Retro games will never go out of style, but they can be hard to find and play on modern consoles. The Evercade VS tries to blend the old and new schools, playing cartridges loaded with compilations of 80s and 90s games with a few modern concessions.
Where the original Evercade, released last year, straddled that Nintendo Switch-like line between handheld and home console, the VS ditches the portability in favor of a deeper home experience. The new machine is a little white, red and gray box that would look right at home next to Nintendo’s original Famicom.
The rectangular controllers seem straight out of the days before hand comfort was a design factor – although the company insists they’re still ergonomic. Up to four of these controllers can be plugged in, and in a nice touch, players can also use whatever USB controllers they might have lying around. Or, with the help of a special cord, the Evercade Handheld can be used as a controller too.
The VS plays that most retro of media – game cartridges – which can be shared between the two Evercade models. Rather than one game per cartridge, they’re loaded with compilations of classics bundled by publisher, with an impressive selection of big names such as Atari, Interplay, Namco, Codemasters, Data East, and Team17. So far the collection contains over 260 games including Pac-Man, Asteroids, Centipede, Worms, Galaga, Earthworm Jim, Double Dragon, and Tempest.
The Evercade VS packs a few modern touches too. It outputs via HDMI in Full HD 1080p resolution, and has a Wi-Fi connection to allow for system and game updates. In a unique twist, two cartridges can be slotted into the machine at once, letting players select any game from either cartridge through one menu.
The Evercade VS starts at US$99.99. Preorders open at the end of May, and launch is currently set for November 2021.
Check it out in action in the video below.
Source: Evercade