Genesis Nomad
03-02-01, 09:52 AM
#4
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Sorry, the Nomad blew. for 30 bucks I would buy it. They tried to market this at 200 bucks against Gameboy. I think not.
now for 30 bucks it aint bad, except the fact you easily pass about the 170 dollars in 3 weeks for batteries. Seriously, the thing sucked 6 AA's in 2 hours. Almost as bad as gamegear. (6hours)
"But wait Jeff! There was an AC adapter!" Yeah, that kind of kills the portible thing doesn't. The only thing I can thing of where this could be used is in a hotel, otherwise just plug in you regular Genisis and get the big screen too.
It was impressive hardware, but to much battery sucking going on.
\\
now for 30 bucks it aint bad, except the fact you easily pass about the 170 dollars in 3 weeks for batteries. Seriously, the thing sucked 6 AA's in 2 hours. Almost as bad as gamegear. (6hours)
"But wait Jeff! There was an AC adapter!" Yeah, that kind of kills the portible thing doesn't. The only thing I can thing of where this could be used is in a hotel, otherwise just plug in you regular Genisis and get the big screen too.
It was impressive hardware, but to much battery sucking going on.
\\
03-04-01, 02:43 PM
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You guys ever heard of rechargeable alkalines? And unlike that official battery pack, you can use them for other electronics as well!
Anyway, the portable turbographyx (turboexpress) was the same way. It's a backlit, high-quality colour LCD screen. You can't really compare it to the mono gameboy and wonder why your batteries aren't lasting as long. Having said all that, I bought it for about $50 at WalMart a few years ago and I love it. Revitalized my Genesis gaming for a while. I also picked up a CDX (Genesis + Sega CD about the size of a large discman) and got rid of the bulky original system.
Anyway, the portable turbographyx (turboexpress) was the same way. It's a backlit, high-quality colour LCD screen. You can't really compare it to the mono gameboy and wonder why your batteries aren't lasting as long. Having said all that, I bought it for about $50 at WalMart a few years ago and I love it. Revitalized my Genesis gaming for a while. I also picked up a CDX (Genesis + Sega CD about the size of a large discman) and got rid of the bulky original system.
03-04-01, 07:25 PM
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Yes I have heard of rechargable alkines. (I'm a double E student at Purdue) Thing is rechargables rairly last as long as stadard alkis and I believe you are missing the point of the idea "portable gaming unit" as indicated by the box.
In order for it to be a true portable you have to be able to take it places without worrying about batteries every hour, a recharge pack, or recharge batteries. Those 3 problems kind of eliminate the meaning of "Portable".
I'm not argueing about the quality of the hardware. (See original post) What I'm argueing is the validity of the console of itself. And it is because of what I said that the system failed, its not just my opinion, its a fact.
In order for it to be a true portable you have to be able to take it places without worrying about batteries every hour, a recharge pack, or recharge batteries. Those 3 problems kind of eliminate the meaning of "Portable".
I'm not argueing about the quality of the hardware. (See original post) What I'm argueing is the validity of the console of itself. And it is because of what I said that the system failed, its not just my opinion, its a fact.
03-04-01, 10:10 PM
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Hey, easy. I wasn't even referring to why the system failed (Which was due to the ridiculous $200 price tag, lack of new games, plus Sega's usual non-existant advertising, not battery life. What gamer besides one who was an engineer would even consider that before buying?). I'm just saying you guys are blowing the battery life issue way out of proportion. Maybe it's because you're not used to it or that I am, but 1-2 hours really didn't strike me as unusual at all for this type of system. Like I said, it's been that way for a long time with other systems. By the way, there were also 3rd party car adapters.
Also it certainly is portable. Portable means you can store and use it unobtrusively and the Nomad satisfies those conditions if you just want to pick it up and go. And I do think it lasts a reasonable (1-2 hours) amount of time. All those other components you've listed are there only if want the extra game time. They are just as applicable to any other system once you've arbitrarily decided that its battery life is insufficient.
Don't get me wrong. The Gameboy smokes it in terms of portability, but the Nomad deserves its portable unit description as well. Look at Virtual Boy for a truly 'unportable portable'.
[Edited by ipkevin on 03-04-01 at 08:13 PM]
Also it certainly is portable. Portable means you can store and use it unobtrusively and the Nomad satisfies those conditions if you just want to pick it up and go. And I do think it lasts a reasonable (1-2 hours) amount of time. All those other components you've listed are there only if want the extra game time. They are just as applicable to any other system once you've arbitrarily decided that its battery life is insufficient.
Don't get me wrong. The Gameboy smokes it in terms of portability, but the Nomad deserves its portable unit description as well. Look at Virtual Boy for a truly 'unportable portable'.
[Edited by ipkevin on 03-04-01 at 08:13 PM]
03-05-01, 12:51 AM
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portability is a big thing -- NGPC -- no backlight but you can easily get 20+ hours from 2 AA batteries in full 16bit color. I'll be surprised if the Gameboy Advance can do anything near that good. btw is GA supposed to be backlit?
