Talk:Sega Nomad

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I took out the part about the nomad being revolutionary because it played console games, since the TurboExpress always did this, and is years older. I also took out the part about extended color palette via hold and modify, since this probably didn't work on an LCD screen (correct me if I'm wrong, but until there's a preponderance of evidence, I'm assuming it can't.) I also corrected some spelling.

I tried to look up the TI 76480 sound chip and I couldn't find it. I suspect this is a typo and the chip is the same as the one in the Megadrive, i.e. the SN76489. It this is wrong, please revert the change.--Malcohol 17:58, 17 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Contents

[edit] Trivia on the Nomad

Kevin Horton had a project where he was trying to develop a portable NES, he used the Sega Nomad as the testing ground for the graphics screen. The name of this project was Portendo. Should we put trivia on this article? --SuperDude 21:41, 16 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Just because someone modifies his VW Beetle with another engine doesn't qualify it for a mention in Wikipedia. IMHO the same goes for a modified (read: raped) Nomad. --32X 00:09, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

--- I am pretty certain that the nomad does NOT have an active matrix LCD. I think someone should fix this.

---

The article contains two different references to the Nomad's codename, one being "Mercury" and the other being "Venus". Someone should fix this. I would, but I'm not sure about what the true codename was. Segafreak 07:21, 28 Feb 2006 (UTC)

I think it is "Venus" because the Game Gear's codename was Mercury.

I second that; I remember reading in an old issue of Sega MegaZone (an Australian Sega magazine) a preview of a 16-bit handheld being developed by Sega under the codename "Venus"; this is undoubtedly the Nomad, as I do not recall Sega releasing any other 16-bit handhelds (apart from the Mega Jet, of course). I have updated the article with the proper codename. --Lumina83 22:20, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] batteries

Couldn't you just use Energizer? 67.188.172.165 05:47, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

It doesn't really belong to this discussion page (which is to discuss the article) but if we argue that this question could've been answered in the article ...
Batteries are expensive, especially if they only last for a few hours. It doesn't matter whether that are 2 or 4 or even 5 hours, it's just too short. The article claims that rechargeable batteries weren't recommened do to the lower voltage (6*1.5V = 9V, 6*1.2V = 7.2V), and "Ni-MH AA batteries weren't available at the time". Well, I've used rechargeable batteries in the Game Boy and the Game Gear, both worked without problems. Back then there were capacities of the rechargeable batteries were about 500 to 750 mAh available, today even 2700 mAh and above isn't a problem any more - I can't give any information on standard batteries but I expect equal changes. With todays cappacities (and some back up batteries) these systems are quite enjoyable, but 10 or 15 years ago it was just an expensive fun (or you had to use some AC adaptor). Short answer: yes, Energizer could help here a bit, but the problem still exists. Hope that answer helps. --32X 00:06, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Sales number

I've removed the sales numver (9 million units) since no source is mentioned _and_ that would mean that about every fifth Mega Drive / Genesis system is a Nomad. Even the Game Gear has "only" been sold between 3 and 8 million times. After checking the other user changes it looks he's a sega fan boy who gloryfies Sega consoles by adding faked sales figures. While the first thing isn't bad, the second one is. You might compare the activities of the IP 69.153.100.147 with 69.150.41.38's. See also Talk:Sega Mega Drive. --32X 00:56, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] How to reference personal experience

How does one properly reference personal experience? ```` —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Lostinlodos (talk • contribs) 11:02, 1 March 2007 (UTC). My friend had one and never had much trouble with it.

I wholeheartedly agree, my cousin own(s/ed) one (not sure of its current situation) and I was amazed that while he was playing what ever on his genesis I could be playing sonic elsewhere not waiting for him to get off. Yes it was heavy, to me it weighed about the same as an N64. The battery life was a bother since he had the rechargeable batteries and added about a pound or two to the weight.Oruko 14:55, 10 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] NPOV Issues

Here's the best way I can break down ¶2-4 under Issues:

"However, the Nomad was bulky and offered very limited battery life in comparison to contemporary handhelds." It weighed less than the PC Engine GT or Atari Lynx. And stood up to abuse better than both systems.

"It consumed much more power - nearly two times more - than the Sega Game Gear. " The Game Gear was a full generation back! You're comparing apples to broccoli. They're not even in the same category! According to Collector's Guide and Extreme Tech Collectorz, The Nomad lasted for 2-5 hours an Duracell, up to 8 hours on Energizer, 5 hours on NiCad, and 8-18 hours on the three variations of battery packs. All of those times beat both the Atari Lynx and the GT

"Six alkaline AA batteries offered only about 2 hours (depending on volume and screen brightness settings)[1] of play time, making batteries a significant expense for use on the go. A rechargeable battery pack was offered separately for $79. It offered even less play time and was not widely available. Rechargeable AA batteries were not recommended due to voltage problems (Ni-Cd provides 1.2V instead of the 1.5V that alkalines output, and also requires full discharging before recharging; Ni-MH AA batteries were not available at the time)." See above

