Earlier this year, Blaze Entertainment released the Evercade EXP, the next iteration of its retro handheld that plays cartridges loaded with classic games. But you don’t even need (or can’t) a cartridge to enjoy some of the most exciting games in the Evercade library.flame has Announce A new partnership with Capcom brings Evercade EXP owners access to 18 classic Capcom games. All 18 games will be preloaded into EXP, so you can play them as soon as you start your handheld. Evercade EXP is now available for pre-order ahead of its winter release.Check Partner list Find your preferred retailer. Not all retailers are live, but they should be coming soon.
Evercade EXP’s “bonus content” was teased when Blaze announced EXP. It’s safe to say that the bonus content is pretty exciting. The library of 18 Capcom games is impressive, as it includes a bunch of classic Capcom arcade games as well as some great console games, including three Mega Man games. Here is the full list:
comfort
- Mega Man (8 places)
- Mega Man 2 (8 places)
- Mega Man X (16-bit)
- Breath of Fire (16-bit)
arcade
- 1942
- 1943
- 1944: Master of Cycles
- Bionic Commando
- commando captain
- commando
- final battle
- forgotten world
- ghoul
- Legendary Wings
- MERCS
- Street Fighter II: Super Fight
- stepper
- external ear
Some games will take advantage of Evercade EXP’s TATE mode, which allows players to turn the handheld and play in a vertical orientation. Commando, 1942 and 1943 are just a few games that can use this feature. Released in 1944 as a 4:3 aspect ratio game, TATE mode was not required for this particular sequel. Of course, many other games in the Evercade library will also take advantage of TATE mode.
It’s also worth noting that Capcom games will still have all the features Evercade users have come to expect from a cartridge launch, including save states and scanlines.
Because Capcom games are preloaded on EXP, they are unique to the handheld. Unfortunately, original Evercade handheld and Evercade VS home console users will not be able to play the Capcom library on their devices. That said, you can use the Evercade EXP’s mini-HDMI port to play Capcom games at 720p on your TV or monitor.
Evercade EXP has a sleeker design and looks great. It features an improved 4.3-inch IPS display that increases the resolution from 480 x 272p to 800 x 480p. Under the hood, the Evercade EXP matches the VS home console with a 1.5GHz processor and 4GB of RAM. It also uses USB-C instead of microUSB for charging. All existing cartridges that worked on the original Evercade handheld will work (and look better) on the EXP.
Earlier this year, we reviewed the Evercade VS home console and were impressed with its design and performance. The original handheld was also an excellent piece of hardware. If you miss retro consoles and arcade games, the Evercade series offers a wide variety of games on physical cartridges. From what we’ve seen so far, the Evercade EXP looks like a significant improvement over the already great Evercade handheld.
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