DF Retro: Sega Nomad - The Original Switch-Style Hybrid Console?

Nintendo Switch is rightly lauded for its hybrid console concept - the idea of having a fully mobile console you can also use for living room play, with full multiplayer support. But whether through design or through sheer luck, Sega actually got there first with its Nomad, way back in 1995. John picks up the story.
Subscribe for more Digital Foundry Retro! bit.ly/DFSubscribe
Consider supporting the DF Patreon for more work of this quality, early access to videos like this and for pristine video downloads: www.digitalfoundry.net

[@gabrieleriva651]

“The Switch works with every Switch game”, John Linnemann 2018.

[@Kdkjdjewerdnxa]

Gabriele Riva that’d really suck if it didn’t

[@supergoat94]

He needs to back that statement up with facts.

[@MrTokyoJunkie]

[Citation Needed]

[@Downphoenix]

Gabriele Riva gotta love how John sticks to the real issues

[@cabledude253]

Gabriele Riva I

[@ColpoRosso]

Sega does what Nintendeventually will do

[@bestofthebeastlikebeast3754]

And sega wins acause their consoles dont lose quaity in portable

[@NightWanderer31415]

Lol

[@xandervapes8763]

@@bestofthebeastlikebeast3754 No. Just ghosting, tearing, & screen crunch.

[@Bootyhunter1971]

​@@bestofthebeastlikebeast3754You spelled "loses" wrong becauase they got beat out of the hardware business.

[@randytyson]

Sega had so much potential, it would've been amazing to see what they would do if they kept making consoles Also thanks again digital foundry for the amazing content.

[@sudacagamer]

"Sega had so much potential" Sounds as If they didn`t do anything for the industry hahaha

[@retrosoul8770]

They had so much "more" potential, massively more. If they didn't suicide themselves out of the industry due to abysmal decision making, I very strongly believe that they would (or could at very least) be where Sony is today with the PS brand. Ps1 wasn't supposed to be as successful as it was, that was only because both Nintendo and Sega failed to create adequate successors to the excellent Snes and Genesis/MD. Allowing any competent company with common sense (Sony) to slip right in.

[@sudacagamer]

Gamers were turning casuals and Sega was still focused in hardcore games for hardcore gamers. Sony adapted and they achieved the perfect balance, Sega didn`t adapt and they died (just like SNK with the NEO GEO), The End. Nintendo played it safe cause they only have to deal with the console market unlike Sega who also dominated in the arcades but Namco was starting to kick their asses and on top of that they started working with Sony (namco system 11)

[@Aqua_Xenossia]

I don’t think there’s much they would’ve achieved; trying to fix their ultimate undoing would’ve required huge managerial changes as far back as the early 90s. Their two biggest hardware successes were essentially scaled-down versions of their superb arcade boards, but not long after Model 3 and Naomi, you saw more and more boards just simply be PC guts in a fancy box. Just like Nintendo, I don’t think they could’ve gone the graphical powerhouse route, from a financial perspective.

[@sudacagamer]

@Rena I agree but the Genesis/MegaDrive wasn`t a scaled down version of anything. They had 3 big hardware successes (the genesis being their biggest success), The Genesis MD, The Saturn (early years) and The Dreamcast (UNTIL the PS2 came). I assume you were referring to the DC`s Naomi and the Saturn`s Sega Titan.

[@BioTroy]

Damn Sega really was ahead of the game back in the day.

[@spongebobfan78]

BioTroy Too bad that every revolutionary attempt is ignored and instead got credited to other companies who made it popular.

[@ZackSNetwork]

Zero Sponge It’s not about who did it first but, who did it best. Microsoft made the first tablet yet the Apple IPad revolutionized the industry.

[@sudacagamer]

@21st yet the Nomad was still a shitty gimmick.

[@sudacagamer]

I agree but still, it wasn`t exactly an accessible console and the battery life was always a huuuuuge problem. Of course it was cutting edge for the time (so was the game gear and even the atari lynx) but as some people have suggested they didn`t do it right. It`s like the Sega CD, why the sega cd, the jaguar, the 3do and the CDI failed but the PS1 was a success? ... third parties, hardware, timing?

