Sega Nomad Clone?!

[roadkill]

I have this little plug-and-play:



Most of the games on it are either Master System or Game Gear, but that's why I got it. Even though it's AtGames and the build-quality feels a bit questionable, the emulation on these games is definitely superior to what I've seen of their Mega Drive offerings. Only problem is that the Game Gear games look a bit distorted from being stretched on the TV, but otherwise it's cool. There's also a variation of it that uses a traditional d-pad rather than the joystick, and it would seem more convenient but I'm not sure if it has the exact same games as this one. Whenever I play, I don't really place my hand around the stick, but simply move it with my thumb like you do with modern analogs. And it works just fine that way, too.

Woah awesome, I didn't even know that existed.

[Jeckidy]

I think I got mine several years ago for $20 off Amazon brand new. Now, there's a few up for sale for about $30 and maybe a few on eBay for about the same.

[Guntz]

This is STILL the king of Nomad clones:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Clas...3-92d2f82c84ff



It takes real cartridges, has a very small form factor, has 6 button controller support, built-in rechargeable battery, built-in JPN/USA region switch, a high quality 2.5" LCD, decent sound and a real GOAC, which means it is a real Genesis and not a crummy software emulator like the RetroN5.

There is one tiny flaw with this clone however. Out of the box, the PSG volume (aka SMS sound) is way too loud and it drowns out the FM (aka Genesis sound). Tons of Genesis games use PSG for added depth. Sonic games use PSG for the jump sound, for example. Adding the PSG fix will bring the PSG volume back down, roughly in balance with the FM. You can increase or decrease the value of the resistor to your tastes.


(Ace recommends 68k based on extensive clone documentation, I recommend 100k or slightly less based on my personal preference. I like the PSG to be the same volume as FM)

One other possible issue is the D-Pad. It's two separate buttons, left/up and down/right, but it's perfectly usable if you take apart the system and cut the buttons into 4 pieces, be sure to sand the cut edges a bit so they don't touch. Even a modestly sized thumb can comfortably touch all 4 D-pad buttons and pivot well enough.

Two little improvements is still worth it for a modernized Nomad.

[Thierry Henry]

I have this little plug-and-play:

Most of the games on it are either Master System or Game Gear, but that's why I got it. Even though it's AtGames and the build-quality feels a bit questionable, the emulation on these games is definitely superior to what I've seen of their Mega Drive offerings. Only problem is that the Game Gear games look a bit distorted from being stretched on the TV, but otherwise it's cool. There's also a variation of it that uses a traditional d-pad rather than the joystick, and it would seem more convenient but I'm not sure if it has the exact same games as this one. Whenever I play, I don't really place my hand around the stick, but simply move it with my thumb like you do with modern analogs. And it works just fine that way, too.

Cool.


Some plug-and-play systems are really nice.

One of mine,

[Guntz]

I have one of those, I should really mod it with a cartridge slot.

[Thierry Henry]

I have one of those, I should really mod it with a cartridge slot.

You could do that? It's really tiny. A Genny cart is slightly longer than that.

[Guntz]

http://devster.monkeeh.com/sega/radica/#maskrom

The internal ROM chip can be disabled and a cartridge slot can be wired in. Scroll down a bit and a small fix for larger games can be applied.

[Jeckidy]

Thank you for letting us know about the Pocketgame, Guntz. I added it to my watchlist.

We know about the PVP clones, but how about the recent clones which basically took after the AtGames one? I mean this:

[Guntz]

It still takes an SD card and can still run MP3s and MP4s, therefore it likely still uses a software emulator and is thus not a real Genesis.

[Jeckidy]

I have the Pocketgame page bookmarked, but if you own one Guntz, can you comment on how the buttons feel, and have any picture of how this thing looks with cartridges plugged in, US and/or JP?

[Ace]

I'm really questioning whether this system is a hardware clone or just a portable emulator box (notice the sprite priority error in Sonic the Hedgehog - it could be the system, but it could also be a poor hack job with the game itself, I don't know). That speaker sounds absolutely atrocious, for sure.

What's the chipset in this thing? Mind opening it up?

[roadkill]

This is STILL the king of Nomad clones:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Clas...3-92d2f82c84ff



It takes real cartridges, has a very small form factor, has 6 button controller support, built-in rechargeable battery, built-in JPN/USA region switch, a high quality 2.5" LCD, decent sound and a real GOAC, which means it is a real Genesis and not a crummy software emulator like the RetroN5.

There is one tiny flaw with this clone however. Out of the box, the PSG volume (aka SMS sound) is way too loud and it drowns out the FM (aka Genesis sound). Tons of Genesis games use PSG for added depth. Sonic games use PSG for the jump sound, for example. Adding the PSG fix will bring the PSG volume back down, roughly in balance with the FM. You can increase or decrease the value of the resistor to your tastes.


(Ace recommends 68k based on extensive clone documentation, I recommend 100k or slightly less based on my personal preference. I like the PSG to be the same volume as FM)

One other possible issue is the D-Pad. It's two separate buttons, left/up and down/right, but it's perfectly usable if you take apart the system and cut the buttons into 4 pieces, be sure to sand the cut edges a bit so they don't touch. Even a modestly sized thumb can comfortably touch all 4 D-pad buttons and pivot well enough.

Two little improvements is still worth it for a modernized Nomad.

Wow awesome! To hell with "PXP" then, I'll look to get that instead.

[roadkill]

I'm really questioning whether this system is a hardware clone or just a portable emulator box (notice the sprite priority error in Sonic the Hedgehog - it could be the system, but it could also be a poor hack job with the game itself, I don't know). That speaker sounds absolutely atrocious, for sure.

What's the chipset in this thing? Mind opening it up?

Sure, I'll take a picture of it when I open it up when I go to replace the power switch. I'm going to try using the channel select switch from a Genesis 1 RF output I just desoldered recently. You might be right about it possibly being just an emulator, I saw in a youtube video that the cartridges have nothing in them, they just enable other games to "unlock" that are supposedly built-in on the handheld.

[Jeckidy]

I'm just wondering if Pocketgame only takes US or JP cartridges, and whether they make it feel awkward when inserted (such as GB/GBC games on GBA SP). Does anyone have any pics of it running a US and Japanese cartridge?

[Guntz]

I have the Pocketgame page bookmarked, but if you own one Guntz, can you comment on how the buttons feel, and have any picture of how this thing looks with cartridges plugged in, US and/or JP?

The black version is kinda hard to take pictures of with no natural light, so I also took pics of the older pink system revision I have.









EA cartridges are a bit thicker than your usual Genesis fare, they're a tight fit.



I think Japanese Sunsoft cartridges are the one physical incompatibility. The slot on the Pocket MD clone has rounded edges, Sunsoft carts have square corners.