Sega (Genesis) Nomad History & Review - Rare Variants - Adam Koralik 

Update, I was wrong about the compatibility with Virtua Racing. It DOES work. Apologies.

The Nomad was the best 2 hours of portable gaming back in the day. It deserves it's place in history. With better battery life this thing could have been a serious contender.

I had a Nomad and PC Engine GT in the '90s. The GT especially was an impressive, pioneering device ahead of its time. I just used them for off-TV home play, because the battery life was poor and they were expensive, so I felt they were better kept safe at home. The Game Boy was the only '90s handheld I played on the go.

I got one of these things back in 1997. I knew at the time what it was because I was actually replacing a broken Model 2 Genesis that got fried at some point. That Nomad was my daily-driver Genesis for a number of years until I picked up a Model 1 Genesis sometime in the late 2000s, and it served its purpose well enough, limitations not withstanding. Battery life was terrible, but many a vacation hotel stay was made better playing this thing at night. My original died some years later, but I have a replacement now, and it's still fun to get it out and play around with it from time to time, even though there are infinitely better systems to hand for these games these days. Lots of good memories, though.

My first interaction with the Nomad was from my godmother who got one sometime in the late 90s. Every time we went over to my godparents house I'd always want to play the Nomad. We had a Model 2, so the idea of a portable Genesis just blew my mind. She allowed me to borrow it a few times and even I brought it to school. Then as I started working I snagged one off ebay with the battery pack for $60. That was around 12 years ago and every time I put it on it takes me back to sitting in class, days before the school year ends, playing Sonic 2.

For the Al Gore Rhythm!

The TurboExpress and Nomad were both so dope.

Space is something that's very fascinating to me. I guess Sega felt the same way with a lot of their systems, up until the Dreamcast.

I love that it took you 10 mintues to explain how confusing the Sega Planetary Prototype Universe was back then! That's where I got messed up as a kid! I might be the only North American Genesis owner to mistakenly buy a Master System cart without the Power Base Converter. It said Sega, so it must be for my Sega! I'm used to weird box art concepts, so the classic Master System grid doesn't bother me. I have not idea it's not directly Genesis compatible until it didn't fit into that cartridge slot. That's the moment in my young Genesis life I learned the Z80 in the Genesis was there for backwards compatibility too!

Would love to get a fully revised Nomad one day. Difficult to get in Europe...

Get one fully modded then do a follow up video comparing the modded one to a stock one side by side. It would be fun to see and then you could also break down the costs between them as well.

Don’t think we got this at all in the UK sad times. One of those systems which is just amazing it got even a moment to shine! Thanks Adam

Thanks for the sharing the fully story of the Nomad, Adam. You have such a knack for sharing video game history. If you celebrate I hope you have an enjoyable Easter tomorrow, buddy

I’ve never heard of this thing until this video. There is a 90% chance I’ll forget it exists shortly after lol. But I love watching these videos from you and the fact that you have PERSONAL experience taking this device on a vacation trip is VERY cool man. Thank you for the video :)

I'm surprised the nomad was the last portable system that could play home console games. Could you imagine being able to play Halo on the go in 2001? Or Metroid prime? Ratchet and clank? Would have been amazing. I remember seeing one for $40 in a play n trade once and then was kicking myself for not picking it up as on ebay they were $80 soon after.

Happy to see you still chugging along, hope your other content I remember you mentioning is doing well. Travel stuff I think. So relaxing hearing your “figure it out” intro with the DC startup. I had a nomad for a time and the genesis was my go to for portable over the Nintendo early on. Such a solid system and while a battery suck, plugging it in never seemed to hard to do. My days of collecting are coming to a close and Ive been downsizing but I still play on the regular. Don’t think I’ll ever stop unless I have to. Your channel has always been a good resource for when I was active and our interests in both software and hardware seem to lineup so it’s easy to follow along. Just wanted to say thanks.

I picked one up in 99 for 50 bucks, and it was one of the best gaming experiences I’ve had in my youth.

The sega nomad is by far one of the coolest systems to ever exist. Literally a full sega genesis crammed in a handheld I’ve always wanted one 😄

This was my first personal genesis. And I also bought the Sega battery pack (rechargeable) with it. I used it every day during lunch in college to play shinning in the darkness. Then I put it in my car (Pontiac Fiero) for my passenger along with like 10 games, and my friends loved that alot. Still have both, and I'm surprised you didn't go over the Sega recharge pack, as it gave the system about 6 hours battery life, which was totally serviceable.