[@gc3k]

If someone didn't do it first. somebody else wouldn't have the chance to make it best. When iPhone was first revealed, all of the technology in that phone was floating around for years and were all on the market separately. Apple put it all together in a format that works. So who gets the credit for changing society?

[@ChanandIerBong]

I miss SEGA as a competitor in the console market.

[@AdvancePlays]

Chanandler Bong Innovation was strongest when they were. Now there's just Nintendo driving that amongst, as impressive as they are, glorified PCs

[@yellowmartian]

Me too. I went nintendo-genesis-n64 as a kid. I missed out on the snes because I was a Genesis kid. I got the snes classic and I'm not attached to it like I am to my nes classic or actual nes.

[@catssucksatsmash8017]

Chanandler Bong same

[@todesziege]

They took the chances.

[@rdm0108]

I miss my childhood.

[@EdibleChamp]

Man I still own one of these. Sega was so ahead of their time. They even came up with a streaming service before it was the norm.

[@pika62221]

Ahead of their time by coping an idea NEC had in the 80's with the Turbo Express/TurboGrafx-16? Suuuuure...

[@EdibleChamp]

Jude Law The only problem with the idea both companies had is that most customers didn't want to invest in another console which they already owned. While the Switch is the only option for its generation from Nintendo. That's why it has had more success than NEC and SEGA in this department.

[@ozzyg82]

Sega really deserved more recognition and success for their amazing products. It was a sad day when they stopped making hardware.

[@IceNinja2007]

The Gunstar Hero theme fills me with nostalgia and happiness.

[@pwnt39]

Sonic Boom which song was playing during during the 3 console audio examples?

[@SketchTurnerZero]

Even now it sounds great. Well, Sega sound chip always was awesome in a good hands. I reccommended also Castelvania Bloodlines and Shinoby 3. Such a fat sounds.

[@Videogamelover58]

Sonic Boom i love that theme so much :)

[@gc3k]

And Battle Mania 2 at the end

[@RayCharlizard]

I demand a shot-for-shot remake of that Nintendo Switch trailer with the Nomad and the DF crew.

[@Karlenk0]

Absolutely

[@dreamcastfan]

It’s nice to see the PSP Go getting some love, I was always very pleased with mine and still charge it up for a blast every so often. I’ve occasionally toyed with the idea of getting a Nomad (and I’m thinking about it again now, especially as my latest MegaDrive has died), but they’re pretty pricey. I also really want a McWill GameGear with its sharper, brighter screen...

[@13Gangland]

BulkSlash I got you if you want one, I did the screen mod and the mod that let's you play japanese games. It's missing a button though.

[@chomp7927]

screen mod on a nomad is stupid easy, barely any skill required. McWill on the GG is a bit more involved, I hired that one out, but holy shit is it a night and day difference! Even got an HDMI out lol

[@Visuwyg]

Someone please recreate the goofy Nintendo Switch reveal commercial (with the rooftop party etc) with the Sega Nomad and cool 90s kids!

[@strangevision99]

This sounds totally rad to the max!

[@ReineDeLaSeine14]

Soldier-2Point0 I agree with you (I was born in 1988]. Pokémon and the N64/PS1 really helped bring gaming alive

[@ReineDeLaSeine14]

YES PLEASE

[@peruprofundodance]

FULL FAT CONSOLE EXPERIENCE

[@Coypop]

KETO CONSOLE

[@leafstormblaze9449]

can someone pls make them stop saying that its lost all meaning now.

[@M1chlos]

Based on how was said, it made me think of "FULL BRIDGE RECTIFIER" (ElectroBOOM channel).

[@MrRetroIsland]

FULL THICC CONSOLE EXPERIENCE

[@atlas8827]

lost about 40 pounds on the keto diet so far. more 40 to go.

[@rodmunch69]

I still have my Nomad sitting here right next to my Lynx - and a giant pile of batteries.

[@strangevision99]

I always just used rechargeable batteries/battery packs in old handhelds, I think they offered slightly less game time than standard batteries but in the end they saved a lot of money and trips to the store. If I was indoors I'd just use the AC adapter, I never understood why magazines and tv shows always went on about how much these things cost in batteries.

