The Evercade is a handheld game console created and made by a British company called Blaze Entertainment. It is designed for playing old games, with each cartridge containing several games that are copied from older systems. The Evercade was released on May 22, 2020, and when it first came out, it included 10 game cartridges with a total of 122 games.
Companies such as Arc System Works, Atari, Bandai Namco Entertainment, G-Mode, Interplay Entertainment, and Piko Interactive have made versions of their games for the Evercade. Some games originally made by independent developers have also been released again on the system by Mega Cat Studios. The Evercade can play games that were first released for systems like the Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atari Lynx, Intellivision, NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, and PlayStation. It can also play arcade games and home computer games from systems like the Commodore 64, Amiga, and ZX Spectrum.
A home console version called the Evercade VS was released in December 2021. The original handheld console was no longer sold and was replaced by an improved version called the Evercade EXP, which was released at the end of 2022.
History
The Evercade was created by Blaze Entertainment Limited, a company from Great Britain that had previously made Atari-related products and the Game Gadget. Blaze started working on the Evercade in 2018, aiming to build a console better than easy-to-use devices. The Evercade was introduced in April 2019 as a portable console for playing old video games. It could connect to a television and played games that mimic the style of 8-bit and 16-bit systems from the past.
The Evercade was first planned to be released in the fourth quarter of 2019. However, the release was delayed to March 20, 2020, and then to May 22, 2020. Some areas faced further delays due to shipping problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The console cost £60/$80 with one game cartridge included, while a more expensive version priced at £80/$100 came with three cartridges. It had a white and red design, similar to the look of the Nintendo Famicom. A black version was also sold in the United Kingdom. Andrew Byatt, who led the Evercade’s development, aimed to sell hundreds of thousands of units in the first year.
On May 31, 2022, Blaze announced that it would stop selling the Evercade and instead release an improved version called the Evercade EXP.
Hardware
The Evercade has a 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 processor and is based on Linux. It is slightly more than seven inches long, has 256 megabytes of RAM, and includes a horizontal 4.3-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 480×272 pixels. The screen uses a 16:9 aspect ratio because some of the console's games were originally made for systems like the Atari Lynx, which use a wider screen ratio than 4:3. Players can switch between the 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios.
The Evercade can connect to a television using a mini-HDMI cable instead of a regular HDMI cable. It provides a television output of 720p and can upscale all games to high definition when connected to a TV. The console has a rechargeable 2,000-mAh battery that lasts four to five hours. A 3.5 mm headphone jack and two volume controls are located on the bottom of the console. The cartridge slot, power button, and mini-HDMI port are on the top. A MicroUSB port is used for charging. Unlike modern handheld consoles, the Evercade does not have a touchscreen or Wi-Fi.
Blaze Entertainment tested 20 different designs for the Evercade D-pad before choosing the final version. The design is similar to the D-pads on the Genesis and Saturn controllers. In addition to the D-pad, the console has four action buttons on the front, two trigger buttons on top, and "menu," "select," and "start" buttons. The layout of the four action buttons was decided after Blaze conducted an online poll, which found that 68% of people preferred a layout like those on modern game controllers. However, this caused confusion because in-game prompts did not match the buttons (for example, a player might need to press "B" when the game shows "A"). Blaze released a firmware update to fix this issue, which required connecting the console to a computer and then to the Evercade website.
Two-player games on the Evercade keep the ability for two players, with plans for future hardware to support this feature. Adding Bluetooth was considered for multiplayer, but the development team decided against it due to cost and complexity, which did not align with the console's design goals. By the end of 2019, before the Evercade's release, Blaze was already working on a second version that would include multiplayer support and a simpler way to connect the console to a television.
Games
Games for the Evercade are sold on multi-game cartridges. Each cartridge usually has between 5 and 20 games, though some have fewer than five. These cartridges allow players to save their progress, a feature not common in older games. The Evercade used cartridges instead of built-in or downloaded games, which was unusual for retro handheld consoles. This choice aimed to let players collect physical games, as digital downloads had become popular. Cartridges, special box-shaped packaging, and paper manuals were used to attract fans of retro gaming. Cartridges are numbered to encourage collecting and are white, similar in size to Game Boy and Game Gear cartridges. In 2024, Blaze Entertainment introduced new cartridges called Giga Carts, which look the same but have more storage for modern games.