Tuan Jim
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03-05-01, 08:10 AM
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First allow me to amke something very clear. I am not mad, nor do I ever really get mad on a "forum". I know my voice (typing) sometimes seems like that but in reality I'm just trying to carry out the discussion as quickly and effectivly as possible.
2nd, the Virtual boy was labeled as a portable. And no, it was not either. (Did have better battery life though...
) And yes it did suck in a lot of ways. It did fail. I coule go into the whole history, but I doubt anyone cares.
In regards to the whole battery issue: I think that perhaps you may fail to realize how important something like that is. You as a gamer may not care. However, I asure that I'm not the only person who considers how well the device functions as a whole.
No GBA will not be back lit. Why? Because it sucks batteries! Nintendo has had several comments about the issue of back lighting, and everytime they refer the issues on battery strain.
To add to this whole issue: Let it be understood that the GBA is not the most advanced system Nintendo could make into a handheld. The thing could be much much more powerful if the wanted. But they arn't going that route because they are shooting for 2 main goals: Price and portability. That's what made the Gameboy a success. If they were to use higher end technology, not only would the cost to consumers be higher, but less battery life woud result.
2nd, the Virtual boy was labeled as a portable. And no, it was not either. (Did have better battery life though...
) And yes it did suck in a lot of ways. It did fail. I coule go into the whole history, but I doubt anyone cares.In regards to the whole battery issue: I think that perhaps you may fail to realize how important something like that is. You as a gamer may not care. However, I asure that I'm not the only person who considers how well the device functions as a whole.
No GBA will not be back lit. Why? Because it sucks batteries! Nintendo has had several comments about the issue of back lighting, and everytime they refer the issues on battery strain.
To add to this whole issue: Let it be understood that the GBA is not the most advanced system Nintendo could make into a handheld. The thing could be much much more powerful if the wanted. But they arn't going that route because they are shooting for 2 main goals: Price and portability. That's what made the Gameboy a success. If they were to use higher end technology, not only would the cost to consumers be higher, but less battery life woud result.
03-05-01, 08:32 AM
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Originally posted by ipkevin
What gamer besides one who was an engineer would even consider that before buying?
What gamer besides one who was an engineer would even consider that before buying?
And I do think it lasts a reasonable (1-2 hours) amount of time. All those other components you've listed are there only if want the extra game time.
-Matt
03-05-01, 08:40 AM
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Thanks Matt, That brings up another good point I nearly forgot.
While you may think 1-2 hours is acceptable time, what about games that offer no save feature, you know the kind, where you have to beat it in one seating. With a limited time span on battery life it adds a whole new dimminsion on tryiny to beat a game quick.
I'm sorry its just bad engineering. Sega had a chance to learn from there mistakes with the Game Gear. Instead they had one good idea "Lets make a system that plays old genisis games! Yeah!" and they ran with it, regardless of all the signs that said not to. It was a similar situatin for the Virtual Boy, the creator had a "good idea" and no one was willing to tell the guy, "Hey man, this kind of sucks." And I'm sure that was said in Sega's camp during the production of the Nomad.
While you may think 1-2 hours is acceptable time, what about games that offer no save feature, you know the kind, where you have to beat it in one seating. With a limited time span on battery life it adds a whole new dimminsion on tryiny to beat a game quick.
I'm sorry its just bad engineering. Sega had a chance to learn from there mistakes with the Game Gear. Instead they had one good idea "Lets make a system that plays old genisis games! Yeah!" and they ran with it, regardless of all the signs that said not to. It was a similar situatin for the Virtual Boy, the creator had a "good idea" and no one was willing to tell the guy, "Hey man, this kind of sucks." And I'm sure that was said in Sega's camp during the production of the Nomad.
03-05-01, 09:25 AM
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Originally posted by Matthew
Can you even BEAT a game in 1-2 hours? Not likely, not the ones that I play (RPGs). One to two hours is NOT reasonable. "What, we're going on a car trip? Let me charge my 30 batteries to bring along first!"
-Matt [/B]
Can you even BEAT a game in 1-2 hours? Not likely, not the ones that I play (RPGs). One to two hours is NOT reasonable. "What, we're going on a car trip? Let me charge my 30 batteries to bring along first!"
-Matt [/B]
But seriously, it's arbitrary. Yes, there ARE many games (most actually) that you CAN beat in 1-2 hours. And obviously there are some RPGs that take 30+ hours to beat. So where do you draw the line? Because you play RPGs does that mean the battery life should approach 30 hours? What about the gamer that likes to take it slow thru his RPGs and uses something closer to 100 hours? Do they need to fill all of those needs before they can be called 'portable'? What if it's a 15 hour battery? That's a heck of a lot more than 2 hours and would last most or all of your waking day, but it's not enough to finish many good RPGs. Is it still not portable? It's arbitrary.Regarding backlight issue raised elsewhere, that's a good point. But I remember having to buy a bulky lit magnifying attachment for my gameboy to play at night. That's not portable.