[@rodmunch69]

Strange Vision recharable batteries in the 90s were not very good - they were extremely expensive and didn’t take too many charges before they started to severely cut into the playtime. Also chargers were expensive as well. I didn’t know anyone that used rechargeables back then for anything because the upfront cost as so high. Now I use them for most things as they’re cheap and chargers from China cost nothing - but that wasn’t the case 20+ years ago.

[@strangevision99]

Rod Munch Honestly can't remember them or chargers being terribly expensive, especially comapred to the long time expense of buying batteries. Maybe they were cheaper where I live and I remember most people didn't use them but I'm sure I wasn't the only one. I even had CD players that could charge batteries.

[@rodmunch69]

The way I remember it a pack of 4 AA's and a charger ran around $30, with another 4 AA's being at least $10, if you're talking 1995 money that's around $50 for a charger and batteries and another $17 for additional 4 batteries, which was quite a bit of money then.

[@andregon4366]

If you could find them, in the place where I live I didn't even see them on sale.

[@RobinE_Art]

Having the Spark the Electric Jester OST in the background was a nice touch.

[@Yoshimatsu414]

Sega was always ahead of the curve with their hardware.

[@xirextorcious]

Love the enthusiasm and love poured into this series. Thank you DF.

[@FullSpecStudios]

I retract my comment on the last Switch video these guys did where I said Sony did it before Nintendo. Clearly, SEGA was waaaaaay ahead of both of them. Touche SEGA.

[@artoriasoftheabyss1575]

Was

[@sausagesausage]

SEGA a service like XBLA/PSN back in the mid 90's called 'SEGA CHANNEL' and they did motion controllers back in the 90's too... And they were making stunning fully 3D games in 1993. (Check out the Arcade release of Daytona USA.) SEGA were far, far ahead of the competition in every respect, but that was also their downfall, the available technology just wasn't yet good enough for their vision...

[@bern9642]

@@sausagesausage that's the problem with innovation. It's very hit or miss. Nowadays, companies don't really innovate any more. It's just a slow steady improvement. I mean look at the next gen consoles. They are still doing exactly the same thing with just a little improvement.

[@Shezmen88]

Yo guys i love all these retrospective videos, keep up the GREAT work!

[@sarahfaith6184]

This series is a golden nugget of what is possible on KZbin. I absolutely love this channel. Please continue to make my memories of my gaming life feel epic!

[@sandorclegane3658]

You've come a long way, John, your videos are very high quality. Good stuff

[@HueyTheDoctor]

Sandor Clegane His videos have ALWAYS been super high quality since day one.

[@sandorclegane3658]

Scott Douglas are you offended?

[@HueyTheDoctor]

Sandor Clegane Not at all, good sir. I just wanted to point out that John never had to rise from mediocrity.

[@mopeybloke]

He is offended!

[@sandorclegane3658]

Scott Douglas who said John rose from mediocrity?

[@MauR1CEnl]

3.5 mm jack! You hear that apple!! 🤨

[@MauR1CEnl]

DeadPhoenix86 indeed!!

[@erbono]

Maurice Mooij A 1995 device has a feature a 1000$ phone is missing. That's pathetic.

[@Mycarisloose]

Apple phones are phenomenal

[@robertt9342]

Er Bueno . Right! There is not cartridge slot, what a rip.

[@KapsLocke]

Man it might be nostalgia speaking but music in the 16-Bit era was THE BEST. Mega drive had a more electronic, metallic sound than the SNES but both were awesome.

[@jc_dogen]

Some newer games do have legit 8/16bit music. Mostly indie games, but they are out there.

[@Fattydeposit]

Love the work that went into recreating the Switch pitch in this video. And the epic Gunstar Heroes music to set the scene. Great work.

[@edulinares7152]

JOhn, congratulations for another excelent video. The passion you put on your videos clearly shines through, and your work stands out in the channel. Keep it up. Cheers from Brazil.

[@Nihat86]

I love sega wish they never stopped making consoles

[@SmokedYou925]

Sega Genesis Mini.

