Lots to Love about the Evercade Retro Handheld Game Console

Retro games have been released on many platforms, and can easily be accessed on the Nintendo Switch, Xbox family of consoles, and the PlayStation family of consoles. Atari has released compilations of their best old games, as has numerous other companies. But they just don’t feel right. Loading up a digital game on your giant TV feels wrong in some way, but there was really no other options, at least not until Evercade was launched.

Evercade launched in May 2020, after being in development for around two years. UK company Blaze Entertainment is responsible for the design and creation of the console, and have been hard at work not only creating the handheld, but working with the biggest names in the industry to produce outstanding game collections. The Evercade Premium Pack – which we reviewed for this article – includes 3 Cartridges Collections: Atari Volume 1, Interplay Volume 1 and Dataeast Volume 1, as well as the handheld itself. Let’s take a look at everything included in the box!

The Handheld Console

The Evercade looks retro, and I’ll be honest when I say nostalgia flooded over me the second I opened the box. Even before you turn it on, you know you are dealing with a retro product just by the look. That being said, the handheld has most of the premium features of a modern day handheld console, with one exception that we will discuss in just a moment. The buttons feel great, the dpad is incredibly responsive, and the screen is more than adequate to handle all these great retro games.

The only downside to the console is the inclusion of a micro-USB charging port. Since it released in 2020, it would have been nice to get a USB-C port instead. Sometimes beggars cannot be choosers, but I do believe this is a big missed feature, and if a V2 of the Evercade ever comes out, it would be my number on request.

Here are some of the hardware specs:

• 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 processor, and the console uses Linux
• Horizontal 4.3-inch LCD screen
• Can connect to the TV via mini-HDMI
• Rechargeable 2,000-mAh battery (about 4 hours of life in our tests)

What makes the Evercade really shine, however, is the outstanding, chunky, beautiful cartridges!

Games and Cases

If there is one thing we can say about the video game indsutry, it is the downgrade in the quality of game presentation. Take the Nintendo Switch, for example, which uses cartridges instead of discs. While we can commend the awesome internal artwork that some companies are using, the rest is pretty bland. A good sized box with a tiny cartridge. That’s usually it. Not with Evercade.

Evercade cartridges are nice and chunky, and have a very satisfying click when pushed into the top of the handheld console. But it’s not the chunkiness or the clicking that gets me excited – it’s the packaging. Games come in decently sized plastic cases, and inside you not only find a catrdige, but also a manual! I forgot, there is a good chance you don’t know what a game manual is, so let me explain:

Game manuals use to be common place in video game cases, and usually provide an overview of the game you have purchased, as well as helpful controller options and sometimes tips and tricks! Sometimes, these manuals are in full colour.

Evercade knew how to pull on the heartstrings of retro game collectors, and produced a product that is worthy of the price. The Premium pack can be purchased in Canada for about 129.99, with game packs going for anywhere from 19.99 to 29.99. Not to shabby for 5+ retro games on a cartridge, as a physical product!