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{{Short description|Handheld game console by Sega}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox information appliance
| title = Genesis Nomad
| aka = Sega Nomad
| logo = Sega Nomad.svg
| logo_size = 200px
| image = Sega-Nomad-Front.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| manufacturer = [[Sega]]
| type = [[Handheld game console]]
| generation = [[Fifth generation of video game consoles|Fifth]]
| releasedate = {{vgrelease|NA|October 1995}}
| discontinued = {{vgrelease|NA|1999}}
| media = [[Sega Genesis]] [[ROM cartridge]]
| power = 6 [[AA batteries]], 4 hours
| cpu = [[Motorola 68000]]
| display = {{plainlist|
*3.25-inch backlit color screen
*[[AV connector]] 320x224d ([[NTSC]])}}
| sound = {{plainlist|
*Mono speaker
*Headphone jack}}
| topgame = <!-- Since it's just a Mega Drive/Genesis, please leave it empty. -->
| predecessor = [[Game Gear]]<br />Mega Jet
}}

The '''Genesis Nomad''', also known as '''Sega Nomad''', is a [[handheld game console]] manufactured by [[Sega]] and released in North America in October 1995. The Nomad is a portable variation of the [[Sega Genesis]] [[home video game console]] (known as the Mega Drive outside [[North America]]). It could also be used with a [[television]] set via a video port. It was based on the '''Mega Jet''', a portable version of the home console designed for use on airline flights in Japan.

The Nomad was the last handheld console released by Sega. Released late in the Genesis era, it had a short lifespan. It was sold exclusively in [[North America]], and uses [[regional lockout]]. Sega's focus on the [[Sega Saturn]] left the Nomad under-supported, and it was incompatible with several Genesis peripherals, including the Power Base Converter, the [[Sega CD]], and the [[32X]]. About 1 million units of the Nomad were sold, and it is considered a [[List of commercial failures in video games|commercial failure]].<ref name="gamepro" />

==History==
[[File:Sega Mega Jet (8459104642).jpg|thumb|The Mega Jet, a portable Mega Drive designed for airplanes and cars, provided the design inspiration for the Genesis Nomad.]]
The [[Sega Genesis]] was Sega's entry into the [[History of video game consoles (fourth generation)|16-bit era of video game consoles]].<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Sczepaniak | first=John | date=August 2006 | title=Retroinspection: Mega Drive | url=http://www.sega-16.com/2006/09/retroinspection-mega-drive/ | url-status=live | magazine=[[Retro Gamer]] | publisher=Imagine Publishing | issue=27 | pages=42–47 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924100219/http://www.sega-16.com/2006/09/retroinspection-mega-drive/ | archive-date=September 24, 2015 | df=mdy-all | via=Sega-16}}</ref> In Japan, Sega released the Mega Jet, a portable version of the Mega Drive for use on [[Japan Airlines]] flights. The Mega Jet requires a connection to a television screen and a power source, and so outside of airline flights can only be used in cars equipped with a television set and [[cigarette lighter receptacle]].<ref name="EGM57">{{cite magazine | date=April 1994 | title=Mega Jet Lands!! | url=https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_57/page/n63/mode/2up | magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] | publisher=Sendai Publishing | issue=57 | page=64}}</ref> On planes, the Mega Jet was connected into armrest monitors. It had a limited consumer release in Japanese department stores in 1994, but did not see success.<ref name="RetroNomad" />

[[File:Sega-Nomad-Handheld.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A front-to-top view of the Nomad, showing the red power switch, the "DC in" port, the cartridge input, and an "AV out" port to show the Nomad on a TV monitor]]
Planning to release a new handheld console to succeed the [[Game Gear]], Sega originally intended to produce a system with a [[touchscreen]] interface two years before the [[Game.com]] handheld by [[Tiger Electronics]]. However, touchscreen technology was expensive at the time, so Sega instead released the Genesis Nomad, a handheld version of the Genesis.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/974/974695p7.html | title=IGN Presents the History of SEGA (Page 7) | website=[[IGN]] | last=Fahs | first=Travis | access-date=October 18, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004211558/http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/974/974695p7.html | archive-date=October 4, 2011 | url-status=dead}}</ref> The development codename was "Project Venus".<ref name="AllgameNomad"/><ref>{{cite magazine | date=August 1995 | title=Sega's 16-Bit Hand-Held Now Named Nomad | url=https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_073_August_1995_U/page/n25/mode/2up | magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] | publisher=Sendai Publishing | issue=73 | page=27}}</ref> Sega hoped to capitalize on the Genesis's popularity in North America. At the time, the Genesis Nomad was the only handheld console that could connect to a television.<ref name="RetroNomad" />