[@wyldelf2685]

A development contract with Nintendo , forbids Sega from making a sequel Gamesystem to the Dreamcast , basically no follow ups with PS4 level graphics , , , at games firecore and Sega flashback systems are ok under the contract because they only run existing Genesis games , , , very clever contract on Nintendo's part , , ,

[@Revenant_Knight]

Dude: with that title you owe us a Turbo Express review.

[@joshcopeland]

Yeah but that one wasn't a hybrid in the sense that it couldn't connect to a TV.

[@viggy2k66]

I love the editing style on your videos John, it’s just so grand and epic, I love it!!!

[@frickertom]

I love how you analyse the sound/music capabilities as well as the video quality in these retro videos. Sound design is often an overlooked feature.

[@wulver810]

I agree, it flopped when introduced... however today? I love it! Modded screen with battery pack = 5+ hours of gaming and an Everdrive? Not to mention the Nomad controls are soo comfortable, if I can consider it a controller it would be one of the highest ranked I have ever used. I almost beat Streets of Rage on my subway ride back from Seoul in S. Korea, I don't think anyone knew what I was playing lol.

[@wulver810]

a wild one

[@wulver810]

Yeah, they have a lot of train routes here, public transportation is amazing here.

[@wulver810]

Ahh, haven't had them in a long time lol

[@MrMarinus18]

For me though it's form factor is the biggest issue. It is just too big to easily fit in a coat pocket and as a handheld that pretty much makes it dead on arrival. Nintendo clearly thought about that when making the Switch mini. Making it smaller so that it could still fit inside the average adult's coat pocket. Also the Genesis cartridges being so big is a major issue. Gameboy cartridges are small enough that you can carry like 5 with you easily.

[@stonerdemon]

That's the official DF Retro Gray Jacket.

[@pachinkor83]

Neat stuff as always John , loved the classic genesis tunes throughout.

[@renatoborba1987]

The quality leap each episode is beyond my wildest expectations, CONGRATULATIONS

[@iriasu1667]

I guess PSP is not retro enough for an exclusive episode, love to see one xD. PSP personally is my emulators machine back in the day.

[@voidtoast4880]

Some interesting stuff, handhelds are always fascinating. DF should do a video on the GPD Win 2, technically not a console being a PC but it is a handheld and needs no dock either. It's Core i3 CPU can do some impressive AAA on the go but at a hefty price tag.

[@GoldenGuy444]

Did not expect the Spark the Electric Jester Soundtrack there, pleasant surprise!

[@Xbfg]

Fantastic I always look forward to new episodes of DF Retro keep up the great work looking forward to the next video trip

[@monsterthrash]

Video about the Sega Nomad. "Switch, Switch, Switch, Switch, Switch, Switch, Switch, Switch"

[@ArnauNT23]

I always thought SEGA was way ahead of it's time and died for it... most of the recent revolutions in gaming were tried by them long time ago.

[@roxahris]

Every DF Retro video is a treat, especially with music choices like these!

[@SkipSpaceship]

Not sure how often you put DF Retro on the video schedule, but I'd love to see more of these more often! These are my favorite videos from this channel

[@Foas]

Yay new DF Retro!

[@esppiral]

SEGA, as allways, way ahead of it's competitors

[@SketchTurnerZero]

Even too much ahead

[@TheKaizokuman]

They got ahead of themselves which is why where they are now.

[@frosty6845]

That they were, but they tried some things before the technology was ready and it cost them. It’s a shame SEGA is a shell of its former self, we need the kind of high budget weird shit they used to offer

[@SketchTurnerZero]

FrostyP I think so too. It was interesting time - 80s and 90s (and even 00s) for technoligy, when different company made wierd stuff. You cant imagine someone made something like this today - guys from marketing team will close before production will start.

[@artoriasoftheabyss1575]

As always? Is that why they don't make consoles anymore lmao

[@jonathan2950]

DF Retro & My Life in Gaming have to be my favourite KZbin channels. Can’t wait for more!

[@Psych0technic]

Would be nice to see similar or even better and deeper analysis of Dreamcast. That console was also really creative and innovative piece of hardware and surely deserves much more attention than it gets.

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

Hang on, the console is connected directly to the screen, and it still uses composite video!? WHY

[@SketchTurnerZero]

Yeat, it use RGB for output to the tv. Strange

[@rexthesheep]

I really want to go back and get a PSP Go, but looking at prices it seems like people are starting to catch on to that potential. 😛 Great video as always!