I actually had a Nomad as my first Genesis, and my first Sega console, growing up. Previously, my parents got a Model 2 Genesis for me, but they returned in the next day after they couldn't hook it up to the TV for some reason. Later, for my 7th birthday in 1997, my uncle gifted me a Nomad and Sonic 3. I used it exclusively in my house hooked up to an AC adapter, mostly cause I didn't know how to use the battery pack with my stupid child brain. My uncle did set up an RF adapter to connect the Nomad to our TV, at least, and we got a second controller so my brother and I could still get the Genesis console experience that way. I still have my Nomad now, plus the battery pack.

Gotta say I’ve been watching your page forever. And every video is more awesome than the last. My favorite game page!!

Great video!! I picked up the Nomad on sale at Toys R Us shortly after it released. I really enjoyed it, I have great memories of taking it to school with an extra controller and playing my friends in Super Street fighter 2!!👍👍👍

Yeah, I wanted a game gear way back in the day, wound up getting one of these, def happy for it honestly, would love to update mines with all the modern necessities to make it shine again

Had they a) added a controller port for player 1 and b) had a switch to turn the built-in screen off this would have been killer.

I love my nomad. Got mine for free cause my family owned a junkyard back then and my dad found a nomad in one of the junked vehicles lol. Still works great!

Always love hearing about Sega's history from your videos.

I remember in 2010 a friend of mine who is no longer with us brought this and his retro consoles to school on the last day of senior year and we GAMED. I remember playing a lot of splatterhouse 2 and 3 on this thing. Good times!

This really brought me back to the days. My cousin had one and his dad, my uncle who has unfortunately passed away now, bought one for me when they first came out and I would trade games with him when ever they came up to visit. It was such great times. Recently got introduced to hand held emulation with the miyoo and have only been playing the sega games. It brings back so much nostalgia.

Always enjoy these history lessons on consoles and their variants Adam, honestly wasn't even aware of the Nomad till I watched your videos.

I've followed Adam since his Atari Jaguar video as I got one during Christmas 1993. He's the Shenmue Super Fan. Shenmue II is my 2nd fav game ever behind OG FF7. Adam rocks!

So happy you did this video. I’m a huge supporter and fan of the Nomad.

I have 2 Sega Nomad's. One I got originally from Toys R Us with Comic Zone and the other I got second hand. I love the system, it's just a damn shame that Xmen can't be beaten on the Nomad because of a lack of the reset button.

Loved the view into your museum once again.

Great content as usual, thanks for sharing👍

I got one laying around and I would love to mod it with some modern upgrades. It's fun but the screen is definitely aged, will definitely need a recap too.

The more I learn about Sega’s history, the more I feel like I was taking them for granted. Great video.

Great Video :) I'm in the UK. I travelled to the US in 97 and picked one up it eventually became damaged, and to fix it at the time over here cost more than to buy the system. I threw it in the bin. 😢 I now know it was an easy fix. I have since replaced it. I thought I'd mention that the NEC Pc engine LT did this before the Nomad gave the option of connection to the TV, and with the Atari Lynx battery pack allowed handheld gaming. Another thing of beauty for me, at least, is the Redant GameAxe, which is basically a portable Famicom. It took inspiration from the Nomad it's so cool.

The best part of my childhood trips to the beach. Me in back with a box full of games on the seat next to me.

I literally just bought a Sega Nomad a couple days ago and it arrived at my house today. It's amazing. I remember wanting the system when it came out, but my parents couldn't afford it. Now that I've got one (the seller bundled 14 games, a car charger, and a carrying case in, and it actually has the power cord and battery pack LOL), I'm planning on playing it for a bit tonight. Recently bought Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego (my fave game franchise/gameshow) and think it'd be the perfect game to break in the Nomad!

I bought a nomad on ebay probably in 2013, before it got super expensive. It came with the A/C adapter and the battery pack. For what it is, it's really good. I remember back when I was at my old job. It was a day with nothing to do, and I happened to bring my nomad that day. Lets say I got paid to play my nomad all day.

I bought the Nomad despite not owning a Genesis before. Games were extremely cheap at that point. I even used a GameGear with TV tuner as a second screen for my friends to use.

Love every video you put out!

Been a while mate, hope you've been well. Cool Vid!!!!

This was Awesome, Thanks Adam.

My next door neighbor growing up had a Sega Nomad and I was fascinated by it. He didn't have a battery pack for it though so he always had to play it connected to a power outlet which wasn't very long. Still though, the thing played Sega Genesis games and that alone was awesome.