The Nomad was released in October 1995 in North America only.<ref name="AllgameNomad" /><ref name="gamepro">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/125749/the-10-worst-selling-handhelds-of-all-time/ | title=The 10 Worst-Selling Handhelds of All Time | access-date=October 18, 2020 | last=Snow | first=Blake | magazine=[[GamePro]] | date=July 30, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004123927/http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/125749/the-10-worst-selling-handhelds-of-all-time/ | archive-date=October 4, 2011}}</ref> The release was five years into the market span of the Genesis, with an existing library of more than 500 Genesis games.<ref name="interview" /> While [[Sega Technical Institute]]'s ''[[The Ooze]]'' was originally planned as a launch game, it was not included.<ref name="Sega-16 STI">{{cite web | url=http://www.sega-16.com/2007/06/developers-den-sega-technical-institute/ | title=Developer's Den: Sega Technical Institute | last=Horowitz | first=Ken | date=June 11, 2007 | website=Sega-16 | publisher=Ken Horowitz | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408141746/http://www.sega-16.com/2007/06/developers-den-sega-technical-institute/ | archive-date=April 8, 2016 | url-status=live | access-date=April 16, 2014 | df=mdy-all}}</ref> According to former Sega of America research and development head Joe Miller, the Nomad was not intended to replace the Game Gear, and Sega had few plans for the new handheld.<ref name="interview">{{cite web | last=Horowitz | first=Ken | title=Interview: Joe Miller | url=http://www.sega-16.com/2013/02/interview-joe-miller/ | date=February 7, 2013 | access-date=November 17, 2013 | website=Sega-16 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601063836/https://www.sega-16.com/2013/02/interview-joe-miller/ | archive-date=June 1, 2013 | url-status=live}}</ref> Sega was supporting five different consoles: [[Sega Saturn|Saturn]], Genesis, Game Gear, [[Sega Pico|Pico]], and the [[Master System]], as well as the [[Sega CD]] and [[32X]] add-ons. In Japan, the Mega Drive had never been successful and the Saturn was more successful than Sony's [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]], so Sega Enterprises CEO [[Hayao Nakayama]] decided to focus on the Saturn, resulting in the end of support for the Genesis and Genesis-based products.<ref name="KSL">{{cite book | last=Kent | first=Steven L. | author-link=Steven L. Kent | title=[[The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World]] | year=2001 | publisher=Prima Publishing | location=Roseville, California | isbn=0-7615-3643-4 | pages=508, 531}}</ref> Additionally, the [[Game Boy]], [[Nintendo]]'s handheld console that had been dominant in the market, became even more dominant with the release of [[Pokémon Red and Blue|''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'']].  This meant the Nomad was not successful. By 1999, the Nomad was being sold at less than a third of its original price.<ref name="RetroNomad" />

==Technical specifications==
{{See also|Sega Genesis#Technical specifications}}
[[File:KL_Motorola_MC68000_CLCC.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Motorola MC68000, similar to one used in the Genesis Nomad]]
Similar to the Genesis and the Mega Jet, the Nomad's main [[central processing unit|CPU]] is a [[Motorola 68000]].<ref name="GPro87">{{cite magazine | date=December 1995 | title=Nomad: Sega's On-the-road Warrior | url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_077_December_1995/page/n21/mode/2up | magazine=[[GamePro]] | publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]] | issue=87 | page=20}}</ref> Possessing similar memory, graphics, and sound capabilities, the Nomad is nearly identical to the full-size console; the only variation is that it is completely self-sufficient.<ref name=":0">{{cite magazine | date=December 1996 | title=Pocket Cool | url=https://retrocdn.net/images/9/9e/EGM_US_089.pdf | magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] | publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] | issue=89 | page=206}}</ref> The Nomad has a 3.25 [[inch]] diagonal backlit color [[Liquid-crystal display|LCD screen]]<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2018-retro-revisiting-sega-nomad-the-original-switch | title=DF Retro: Revisiting Sega's Nomad - the original Switch? | last=Linneman | first=John | date=May 13, 2018 | website=[[Eurogamer]] | access-date=March 4, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180513170621/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2018-retro-revisiting-sega-nomad-the-original-switch | archive-date=May 13, 2018 | url-status=live}}</ref> and an [[audiovisual|A/V]] output that allows the Nomad to be played on a television screen.<ref name="GPro87" /> Design elements of the handheld were made similar to the [[Game Gear]], but included six buttons for full compatibility with later Genesis releases.<ref name="RetroNomad">{{cite magazine | last=Hunt | first=Stuart | title=Retroinspection: Sega Nomad | url=https://archive.org/stream/retro_gamer/RetroGamer_069#page/46/mode/2up | magazine=[[Retro Gamer]] | publisher=Imagine Publishing | issue=69 | pages=46–53}}</ref> Also included were a red power switch, headphone jack, volume dial, and separate controller input for multiplayer games. The controller port functions as player 2, so single-player games cannot be played with a Genesis controller.<ref name="GPro87" /> The Nomad can be powered by an [[alternating current|AC]] adapter, a battery recharger known as the Genesis Nomad PowerBack, or six [[AA battery|AA batteries]],<ref name="AllgameNomad">{{cite web | last=Marriott | first=Scott Alan | title=Sega Genesis Nomad - Overview | url=http://www.allgame.com/platform.php?id=17671 | access-date=October 18, 2013 | publisher=[[Allgame]] | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114094423/http://www.allgame.com/platform.php?id=17671 | archive-date=November 14, 2014 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | date=June 1996 | title=Games 'n' Gear | url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_093_Volume_08_Number_06_1996-06_IDG_Publishing_US/page/n13/mode/2up | magazine=[[GamePro]] | publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]] | issue=93 | page=12}}</ref> which provide a battery life of two to three hours.<ref name="RetroNomad" />

