New Sega Mega Drive Handheld Surprisingly Awesome
Introducing the Blaze Sega Mega Drive handheld gaming system. This neat little device comes with 20 classic Sega Genesis games that are playable on its own color LCD display. Unlike the bulky old Sega Nomad and Game Gear, however, this svelte retro handheld easily fits in your pocket. Somewhere between the size of the classic Gameboy Advance and an iPhone, the Blaze portable feels like the perfect Sega handheld system, if Sega were still in the hardware market. UK-based company Blaze Europe has licensed the rights to 20 retro games from the 16-bit Sega system, and these are accessible via convenient menu screen on the device. Highlights include Sonic & Knuckles, Alex Kidd, Altered Beast, and Golden Axe. Unfortunately, once you tire of the included games, there is no way to upload new roms to the machine.
Hardware features include a small but servicable 2.2″ LCD display, directional pad and three face buttons. The unit also comes with a headphone jack and A/V composite cable, allowing players to connect the device to a standard television set. Just like the old Game Gear, the Blaze handheld runs off of AA batteries (only three are required this time). The manufacturer claims battery life in the range of 8-10 hours.
The Blase Sega Mega Drive handheld currently retails in Britain for £29.35 ($48 USD). This is not a bad price considering that many PSP games and Square Enix DS titles retail for more money. If you are a fan of retro gaming and of the Sega Genesis in particular, the Blaze handheld will bive you plenty of bang for your buck. Continue reading to check out an image of the actual device as well as the full list of games.
Full list of games on the Blaze handheld:
Sonic & Knuckles
Shinobi III - Return Of The Ninja Master
Alex Kidd (and the enchanted castle)
Alien Storm
Altered Beast
Arrow Flash
Columns III
Crack Down
Decap Attack
Dr.Robotnik
E Swat
Ecco
Ecco Jr
Flicky
Gain Ground
Golden Axe
Jewel Master
Kidd Chameleon
Sonic Spinball
Shadow Dancer
Posted in Game Culture, Industry News, Homebrew |
December 12th, 2008 at 11:15 am
From a hardware point of view, this thing looks awesome. From a software point of view, not so much.
I understand that they are limited by what the license agreement allows. But those 20 games are not the best games from the Genesis era.
May 29th, 2009 at 11:08 am
Is this a legit item for sale? I’ve been searching and I could only find this website an two trying to sell it. But both those websites were unprotected (http not https) so idk if this is a scam. Can anyone clarify?
October 17th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Theres a new version of this out that has 6 buttons instead of 3, built in rechargeable battery, and SD car slot. you can get em at superufo.com for $32.
October 17th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
SD card slot*