The Triumphant Return Of My Sega Nomad

I got the Japanese versions of OOT, Super Metroid, and Super Mario Bros. 3 still NIB for less than $150. I think at the same store?

Pink Godzilla frigging rocks.

Send Fahey to all gaming conventions. The guy buys anything and everything. Though this is a pretty sweet purchase.

XsTatiC

@brendanhayworth: He'll have one over on that kid forever.

Its always fun to find something you havnt seen in years for a decent price and get up the courage to buy it.

On a trip to NYC this July, I HAD to go to VGNY (supposedly famous in those parts) and found a NeoGeoPocketColour new in box. Got that, Metal Slug 1 and 2 for like 100 bucks, and got him to throw in UNSquadron for SNES for free.

Couldn't wait for my flight back to toronto, played the hell out of that system, now I own like 10 games on it from ebay. Its become one of my fav items in my collection.

Also this reminds me, I need a NOMAD again too!

I guess when it's family, you can accept the conditions of "where has that been" for your electronics.

A stranger's tongue vs. a nephew's pants; you decide!

Atomsk88

Don't spoil us, Fahey. XD Will want these entertaining stories each and every weekend if you continue.

The Animaniacs were pretty awesome back in the days, man did I enjoy watching that show before heading to school.

Outkastprince

Reminds me of the time my girlfriend's brother wanted to borrow some of my batman comics, They were limited too! Good to hear you're reunited though, you have to wonder, what ever happened to your old one? Child + Hardware = Trouble.

Sugoi monogatari aniki.

That was a rather heartwarming tale, Fahey. I cried a little at the end.

You are such a bitch for awkward hardware, and I love you for it.

Hahaha ^^ more crazy stuff on kotaku. ^^

Playing.Informing.Entertaining. (Dramatic pause) Kotaku.

D: Now I have another console to add to my list of retro consoles I need to own.

Damn you Neo Geo. Damn you.

You motherfucker.
Literally!

brendanhayworth

but thats not your Nomad, thats a replacement nomad
it will never be as wonderful as your original
What you need to do is get a broken one, and get your nephew to swap them

Only your own original nomad will fill that gooey void

MyBigToe

@brendanhayworth:
"She's my mother!"
"... Step!"

I Think We're Property

but if i remember correctly you'll be spending $100 on batteries

I have one.

Wolfgang Wozniak

I got a Nomad at Toys 'R Us as well, mine in 2000. Still floating around somewhere, I believe. Toys 'R Us was a black hole of awesome, timewarp-style electronics for the longest time. Now the corporate direction is to be 'current', which I'm sure is better for the bottom line-- but man, I miss the days when you really had no idea what awesomeness was hiding at the back of some dusty shelf in the game department until you poked around a while. It was like Indy finding the freaking Ark. Awesome!

Don't get mad, get nomad.

With Animaniacs and a carryong case?
That was MY Nomad, some time ago, and yes, I licked it, sucks for you Fahey =P

chemical_eng_mx

Wait a minute, so this friend of yours slept with your sister and your girlfriend?

I believe the saying begins, "With friends like that..."

@Here's Some Weapons: Well, when you put it like that...

The nomad can be hooked up to your television if I'm not mistaken, so you can save on battery power while at home.

@sander_dutch: who didn't sleep...

Dear god that is so bad, I think that I will just hang myself over there.

Did the Animaniacs game come with it?

I've never played that one, but I used to love the Tiny Toon Adventures games. If it's anything like that, that's even more brownie points.

spiderweb1986

I slept with your MOM!
I wish my dad would stop saying that :(

lol great story xD and i remember seeing the ads for the Nomad back in the day... it looked pretty awesome... they never really advertise the battery life tho xD I guess thats the big catch.

@Anemone:
thats very funny

@WhiteMage: exactly what I was thinking.

"For the past five years i have been training my nephew as a master thief, in order to steal back my Sega Nomad from my evil ex-girlfriend."

Yeah but didn't you admit you basically broke up with her for no reason? Wouldn't that make YOU the evil one?

@weevol: Unless you either love videogames or hate having money, do not invest in a NeoGeo. You have been warned. ;_;

mintycrys is HOT for Bayonetta

The Nomad was probably the COOLEST waste of money I ever engaged in. The battery life was terrible, but it had a rechargeable battery pack that you could purchase, and portable Phantasy Star IV is still the greatest Sega experience I've ever had besides the first time I played NiGHTS.

Healing, indeed, Mike. Healing, indeed. Just stay away from Mick and Mack. They're anything BUT healing.

mintycrys is HOT for Bayonetta

I'm confused.

You don't want a Sega Nomad from ebay. You have one you could, rather easily, get back.

So...you pay almost 100 bucks for one? one that is equally as second-hand as one from ebay...?

