{"id":4295,"date":"2016-10-09T20:08:58","date_gmt":"2016-10-10T00:08:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/armchairarcade.com\/perspectives\/?p=4295"},"modified":"2016-10-10T19:31:05","modified_gmt":"2016-10-10T23:31:05","slug":"review-sega-genesis-ultimate-portable-game-player-atgames-2016-includes-videos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/armchairarcade.com\/perspectives\/2016\/10\/09\/review-sega-genesis-ultimate-portable-game-player-atgames-2016-includes-videos\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Sega Genesis Ultimate Portable Game Player (AtGames, 2016) (includes videos)"},"content":{"rendered":"

AtGames has released the 2016 version of their Sega Genesis Ultimate Portable Game Player<\/strong>, which is just now starting to be available from major US retailers. While list price is $69.99, typical retail price is often quite a bit less.<\/p>\n

\"Sega<\/a>

Sega Genesis Ultimate Portable Game Player<\/p><\/div>\n

The Ultimate Portable Game Player<\/strong> is part of the new AtGames Flashback Zone<\/a>, which encompasses an increasing number of retro-themed products and a new social media presence on both Twitter<\/a> and Facebook<\/a>. The AtGames Flashback Zone<\/strong> is expected to be the AtGames retro gaming portal going forward and should hopefully see regular expansion. Other products for this year include: Atari Flashback 7<\/a> (available now), Atari Flashback Portable<\/a> (available November), Sega Genesis Classic Game Console<\/a> (available now), and Atari Flashback Classics Volume 1 and Volume 2<\/a> for Sony\u2019s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft\u2019s Xbox One (both available soon). I should eventually have reviews posted for all of those products, although you can check out the reviews for the Atari Flashback 7<\/a> and Sega Genesis Classic Game Console<\/a> now.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s edition of the Ultimate Portable Game Player<\/strong> sports the 25th Anniversary Sonic the Hedgehog<\/a> logo on the box and an addition of one extra Sonic-centric game, Sonic 3D Blast<\/strong>. Of course, that\u2019s not the only change for this year\u2019s edition, which I detail in the next section.<\/p>\n

Note that this review will be substantially similar to the one for the Sega Genesis Classic Game Console<\/a>, because they use the same hardware foundation. The main difference between the two is that one is an up to two player console that accepts cartridges, while the other is a single player handheld that accepts an SD card.<\/p>\n

Differences from the 2015 Version<\/h2>\n

You can see the game list for this version here<\/a>, and the 2015 version here<\/a>. There are 39 original Genesis games, and 41 newer games that are coded to be Genesis-like, but take advantage of the extra capabilities of the AtGames hardware.<\/p>\n

\"Sega<\/a>

Sega Genesis Ultimate Portable Game Player<\/p><\/div>\n

While there are a few fun titles in the list of those 41 newer games, their quality is highly variable and naming conventions are all over the place, so it\u2019s difficult to judge what\u2019s been added or dropped. To be clear, there are some differences between what\u2019s in the 2015 version versus what\u2019s in this 2016 version, but I\u2019m not going to parse them on the lists. That\u2019s because most important is what original Sega games have been dropped and which have been added.<\/p>\n

Lost from the 2015 version are: Ecco<\/strong>, Ecco Jr<\/strong>, Streets of Rage<\/strong>, Streets of Rage 2<\/strong>, Streets of Rage 3<\/strong>, and\u00a0Virtua Fighter 2<\/strong>. New additions for 2016 are: Eternal Champions<\/strong>, Phantasy Star II<\/strong>, Phantasy Star III<\/strong>, Sonic 3D Blast<\/strong>, and Sword of Vermilion<\/strong>. It\u2019s with the additions of the Phantasy Star II<\/strong>, Phantasy Star III<\/strong>, and Sword of Vermilion<\/strong> role-playing games that the biggest change reveals itself: save game support. Otherwise, the hardware itself is virtually identical.<\/p>\n

Handheld Hardware<\/h3>\n

In the box is the handheld, miniUSB cable, and instructions. The handheld measures approximately 5.5 inches across, 2.5 inches high, and about three quarters of an inch deep.<\/p>\n

\"It<\/a>

It fits well in the hand.<\/p><\/div>\n

On the top of the unit is an LED that lights red during charging and lights yellow once fully charged. To the right of the LED is an AV out port to play on a TV (cable not included, but usually available from the AtGames Flashback Zone<\/a>), miniUSB charging port, SD card slot (full-sized), and a volume dial.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The top of the unit.<\/p><\/div>\n

On the rear of the unit is the rechargeable battery cover. You’ll get between 3 – 5 hours of usage from a full charge.<\/p>\n

On the left front of the unit, starting at the top, is a MENU button, which returns you to the main menu at any time, a d-pad, and a single speaker. In the middle front of the unit is the 3.2″ screen. On the right front are buttons that mimic the functionality of a Sega Six Button Control Pad<\/strong>, and includes a START\/PAUSE button, and A, B, C, X, Y, and Z buttons. Below those buttons is\u00a0a low battery indicator, which becomes lit when the battery needs charging.<\/p>\n

Finally, on the bottom of the unit is a 3.5mm headphone (or speaker) jack and an ON\/OFF switch.<\/p>\n

Games<\/h2>\n

The menu system is straightforward. Move up and down or left and right to move between the games and pages of games, respectively. Once you select a game by pressing START\/PAUSE, it starts up the same as it does on a standard Sega Genesis<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Of the 80 included games, as mentioned, 39 are originals from back in the platform\u2019s prime, while the other 41 are later, more generic Genesis-like releases that are a mix of casual games and typically lower quality clones of popular titles. However you choose to look at the selection, it\u2019s still a good value, particularly since you can easily augment what\u2019s included with ROMs on an optional SD card.<\/p>\n

You can get a good idea for how the built-in games look and sound by watching the videos under Games<\/strong> from my Sega Genesis Classic Console<\/a> review.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a sampling of a few more of the built-in games to give you an idea of how they look and sound:<\/p>\n

Golden Axe III<\/strong><\/p>\n