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Evercade EXP - Official Announcement Trailer

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


Check out the announcement trailer for a look at the Evercade EXP, a new handheld retro gaming system from Evercade, featuring a high resolution IPS screen, built-in Wi-Fi, and a TATE mode for use with vertical-orientation games. The Evercade EXP launches in winter 2022.

The console will come with IREM Arcade 1 cartridge collection included in the box, and more bonus content will be available.
 

Agent X

Member
Evercade EXP looks like a great improvement from the original Evercade Handheld! Here are the specifications:

  • 4.3" IPS Screen (800×480)
  • Bonus content (TBA Sep 2022)
  • TATE Mode for vertical screen orientation.
  • 1.5Ghz Processor
  • 4GB Built-in Memory
  • Stereo Speakers
  • USB-C Charging Port (cable included)
  • Built in WiFi for easy updates
  • 3.5mm Headphone Jack.
  • 720p Mini HDMI Output for TV (cable not included)
  • 3000mA battery for 4-5 hours gaming
  • 192.7 mm ( 7.76") x 78.5 mm ( 3.1") x 20.7mm ( 0.8")

The new system has a sleek, refined design, as you can see in their Twitter post.

 
The problem with a lot of these retro handhelds is they don't seem to offer an experience beyond what the Vita, hell the PSP could do all those years ago, nor the value proposition for that matter.
I'm sure it can run up the PS1 or something with a low res screen like that, but at this point that's beyond ancient, any "retro" handheld going forward needs to be able to handle the original PS2 & Xbox, and soon the PS3 & 360, as those are already what's retro today. Otherwise why would I buy this over a gamepark or those tiny handheld PCs with tiny keyboards from years ago that gave way to the steamdeck? Or attach a $40 controller snap on to my phone?
 

Agent X

Member
I already hate the D-pad and I haven't even touched the thing.

The D-pad on the original Evercade Handheld was quite good. This looks like essentially the same D-pad, so that's a good thing in my book.

The face buttons (A, B, X, and Y) appear to be slightly smaller.

The trailer shows that Evercade EXP has four shoulder buttons (L1, L2, R1, and R2), much like the Evercade VS. By comparison, the original handheld only had two shoulder buttons (L and R).

The original handheld's screen resolution was 480x272, the same as the PSP, and approximately 16:9 aspect ratio. The new system is boasting an 800x480 screen, which is a 5:3 ratio, or you can call it 15:9, if you prefer. That's the same aspect ratio as the top screen of the 3DS. It is a slightly less "wide" screen than the PSP or original Evercade Handheld. This shouldn't have any impact on the playability of existing games, as they should all fit within that resolution with ease, but it would affect the borders, which will be drawn differently. They'll probably have some new and updated borders, anyway. The "zoom level" might change for the scaling of some games if they want to maintain "pixel perfect" appearance and use integer scaling, but I think most of the games will benefit, especially if their original resolution was 320x240 or something very close to that.
 

nush

Member
The problem with a lot of these retro handhelds is they don't seem to offer an experience beyond what the Vita, hell the PSP could do all those years ago, nor the value proposition for that matter.

"Pre-orders for this bundle open at 17:00 BST on June 1st, and it will cost £179.99."


"The Sony PSP Vita lands in the UK on Feb 2 and will cost you £230 for Wi-Fi or £280 for the 3G version and now the next gen portable has just had its British launch game titles and prices announced. The prices range between £25 and £45 so it might take a bit more pocket money saving but I am sure the games will be worthwhile"


"Sony has officially confirmed its portable games PSP console will finally hit UK shelves on September 1. Priced at £179, the electronics giant had originally planned to release the highly anticipated gadget across Europe in March this year. "

Now add inflation and factor in these devices are targeting a specific sector of the retro gaming market. This device offers official licensed retro games, not ROMs on a cracked system.
 

SpiceRacz

Member
Evercade EXP looks like a great improvement from the original Evercade Handheld! Here are the specifications:

  • 4.3" IPS Screen (800×480)
  • Bonus content (TBA Sep 2022)
  • TATE Mode for vertical screen orientation.
  • 1.5Ghz Processor
  • 4GB Built-in Memory
  • Stereo Speakers
  • USB-C Charging Port (cable included)
  • Built in WiFi for easy updates
  • 3.5mm Headphone Jack.
  • 720p Mini HDMI Output for TV (cable not included)
  • 3000mA battery for 4-5 hours gaming
  • 192.7 mm ( 7.76") x 78.5 mm ( 3.1") x 20.7mm ( 0.8")

The new system has a sleek, refined design, as you can see in their Twitter post.




Pretty sure that's In The Hunt being displayed on the screen in that picture. On the one hand, what a technically unimpressive game to show off on a handheld. On the other hand, I really want to play In The Hunt on a fucking handheld.
 

ChoosableOne

ChoosableAll
150 dollars for an ancient tech which needs physical cartridges(usually includes 6 games for 20 dollars)? Probably the worst deal in gaming. I thought it's a PC app like Fightcade with an official ROM market.
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
Does it play all the old cartridges? Might sell my old one and just grab this new version with the capsom games.
 

keefged4

Member
£179.99 hahahaha c'mon, you can get a cheap chinese handheld emulator for about a quarter of the price. Better yet, keep the £179.99 and put it towards a Steam Deck.
 
I think a lot of people miss the point of the Evercade devices. Its about buying physical media with collections of games (some suck, but there are definitely some interesting stuff on some cartridges). Personally I own more than enough things to throw roms on, but there is something fun about buying a cheap $20 cartridge throwing it in the system and giving the games a shot. In comparison I scroll through the endless list of rom sets and play nothing OR the same 15 - 20 games on every system. Its not for everyone but for some people its a real fun device.
 
Received it today, have not been able to update to the latest firmware due to some error. Also been having issues just trying to charge it. The battery indicator is not accurate. The support page with the patch notes mentions that they are improving the battery readout through firmware updates, so hopefully i'll be able to successfully install the latest version soon.

But uhh, this thing gets pretty hot after just like 20 minutes of having it on. Has me a little worried. I want to hold off on making any real judgements until I can get the latest firmware installed.
I'll give an update on how it goes in the next couple days.
 

BlueLena

Neo Member
Received it today, have not been able to update to the latest firmware due to some error. Also been having issues just trying to charge it. The battery indicator is not accurate. The support page with the patch notes mentions that they are improving the battery readout through firmware updates, so hopefully i'll be able to successfully install the latest version soon.

But uhh, this thing gets pretty hot after just like 20 minutes of having it on. Has me a little worried. I want to hold off on making any real judgements until I can get the latest firmware installed.
I'll give an update on how it goes in the next couple days.
Ill be really interested in your experiences once you get it updated - the Reddit Evercade thread was reporting a few different issues with the launch units which is stopping me from fully committing to this just yet. I love the VS but the lure of TATE mode is strong!
 
Well, this thing is a piece of shit. It can't even charge properly and constantly fails at updating. Can't play anything for more than 20 minutes without it crashing to a black screen. First and last time I will buy anything from this company.
Unfortunate since I bought some games prior to it releasing in anticipation. Guess I should have expected it since it's only $150. I was sort of under the impression that this company was doing something different and had some integrity. I will be returning this tomorrow.
 
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Luckily Amazon will allow returns on all the games I bought before recieving the system until the end of the month. Was worried I would be stuck with them.


Metal Jesus did a review on this a few weeks ago.


Honestly I do not trust this guy with anything. Gamesack or My Life in Gaming are both reputable channels.
 
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