Hell, if you weren't inexplicably afraid of ebay, there's one ther right now for 170 dollars buy it now and it comes with 70 games.

@Scazza: I used to have one of those. Way better than the Gameboy Color, and in some respects, the Gameboy Advance. The joystick nub felt great.

@wild homes loves you but chooses darkness!: I found Earthbound, full box, mint shape at a Zellers. It was $89 and this was around 2000.

@WhiteMage: And he doessn't state the one he got at the convention was new, so it must be used...who knows who could of licked it before these "retro game store" guys found it at a yard sale? But he's afraid to buy on on ebay?

ionicc

@mintycrys is HOT for Bayonetta: NiGHTS was AMAZING!

kyle2dotcom

@Anarchist_Gamer: Has the BEST sonic game ever made imo. Way better then the Sonic Advance

@Atomsk88: "Due to my fickle nature" implies that he broke up with her for no reason...I guess he could just be hiding something best hidden, but still.

@SacGamer: Maybe there is a reason, but a reason that should never find its way onto Kotaku, and ultimately the Internet.

Remember folks, the Internet comes full circle. With all the social networking, it's like one giant high school.

Atomsk88

@ShadowOdin of dubious snowiness:

Or PicoDrive loaded up with tons of totally legal ROMs.

@wild homes loves you but chooses darkness!: They had so many great games back in the day! I liked the old Toys R Us more: they had shelves of games leading up to the video and books section, and you could play all of the consoles from back then, including the Saturn, and SNES! I used to love playing Nights on the Saturn machine! Now, they've reduced the game section to a tiny spot in the corner of the store. Maybe I'm just nostalgic, and longing for the times I had as a boy...

Oh, many, many years ago
When I was twenty-three
I was married to a widow
Who was pretty as can be
This widow had a grown-up daughter
Who had hair of red
My father fell in love with her
And soon the two were wed

This made my dad my son-in-law
And changed my very life
For my daughter was my mother
'Cause she was my father's wife
To complicate the matter...

I loved my Game Gear but never got my hands on one of these, kinda wish I had.

Xanto5824

@SacGamer: "Due to my fickle nature" would imply he there was a reason, but it would have been something that wouldn't have bothered most people.

@brendanhayworth: Mother fucker girl...YOU'RE MAKING ME SCREAM!

I think that's how the lyrics go anyways...

SlinkyGuy - So British, I piss tea and poop scones.

I bought mine in Brazil for more than 100 dollars when was released in US, I still have it, with box, manual and everything

@mintycrys is HOT for Bayonetta: I guess you really enjoy PSP with Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Collection then

@Cochese: Now with moxie.: If it isn't a good reason it still makes him the evil one...

@indyit: I was going to get one back in the days but I remembered how fast the Game Gear battery last.
Then with critical thinking if Game Gear last that long with semi ok graphics and power then how long would a Nomad last even with bigger batteries.
The price of the console was not the factor, it was the cost of batteries that convinst me to not to get one.

Now in the present time with so many portable gaming system (some are open source based like GP2X or others that has to be hacked) that is more powerful and have longer battery life that can emulate older consoles so I can't see the need or want for the Nomad now.

Sounds a lot like my situation with the NES and SNES. I originally got them a long, long time ago from my aunt, who said my cousin no longer needed them. Fast forward to a few years ago, that cousin had babiz and I thought, "That kid could probably get more use out of these."

How foolish I was. Now I need to devise a plot to get them back, or spend moneys on eBay. But, if I got the systems back from my aunt, that money saved could go towards one of the many games I plan on buying!

Ah, how awkward it'll be: Hey, I'm 20 years old, can I get those video games back from your 7 year old?

I still have my original Nomad. Too bad it's broken. :(

Mike you are a man after my own heart

Wow, this article totally reminded me that I have 2 unopened, brand new Sega Nomads. Completely forgot I had them, haha.

Incidentally, I should sell them. Anyone have any idea what a brand-new, in box, Sega Nomad would sell for? I could probably find out, but I find this is more entertaining.

Geist002

@thesircuddles: I also found Earthbound, from a garage sale not in a box for two bucks though...

trailingedge

@SacGamer: Define "good reason"

Cyrian

I still have mine in the original box, time to break it out along with the Turboexpress 16...

trailingedge

Mike, that story is ummmm.... really fucked up. Wow. I thought you were normal

tommyscomics

This reminds me of a situation I was in recently. Back when I got my gamecube, I decided to let my grandma have my NES(toploader NES2 may I add) as well as 25+ really awesome games with numberous controllers, lightguns, and other peripherials, because she has my little cousins and kids she babysits over and figured it'd be fun entertainment for them. Anyhow, this summer I decided I wanted to relive my childhood(that NES was the same NES I grew up on, my dad got it for my sister and I when i was only 3 years old and my sister was 7), and I really wanted to go back and play my favorite NES games(Zelda, super mario bros. 3, rollergames, chip and dale rescue rangers, and a few others). I asked my grandma and it turns out she gave it to one of my cousins. While I was very upset, I remembered we were having a family gathering and figured it'd good time to ask my cousin about my wonderful top-loader NES. I asked him, and it turned out he traded into a local gamestore for like $70 with all the games, controllers, and everything. My heart was shattered, the very NES I grew up on and the reason I'm a gamer today was gone forever. Hell, even my dad was upset, for he used to play video games with me all the time as a kid.

