The Evercade Entry
My First Evercade Compatible System
This weekend I can proudly say I've become a member of the Evercade retro family. My Technos Edition Super Pocket arrived this Saturday morning making me feel like a kid again. For those who don't know, the Evercade compatible systems all take the same physical cartridges for playing retro and indie titles. What's cool is you can go from a handheld to a console using the same carts. It's a great way to get back into physical collecting and retro gaming.
The Super Pocket handhelds come preloaded with games that are based on a specific brand like from Atari, NeoGeo, Rare (Banjo Kazooie) etc. The Technos Edition is mostly brawlers like the Double Dragon series, River City Ransom and Super Dodgeball with some stuff like Block Out and Dr John's Adventure to break things up a bit. This handheld comes with 15 arcade and 8-bit console classics. It has a 2.8in IPS display, usb-c 4+ hour rechargeable battery, headphone jack and is Evercade Cart compatible.
I've been reluctant to jump on the Evercade bandwagon as I have a large collection of handhelds from original hardware to emulation handhelds. There aren't many games I can't already play but Evercade offers a new way to play and collect physical media.
My first impression of the Super Pocket? It feels like a well made handheld. It has some weight to it though not heavy. The controls are responsive, the front facing sound is solid and the screen looks good. I was worried that a 2.8” screen would be too small for my old eyes but I didn't even notice it. The games look great. The system gives me that old school, OG Game Boy feeling everytime I pick it up.
Something I've found refreshing is having a limited number of high quality games verses my other handhelds with large libraries. At times I get overwhelmed by having too much to play so having a more focused experience has been very enjoyable. My favorite game on the Technos Super Pocket so far has been River City Ransom. The weapon system is so good and wielding a baseball bat to beat down the baddies just doesn't get old. I also like that you have a button that simulates putting quarters into the arcade cabinet to add credits. Plus having a few modern conveniences like save states is a nice addition. The UI is clean and easy to use. The Super Pocket has a great start up screen that gives me that feeling of starting up a retro console.
Would I reccomend a Super Pocket handheld made by Blaze? YES! Wholeheartedly! For a handheld in the $60ish dollar price range and new game carts for $29, it's a no brainer. I've already ordered a carrying case and the Tomb Raider 1-3 Collection. Everytime I pick up the Super Pocket, I get hit with those nostaglia vibes of days gone by and Saturday’s spent engulfed in gaming. I look forward to introducing my grandson to this new-old way of gaming.
If you decide to take the plunge then let me be the first to say… Welcome to retro gaming! Welcome back to owning and collecting physical games! Welcome to the Evercade family!
