Portable Gaming Systems for old console games?

[Evildeadmanwalking77]

I know I"ve heard of and seen pics of these before for NES & Genesis carts that can played on a hand held system. Does anyone know what they're called? Do they have one for SNES? I just recall seeing one for NES, it looked kind of crazy with a big NES cart popping out of a small hand held system but it would great for road trips! Thanks!

[lordofduct]

are you talking about Ben Heck's mods?

http://benheck.com/

like these...

portable NES constructed from original NES model 1
http://benheck.com/nes-portable-hand-built

portable micro NES constructed from NES on a chip
http://benheck.com/Games/Nintendo_proje ... Micro1.htm

[xan_racketBOY_fan]

There's the Gen Mobile that plays Genesis carts; Yobo FC16 plays SNES carts - neat little system that is definitely portable with wireless controllers.

I own the Gen Mobile and think it's a great alternative to the SEGA Nomad. Both systems support video output and sport a rechargeable lithium battery.

[flamepanther]

There's also the FC Mobile handheld and the Game Axe.

[sevin0seven]

There's also the FC Mobile handheld and the Game Axe.

on the Game Axe you need a 72 to 60 pin converter to play the NTSC carts. just a note. (it's also on my sale thread)

[Gunstar Green]

RetroGen and GenMobile are the console-on-a-chip Genesis ones that play cartridges. The differences are the RetroGen has a larger screen with a smaller viewing angle and really crappy generic built-in games. The GenMobile has a smaller, brighter screen with a better viewing angle and official built in roms of real Sega games because it's officially licensed by Sega.

Their hardware is virtually identical they both use Firecore emulation. Personally I like the slightly bigger screen on the RetroGen but the GenMobile looks a little cooler. The RetroGen just has that "cheaply made clone" look to it though in reality they're both kind of fragile, cheaply made clones. The GenMobile just looks more professional from a distance. They also both have pretty bad D-Pads though the newer RetroGens have been improved with a more traditional D-Pad isntead of the disk shaped ones on the first batch of RetroGens.

You can also get a Genesis handheld called the Gopher that uses an SD card instead of real cartridges. It doesn't quite have the same appeal as playing your old cartridges in a handheld but it's a lot more portable. If you're going to do this you're probably better off just emulating on a PSP though since the Genesis emulation there is a lot better than the Gopher.

Keep in mind none of these have 100% game library compatibility and the sound is way off what you'll get from a real Genesis and in some cases absolutely horrible. I do not recommend them for your main Genesis gaming device. If you can tolerate those concessions they're fun little devices and very convenient.

If you want the true portable Genesis there's always the Nomad but it will eat you out of house and home with batteries and you'll probably need to replace the screen to get the most out of it. The affordable nature of the clones, their small size and their rechargeable batteries is what makes them attractive.

As previously mentioned for the NES the FC Mobile II is probably your best bet. and FC Mobile 16 for the SNES.

[Brootal Koopa]

I would recommend the Gopher mentioned above. Sound emulation may not be spot on but what the heck. Can ya beat every genesis game in the palm of your hand for 50 bucks? Check out the Dingoo A-320 as well. Will play all of your classic favorites in one tiny device.

On a side note... has anyone come across any of the blue or green Gophers? Seems like all we seem to have here in the states are the orange ones.

[Evildeadmanwalking77]

NICE!! Thanks guys! I guess ebay would be the best place for buying these systems? This is so awesome!!

[Gunstar Green]

Sometimes Amazon has them for cheap. If you've got any independent game stores around you they usually sell them too. There's a lot of other online retailers that sell them so shop around for the best price.

Edit:

I'm not really sure I'd personally recommend the Dingoo. A lot of the emulation is fairly dodgy even though it emulates a wide range of systems. Again you'd probably be better off with a modded PSP if you want to go that route. There's a lot more software support out there for PSP emulation than for the Dingoo as well. It's cheaper of course but you get what you pay for. It's close to being something great but not quite there.

[Evildeadmanwalking77]

Hmm...I wonder if Play N Trade would have these? They have tons of retro gaming systems, games, etc. there. Although I was pissed that they couldn't help with cleaning and fixing my Sega CD!