With CES 2024 officially underway in Las Vegas, we’re on the lookout for the latest futuristic tech and hardware on show at the world’s biggest consumer electronics conference. What we weren’t anticipating was a blast from the past in the form of a handheld Sega Genesis, courtesy of Hyperkin, known as the Mega 95. No, it’s not an official Sega product, but if you’ve got some Genesis and Mega Drive cartridges lying around with nothing to play them on, it’s probably as close as we’re going to get to the real deal.
As first reported by Jon Porter of The Verge, the Mega 95 is essentially a handheld version of Hyperkin’s affordable Genesis and Mega Drive cartridge-compatible MegaRetroN HD console. It’s not the first time the console and controller brand has released a handheld retro device, following on from the SNES-compatible SupaBoy Portable Pocket Console, so we’re expecting a pretty capable piece of kit for fans of retro games when it arrives.
The Mega 95 boasts a five-inch display that you can easily flip from aspect ratios of 4:3 and 16:9 and a reported battery life of around ten hours. Much like the Nintendo Switch, the Mega 95 is a portable console that you can also link up to your TV through a dock with USB-C controller support, so you can pass a pad to a friend and pick up a bit of ToeJam & Earl or Sonic 3 like it’s 1994.
While we don’t have any concrete information on pricing at the time of writing, the SupaBoy Portable Pocket Console retails at just under $120, so we’d expect a similar price when the Mega 95 goes on sale. Unfortunately, we don’t have a release date either, so we’re not sure when that might be. If you’re looking to pick one up, it’s worth following the official Hyperkin Facebook and X pages for the latest information.
There you have it, all you need to know about Hyperkin’s handheld Sega Genesis, the Mega 95. While you’re here, be sure to check out some other gaming gadgets with our lists of the best portable gaming consoles, or catch up with the last 30 years of Sega’s superstar mascot with our guide to the best Sonic games.