Moral of the story: never give video game consoles to family members for extended periods of time. They WILL be lost or sold

jpoppyz

@Anarchist_Gamer: But if you're at home, why not just play your Genesis?

@Invisible-Echidna:
You sure you meant to say Dr. Mario...?

Cyrian

I still have my Nomad. I bought it when I went to New York in 1996. I will never sell it because it´s rare as fuck. Unfortunately it doesn´t work, but I never really tried to fix it. Maybe it does work but I don´t really have a power adaptor that works properly with it (it never came with one and I bought some cheap-o third party adaptors because it was all I had available).

The nomad is cool because you can plug it in your TV and plug a second controller, it instantly becomes a Genesis (minus 32x+Sega CD compatibility) but even Sonic&Knuckles is playable. I never played it with batteries, though, I used to take it to a lot of places and plug it into the wall. It eats batteries like hell, indeed.

I still have a Sega GameGear with a couple of games like Sonic, Dr. Mario, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, etc. Yeah, it's pretty ballin'. I think I'll go game up some Ecco on it right now.

Invisible-Echidna

Expect to see that Low Battery light on quite a bit. The Game Gear and Nomad were great while they had power but man could those things chew through batteries.

Gray665

@ShadowOdin of dubious snowiness: It's...just not the same. Actually running a PSIV cart on a portable system was too much awesome for one Camry station wagon's back seat to handle.

mintycrys is HOT for Bayonetta

@Cyrian: Actually, no. I think I got it confused with the Dr. Robotnik game. I remember always mixing those two up.

Invisible-Echidna

@Geist002: Buy It Now price of 200 each. Easy.

@Lucasreis: Yep, I used mine the same way. Mainly played Landstalker on it, though. Man, that Landstalker remake for PSP needs to come out of limbo post-haste!

Sugoi

@WhiteMage: laf. it's probably mike's nomad. he'll tell his nephew to stop trying to steal the nomad, to which his nephew will reply, "yeah, mom sold it on e-bay for about $170 the other week."

@jpoppyz: heartbreaking. i still remember the time my dad tossed my 2600. i'd just bought like 20 games at a garage sale for a buck or two and was psyched to get my yars' revenge on, only to find that my 2600 had been pitched in a dumpster earlier in the week.

Your in-group seriously needs to expand its dating pool.

@daytown: oh lord I hope so, that would be great

Great snag Mike. I have one at home in the original box and like to get it out and look at it every now and then, have a quick run through on Sonic. A great piece of gaming history.

RetroBob

I never had a Nomad, but I did have a Lynx, and man, I'd love to have a lynx again.

I gota sad story about one of these too...

I wanted one for years and years. Could never get a good one when I could afford it.

Started working at a video game store down here that sells retro game/systems also.

One day im not working and a guy brings in a fully working, brand new looking
Nomad with games, all cables, a magnifier etc..
The nomad wasnt in the system so the guy said to just take it :0
I get in the next day, and being as I work with 19 year olds they have no idea what it is, and had it buried in a box with a PS1, 2 N64's and a bunch of crap on top of it.

I pulle dit out and cried. The screen was cracked and unuseable.

And I would have gotten it for free.
Damn kids

Ur-Lord-Crypy

Your family is so effed up. 1st you tell us a story about Turtles in Time and then let slip your sister is a lesbian...now a harmless nomad story tells us you slept with your sister's sons mother......o.0

What next? Your uncle who you used to play Mario Kart with you had a sex change?

@tommyscomics: What ever gave you the idea that Fahey was normal?

reminds me of how depressed i was when in middle or elementary school i lent this friend of mine my game gear, he moved the next week without notice.. fucker.

@jpoppyz: I once lent my uncle my SNES with a whole ton of games, including a Superscope with Superscope 6 and Battle Clash (the best gun-game ever btw). Never saw it again. Still pisses me off to this day.

You're right. Never lend game consoles to family. Ever.

@ionicc: Once I ordered a few Dreamcast controllers from an eBay store and they were filthy, covered in dirt and the like. I had to spend an hour or so picking dirt out of the crevices. At least when I buy used equipment from GameStop, it all looks clean.