"At the time of the Nomad's release, many felt that the console showed Sega had not learned lessons from the relative failure of the Game Gear, as many of the problems gamers identified were the same. Like the Game Gear the unit was too bulky to be easily portable, it consumed batteries at an alarming rate and was designed for playing what were in effect home videogames (the Game Gear having been in effect a handheld Master System in the same way the Nomad was a handheld Megadrive/Genesis). It is therefore considered to have failed against the Game Boy for largely the same reasons as its predecessor - the Game Boy was much smaller and therefore more portable, its non-backlit monochrome display gave it many times the battery life of its competitors and its games were often built from the ground up to suit a handheld machine." Who's many? Nintendo fans? Interesting since the Nomad STILL to this day has a large fan-base AND an active mod scene. Bulky compared to the (by raw numbers) inferior Game Boy? Yes. But easier to carry than the Lynx and lighter than the GT! Built from the ground up for a less-powerful machine does not make a better game, on its own. Entire ¶ not only POV but sounds like it's from a rabid Nintendo fan!

"Despite a $100 price drop, the handheld did not garner enough support to continue. By the time it was released, the Genesis was almost at the end of its lifespan — already being replaced by the Sega Saturn, Sony PlayStation and Nintendo 64, and general indifference towards 16-bit era titles hastened its demise." This is not a strict enough paragraph to be used on its own. The last 32X game released by Sega was in 2005 (Classic Collection X). Well the general population moved on, slowly, the system was not abandoned for a few years yet, and even then not totally. Anyone care to tackle this as I can't find an easy way to R-POV it other than to delete, which is not the best choice I'm sure. Lostinlodos (talk) 00:03, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

Taking this point by point: 1) It was still bulky. Just because Canada is smaller than Russia doesn't mean Canada isn't a big country. 2) Again, nobody's saying it was the most power-hungry inefficient waste of battery acid ever designed. Just that five hours of battery life was not ideal. 3) See above as well. 4) Lots of things have fanbases on the internet. That's neither here nor there. There's no need to accuse the article's editors of being Nintendo fanboys. The Nomad sold a paltry amount of units compared to the Game Boy, and a significant reason for this was that the Game Boy was designed for "on the go" gaming, whereas a good portion of the Nomad's library was not meant to be played on a small screen, and would often outlive the batteries of the unit. This article is merely answering the quite logical question: "why would this unit, with a huge library and umpteen times the power of the black and white Game Boy, proceed to flop?" (and I mean that in cold, heartless commercial terms) 5) You say it yourself: "the general population moved on". Joe Consumer wasn't about to go schlepping about from store to store to buy an adaptor just to play some random 32X homebrew. Your statement regarding Classic Collection X is incredibly misleading - the 32X was dead by 1995, and no game by that name shows up in any database that I'm aware of.
All that said, the end of the paragraph you highlighted is a bit strong, and I will correct it right now. --Badger Drink (talk) 19:48, 2 March 2008 (UTC)
Looks better, 'though I still consider "bulky" and the related terms to be POV. I have a laptop. It's bigger. It's truly bulky and makes my Nomad look like a small little.... Otherwise great edit! Lostinlodos (talk) 20:15, 2 March 2008 (UTC)
Well, that's the trouble with relativism - compared to my desktop, your laptop is tiny. And compared to ENIAC, my desktop is downright small. Compared to the size of Earth, ENIAC is kinda little, and compared to Jupiter, it's amazing nobody's lost the Earth in a garage somewhere. So rather than go that route, let's say that "bulky" is best defined as "something so large as to be unwieldy in the purpose it's been designed for". I'd say that once a portable console can't fit in a jean pocket, it's become "bulky" - similar to how a Game Boy-sized "portable" razor would also be bulky. --Badger Drink (talk) 07:54, 10 March 2008 (UTC)
 ;) Understood, I was pointing in reference to other systems in use at the time. The Nomad was the lightest and therefor most portable out of the "power portables". i.e. the Turbo Express, PC Portable, Lynx.... Today, the DS weighs nothing, but if the Nomad were re-released today, aside from the mandate on size (the cartridge format you know,) it would probably weigh about the same as the DS does. It's just not in the Game Boy category, and it can't be compared to the Game Boy. Based on what it was, you can compare it to the likes of other "power portables" where it is the most portable, or to other home systems (it was a portable genesis, ala the CDX and the like) where it is still the most portable. Anything compared to the Game Boy is "bulky" and by such raw (Earth to Jupiter) terms, the Game Boy will win. Even today the far less powerful Game Boy Advance (the last true Game Boy, Game Boy) is far more portable than the PSP. I don't see many people putting them on the same level either. If that makes my statement more understandable. It's not the wording I'm opposed to, it's the inclusion of the Game Boy in the same comparison as the Nomad. They're not in the same category. Actually, the terminology is probably wrong; as the Game Boy was a "hand held" gaming system, where the TXP and Nomad and all the other power systems were "portable" home systems. But with that argument, I'm not sure where the PSP would then fall. Which is why the POV comment. :end rant:Lostinlodos (talk) 13:43, 11 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] " softening tone, removing NPOV tag"

Much softer, and much better. However, is there room for a mention, if not short comparison to the other systems that were in it's class (as opposed to the Game Boy which was always a generation back, technologically); possibly with a link to the subsection of the generational page.? Lostinlodos (talk) 14:02, 14 March 2008 (UTC)