Chinese modder TZMWX has already created a one-off handheld Sega Saturn, but now he's back with another project – this time paying tribute to one of the rarest (and perhaps most misguided) Sega consoles of all time.
Back in the mid-'90s, Sega's hardware was all over the place. The company had the Genesis / Mega Drive, Game Gear and Sega / Mega CD – and would also launch the Nomad, 32X and Saturn in quick succession, as well as keeping its coin-op division busy.
Into this technological maelstrom, the company also released the CDX / Multi-Mega, a combined Mega Drive and Mega CD unit which was about the same size as a portable CD player (it could even be used as one and could be powered by batteries for this very purpose).
The CDX is now one of the most expensive and desirable Sega consoles, largely because it was produced in such limited numbers. Inspired by this exercise in video gaming decadence, TZMWX has created the "Sega CDX2" – a Saturn bundled into the same form factor, basically.
A prototype of the CDX2 was completed back in December of last year, by "folding the real hardware motherboard in half to reduce the area [and] using Sony's KSM-900 drive mechanism to lower the optical drive thickness." The unit had a built-in modchip, EXRAM 1M/4M (for games that required expansion cartridges) and a built-in memory card.
Earlier this month, TZMWX showed his vision for the CDX2's shell, which was made up of a unique bottom section twinned with the top shell of a Sanyo CD player. He later added a small LCD screen to the device, making it fully portable and playable without a TV.
The latest revision includes a modified top cover which allows "for the addition of modules with different functions," according to the modder. He also "added cutouts for the power switch and interfaces" and "built in a Panasonic 21700 battery."
If you're looking at these images and checking your bank balance for available funds, we'll stop you there – TZMWX only makes one-off devices and never sells any. For now, this amazing project will remain a one-of-a-kind dream for Sega fans the world over.