicked for those with a nomad and a second six button controller
can you put a 32x into the nomad???
***** He said no
***** Out of the box, nope. I've seen mods online to make it work, although I'm not sure why you would want a 32x swallowing up your Nomad!
***** to play 32x games of corse :P also it would look really funny. i just figured if it was a genesis in everyway but portable then it would work
***** If you want a small portable Genesis get the SEGA CDX, while a bit pricey these days it's well worth it for the size, and it can take the 32X but it makes the unit a bit top heavy, so I prop mine against the wall my gaming TV is near, and for me that fix it.
Loving the Streets of Rage 2 OST. Yuzo Koshiro was a mastermind soundtrack composer.