[@rodmunch69]

I have a PSP Go, what a great system. The controls are on the small side, in particular the bumpers, but it's still very playable. Also it still has a wow factor, it's such a great looking system in pearl white. Not shocked at all that they'd start to go up in value.

[@fraserlamb5787]

PSP Fat is the only way

[@weaverquest]

The device was really ahead of its time but it only unlocked its full potential with custom firmware so no wonder people didn't realize it at the time. It is really mind blowing back in 2009 we had a machine that can not only play PSP games like MGS Peace Walker, LittleBigPlanet and GTA Vice City Stories in both portable and TV modes but also the whole PS1 library, NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, basically all the retro systems through emulation. Not to mention all the multimedia capablities such as watching movies and listening to music.

[@gabrieleriva651]

sheepytina I remember during the bankruptcy of Blockbuster, the store near my house had brandnew PSP 2000 and PSP Go at 25€. 2010-ish. I bought the 2000 because of the larger screen.

[@charizardoreo]

I'd recommend getting a vita, it plays almost all of the PSP and PS1 games the PSP Go can, and the second stick helps with quite a few of those games, plus you get the Vita's own library

[@Fl4v1en]

The sound selection for this episode makes me happy.

[@HeyDeniow]

This channel is so awesome!! Always have great analysis. Keep up the good work guys.

[@zebular]

If you have one, upgrading the LCD is a must!

[@polynektar]

Jake Friedel there's still no good rgb screen mod. Is there an lcd replacement you recommend?

[@zebular]

Joseph K. Garrahan honestly I'm not sure how big of a difference you would see between composite and RGB on such a small screen. Let me go through my notes and I'll see if I can find which screen I used, I'll post it in the next message.

[@polynektar]

Oh, is there a thread or something related to this?

[@charleshartmann9429]

I loved my Nomad. Had to carry a backpack of batteries though.

[@tonyroot3047]

DF Retro is such a wonderful show and this one episode was brilliant! Thank you john :-)

[@ghost085]

I hadn't realized you parodied the Switch TV ad LOL. Great.

[@TepidBlack]

I had no idea the Nomad even existed until this video

[@NiGHTS1980]

TepidBlack Welcome to Video games.

[@Cultleader1984]

@TheUmbrellaCorpX7[エヴ] no Nintendo has been making handhelds since 1979

[@izzieb]

Sega does what Nintendon't. Or didn't.

[@BullyMangler]

Izzie narrow minded

[@CRGR1997]

Yeah its easy to beat a corpse after its been dead for years. But its another to understand that because Sega doesn't make systems anymore, doesn't mean they weren't good. I'm tired of Nintendrones using the "Well Nintendo still makes systems" debate when discussing Sega. Nintendo made smart financial decisions. Sega didn't. But Sega's hardware and software was ahead of Nintendo's.

[@BullyMangler]

Code Red Ghosts Records narrow minded X 3

[@izzieb]

I'm not really sure how I'm narrow minded. It was a Sega slogan back in that era.

[@BullyMangler]

Izzie Competitive slogan of narrow minded failures

[@netako]

Thank you for finally adding a song list in your videos.

[@drewa3597]

love this series dude dont stop it

[@jinkazama7587]

More people should support Sega, they're not perfect but they had offerings that pushed gaming.

[@xsct878]

super jealous of that PVM in the start of your video.

[@sb6482]

John I love your videos, favourite series on youtube by a mile. thanks

[@HoudiniFontmeister]

That beginning tho. I was waiting for you to be sitting there playing it outside and it just shut off lol. Great video

[@DoctorCyrax]

Traded in my xb1 for a Switch, holy crap it was a great choice, some of the games on Switch like Zelda / Bayo / 2 are really fun

[@narata1541]

DrLove 2k2 O switched my Switch for a PS4. God of War is one of the best games ever plus it has a good online service.

[@link2dpast]

+ Narata IMO, everyone should by default own a PS4 then decide if they want an Xbox or a Switch. Preferably the Switch.

