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Portable Mega Drive console GenMobile delivers retro gaming with a difference

The twist being that you can use your dusty old cartridges

Portable Mega Drive console GenMobile delivers retro gaming with a difference
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Shiny handheld devices like the PSPgo and iPhone are all well and good, but sometimes you just want to bust out a 16-bit classic and relive the good old days, when Right Said Fred were topping the charts and a woman in high-waisted jeans and a bomber jacket the height of sophistication.

Thankfully, for those moments - as rare as they might be - a solution is in sight.

The GenMobile console is essentially a portable Mega Drive (Named from its US counterpart, the Genesis) which features a 2.5-inch TFT screen, rechargeable battery and the ability to connect to your TV set for a more authentic, living room experience.

The machine comes pre-loaded with 20 classic titles, including Altered Beast, Golden Axe, Shinobi III and everyone’s favourite forgotten mascot, Alex Kidd.

The best bit is that it also accepts any Mega Drive cartridge from anywhere in the world - be it European, American or Japanese.

Sega tried a similar thing a while back with the ill-fated Nomad, but seeing as it was the size of a small house and guzzled batteries like a thirsty dog after a walk around the salt mines, it wasn’t all that practical.

We covered a similar device not so long ago, but the Blaze Mega Drive Portable lacked the all-important cartridge slot.

If your interest was piqued by the Blaze console and you have a pile of old Mega Drive games that you want to awake from their eternal slumber, then you can pre-order the GenMobile from Stone Age Gamer for a very reasonable $54.99, which works out as around £34 in English coinage (plus postage).

Our review unit is on its way so if you’re unsure about the whole thing, hold off until the official Pocket Gamer verdict is delivered in typically emphatic style.

Damien  McFerran
Damien McFerran
Damien's mum hoped he would grow out of playing silly video games and gain respectable employment. Perhaps become a teacher or a scientist, that kind of thing. Needless to say she now weeps openly whenever anyone asks how her son's getting on these days.