Evercade (Platform)

Evercade

PLATFORM» EVER» May 22, 2020

Evercade is a range of consoles that plays officially licensed cartridge-based collections of retro 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit and 64-bit console games, arcade games and 8-bit and 16-bit home computer games.

Platform Images Related Pages

EditHistoryPage info

Evercade is a platform focused on retro gaming that launched in 2020. Initially released as a handheld and subsequently expanding to TV-connected and bartop arcade form factors, the platform takes its own proprietary cartridges, each of which contains one or more officially licensed games.

Evercade Handheld (2020)

The original Evercade handheld launched in May 2020 and was available in both "Starter" and "Premium" sets. The Starter package came with a single multi-game cartridge, while the Premium edition had three. The handheld can be played by itself, or connected to a TV via a mini-HDMI to HDMI cable, which provides a 720p upscaled version of the interface and games. Ten cartridges were available at launch:

These cartridges consisted exclusively of 8-bit and 16-bit home console games originally released on Atari 2600 (Platform), Atari 7800 (Platform), NES, SNES and Mega Drive/Genesis, and more were released gradually in the months following the handheld's release. The original Evercade handheld is now discontinued, but new cartridge releases for the platform continue to support it.

Evercade VS/VS-R (2021)

The Evercade VS is a retro gaming console that connects to a modern TV via HDMI, providing a 1080p picture. The console includes two cartridge slots to allow more games to be available to play at one time, and four controller ports, allowing for multiplayer gaming in titles that support it. Unlike the original handheld, the Evercade VS also features Wi-Fi connectivity, primarily used for over-the-air firmware updates. The Evercade VS launched in November 2021 in Europe, though shipping delays meant that it was early 2022 before it was available to North American players. The console's launch coincided with the start of Evercade's range of arcade-centric cartridges, so the available bundles included cartridges from this selection. The Starter Pack included Technōs Arcade 1 (Game) and a single controller, while the Premium Pack included Technos Arcade 1, Data East Arcade 1 (Game) and two controllers. There was also a limited edition Founder Edition available exclusively during the pre-order period, which included a special black version of the console, some additional bonuses and 6 cartridges in total. The Evercade VS uses more powerful hardware than the original Evercade handheld and also has more internal storage, allowing the firmware to have more features. Over time, a variety of new functions were added, including custom button mapping, screen rotation for tate mode games, DIP switches for arcade games, mouse support, Game of the Month and more. There are also a number of built-in hidden games loaded into the console itself, accessible via secret passwords, button combinations or loading two particular cartridges into the system at the same time. It is possible to connect the original Evercade handheld to the Evercade VS to use it as a controller, but this requires a specially designed USB cable. The original Evercade VS was revamped into the Evercade VS-R in 2024, offering the same form factor with a new colour scheme and a lower price point. The VS-R was initially released with Tomb Raider Collection 1 (Game) as the bundled game.

Evercade EXP/EXP-R (2022)

The Evercade EXP is a retro gaming handheld designed to replace the original Evercade handheld and bring the handheld experience in line with what the VS offers. The unit also boasts a higher resolution and better quality screen than the original handheld, with a better viewing angle being the most obvious improvement, and also has two sets of shoulder buttons compared to the original handheld's single set. These were included due to the platform starting to play host to more 32-bit console games, primarily from the PlayStation (Platform). Evercade EXP launched in December of 2022, but in the run-up to release, all stock of the limited edition black version of the console was stolen during shipping to distributors. Replacement systems were sent out to those who had pre-ordered the limited edition version, with some changes made to the packaging to distinguish the new batch from the original stolen batch. The standard edition white version released in December 2022 as originally intended. Evercade EXP was available in two bundles: the aforementioned limited edition came with the Irem Arcade 1 (Game) and Toaplan Arcade 1 (Game) cartridges, while the standard edition came with just Irem Arcade 1. Both editions of the console also featured a pre-loaded selection of built-in Capcom games, including a selection of arcade titles as well as the console versions of Mega Man (Game), Mega Man X (Game) and Breath of Fire (Game). Evercade EXP offers all the same features as Evercade VS, except the dual cartridge slots. Firmware updates over time have added new features such as custom control mapping, DIP switches for arcade games, Game of the Month and more. At launch, Evercade EXP's unique selling point was a tate mode button that would immediately rotate the screen through 90 degrees to play vertically oriented arcade games. This feature was subsequently added as a menu setting for Evercade VS via a firmware update. The Evercade EXP was refreshed into the Evercade EXP-R in 2024, offering the same form factor with a new colour scheme and a lower price point, but without the built-in Capcom games. The EXP-R was initially released with Tomb Raider Collection 1 as the bundled game.

