I already have the Atgames’ Sega Gopher handheld and it’s excellent except for one huge flaw. You cannot save games. So forget playing any RPGs or games like Wonder Boy in Monster World. If it wasn’t for this the Gopher would be the ultimate Sega Hand Held device.
More recently I discovered the GEN Mobile and I thought it was the answer. The GEN Mobile has 20 built in games just like the Gopher but it also allows you to play actual Genesis carts! Meaning you can save your games that have a save feature. And even though the GEN Mobile doesn’t have the same quality in it’s build as the Gopher I would have been fine with it except for one thing. The directional pad on the GEN Mobile is terrible. Each direction, up, down, left and right is an individual button which makes it really hard to slide your thumb over to other directions. Playing an action game feels impossible!
If the directional pad was Plus shaped like the NES or better still like the pad for Genesis I can only believe that it would have been far better. The latter would also allow for 8 directional control instead of it’s existing and a very weak 4 directional layout.
Another negatives is the sound is very poor. It’s a bit better when you use ear phones but even still it’s not great.
The screen is small and it feels pretty cheap. But I would have been very happy with it if the direction pad wasn’t such a problem.
GEN Mobile
I’m KICKING myself for selling my Mega-Jet! Say, is that GEN Mobile an official Sega product? It looks pretty cool, D-pad and quality issues aside. I’d probably use it for RPG’s only, so the D-Pad thing (it’s like the PlayStation D-pad) doesn’t bother me too much…
LikeLike
I found a review of the Mega-Jet on youtube and it seems like that really is a very rare item. Very cool but not so practical seeing you need a TV and power to use it. geelw I’m starting to get an idea of how much stuff you use to have! 😀
I don’t know for certain if the Gen Mobile by Hyperkin is officially licensed but it might just be. The Sega Genesis logo is stamped all over the packaging and there is reference to Sega trade marks. The only comment about licensing states that this product was distributed by Hyperkin under license from AtGAmes Holdings, Ltd.
And you’re right; the D-Pad is very much like the PS1. For any turned based game the GEN Mobile would work very well. It’s just a shame that a physical piece of plastic is the biggest problem with this product.
LikeLike