There are now a lot of really great handhelds that let you enjoy the retro games of your youth anywhere, but none are as simple and streamlined as the Evercade, which will receive a major update at the end of year with the Evercade EXP. This new model has Wifi and a better screen, but most notably includes additional buttons, which allow you to play the side console for games that require a portrait-oriented screen.
When we first heard about Evercade in 2019, we were skeptical about its use of cartridges, as most retro gaming laptops available today allow gamers to fill microSD cards with thousands of ROM files, putting a massive library of sorting games in your pockets. But when we reviewed Evercade in 2020, the appeal of the handheld became apparent immediately.
Each themed cartridge contains a small collection of games from a specific publisher, such as Atari, Namco, or Data East, and all games play perfectly on Evercade, with no problems, slowdowns, or the need for players to dump configuration. in emulators to adjust system performance. Evercade was a portable retro game made easy (and completely cool) and its creators are about to make it even better.
Today, Blaze Entertainment announced the new Evercade EXP, with an improved 1.5 GHz processor, 4 GB of memory, a larger 3,000 mAh battery, good for about four or five hours of gaming and an IPS screen of Enhanced 4.3-inch that is still the same size as the original, but increases the resolution from 480 x 272 pixels to 800 x 480.
The original Evercade Start and Select buttons have been rotated and relocated to the Evercade EXP, but the biggest enhancement to the EXP is an additional set of A and B action buttons located on the left of the screen and turned sideways. The Evercade EXP will support a new TATE mode, which allows the computer to rotate 90 degrees and play sideways, with an orientation like the original Game Boy, so that scrolling shmups or arcade shooting games can take advantage of maximum full screen. .
Other updates improve the addition of L2 and R2 triggers, by placing two on each side of the top edge of the console, and wifi, which Blaze Entertainment says will be used to make software and firmware updates very easier, but not for game distribution. The Evercade EXP will still depend on the growing cartridge collection of the original, although the company does not rule out the possibility that wifi may be used for other functions later.
Of all the improvements made to the Evercade EXP, our favorite could be the new monochrome color scheme of the device. The all-white version of the Evercade EXP (with a single cartridge collection) will be available for pre-order starting in September for $ 150 ($ 208), with delivery scheduled for later this year. We like a little more the all-black limited edition Evercade EXP, but as its name suggests, only 5,000 units will be available when pre-orders open tomorrow at Funstock.co.uk. It will also be considerably more expensive than the all-white option, priced at £ 180, which translates to approximately $ 226 ($ 314) across the pond.