You can never know what kind of disgusting situations used game equipment has been through, but at least when you buy these things in person, the seller attempts to give the illusion of cleanliness, any way.

barrelrolled

Wow. Thank you, Fahey. Thank you for making me feel so much better about the weird and awkward family situation betwixt me and and my girlfriend's previous family (involving a still very-involved ex-husband and their two kids).

At least nobody is shoving video game consoles down their pants.

Aidan_

Animaniacs...the horror...

the horror...and the ridiculous difficulty

@Geist002: You'd be lucky to get ten bucks for it in eBay. You'll probably just get ridiculed.

I'll give you twenty for one of them if you want. But that's just because I'm a nice guy, so you better PM me before I change my mind.

BlueToast

My godfather gave me what, I'm pretty sure, was a BRAND NEW Sega Master-system in 1999. It was Perfect, and it came with every accessory imaginable. Extra controllers, lightgun, 3D goggles, tons of games (3D ones as well). It worked perfectly, first try, every try.

I took really good care of it. I loved it. More than my genesis, more than my NES, more than the PSX I eventually got.

When I moved, I let my younger brother use it. It didn't last til the end of the year. And, YES, I'm still a little bitter about it.

BlueToast

I love my Nomad, use it every time we go on road trips.

Hamsnibit

So you don't want one off ebay because someone might have licked it but you will take one you know was down a kids pants?

Still great story

I was at Frank and Sons not too long ago and ran into a Nomad, placed my PSP next to it for comparison... what a long way we've come.

Bricked

$95.00? I paid $7.99 for my Nomad (complete and working) at a Play N Trade. $95.00 is a higher price than eBay...

@everypuga: i love that game personally...

TheNocturnalSun

@krztov: Damn! I lent my Game Gear to a highschool classmate and never saw him again after graduation either!

@TheNocturnalSun: seconded

@Doomstink: That's not the point though. It's just not the same...

@barrelrolled: I guess, but you can return things on ebay if disatisfied, and he'd have gotten more.

I bought the Vic-20 computer (in original box with instructions and all) that retro store was selling at PAX. Good ole' Vic was my first computer, and I typed in many-a-game from magazines to play on it. Now the good times can come again!

What an awesome shop.

Dreamwriter

What, no box with the Sega Nomad. J/K Cool, i know the feeling getting a old system and rekindling the magic. I'm happy to say my copy is sitting on my shelf with everything intact. Ah, memories

Dan13l714

@mintycrys is HOT for Bayonetta: Are Are Are Are you READY? (cue awesome them music)

Which was, BTW, the only awesome thing about that game...

@sunpop: At least he knows whose pants it was down. And it's different, because while the reasons for licking a Sega Nomad (and believe me, there are many) could be questionable, this kid is putting it in his pants for a good cause. It's a heroic pants-putting.

i still have my gamegear, complete with all the accessories and carry case. good stuff.

@Paradox me: Just come up with some fictitious but plausible reason. Say you're making a video for the Internet about old games. Once they're gone, they probably won't miss them anyway.

Awesome. I used to have a Nomad as well. I need to get one again someday.

'Nomad'? Isn't that the name of that robot hunter in Star Trek: The Original series?

mdn

@TheNocturnalSun: I remember liking that game too.

BountyHead

@Nintenboy01: That makes three of us, lent someone my Nintendo games (17 games to be exact)...dude was gone the week after -_-

From that day on, learn to never let someone borrow stuff from me.

daknight

It's alllllll good because you got animaniacs =D

tomsau

You, my friend, have bean beat!!

Felch

@WhiteMage: The whole point of this was the joy of walking into a store, or in this case a booth at a convention, and seeing one for sale. That isn't a normal occurance, and its much more personal and fulfilling that simply searching a website.

@WhiteMage: If I could have had the one i lost back easily, I would have it. There's a very complicated personal story behind why I cannot ge the system back.

@Mike Fahey: nod. i collect usagi yojimbo comics, and for years i was very close to having a complete collection. i could very easily have bought my missing issues online, but having a complete collection could not compare to the rush of going to a new comic store and searching through the back issue bin in the faint hope of finding one of the illusive missing back issues. even though they were extreme rarities, the days when i actually found a missing back issue were absolutly joyous.

eventually, life became too busy to dedicate much time to comic collecting and i finished my collection via the tubes. still, i came pretty darn close...

Just don't play X-Men, you won't be able to get past the part where you have to reset your Genesis.

I swapped my megadrive/genesis plus 50 games all boxed with instructions for grand theft auto 3 on ps2 i still slam my face in to my palm to this day.

digi7al

You know why that thing was called the "Nomad"?

Because it wandered from owner to owner.

It was released in '99?? As in, a year before PS2? Crazy!

I expected a "Nomad-gonad" joke at the "13-year-old with a package shaped like a giant box" part.
And after being on Youtube for a while, i'm thankful there wasn't one.