Evercade cartridges use emulation to recreate existing games. Developers worked with original game creators to ensure accuracy. Atari was the first publisher to partner with Evercade in 2019, followed by Interplay Entertainment, Data East, and Bandai Namco Entertainment. Each cartridge includes games exclusive to its publisher.
Blaze Entertainment discussed game releases with licensees, focusing on well-known or rare titles. Japanese games were also sought for release. Licensees sometimes suggested games, and some were rejected for quality reasons. Others could not be released due to missing paperwork proving ownership. Indie developers were also invited to create retro-style games for the console. Mega Cat Studios later released a cartridge with 10 homebrew games originally made for the NES and Mega Drive.
The Evercade uses licensed or custom-built emulators to play games from systems like the Atari 2600, NES, SNES, Mega Drive, and PlayStation. At launch, 10 cartridges were available, offering 122 games. Blaze planned to release over 50 cartridges in the future. Piko Interactive and Mega Cat were among the early cartridge makers. Evercade games usually cost $20. Arc System Works released a cartridge with beat 'em up games from Technōs. The Namco Museum Collection cartridge included the first English version of Mappy Kids. Iron Commando, previously limited, was also released. Other cartridges included Tanglewood and Atari Lynx games.
Arcade games like Asteroids and Pac-Man were released as home conversions. Original arcade ROMs were not used at first due to screen size differences. A collection of games by the Oliver Twins was released in 2020. In 2021, Jaleco and Worms cartridges were released, along with indie and Intellivision games. Blaze later released cartridges with arcade ROMs from Technōs, Data East, Gaelco, and Atari. In 2022, a cartridge with Commodore 64 games was released, the first from a home computer system. Cartridge cases are colored differently: red for console games, purple for arcade games, and blue for home computer games. Each color group has separate numbering.
Hidden games can be unlocked using menu codes, button combinations, or specific cartridge pairings in the Evercade VS.
On November 14, 2023, Full Void by OutOfTheBit became the first single-game Evercade cartridge. It was released in standard and limited editions, with the limited version selling out quickly. The special edition included a blue cartridge, stickers, a poster, a comic, an art book, and an exclusive inlay in a cardboard sleeve. Full Void runs directly on Evercade hardware, not through emulation.
Blaze agreed with SNK to release new products starting in 2025, including a cartridge with six Neo Geo games.
Reception
Reviewers praised the console's ability to recreate classic games. Andrew Liszewski of Gizmodo said the games worked perfectly: "There is no stuttering, no missing frames, no screen tearing, and no sound problems. They all work well, letting players start playing right away." Brendan Griffith of GamesRadar+ gave the Evercade three and a half stars out of five and called it "handheld heaven for older gamers who want to play classic games again," while noting that "new players might also enjoy it." Damien McFerran of Nintendo Life said the system is "appealing enough to sell in the numbers needed to create a strong audience." John Linneman of Digital Foundry praised the console's size compared to smaller handhelds, writing that it "feels solid and not cheap." Adam Patrick Murray of PC World gave the console four and a half stars out of five and also praised its size. Liszewski praised the Evercade for being simple to use. Simon Hill of Wired rated it 8 out of 10 and praised the save feature.
Andrew Webster of The Verge said the Evercade "combines modern and retro features in a way that feels satisfying," while noting that the game cartridges "include both well-known games and less common ones." Nick Thorpe of Retro Gamer praised the inclusion of Atari 7800 games, which are rare and hard to find. Adam Ismail of Tom's Guide gave the console four stars out of five but criticized the lack of games from Nintendo, Sega, and Konami. Marcus Estrada of Hardcore Gamer praised the variety of games but criticized arcade games like Centipede for being home versions of original releases. He concluded that the console is "a tribute to retro games that will be popular among classic gaming fans and collectors." Will Greenwald of PC Magazine rated the Evercade 3.5 out of 5 but also criticized the home-conversion arcade games. McFerran praised the cartridges for including popular games but wrote "you must buy all 10 cartridges to get the best games, and some collections include games you might not want to play again." Other reviewers noted that many games have limited appeal. Some reviewers, impressed by the wide selection of downloadable games online, praised the Evercade for its limited selection.