This is still my favorite handheld, even if it's not a true dedicated handheld. I got one in early 2000 some time. Unfortunately, there were not $50 CIB copies available in my area, but I was able to trade some PS1 games for it from my brother's friend. I recall feeling like I got ripped off a bit, but I had wanted one since first seeing it on display and knowing it was too expensive to get. Glad I still have it, and I play it pretty often still today. Batteries aren't even really an issue anymore because of the low cost of rechargeables now, or the battery mods you can make if you feel like it.

I don’t remember how and when I got mine! But it’s amazingly good feel in my hand, a piece of history I guess. Probably will keep it as is, thank you for this fantastic video by the way!

I loved the Nomad it was the best for long car trips and the like, I got to play my favorite segs games on the go, I also had a game gear and later gameboys, so they would switch up occasionally. Sadly, my Nomad met a sad fate of being ran over by a bike because I had it on the floor next to a power outlet. I have a new one no but I still miss my old one, you having 4 of them makes me kinda jealous haha.

Adams perfect Quote: "I have four of these not because I'm a Hoarder; It just Happened" I feel the same LOL

Your camera doesn't like to autofocus, Adam! I got one of these back in 2007. Not my preferred method of playing a Genesis, but it's an interesting one, to say the least!

Adam my old friend, thank you for the explanation of the sega planet thought process. Still crazy you have a Pluto..

Damn there are a lot of Nomads in one place! Nice collection!

Wow great video. Subbed

I've had a Nomad since June 2021 along with still-uninstalled (in April 2023) mod parts (Nomad Triple Bypass v2 and LCDDRV with 3.5" TFT screen, and the plan is to have the Master System mode enable done along with the installation). The main thing that has stopped me getting the installation done has been that I can only *_partially_* find how to wire the BRIGHT wheel to the LCDDRV using the method that gives proper full variable brightness control. I'm very interested in the upcoming Oleg Endo kit which should hopefully avoid the faff of the older mod stuff.

This is my most wanted console but it’s so hard to find a working version here in the UK 😭

Another great video. Thank you Adam.

Awesome Video Adam !!! Do you know what happen to the retro bit Sega Nomad it was annonce in 2019 but we never ear from it again ???

I had that hardest time finding one back in the day. I finally did pick one up in late 1998 for $69.99 new in box at The Electronics Boutique. (I even still have the box with the price sticker on it.)

Very interesting episode. Hope you do more handhelds like the atari lynx and game gear

I picked 1 of these up in a lot with a psp, and a Nintendo ds lite like 6-9 months ago on ebay. There was a typo in the listing and it flew under everyone's radar, I got all 3 for something like $150. I am going to mod an original rechargeable battery pack, and install a lcddvr. Looking forward to enjoying some genesis games again.

I remember seeing advertisements for the Nomad back in the day and I wanted one so bad, but never got one 😢 I ended up getting an Atari Lynx instead, which I still play to this day!!!

This is really cool

This video made me want more console history video on handheld

The picture slideshow of the Neptune in various places cracked me up! Have you done a full slideshow of all the traveling Neptune location pics in one video or short? I think as a short it could do well. But I havent cracked the algorithm code yet!

bought a nomad last year due to not having one and needing one to add to my portable gaming collection. Got to say its a really neat device, its very chunky but very cool. You can connect it to the tv as well and that is very unique especially for the time in came around at. I know the turbo express came before it but that could not connect to the tv.

Master System compatibility can be fixed by adding one single bodge wire from the cart slot to a chip, for whatever reason they omitted that trace! Then you need one of those 3rd party adapters shaped like ordinary genesis carts since both official "power base" variants won't fit at all, that's it!

What wires do I connect to make Sega CD and sms audio work for nomad everdrive?

I have three of them two in box one stand alone but all works. And love them all.

0:27 Adam , sorry if this question sounds rude , but which one is the Sega Nomad?

Picked up a Game Gear last week at MGC and naturally the next thing I want is a Nomad.

Hi Adam! Do you happen to have or ever came across those TecToy Wireless Master Systems? They've had a lot of those herenin Brazil, not sure If in Europe too. Cheers!

Pretty sure we lucked out snagging a Nomad when it was marked down on serious clearance. I don't recall the price but I do recall seeing the 32X marked down to $20 each at one point. My family always did road trips for vacations, so I actually got plenty of use of the Nomad using our family vehicle's cigarette outlet with a power supply cable. Never played it on batteries. Only downside with the cars at the time... The power would go out when starting or stopping the engine, so roadside rest stops or gas stations became reset points. I remember playing sonic series, streets of rage 2, pele soccer, mean bean machine, lotus ii, and street fighter ii the most on it. And just like Adam said, you can't read text on the blurry little screen, but I would add you didn't need a Gameboy worm light to play in the dark back seats of the car while at night.

