Nomad
» MANUFACTURER: Sega » YEAR: 1995 » COST: £229.99 (launch), £216+ (today, boxed), £130+ (today, unboxed)
Approaching the mid-Nineties, Sega designed an ambitious new console to solve the problem of having two declining platforms in the market. Code-named Venus, this handheld would succeed the Game Gear, while retaining its design principle of leveraging existing home hardware. But rather than being a reworked version of the Mega Drive, as the Game Gear had been based on the Master System, this console would simply be a Mega Drive – compatible with existing software, and even certain peripherals. It could even output to a TV. The console would therefore launch with a library of hundreds of games and enjoy a considerable technological advantage over other handhelds.