The Nomad is fully compatible with several Genesis [[Sega Genesis#Peripherals|peripherals]], including the Sega Activator, Team Play Adaptor, Mega Mouse, and the [[Sega Channel]] and [[XBAND]] network add-ons.  However, the Nomad is not compatible with the Power Base Converter, Sega CD, or 32X.  This means the Nomad can only play Genesis games, whereas the standard Genesis can also play Master System, Sega CD, and 32X games with the respective add-ons.<ref name="RetroNomad" />

==Game library==
{{see also|List of Sega Genesis games}}
The Nomad does not have its own game library, but instead plays Genesis games. At the time of its launch, the Nomad had over 500 games available for play. However, no pack-in game was included. The Nomad can boot unlicensed, [[Homebrew (video games)|homebrew]], and bootleg games made for the Genesis. Some earlier third-party games have compatibility issues when played on the Nomad, but can be successfully played through the use of a [[Game Genie]]. Likewise, due to its lack of compatibility with any of the Genesis' add-ons, it is unable to play any games for the [[Master System]], [[Sega CD]], or [[32X]]. The Nomad employs two different [[regional lockout]] methods, physical and software, but methods have been found to bypass these.<ref name="RetroNomad" />

== Reception and legacy ==
Reviewing the Nomad shortly after launch, ''[[Game Players]]'' considered the price of $179 "a bit steep", but said it was the best portable system on the market, and recommended it over the stock Genesis since it could play all the same games in a portable format.<ref>{{cite magazine | title=System Analysis: Genesis / Nomad | url=https://retrocdn.net/File:GamePlayers_US_0813.pdf | magazine=[[Game Players]] | issue=79 | publisher=Signal Research | date=December 1995 | page=50}}</ref> In a 1997 year-end review, a team of four ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' editors gave the Nomad scores of 8.0, 6.5, 7.0, and 7.5. They praised its support for the entire Genesis library, but criticized its hefty battery usage and noted that despite a recent price drop, it was still expensive enough to discourage interested consumers. While they generally complimented the screen display, they remarked that its small size makes it difficult to play certain games. Sushi-X declared the Nomad the best portable gaming system then on the market, while his three co-reviewers had more misgivings, saying it has merits but might not be a worthwhile buy.<ref>{{cite magazine | title=EGM's Special Report: Which System Is Best? | url=https://www.retromags.com/files/file/4325-egms-1998-video-game-buyers-guide/ | magazine=1998 Video Game Buyer's Guide | publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] | date=March 1998 | page=58}}</ref> However, in their first 1996 review, reviewers from ''Electronics Gaming Monthly'' noted that the screen suffers from [[display motion blur]], particularly during fast [[scrolling]].<ref name=":0" />

Blake Snow of ''[[GamePro]]'' listed the Nomad as fifth on his list of the "10 Worst-Selling Handhelds of All Time", criticizing its poor timing into the market, inadequate advertising, and poor battery life.<ref name="gamepro" /> Scott Alan Marriott of [[Allgame]] placed more than simply timing into reasons for the Nomad's lack of sales, stating, "The reason for the Nomad's failure may have very well been a combination of poor timing, company mistrust and the relatively high cost of the machine (without a pack-in). Genesis owners were too skittish to invest in another 16-bit system."<ref name="AllgameNomad" /> Stuart Hunt of ''[[Retro Gamer]]'', however, praised the Nomad, saying in a retrospective that Nomad was "the first true 16-bit handheld" and declared it the best [[Sega Genesis#Variations|variant of the Genesis]]. He noted the collectability of the Nomad, due to its low production, and stated, "Had Sega cottoned on to the concept of the Nomad before the Mega Drive 2, and rolled it out as a true successor to the Mega Drive ... then perhaps Sega may have succeeded in its original goal to prolong the life of the Mega Drive in the U.S."<ref name="RetroNomad" />

==See also==
{{Portal|Video games|1990s
}}
* [[VMU]]
* [[Comparison of handheld game consoles]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{Sega Genesis}}
{{Sega hardware}}
{{Fifth generation game consoles}}
{{Handheld game consoles}}

[[Category:1990s toys]]
[[Category:Fifth-generation video game consoles]]
[[Category:Handheld game consoles]]
[[Category:Products introduced in 1995]]
[[Category:Sega Genesis|Nomad]]
[[Category:Video game console revisions]]