[@narata1541]

link2dpast True. I would say everyone should own a PC first since many already have one, then get a gaming console. Then again, not everyone's PC is good, like mine, which is why I only play games that are like a decade old on it.

[@carpetfluff35]

Right, because Sam Lake isn't a frustrated author/director who couldn't 'hack' his way into either so made games instead with each one featuring more and more live action video so he could show off his 'skills'. David Cage may be a hack, but he's not the only one.

[@DoctorCyrax]

I already own a ps4 pro, its an amazing system if you want the best exclusives (many MANY exclusives)

[@christianr.5868]

Damn Sega, i respect you a lot more now. Risking all or nothing for innovative ideas. (Even though some were pretty bad) Even now, they support their passionate fan creators. Too bad their consoles went under

[@McCann-fo1un]

John and Digital Foundry, you do great work!

[@KannX]

These retro videos are my favourite! :D

[@Superdimensional]

Turbo Express says hi 👋🏻

[@JohnnyUndaunted]

Was going to post this too. Very disappointed at DF-Retro and John for showing their casualness.

[@Superdimensional]

Johnny Undaunted yeah they say 2 player mode on the Nomad was evolutionary Turbo link cable duh

[@michaeltristan]

Love it! Turbo Express is the first full power handheld console.

[@drunkensailor112]

Game gear says hello.

[@RetrOrigin]

No video out though

[@BLACKB0ND]

Love that Gunstar Heroes music

[@wordout2213]

BLACKB0ND for all those Nintendo Fanboys, who say everybody is copy Nintendo concept. Exposed.

[@peremoyaserra2749]

I just installed Unreal 2 and it looks totally asotnishing; it's surprising how well it manages the new harware and how well it looks at native ultrawide 1080p(yes, the game does support it) with all settings maxed out. Would definetly see many times a DF Retro talking about it.

[@lamarrdijey660]

pere moya serra Really, the original Unreal 2? Did you require a source port or mods/hacks/fixes to get it to 2560x1080? Back when it came out, most people were playing the PC version at resolutions like 1024x768, 1280x720, and 1280x800.

[@peremoyaserra2749]

Lamarr Dijey No, I didn't, I just installed Unreal 2:The Awakening, opened the game, went to the video menu, selected 2560x1080, maxed everything out and started playing at over 240fps without tearing.

[@hrududery]

Love love love this video. Love the bit about the PSP Go -- I have been looking for one in months!

[@GodGamer86]

Game Gear FTW! :)

[@martosraynierideljesus7454]

Great. I love Nintendo Switch

[@Dr.WhetFarts]

you love 720-900p + 15-30 fps gaming? it's sad how weak switch is. im playing zelda botw at 4k 60 fps on my pc.

[@10-Years-At-Least]

dr. whet farts No one cares kid. And that PC that you bought with your Mothers Credit card doesn't make you anything special either.

[@lemobyte3235]

dr. whet farts it goes to 1080p 60fps (E.g. Mario kart, arms). Of course you would do this because invalid points are a lot more interesting that true full statements. Also how well does Zelda botw run on a £280 pc using new parts.

[@10-Years-At-Least]

LemoByte 40-50fps in 720p

[@lemobyte3235]

Lord GabeN specs

[@DagooXXX]

I loved this episode. I have always been excited with the idea of portable/home console hybrids. In fact I made my own "switch" years ago with a android tablet with mini HDMI port and a bluetooth controller. And I didnt know about the PSP Go stand until know

[@cp4042]

Nomad battery life may be comparable to the switch now but with the battery tech from 1995, it can eat through a full set of batteries in 45 minutes. Wasn't even enough for the full bus ride on a school trip.

[@PugLifeJM]

The only reason Nintendo gets away with these "crazy" consoles is because of the games. There's not a single time Nintendo releases a new console that it doesn't come with a ultra hyped, ultra quality game.

[@NiGHTSnoob]

Nintendo has botched launches before. How about the Gamecube? Luigi's Mansion and Super Monkey Ball may be cult hits now, but they were not the runaway successes that system needed. Honestly it's biggest title was probably Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2, which is a pretty amazing game, but not really what you think of when you think Nintendo launch titles. GBA also didn't have a killer launch title out of the gate. It did have Super Mario Advance, but while that is a port of Dunkey's game of the year all years, it's just that, a port, not the objectively perfect original. The most highly regarded launch title of that system that isn't just a port of an old game is Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, which is my favorite IGAvania no question, but it doesn't rank super highly for most other people I've talked to.