Evercade Alpha (2024)

Evercade Alpha is an all-in-one bartop arcade unit that includes an 8" IPS display with a 4:3 aspect ratio, a selection of built-in games and dual cartridge slots, allowing all Evercade cartridges to be played using either the built-in arcade controls or controllers connected via USB. Evercade Alpha was first released in November of 2024 with two variants: a Street Fighter edition which includes Street Fighter II': Champion Edition (Game), Super Street Fighter II Turbo (Game), Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter Alpha 2 (Game), Street Fighter Alpha 3 (Game) and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo (Game) as its built-in games; and a Mega Man edition, which includes Mega Man: The Power Battle, Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters, Carrier Air Wing (Game), Final Fight (Game), Strider and Knights of the Round (Game) as its built-in titles. Both were available in regular and deluxe editions, with the latter featuring authentic Sanwa parts for the arcade controls, plus additional swappable marquee art for the light-up panel at the top of the unit. Evercade Alpha offers all the same features as Evercade VS/VS-R and EXP/EXP-R, and once again firmware updates over time have added a variety of new features.

HyperMegaTech! Super Pocket

While not strictly speaking an "Evercade" product, and lacking many of the firmware features of the VS/VS-R, EXP/EXP-R and Alpha, the low-cost HyperMegaTech! Super Pocket range of handhelds, also by Evercade creator Blaze Entertainment, include a selection of built-in games as well as an Evercade cartridge slot. All currently available and announced Evercade cartridges also work on these devices.

Evercade cartridges

Evercade cartridges are a proprietary design intended specifically for use in Evercade and HyperMegaTech! Super Pocket devices. They include at least one game, accessible via the device's firmware menu. Games on Evercade cartridges run the gamut from officially licensed retro games to modern indie games developed for classic platforms or natively for Evercade. Retro games are played via emulation and support save states, multiple scaling modes and scanline filters. Native releases are specifically programmed for Evercade and thus do not include the emulation features. Native releases to date include Donut Dodo (Game) (Indie Heroes Collection 3), Bubble Seahorse Adventures (Indie Heroes Collection 3), Full Void and Murtop. They are available in three distinct, individually numbered ranges: red cartridges primarily include games originally released on home consoles; purple cartridges primarily include games that were originally arcade machines; blue cartridges primarily include games that were originally released on home computers such as the Commodore 64 (Platform) and Amiga (Platform). All cartridges come in a plastic clamshell case with an inlay and full-colour manual, with occasional bonus extras. Sometimes individual titles on a cartridge do not match the colour scheme but otherwise fit into the overall "theme" of the collection; for example, Delphine Software Collection 1, a blue "home computer" cartridge, includes the Mega Drive/Genesis version of Flashback, and The Bitmap Brothers Collection 2, also a blue cartridge, includes the PlayStation version of Z (Game). In 2024, Blaze launched the "Giga Cart" range of cartridges for Evercade, which allowed larger-scale games (primarily CD-based 32-bit titles) to be included on a single cartridge. The first releases to bear this label were Tomb Raider Collection 1 and Legacy of Kain Collection (Game). On Evercade VS/VS-R and Alpha, inserting two cartridges in specific combinations can sometimes unlock additional hidden games.

Games view all →]