The Mega 95 is the Sega Nomad on steroids (Picture: Hyperkin)
A new portable version of the Mega Drive with a five-inch screen and a very familiar looking button layout is on its way, but not from Sega.
The era of the mini-console never lasted very long, despite the popularity of each one. For some reason Nintendo, Sega, and the others decided to make the hardware limited edition and so now none of them are easy to acquire, but there is another option on its way for Mega Drive fans.
Unlike the Mega Drive Mini, The Mega 95 isn’t made by Sega themselves but by retro console specialist Hyperkin and, like most of their hardware, it’s designed to be able to play the original Mega Drive cartridges.
Although primarily a handheld device it’ll also be released alongside a dock that allows you to connect it to a TV and attach additional controllers – for that authentic 90s experience.
Hyperkin’s console has a five-inch screen and can display games in 4:3 or 16:9 modes, although no original Mega Drive game was designed for anything other than 4:3.
The set-up is essentially the same as the Sega Nomad from back in the day but while that had a battery life that only lasted a couple of hours, The Mega 95 will apparently run for 10 hours before needing to be recharged.
No price or release date has been announced yet but based on other similar retro consoles it’s likely to come in at around $120 (£95).
Hyperkin already make a Mega Drive compatible console called the MegaRetroN HD, which is based on the original non-portable design and is priced at $59.99.
As you can imagine from that price, the emulation is not cutting edge but it’s still a well-regarded retro console and hopefully the new portable version may even make some improvements.
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Why Sega didn’t try to make something similar themselves isn’t clear, given the success of their other official releases, but at the moment they’re focused on reviving the Mega Drive era in a different way.
They recently revealed plans to revive 16-bit franchises such as Golden Axe, Shinobi, and Streets Of Rage, as well as Dreamcast era games like Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi.
There’s no indication of when the games will be released though, so for now retro emulation is the only option.
The dock looks nice and simple (Picture: Hyperkin)
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A new portable version of the Mega Drive with a five-inch screen and a very familiar looking button layout is on its way, but not from Sega.