[@nintendomaniac64]

I'm guessing Smash Bros. Melee releasing 2 weeks after the GameCube's launch excludes it from being called a launch title? (oddly enough SSBM released ~2 weeks after the console in all territories, including places where the GC didn't launch until spring 2002 - it's almost like Nintendo intentionally didn't want the game to be a true launch title for some reason)

[@Noname15514]

Not because of games it's also because of the fact that it functions well.

[@Noname15514]

NiGHTSnoob I would say the Virtual Boy, GameCube and Wii U are Nintendo's true failures.

[@NiGHTSnoob]

Over 9000 Wii U was definitely not a botched launch from a game standpoint though. I'd argue it was the single strongest launch they've ever had. It was just a marketting and branding disaster.

[@netzarim]

Hey John ever thought of doing a DF Retro ep on Just Cause or STALKER?

[@thelegendgamer33]

I'd like to see one on just cause

[@commandantcousteau6874]

"Cheeki breeki intensifies".

[@override7486]

It wouldn't be a retro anymore. LOL There's hundreds of titles with better potential for a retro revisit...

[@realislit8064]

Adam Malecki just cause for PS2 then

[@rolltonskuritsei]

Can't wait fow DF retro: Skyrim!

[@oviekpolugbo4227]

The Nomad's a fascinating console. When I first heard about it , on the playground in elementary school, I thought it wasn't real. Kids used to make up a lot of stuff, and a portable Genesis sounded like pure fantasy at the time.

[@drift180x]

That Battle Mania 2 music in the outro, NICE!

[@gazzofdoom]

You can play multiplayer PS1 games on the PSP GO

[@cellardoor9882]

Hamster of DOOM what, like online? Still?

[@WH250398]

Cellar Door No, you can connect ps3 controllers through Bluetooth

[@Daumex]

There are no online PS1 games... smh.

[@gazzofdoom]

No local multiplayer like 2+ on one console.

[@philipcooper8297]

Nomad was a portable Genesis. Switch was made to be portable, hence the very reduces power consumption. The Nomad could last maybe 2 hours if you were lucky.

[@accountname2476]

The switch literally lasts 2 hours tops playing splatoon 2 multiplayer

[@TonyJenn]

depends on the game

[@DeathBringer769]

GameGear (the previous handheld) was also designed as basically a portable Master System. Even the specs were specifically picked to make it easy to port Master System games with more than enough power. So you had GameGear, portable Master System, followed up by Nomad, portable Genesis ;)

[@pika62221]

both were copies of the Turbo Express the first handheld home console system.

[@Olamellamoalex]

Switch last longer than Nomad and you don't have to pay money for new batteries.

[@fcukugimmeausername]

A new retro video! Finally, something to do at work!

[@guillaumefigarella1704]

Thx John for the story!

[@arcticridge]

John is my bae

[@velayne5447]

SEGA always doing what Nintendon’t...SEGA was too ahead of their time.....

[@pika62221]

ahead of the time by copying an idea NEC had first with Turbo Express/TurboGrafx-16? Suuuuuure...

[@FoDDaYT]

Played with one of these for a few weeks back in my Sega QA days, a co-worker brought it in and was happy to lend it out so snapped up the opportunity to try and complete Kid Chameleon on my lunchtimes :D

[@sonic0424]

As an owner of a Nomad unit since the 90s, this sure brought back some memories. ...Maybe I should look into getting mine modded. Also, I didn't know Genesis Virtua Racing worked on the Nomad. I guess I just assumed it wouldn't. Ah, X-men. Bane to Nomad units and Genesis units with broken reset buttons alike.

[@GustoTheGamer]

PS vita is de last real handheld

[@stratagemSG1]

RIP Vita you will be missed

[@Nukle0n]

At least with the Nomad, you could plug it directly into a TV, didn't need huge dock that is three times the size of the console to plug it into a TV.