I love my Nomad. I don't play it often, but every so often, I break it out. I'm pretty sure I played battletoads double dragon last on it.

Oooo Nomad!

Just a courtesy heads up, Adam, the Figure It Out productions website listed on your profile on RU-vid links to spam. Not sure if the domain expired or if it's just been taken over. Maybe replace it with a link to the travel channel?

Hey Adam! Hope you're well!

You can mod the nomad to enable cd audio and master system support with an everdrive pro or mode.

I have an LCD modded Nomad that I absolutely love. Unfortunately, it draws too much current to use the battery pack, so my solution was to hook it to DC power with a power bank! If you ever used one of those external egg-shaped battery packs for the GG back in the day, it’s pretty much just like that, I keep it on a belt clip and everything. But I can play for literal months on end

I won my buddy's for a week in a home rub derby around 97-98 when I was 12/13. I was so stoked until it ate my life savings in batteries. I got through one full game on Madden, Giants vs. Jaguars, that week. Played it two minutes at a time and went through at least 15-20 batteries.

I get that the power base converter doesn't fit but if you use an everdrive with Master System roms does that work? Pretty compelling combined with the screen and battery upgrade.

My Nomad is a beast. Triple bypass and tft upgraded screen. I've had 3 Nomads. Sold em. I'll never get rid of this one.

if I didn't find this kind of stuff fascinating and the people who have the passion for it. I wouldn't be subcribed to channels like this

23:31 And there goes the story of how he used to have 4 Nomads, but then there were 3.

If you ever get it modded don’t get the LCDDRV. That screen, although sharp and RGB capable, does not have pixel uniformity. This causes a constant shimmer while scrolling. Unfortunately I haven’t seen any alternative be readily available, so you are better of going with one of those TFT composite ones for now as their solid enough and easily replaced if a better option becomes available in the future.

Back in 1995 my 9 year old self spent many hours in the back of my parents Oldsmobile playing various selections (Sonic III was a stand out Ecco was a challenge ) on my Genesis Nomad. A 20 pack of Duracell AA batteries was absolutely necessary. It was fun while it lasted. The next generation of consoles was upon us. I rented a Sega Saturn from Blockbuster around 1996. It was fun. But then the Nintendo 64 was introduced. My mom (god bless her) got trampled on a Black Friday sale at Toy's R Us to obtain the most acclaimed system at the time. The N64. Now I play emulators on Android and Golf sims.

I love sega. Not only as hardware but their games like Shenmue, Phantasy Star Online, etc.

"I'm a hipster, and a douchebag, but not a hipster douchebag" lmao

Is the GameGear its own platform given it is essentially just a portable Master System?

It should be so cool travel around playing Sonic 3 & Knuckles on the Nomad 😅

Great video. Gutted I cannot meet you at OLL in Norwich right now.

My dad is a legend. He made an adapter so I could play game gear and nomad off huge 6v camping batteries. He also installed power inverters in all our vehicles.

The Sega Mercury? Sounds like an awesome Gas efficient vehicle.

I love my modded Nomad, for one thing the controller is amazing. If I could have an aftermarket controller that is a lighter Nomad, I'd buy it.

I had mine modded with a better screen and now love it (and got a battery pack from Greg at Laser Bear too).

It would be cool to see Analogue release a new Nomad with a dock. The dock could have the Sega CD port.

Someday would like to own a Nomad, but is this thing as bulky as the Game Gear? I wanted to ask what Half Price books you went to because the ones I went to had nothing in the Chicago burbs.

Egm reviewed nomad from 1996 to 1999 so...yeah if they counted all Genesis variants it would sell more than snes, cuz Nintendo got called lying about their SNES sales and it came light Genesis out sold it 2 to 1 early and only 2 Genesis were counted for 42 to 47 million total not all 20

What a fool I was to not exist in 2001 to buy one of these

i would have bought one of these if they had hit the uk.always wanted one

28:38 Sega Nomad with built-in flashcart support including being able to run Sega CD, Sega 32X, AND Sega CD 32X. Also, modern LCD screen WITH TV tuner so you can use it has RF, composite, AND S-video inputs - even better than the Game Gear's TV tuner. What else? The internal speaker upgraded to 7.1 Dolby Pro Logic and DTS Surround Sound, and instead of RGB out, it's component or HDMI out powered by that Rabbit Lovin' Maniac Mike Chi and RetroTINK. All these mods are currently in development by a joint task force of JesterPezz and the Black Dog lovin' Dan "Citrus3000psi" Kunz