Modder and YouTuber Sega Holic has created a Sega Nomad battery mod for the portable handheld. Using a USB power supply and an LCD screen, Sega Holic was able to get the Nomad to actually last longer than a Nintendo Switch does.
Given the battery killing nature of the Nomad, this is a welcome change. Sega Holic has been able to extend the lifespan past the 5 hour mark, which is far longer than the original two to three. Obviously though, the larger the USB battery pack, the longer your Nomad would last. This is great for gamer’s on the go, and makes the console worth taking on the road. Given batteries are over 26800mAh now, you’d theoretically be able to game all day and night.
As detailed in the video, the use of a modern LCD has also helped. He’s specifically used an LQ035NC211, which is available on Amazon. You should be able to use the old housing, but be careful not to damage anything as you go. This said, you might be able to lower the power drain further using an OLED screen. Just make sure to read up on the technical details first, to make sure it’s compatible. You’ll also need to match the screen size of 3.5 inches.
If you’d like more information about this, Sega Holic goes into more details over on a NeoGaf thread. There, you can read some additional details on how he got the Sega portable to run on USB power. We’ll be sure to look for more mods from him in the future. He’s teased the possibility of USB-C video out, much like a Nintendo Switch, but we’ll need to wait and see. We’ll be posting about other mods over here in the future.
Have you been able to get your Nomad to last longer? Will you be attempting a Sega Nomad battery mod?