[@TonyJenn]

the dock, while ugly, isn't even that big, come on now lol

[@Daumex]

Not to mention that you can't charge and play without an external display and now they're selling a secondary dock that allows you just that.

[@13Gangland]

Daumex What? Yes you can, just take the cable and charge the damn thing itself

[@Daumex]

You can, but you can't place it on the desk as the charging port is on the bottom. That's why they're selling a new dock now specifically made for that.

[@yellaboiroc3188]

Nukleon you also had to sit literally almost on top of the tv for that experience.

[@Redfoxe]

Keep up the work John!

[@SuperTanuki64]

Great episode, as always!

[@dreammfyre]

How innovative is the Switch really when you think about it? It's basically a tablet with tactile controls. This sort of setup have existed in the form of various 3rd party addons since the first iPad. I mean, the execution and support is a lot better with the Switch, but the underlying ideas are not new. Also, all the hardware "magic" comes from our good engineers at Nvidia, it's 1:1 spec wise compared to a Tegra essentially.

[@whiteknight5100]

Those various 3rd party add ons are devices most people have never heard of so while the core experience isn't new, it is new to these folks because of Nintendo's market penetration and clear advertising of the hybrid functionality. Other devices like the Sega Nomad and PSP were never marketed with the ability for t.v. play so forgive many of us who were oblivious to hybrid consoles back then.

[@jriibzmodus4792]

re hash why do they overprice accessories though?

[@JamesSmith-dn8lb]

The reason for all the Wii u ports is because the games were really good but few people experienced them because the Wii u sold so poorly.

[@JamesSmith-dn8lb]

The only reason I still have a Wii u is Netflix and smash Bros.

[@TonyJenn]

Whining about wii u ports isn't going to change things. Why continue to do so?

[@somemadcaaant]

Mega drive wins

[@Asrekkr]

SNES was always better, whats your problem?

[@themonkey40]

@DigitalFoundry I really love the videos you do lately.

[@S1RLANC3]

Thank you, this was very informative.

[@TuttixD]

john have my babies

[@baircade]

It is that wonderful butt of his isn't it. I bet he has no idea how majestic it is.

[@ClellBiggs]

Sega was good at coming up with innovative ideas but bad at executing them.

[@brandinsaurusrex]

I love the retro stuff you guys do. More please

[@GeekwithSwagg]

I knew about the Nomad, but certainly not this much. What an ambitious product, especially considering the time it came out. Awesome video!

[@redavatar]

I'm quite disappointed the way you constantly compare it to the Switch. I get why but this way, younger viewers won't understand what Nomad was like at the time. GameBoy Advance was 6 years away with similar power! Also, comparing the Nomad to the Wii U as a mobile device in 2017 is ridiculous - the Vita is a much better example since it ran PS3 ports AND the Vita was actually impressive. Basically, you miss the right notes with your video - the Nomad WAS technically impressive as a handheld at the time and most of the negatives you mention were actually pretty common back then so those alone wouldn't have put off people (except battery life - on the plus side, at least you can swap batteries out!). The real reason for Nomad's failure, is that it appeared at the worst time - when 3D was in huge demand and this thing offered none. I remember in 1995 when all the magazines had the same "2D is dead" line with PC's having games like Doom and Duke Nukem 3D and the Playstation just having appeared. Even Gameboy saw a drop in popularity at this time. Combine this with a rather hefty price and poor advertising (I didn't even see any Nomad ads in the magazines I read) and I'm not surprised it failed.

[@pika62221]

GBA was twice as powerful as an SNES, meaning it had more power than Genesis.

[@redavatar]

Sure, but the actual difference was negligible in practice. Its extra memory went to catering to the extra colours it could handle. When it came to 3D it was barely better and its games could have all been ported to Megadrive with minimal effort. Heck, quite a few GBA games were Megadrive ports. My main point is that the device was quite ahead of its time - similar to the Vita which was also amazing for its small size.

[@dafo446]

SHAME ON YOU SEGA how dare you copy Nintendo Switch :)

[@jaildesigner]

Excellent, as always! Very well explained. I forgot about the pspgo

[@oldenvye6432]

Ahead of its time. Nomad was a great name for marketing the portability of it.