Nomad had essentially no software support.....no new properties to help sell it to consumers. Genesis development was essentially ended by the time it came around, and the games that were being made weren't marketed. It was a portable version of a dead platform. An interesting idea, but without any new games there was nothing to convince people to overlook hardware flaws that were far more massive than those of the PSP.sp0rsk said:
Sega Nomad at launch: portable Genesis, $170, low battery life, TV use, cutting edge
- Thread starter Chittagong
- Start date
I picked up a nomad at a flea market for $60, i really like it. I just got more up to date batteries installed into the pack and it seems to last but usually i just use the ac adapter and play it in my cube. the screen is blurry as hell in certain games most of the time though i plug it into the tv cuz it's acting as my genesis since it with my parents
Mr_Furious
Member
BlackClouds said:
Price = NOT aimed at the kid market so ........... CHECK
Games = a BIG FAT FUCKING CHECK
Battery power = rechargeable so CHECK (+ it's going to get more efficient in time)
Portability = Uhm ..... CHECK!!!!!
You, along with most everyone else, keeps confusing the market of yesterday with that of the market of today. Alot more adults are into gaming now and it's bound to be a significant factor in the portable market, which Sony's banking on. Majority of those factors were/are a concern for the parents buying the handhelds for their kids. The PSP is aimed at adults and parents that want to buy systems for themselves. With that in mind, I'd say the PSP is being VERY aggressive on that front.
One key difference here is the batteries. Short battery life using 6 double A batteries is terrible and hurt it's portability. And if you wanted to save money using rechargeable AA's, that just shortened battery life even more. Batteries are expensive, and wasting them on a Nomad was something I and many others were willing to do, especially since I was already playing these same exact Genesis games on a Genesis.
PSP's rechargeable battery places it in the same venue as cell phones, ipods, and the GB:SP...items people have become used to recharging constantly almost everyday. Combine that with the better screen and games designed for portability and unique to the system, there is no comparison.
PSP's rechargeable battery places it in the same venue as cell phones, ipods, and the GB:SP...items people have become used to recharging constantly almost everyday. Combine that with the better screen and games designed for portability and unique to the system, there is no comparison.
Agent X
Member
Chittagong, I forgot to ask you about something.
What? I never heard of a TV tuner being produced for the Nomad--not even one from a third party. Perhaps you're thinking of the Nomad's A/V out capability, or the Sega Game Gear which had a TV tuner (only compatible with earlier GG models).
Both the Nomad and the TurboExpress fall way short of the Zodiac when it comes to screen quality. I'm not even sure PSP will be able to top that--the Zodiac screen is already higher resolution than what is planned for PSP (480x320 for Zodiac vs. 480x272 for PSP).
Chittagong said:
What? I never heard of a TV tuner being produced for the Nomad--not even one from a third party. Perhaps you're thinking of the Nomad's A/V out capability, or the Sega Game Gear which had a TV tuner (only compatible with earlier GG models).
levious said:
Both the Nomad and the TurboExpress fall way short of the Zodiac when it comes to screen quality. I'm not even sure PSP will be able to top that--the Zodiac screen is already higher resolution than what is planned for PSP (480x320 for Zodiac vs. 480x272 for PSP).
seismologist
Banned
2 hour battery life = worthless. It would barely stay on for a bus ride to the mall and back.
Sorry, guy, but you just don't have Drinky Crow's talent. Your act has already worn thin.Cruel Bastard Mario said:This has gone too far. We all know that the PSP isn't going to do nearly as well as the NDS (and we don't even have to mention the GBA) , but we really don't need to rub it in
mashoutposse
Ante Up
border said:
...That's the whole story of the thing in a nutshell.
Mr_Furious
Member
I'd never dare to make such a pretentious statement. It's impossible to gauge who's going to be the clear victor at this point simply because both machines are marketed at two different demographics, not to mention they're not even out yet.Cruel Bastard Mario said:This has gone too far. We all know that the PSP isn't going to do nearly as well as the NDS (and we don't even have to mention the GBA), but we really don't need to rub it in
Chittagong said:
Funny enough, I never saw PSP at all as the item to compare Nomad to. The obvious Nomad comparison to me is the GBA, simply because the capabilities aren't that much different then SNES versus Genesis. Nomad came out in '95 at $179, and for all intents and purposes was pretty much a luxury item in the vein of the Turbo Express and CD-X, with the ability to play almost any Genesis game you owned wherever you wanted. The GBA is bascailly a SNES+ with psuedo 3D capabilities, has a ton of NES and SNES ports, and cost $99 at launch.
I always thought GBA was underpowered tech simply due to the fact that Nomad had provided much of what GBA did a full six years prior, and it's had a domino effect on DS where it now looks extremely underpowered next to PSP for the price it's currently set at. Plus DS almost seems Sega-esque in terms of it's similarity to the SP already on the market...will it's capabilities really look that different to the average consumer? Will they be able to sell the difference or potential that can be had with that second screen? Cause let's face it, the whole connectivity advantage hardly set the world on fire. Frankly, I'm not sure how Nintendo's gonna be able to sell the capabilities of that second screen outside of in-store demos, and I'm not sure that'll be enough. It's not that dissimilar to the impossible challenge Nintendo had with selling the Virtual Boy on TV or in print (not to compare the two machines, just comparing the same obstacle).
