Evercade EXP

I have a Switch, I have a 3DS, I have a GB Advance and an original Gameboy - at some point I have played virtually every handheld gaming device and there has always been one slight niggle with them ... as great as they have been ... just one thing ... comfort and controls (well kind of two things, but one really if you look at it objectively).The D pad or rockers on all these devices has always been ok and the grip and comfort have always been ok - certainly good enough to play with for at least an hour or so, but then fatigue sets in and a bit of cramp. The joycons on the Switch are fairly awful for serious play and an FPS? No chance.Anyway - to the point - the D pad and the buttons on the Evercade XP are an absolute dream, they respond beautifully, they feel ... proper. Like they were meant for proper gaming and the size of the console is just about perfect for comfort.It feels and plays like a proper handheld gaming machine.I never got the original - to be honest I didn't think it would get much support - a licensed system with licensed cartridges that are properly paid for instead of millions of chinese switch clones with sd cards and dodgy ROMs? That won't work.Turns out there are a lot more people interested in gaming the right way and paying for what they play properly - then came the VS and at this point tons of cartridges and I was contemplating it and I was just about to buy one when I saw a video for this.Well it looked great and the video raved about the controls and the great screen and it comes with 18 properly licensed Capcom games AND an irem cartridge (with R-Type!)??Ordered.Not disappointed - not at all. The emulation is absolutely spot on for everything I've played and I will confess I would have liked the screen to be a bit larger ... BUT I have a portable monitor to connect to and it looks absolutely fantastic on that too so the best of both worlds really.I also confess to having one or two of those dodgy ROM chinese boxes and they may have 1000000000's of games and most of the emulation may be pretty good but they're not portable and in all honesty it feels a LOT better paying hard cash for a licensed cartridge. Yeah it's overall more expensive and there's not as much choice (YET ....) but it's a much better experience.I regret not adopting this at the start but I am glad I have now and I'm still considering getting the VS for a bit of multiplayer with my kids.If you're thinking of getting into retro gaming (or getting into it properly away from the dodgy ROMs) then Evercade is absolutely the best way to go. This is a dream, but the original is cheaper if you don't have the budget and as I understand it the controls are almost as good as this one.Go retro - go Evercade.Also there's five unlockable games on the console - you can find the codes online - have fun!

I pre-ordered this handheld to complement the console version which I've had a while. Very straight forward to use - just unpacked and charged. I've played a number of cartridges on it and they've all fitted well (snug fit so they don't rattle/fall out when handheld is moved about and used) and worked well.The screen is bright and the little speakers put out a reasonable sound although I used headphones to spare those around me the music/effects!. I've charged the device several times and it holds its charge fine (I mention this as I've seen a couple of review saying they had problems - I've not had any). All in all a nice and well made machine for the price (mine included the onboard capcom games and an Irem Cart).The machine was easy to connected Wifi and has had a couple of updates so far. In terms of playing I've found the controls and buttons nice and comfortable and I've not noticed any issue with the emulation with the retro games. With the Indie stuff like Cathedral it is very nice and I hope to see more of those kinds of titles. From a support point of view this is a real product not just a cloned generic cheap machine with pirated software from China so you get decent packaging and nice manuals etc.

The media could not be loaded. The Evercade EXP is the 2nd handheld and the latest from Blaze Entertainment Evercade line. Boasting an improved screen, wifi, TATE mode, and of course 18 built in Capcom games, including Street FIghter 2 and FInal FIght. In addition this package also ships with the Irem arcade collection which includes the excellent R-Type, and is compatible with all the current Evercade game cartridges. So how does the EXP stack up?The box art is great. With the front illustrating the console itself on a black background and the reverse the contents. The sides are adorned with Capcom art. Inside the box you have the EXP console, a USB C cable, a quick start guide, the manual for the Capcom games and the Irem cartridge. I’ve seen some reviews state that the EXP feels cheap. Far from it. It isn’t as premium as say a Vita but it feels pretty good. The plastics are textured for grip and the buttons all feel good. The shape is a fairly simple rectangle but it feels comfy in the hand. While the game controls are fairly instinctive, the position of the power button and volume control is a bit odd. The power button is on the top next to the cartridge port. It’s quite easy to press while inserting and removing games. The volume is on the base and isn’t easily accessible during gameplay. It’s also worth noting there is no OSD to indicate the volume level. Hopefully this is something that will be addressed in a future firmware update. Also on the base is the USB-C charging port, the 3.5mm headphone socket, and the button to toggle TATE mode. Which I will talk more about later. While the white design is nice and clean I feel some more distinction is needed for some of the buttons.Powering the EXP and after a short wait you are greeted with a splash screen. The screen is nice and clear with good colours and viewing angles. The resolution is only 800x480 but on a screen of this size it remains relatively crisp. One issue is there is some light bleed around the bezel. This appears to be caused by the backlight and the power LED. The menu is nicely laid out and easy to navigate with the games front and centre. Within the settings you can adjust the display, including adding filters, setup the network to enable firmware updates, change the theme and even unlock secrets, including games. The sound isn’t amazing from the tiny speakers, though it’s much improved with headphones. Game emulation appears to be spot on. I have quite a few carts and I’ve tried a fair few games. Aside from a couple of minor crashes with a couple of games it has been nice and stable. Save states are available for each game so you can continue your progress. TATE mode allows for the console to be flipped like a Lynx, and is perfect for a lot of arcade ports. Allowing for more of the screen to be used. Battery life is so so. I’ve found it difficult to pin down. Brightness, volume and of course the game ultimately affect it. While I’ve had quite long play sessions and found that I’ve barely exhausted the battery, Equally I've played for half hour and found the battery level at half.I’ve owned my EXP for just over two months. It isn’t perfect and there is clearly room for improvement, but it absolutely gets the important stuff right. There really isn’t anything that captures the nostalgia and the experience the same way.