Maybe if they could have a switch that turns backlighting on/off....
03-05-01, 10:10 AM
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The idea of an on/off switch has been discussed by nintendo. and while it may seem like an intelligent feature it would have multipul counter effects.
For one, the unit would be higher in cost. While it may seem like not very much, the switch itself, the installation of it, and finally the extra complication in the case production would most likly increase cost anwear from 50 cents to a dollar. That's alot of money over the sales of 50 million units. (Which is not unreasonable for GBA, GB has over 100million)
However, the extra cost is not just what is holding them back. While you and I, as "intelligent" people wil realize the switch will lower battery life, there are some indiviuals (alot of them) that will always leave it on. I could go into great detail, but the main point is that is add complexity to the system that is designed to be simple yet fun.
The sale of millions of Gameboys did not happen because of marketing hype or 1 killer app, it is a solid engineered product. The GBA looks to be the same. As of right now, no other portable system preformed, AND delivered what the gameboy has.
Back to your point about accompaning RPG players etc. No the idea is not that a system must meet the demands of every player. What you are trying to do is take one isolated instance and use it to reinforce your point. It doesn't work. Because essentially if they could get 30+ hours of battery life they would, but they can't. However, nintendo does realize that people are not going to want to have to purchase batteries left and right/ or worry about plugging there system in to charge.
Here's a quick comparison of the example you provide Vs the Gameboy vs the Nomad:
Nomad
1-2 hours of play
GameBoy
15 hours of play
RPG
30 hours of play
EVEN if 30 hours should be the attainable goal of a portable, the game boy or (GBA) reaches 50% or the RPG qouta. however, the nomad can only reach 7-14% of the Gameboys life, or 3-7% of the RPG level. In other words, Battery life is not the only staple of a portable console, but it a major one. When you fail to obtain a level high enough that the system must have some form of power standby at all times, you fail to reach a true portable level.
15 hours is nearly 2/3rds of a day. 1-2hours is a bad trip to the bathroom.
I'm sorry, but I really think this discussion has very little else to go over. If the Nomad was as great as some people would like to believe it would still be alive. It's rather simple. Yes the price hurt it. yes, there was no major advertising campain. However they have them at Toy R Us down the street for 15 bucks, and a crapload of old genisis games in the "bargain" bins for 5 each. But I rarly see the dust move from those products.
For one, the unit would be higher in cost. While it may seem like not very much, the switch itself, the installation of it, and finally the extra complication in the case production would most likly increase cost anwear from 50 cents to a dollar. That's alot of money over the sales of 50 million units. (Which is not unreasonable for GBA, GB has over 100million)
However, the extra cost is not just what is holding them back. While you and I, as "intelligent" people wil realize the switch will lower battery life, there are some indiviuals (alot of them) that will always leave it on. I could go into great detail, but the main point is that is add complexity to the system that is designed to be simple yet fun.
The sale of millions of Gameboys did not happen because of marketing hype or 1 killer app, it is a solid engineered product. The GBA looks to be the same. As of right now, no other portable system preformed, AND delivered what the gameboy has.
Back to your point about accompaning RPG players etc. No the idea is not that a system must meet the demands of every player. What you are trying to do is take one isolated instance and use it to reinforce your point. It doesn't work. Because essentially if they could get 30+ hours of battery life they would, but they can't. However, nintendo does realize that people are not going to want to have to purchase batteries left and right/ or worry about plugging there system in to charge.
Here's a quick comparison of the example you provide Vs the Gameboy vs the Nomad:
Nomad
1-2 hours of play
GameBoy
15 hours of play
RPG
30 hours of play
EVEN if 30 hours should be the attainable goal of a portable, the game boy or (GBA) reaches 50% or the RPG qouta. however, the nomad can only reach 7-14% of the Gameboys life, or 3-7% of the RPG level. In other words, Battery life is not the only staple of a portable console, but it a major one. When you fail to obtain a level high enough that the system must have some form of power standby at all times, you fail to reach a true portable level.
15 hours is nearly 2/3rds of a day. 1-2hours is a bad trip to the bathroom.
I'm sorry, but I really think this discussion has very little else to go over. If the Nomad was as great as some people would like to believe it would still be alive. It's rather simple. Yes the price hurt it. yes, there was no major advertising campain. However they have them at Toy R Us down the street for 15 bucks, and a crapload of old genisis games in the "bargain" bins for 5 each. But I rarly see the dust move from those products.
03-05-01, 12:07 PM
#17
Retired
1-2 hours battery life is ridiculous and was the main reason I never got a Nomad after the price drop. Batteries are expensive, and I don't play a portable system much at home where I could use an ac adapter, or in the car. I usually play it in between classes when I don't have enough time to come home. It's just bad engineering. I believe the gba is supposed to get around 15-20 hours battery life and it looks to be a better/more powerful, system. Sega simply doesn't know how to make good hardware, the DC and Genesis being their only successes. I'm kind of excited for them to be focusing on games now, because that's where they excel.
