Yet Another SEGA Handheld
By James Grahame
To tell the truth, I'm getting somewhat tired of the deluge of vintage SEGA titles built into cheap "X-in-1" game units. Until now, my favorite has been the little Coleco SEGA Classics unit that includes a somewhat random assortment of Master System and Game Gear titles.
The brand new AtGames SEGA Mega Drive handheld ($40) could turn out to be the best of the bunch. It features twenty 16-bit SEGA Genesis games in a case that looks like a reworked version of the original Coleco model.
The unit includes:
- Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
- Alien Storm
- Altered Beast
- Arrow Flash
- Columns III
- Crack Down
- Decap Attack
- Dr. Robotnik´s Mean Bean Machine
- Ecco
- Ecco Jr.
- E-SWAT: Cyber Police City Under Siege
- Flick
- Gain Ground
- Golden Axe
- Jewel Master
- Kid Chameleon
- Ristar
- Sonic and Knuckles
- Shadow Dancer – The Secret of Shinobi
- The Revenge of Shinobi
Like the Coleco unit, The new AtGames design features an A/V output that switches off the screen and allows you to play on a real TV. The mini console is powered by 3 x AAA batteries and features a crisp backlit LCD display and a headphone jack. Battery life should be respectable.
About the only issue is the audio quality: a number of users have commented that the sound is OK, but not identical to the original 16-bit Genesis console. I'll be watching for these to go on sale, because I'd love a portable Genesis. [thanks for the tip, Raleigh!]
Sega Mega Drive Portable [play-asia.com]