Reviewers praised the controls but criticized the layout of the action buttons. Linneman wrote, "With NES games, for example, the A and B buttons are placed where I usually prefer X and A. Mega Drive/Genesis games also use A, B, and Y, which feels unnatural to me." Ismail praised the company for quickly addressing the layout issue: "The fact that Blaze fixed this problem soon after the console's release shows the company is listening to feedback." Murray criticized the shoulder buttons for being too sensitive and the action buttons for being too close together.
Reviewers complained that games fit too tightly in the cartridge slot, making them hard to remove. This was made worse by the smooth design of the cartridges, which makes them hard to grip. Blaze said these reviewers tested an early version and that the issue was fixed before the console launched. Kyle Orland of Ars Technica criticized the use of cartridges at a time when downloadable games are common: "Going back to the old days of switching between cartridges is not very appealing anymore."
The console's price was praised as reasonable. The cartridge packaging also received praise. Some critics were disappointed that the console uses a MicroUSB port instead of USB-C, and others were upset about the lack of multiplayer features. Estrada noted that a few games, like Splatterhouse 3, have audio issues. Other critics also mentioned audio problems, but Blaze worked to fix them.
Reviewers said viewing the screen from an angle reduces its quality and visibility. Liszewski wrote that the screen is one of the largest on a handheld console but "not one of the best," adding, "you don’t have to tilt the console much before the screen starts losing color." He also said the resolution is good for gameplay but "makes menus look pixelated, unless you accept that as retro charm." Other reviewers criticized the simple menu designs. Some reviewers noted a visual issue where shimmering appears during scrolling. Linneman criticized the limited aspect ratio options.
Subsequent systems
After the original Evercade, Blaze created and released several updated and new Evercade products.
In April 2021, Blaze introduced a home console version called Evercade VS. It can play most games from the original handheld Evercade and has a screen resolution of 1080p. Unlike the handheld version, the VS supports multiplayer for up to four players. The handheld Evercade can be connected to the VS and used as a controller. The VS was released in December 2021. A redesigned, more affordable version called VS-R was released in August 2024.
In May 2022, Blaze announced the Evercade EXP, an improved version of the original Evercade. It was released on December 15, 2022. The console is designed to be held horizontally but can also be used vertically for arcade-style games. It is compatible with all previously released Evercade games and includes 18 built-in games from Capcom. The standard console is white, while a limited edition with an all-black design was available, with 5,000 units produced. The standard model costs £130/$150, and the limited edition costs £180/$227.
Compared to the original, the EXP has additional buttons and a slightly different button layout. The screen size is the same as the original handheld, but the EXP displays games in higher resolution at 800×480. It includes a mini-HDMI port for connecting to a television, with a resolution of 720p. The EXP uses a 1.5 GHz processor and has 4GB of RAM. It supports Wi-Fi for updates. The console has a larger battery (3,000 mAh) for up to five hours of use and uses a USB-C port for charging.
The EXP’s improved screen and vertical orientation were praised. The redesigned version, Evercade EXP-R, was released in November 2024 at a lower price. The original EXP was no longer sold. The EXP-R does not include the mini-HDMI port or the 18 built-in games.
In July 2023, Blaze Entertainment launched a new line of Super Pocket handhelds under its HyperMegaTech brand. These devices are smaller, less expensive, and include built-in games from Capcom and Taito, depending on the edition. Although not officially called an Evercade console, the Super Pocket has a cartridge slot and is compatible with all Evercade games. Preorders began in July 2023, with shipments expected in October of that year.
In May 2024, Blaze announced the Evercade Alpha, a tabletop arcade cabinet that can play Evercade cartridges and includes built-in licensed Capcom games.