The Evercade Nexus is Blaze’s most ambitious retro gaming handheld to date

Blaze Entertainment has been on a very specific mission with Evercade. Not just to repackage old games, but also to resurrect the retro experience, with physical cartridges, printed manuals and the radical notion you actually own what you buy. That ethos has powered every Evercade-compatible device, from the original handheld through the EXP, VS, Alpha bartops and Super Pockets. And if that didn’t already seem like quite a lot of gear, start making room on your retro-gaming shelf, because Evercade Nexus is on the way.

This latest Evercade handheld reportedly responds to feedback from fans who are sickeningly young and somehow believe retro gaming includes anything that happened after 1995. [OK, granddad – it’s time for your nap now. — Ed] The result is a gadget built to handle slightly less ancient games that expect more than a D-pad, a handful of face buttons and stubborn nostalgia from a Stuff contributor who still thinks the Commodore Amiga is pretty new.

Yes, that means thumbsticks now join the party. But don’t panic, TATE fans, because vertical mode survives, presumably mapping to the right stick and face buttons, much like how I play portrait titles on other thumbstick-equipped budget retro handheld consoles.

Thumbs up

Thumbsticks aren’t the only change. The Nexus is considerably larger than the EXP-R at 215x111x34mm and a chonky 410g. But that bulk buys you front-facing stereo speakers and a larger 5.89in IPS display with 500 nits peak brightness. That’s probably a good thing for old codgers, even if the oddly low 840×512px resolution means the Nexus will have a less sharp display than the EXP-R.

What’s more exciting are some new wireless tricks. There’s wireless headphone support – and a 3.5mm port if you prefer wires – and a new feature called EverSync. This allows local multiplayer between two Nexus devices, without requiring internet, Wi-Fi, or even both players to own the cart.

Speaking of carts, the Nexus will come bundled with one containing N64 titles Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie, spruced up for Evercade with widescreen support, improved camera controls via those new sticks, optional digital controls, and unlockable extras. That bundle will set you back $199.99/£169.99 – bold for Evercade and knocking on the door of Retroid Pocket 6 territory.

But that’s not all. Just to give completist collectors one more punch in the wallet, there’s also the Evercade Nexus 64 Edition. For $229.99/£189.99, this limited-run Funstock exclusive, inspired by classic gaming consoles, adds a hard case, a screen protector, an A3 poster and a certificate of authenticity you can wave in your friends’ faces until they abruptly stop being your friends.

Want to secure a Nexus for yourself? You can pre-order from 1 April ahead of the October release date, and then spend the next six months bulking up your thumbs in preparation.

• Now read: I always wanted a full-size arcade machine, but this is even better

Craig Grannell Contributor

About

I’m a regular contributor to Stuff magazine and Stuff.tv, covering apps, games, Apple kit, Android, Lego, retro gaming and other interesting oddities. I also pen opinion pieces when the editor lets me, getting all serious about accessibility and predicting when sentient AI smart cookware will take over the world, in a terrifying mix of Bake Off and Terminator.

Areas of expertise

Mobile apps and games, Macs, iOS and tvOS devices, Android, retro games, crowdfunding, design, how to fight off an enraged smart saucepan with a massive stick.