Return of the SEGA NOMAD! Retro-Bit Announces Prototype Sega Nomad Genesis Development at CES 2019

In this video, we discuss the newly teased Sega Genesis #Nomad clone handheld system, currently in development by #Retro-bit!

CES is always a time of new products, both short and long-term. In 2019, Retro-bit kicked off CES with the announcement of a collectors edition of Metal Storm, available exclusively from Castlemania Games and Limited Run Games. While something I am wildly excited for, the man himself, Castlemania Ryan, Tweeted out a photo of what appeared to be a prototype Sega Genesis Nomad Handheld system and I was geeked! I knew that Retro-bit has been working on some new hardware but this caught me completely off guard. Later in the day, Retro-bit themselves confirmed that this was indeed in development, posting additional photos and the following message:

New #CES introduction: the #Genesis Portable System with HDMI! Details will be coming at you in the next coming months so keep posted!
➕This is a hard prototype➕

What we know so far:
Name - They're just calling it the Genesis Portable System, not officially calling it a Nomad.
Power Input - Micro USB
Video Output - Retro-bit's tweet indicated HDMI output

What we don't know yet:
Pricing
Release Date
Controller Ports
Battery Type
Battery Capacity

Additional features:
The D-pad is more similar to a Genesis D-pad than the original Nomad's. The A/B/C, X/Y/Z buttons have been reconfigured. The original's oval or egg-shaped buttons have been replaced with buttons that more-closely mimic those on a 6-button Genesis controller. An additional button has been added near the start and select buttons, with a new reset button joining the fold. The top of the console features an NTSC and PAL switch, meaning this should play all Genesis and Mega Drive games. I don't think this is much of a leap but there's no indication that a 32X will work with this system.

None of the photos had the power turned on, so we don't know about the quality of the display as of yet. Retro-bit's other portable, the RDP Portable Handheld Console V2.0, has a pretty decent display and we're hoping for that good or better in the Genesis portable. I'm hoping that this will come in under $125, I think that would be a really good price for something like this. I also hope that there's a native 4:3 video output setup when connected to a television via HDMI, along with controller connector ports.

Retro-bit has been doing a good job with their hardware lately, and this is definitely something I am looking forward to testing out. Thanks to Castlemania Ryan for breaking the story, make sure you follow him on twitter, @CastlemaniaRyan, for more news and updates from CES 2019 and for updates when these will be shipping. 2019 is already shaping up to be a great year for retro gaming, and a new Nomad-esque system is going to make things even better!

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