PSP on the other hand is in a very strong position. The Playstation brand is gold, the price is more then reasonable for a system using tech similar to a home-based machine released just four and a half years ago, and I imagine third parties will be all over it. And that $50 price difference is huge. In the grand scheme of things, it isn't that much.
I will say this...I think the Gameboy reached far more adults in the early 90's then people think. In fact I remember seeing print ads specifically aimed at adults, such as one showing a businessman using a GB on a flight. Back then portable phones were extremely rare and PDA's and MP3 players were non-existant, so what better way was there for a guy on a business flight to pass a few hours then playing a little Tetris, a game that was familiar to virtually anyone with any access to a PC or gaming platform back then? I think GBA redesign with the SP was another way to target that same market. That said, I think Sony will be even more aggressive in terms of going after that same audience. I imagine with most adults having PS2's as their primary gaming devices for Madden and Gran Turismo, PSP's got a very good chance of making inroads there with the sorts of software that'll be on offer.
Agent X said:
Exactly...seriously, fuck anyone who disses Nomad.
Miburou said:
Heh, that makes no sense to me...buying a portable where I can play the same games I already have on the road makes a lot more sense then buying a bunch of ports and psuedo-ports (and you're kidding yourself if you don't think PSP won't be getting it's fair share of those). Who gives a shit if the games are available anywhere else or not? That obviously hasn't stopped those NES ports on GBA from selling.
If Nintendo had decided to sell a portable that could play SNES games as is (along with receiving new games) instead of the GBA, it would've taken them two years for the supply to meet demand. You've got 800 used and classic games to choose from...for cheap! I don't know how that isn't a selling point. Nomad simply wasn't portable enough for people to bother with, plus it wasn't widely available (to be fair a SNES portable would be even less portable then Nomad, considering the size of the SNES carts).
Future said:
Agreed...I don't see too many instances where a person is going to have a need to be playing PSP games more then three or four hours at a time, and with a battery you can recharge all the time (which as you said people are used to doing now) I don't see the big deal. It's a far different deal to the colour portables of the early 90's that ate up mutiple AA batteries like candy.
It shouldn't be that hard to figure out, CBM. You've already cited it twice - ability to tell the "absolute truth" or, as you put it just now, a "gift for soothsaying". It's just that you've got no talent for it.Cruel Bastard Mario said:
We'd all be much more impressed with your ability to break the truth to us if you actually could present objective support for your statements. But you've done little of that and have even evaded invitations in the past to fill in the blanks. One can't help but wonder why one so interested in the truth would ever decline a request to present the truth in all its glory...anyway, that's the last time I try to soften the blow (heh) of the PSP's failure for you. It just doesn't pay to be a nice guy, I guess
Cruel Bastard Mario said:Except for the fact that i'm right most of the time, that is
Aside from the PSP's price (and kudos to Sony for getting it that low) I've been pretty much spot on with my NDS and PSP predictions. Just a matter of time until another one of them becomes true
Can you link me to these past prognostications? I don't remember seeing them here...
DarienA said:
They're here alright, but you'll just have to go in my post history and check every single NDS related thread I have created or posted in. You'll probably have to check a mirror of the old board too. Have fun!
(CBM, before that I was Lost Weekend, before that I was Drunken Kojima, and way before that I was GDGF)
Lord Error
Insane For Sony
Poor GDGF. Looks like the recent onslaught of Nintendo negativity here has finally got to him. He now wanders these forums like a rambling lunatic, proclaiming his prophecies must come true, smiling emptily all the time, and honestly believeing everything he says will come to pass.
Zodiac uses the more or less thandard TFT screen that you can find on most PDAs nowadays. Nothing 'shiny and new' tech like PSP does.
seismologist
Banned
My prediction is the same as CBM,
The reasons why PSP has an uphill battle have been pointed out already.
My biggest reason is that I dont think PSP is a very smart looking system like the GDA SP. It's big bulky and looks a bit fragile. That's another factor it has in common with most failed handhelds of the past.
The reasons why PSP has an uphill battle have been pointed out already.
My biggest reason is that I dont think PSP is a very smart looking system like the GDA SP. It's big bulky and looks a bit fragile. That's another factor it has in common with most failed handhelds of the past.
Lord Error
Insane For Sony
PSP not a smart design? Bulky? Then I'm afraid to even think what kind of terrible fate is in store for DS.
Particle Physicist
between a quark and a baryon
Cruel Bastard Mario said:The original Gameboy was uglier, had a smaller screen (black and white at that), and didn't even have Pokemon at the time, but still murdered it
actually it wasnt even black and white.. rather: different shades of green.
Particle Physicist
between a quark and a baryon
[Panajev2001a]
Is this the image you were referring to ?[/Panajev2001a]
for some reason IGN's in game DS pictures are horrible compared to the real thing..
same pic on gamespot::
still doesnt match the psp, but its much better than that ign pic.. and it looks even better in motion .
Is this the image you were referring to ?[/Panajev2001a]
for some reason IGN's in game DS pictures are horrible compared to the real thing..
same pic on gamespot::
still doesnt match the psp, but its much better than that ign pic.. and it looks even better in motion .
