Retrogen, or GenMobile?

[Karakasa-Obake]

Alright so heres the situation:
I really want one of the new portable Genesis clones, right? The only probelm is, I'm stuck between both of them. They both have pro's and con's, I'm just terrible at making choices. The things that are most important to me are:

-Good sound emulation. I have noticed that the sound almost seems as if it is an octave lower(or something like that) on the Retrogen. I really want the music to be as spot on as possible, since music plays a big part in enjoying games(to me atleast)

- Good feel/control. This one is a no brainer. I would like to know which is closer to the feel of the original Genesis controllers.

That's actually about it, to tell the truth. Sound is the most important to me though. I really don't care that the Genmobile comes with 20 games, since I already own a majority of them.

[mugenmidget]

Gen Mobile's sound seems quite a bit off as well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf7vJGxT5cU#t=2m55s

Is Nomad the only way to get good sound on a Genesis portable? I like PicoDrive on PSP but I'm just curious if there's other options.

[retrospiel]

The Nomad's sound is perfect. As perfect as it gets. It's the HDG model 1 of the handhelds - quite literally as it can compete with a HDG model 1.

Sadly it suffers terribly from its godawful LCD and lack of built-in rechargeable battery.

[WaverBoy]

Picodrive on a modded PSP is the only way to go. Great emulation and sound, plus you've got the whole library with you.

[mugenmidget]

Picodrive on a modded PSP is the only way to go. Great emulation and sound, plus you've got the whole library with you.

It is pretty nice, but I think the controls could stand some improvement as I'd rather have the traditional 6 button layout. Plus the D-Pad on my PSP 1000 seems kinda crummy, but I'm not sure if that's the case for most.

Are there any workarounds for the PSP's control shortcomings? It's not god awful by any measure, I'm just curious if there's some nifty solutions.

[WaverBoy]

It is pretty nice, but I think the controls could stand some improvement as I'd rather have the traditional 6 button layout. Plus the D-Pad on my PSP 1000 seems kinda crummy, but I'm not sure if that's the case for most.

Are there any workarounds for the PSP's control shortcomings? It's not god awful by any measure, I'm just curious if there's some nifty solutions.

I hear you on the PSP 1000 D-pad, which, although serviceable, isn't optimum. I've got a modded PSP 2000 slim, and the D-pad is much improved over the 1000, giving excellent control IMO, and the buttons feel better to me also. The only hitch is that not all 2000s are moddable (and none of the 3000s are to my knowledge); you need to do some research. There are threads on certain messageboards about that describe exactly which models and serial numbers are moddable, and how to tell. I found that the model in all of the Daxter limited edition sets was moddable, so I got one of those sets used off Amazon and went to town. You should find a moddable slim and sell your modded fat.

I can live without the 6-button layout, as I'm not really that into the fighting games, but when I do need me some Streetfighter 2 Special Champion Edition, I get by with using the triangle and L+R buttons.

[runback22]

The major killer for me, using pico drive on the psp, is the horrible refresh rate on the psp 2000 and 1000......While not all games had any problems, some had some horrible ghosting. Streets of Rage 3 had some horrible ghosting problems on the psp.....

If you could somehow find a hacked psp 3000, that may be the best way to play genesis games on the go.

[airthrow]

I just ordered the Gen Mobile from amazon, can't WAIT for it to show up.

I'm hoping it's hackable though.

I have some questions for people who already have theirs:

1) Is there a headphone jack? If so, is it stereo sound? Also is the headphone jack quality any good?

2) Has anyone taken one apart to look at it for hacking? Meaning improving compatibility, or improving the sound hardware. The sound I heard from it on youtube reviews is noticeably not true to what Sonic sounds like on real Genesis hardware.

[Chilly Willy]

There is a headphone jack. It's mono. You can't tell the quality of jacks for many months of usage. The sounds is EXACTLY the same as the RetroGen and all the other "emulator-on-a-chip" MegaDrives.

[Why-Disciple]

Which one has the better controls/dpad?

[Beastech]

The GEN Mobile has the best D-pad, the GEN Mobile has better battery life, and the GEN Mobile has 20 games built in.

The Retrogen has a bigger screen.

Both have issues with sound.

[17daysolderthannes]

I hear you on the PSP 1000 D-pad, which, although serviceable, isn't optimum. I've got a modded PSP 2000 slim, and the D-pad is much improved over the 1000, giving excellent control IMO, and the buttons feel better to me also. The only hitch is that not all 2000s are moddable (and none of the 3000s are to my knowledge); you need to do some research. There are threads on certain messageboards about that describe exactly which models and serial numbers are moddable, and how to tell. I found that the model in all of the Daxter limited edition sets was moddable, so I got one of those sets used off Amazon and went to town. You should find a moddable slim and sell your modded fat.

I can live without the 6-button layout, as I'm not really that into the fighting games, but when I do need me some Streetfighter 2 Special Champion Edition, I get by with using the triangle and L+R buttons.

All 2000s and 3000s are moddable, though not through the traditional pandora battery method, which means if you brick, you're screwed. Only a VERY small number of 2000s are incompatible with pandora batteries, and IIRC all special color editions are compatible. The odds of you getting a 2000 that isn't compatible with traditional custom firmware installation is about as high as getting a Dreamcast that isn't compatible with CD-R backups. So, odds are, if you buy a 2000, you'll be fine.

[KnightWarrior]

None..Get a Modded Nomad