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It was basically a hand-held Genesis; it played all Genesis games, and the controls had six action buttons, just like the uncreatively named Genesis Six Button gamepad. It was about the same size as a Game Gear but with squared corners is a little thicker and is heavier. It features a high-quality 3" passive-matrix LCD screen and a full compliment of six buttons. The Nomad also can also be hooked to a television (there is a DIN-type output - Genesis 2-style) and played simultaneously on the Nomad screen and the television. There is also a port for a second joypad to allow two-player play (although Player 1 must always use the Nomad joypad and buttons).

By the time the Nomad was released, the Genesis was well on the way out so it didn't last long. It was also expensive, costing $180.00 in the United States after its October 1995 release. The Nomad only came in NTSC format. There was a rumor of a European PAL release but the lack of US success and the dying Sega Mega Drive market in Europe meant that the release never happened.

The Nomad suffered from minor incompatibilities with some Genesis games. The 3-inch passive matrix LCD screen was higher resolution than other handhelds at the time and was also backlit. Although this LCD provided high resolution, it resulted in blurry images in fast action scenes and it also contributed to its short battery life. Also, game text designed to be readable on a TV was of course much smaller and potentially difficult to read. Powered by 6 AA batteries, fitted to a case that clipped on back of unit. The batteries only lasted three to five hours, but a rechargeable battery pack and AC Unit was available. The poor battery life, combined with a high price tag, ensured the Nomad would not become widespread.

The Nomad could be connected to the television using the same SCART or RF lead as the Sega Genesis 2.

• The following Genesis titles are known to have difficulty with or not to work at all on the Nomad: Bonkers, Chakan, Decap Attack/Magical Hat Adventure, Forgotten Worlds, Golden Axe 2, Phantasy Star MD, Pit-Fighter, Outback Joey, Shadowrun, Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage, King of the Monsters. (Sonic the Hedgehog and Streets of Rage's incompatibility can be worked around simply by playing Genesis 6-Pak as it has both of these games on it.)
• The Sega Nomad was developed under the codename Project Venus.

Box Scans

Sega Nomad box (front)

Sega Nomad box (back)