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If your gaming heart belongs to the arcade, Evercade has built one of the best collections of classic coin-op games you can own on a single piece of hardware. The purple-cased arcade cartridges are a highlight of the whole library — and there are some absolute gems in there for fans of the golden age of arcades.

Here’s a rundown of the must-have arcade cartridges and why they deserve a spot in your collection. For the full list of all 22 arcade cartridges, see our Evercade Arcade Games page.

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TOAPLAN ARCADE COLLECTIONS 1–4

Toaplan is one of the most celebrated names in shoot-’em-up history, and Evercade has given them four dedicated cartridges — Toaplan Arcade 1, Toaplan Arcade 2, Toaplan Arcade 3, and Toaplan Arcade 4. That’s a serious commitment to one of the finest shmup developers who ever existed.

Toaplan’s games are known for their tight mechanics, punishing difficulty, and iconic status in arcade history. If you love blasting your way through waves of enemies with pure skill and pattern recognition, these carts are essential. With four collections to work through, there’s a huge amount of content here.

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DATA EAST ARCADE COLLECTIONS 1 & 2

Data East made some wonderfully weird and memorable arcade games, and Evercade has two arcade collections from them alongside a console collection. Data East Arcade Collection 1 and Data East Arcade 2 are packed with the kind of playful, inventive arcade experiences that made Data East a fan favourite.

If you grew up pumping coins into Data East cabinets, these carts will bring it all rushing back.

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JALECO ARCADE 1

Jaleco brought a strong lineup of arcade titles across a range of genres, and their Evercade arcade collection delivers a solid slice of that catalogue. It sits alongside Jaleco Collection 1 on the console side, making Jaleco one of the better-represented publishers across the Evercade library.

Great for arcade fans who like variety — Jaleco wasn’t a one-trick pony.

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GAELCO ARCADE COLLECTIONS 1 & 2

Gaelco is a Spanish developer with a devoted following, and their two Evercade arcade collections are a genuinely exciting inclusion. These are games that many players outside Europe will be discovering for the first time — and they’re a real treat.

Gaelco Arcade Collection 1 and Gaelco Arcade Collection 2 offer something a little different from the usual Japanese arcade fare, and that’s exactly what makes them worth picking up.

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NEOGEO ARCADE COLLECTIONS 1–4

The Neo Geo needs no introduction. SNK’s legendary hardware powered some of the finest arcade games ever made, and Evercade has four Neo Geo arcade cartridges in the library: NEOGEO Arcade 1, NEOGEO Arcade 2, NEOGEO Arcade 3, and NEOGEO Arcade 4.

Neo Geo collections are a huge draw for arcade fans. Fighting games, run-and-guns, sports titles — the Neo Geo library had incredible depth, and having it on Evercade hardware is a genuine treat.

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TAITO ARCADE COLLECTIONS 1, 2 & 3

Taito is one of the most iconic names in arcade history — the company behind Space Invaders and countless other classics. Evercade gives them three arcade cartridges — Taito Arcade 1, Taito Arcade 2, and Taito Arcade 3 — which means there’s a substantial chunk of Taito history to work through.

For anyone who loves classic Japanese arcade gaming, the Taito collections are an absolute must. This is the kind of software lineup that makes the Evercade platform genuinely special.

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WINDJAMMERS, KARNOV & FRIENDS

This cartridge bundles together some brilliant arcade oddities. Windjammers alone is worth the price of admission — it’s one of the most beloved Neo Geo titles and a game that has only grown in reputation over the years. Pair it with Karnov and friends and you’ve got a cart full of personality.

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IREM ARCADE 1 & VISCO ARCADE 1 & 2

Irem gave us R-Type. That alone earns them a place in the arcade hall of fame. Irem Arcade 1 is a must for shmup fans.

Visco is a lesser-known but well-regarded developer, and Visco Arcade 1 and Visco Arcade 2 — both confirmed by Blaze Entertainment and expected August 2026 — give fans a chance to explore a part of arcade history that doesn’t often get the spotlight it deserves.

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ATARI ARCADE COLLECTIONS 1 & 2

Atari’s arcade legacy stretches back to the very beginning of the industry. Atari Arcade 1 and Atari Arcade 2 cover the coin-op side of one of gaming’s founding companies. Essential for anyone who wants a complete picture of arcade history.

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TECHNOS ARCADE COLLECTION 1

Technos is the team behind Double Dragon and River City Ransom — two of the most influential beat-’em-ups ever made. Technos Arcade Collection 1 taps straight into that legacy, and for fans of the genre it’s a no-brainer addition to the shelf.

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THE BEST HARDWARE FOR ARCADE GAMING: EVERCADE VS-R & ALPHA

All of these cartridges work across the Evercade range, but for the full arcade experience two pieces of hardware stand out.

The Evercade VS-R is the home console option — plug it into your TV, grab a controller, and play your arcade carts exactly as they were meant to be enjoyed. Big screen, proper controls, couch co-op where supported. It’s the closest thing to having an arcade cabinet in your living room without actually buying one.

The Evercade Alpha takes things even further. It’s a bartop arcade cabinet with a built-in screen, arcade-style controls, and a real cabinet aesthetic. If you’re serious about your arcade gaming, the Alpha is the definitive way to play this library. It also comes with built-in games, making it a fantastic package straight out of the box.

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DON’T FORGET THE MANUALS

One of the great things about Evercade.info is the archive of original game manuals. If you want to dig into the history of a game before you play it — or just enjoy the nostalgia of a proper instruction booklet — the Evercade manual scans section is well worth a browse. There are scans available for a wide range of titles across the collection.

Among the most popular are the Tomb Raider Manual, the Duke Nukem 3D Manual, and the Worms Armageddon Manual — each page includes a game description, a link to the PDF, and details of which cartridge the game appears on.

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Ready to build your arcade collection? Head over to the Evercade Carts & Manuals page for the full list of cartridges, game listings, and manual links — everything you need to track down your next purchase.

The retro handheld market in 2026 is crowded, capable, and genuinely confusing. Miyoo, Anbernic, Retroid, Analogue, Evercade — they all play old games, but they do it in completely different ways. This is a straightforward breakdown of the best options and who each one is actually for.

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BEST BUDGET: MIYOO MINI PLUS

Price: ~£40–£50

The Miyoo Mini Plus remains the benchmark for budget retro handhelds. It’s small, pocketable, has a beautiful 3.5″ IPS screen, excellent battery life, and handles everything up to PS1 without breaking a sweat. The community support is enormous — custom firmware, themes, and game scrapers are all well-developed.

The catch: it runs emulators, which means you source your own ROMs. That’s a grey area most people navigate quietly, but it’s worth knowing before you buy.

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BEST MID-RANGE: ANBERNIC RG40XXV

Price: ~£60–£80

Anbernic makes a broad range of handhelds and the RG40XXV sits in the sweet spot. Vertical form factor, 4″ IPS screen, solid build quality, and enough power to handle PS1 and N64 comfortably. Anbernic’s devices run Linux-based firmware (typically ROCKNIX or ArkOS) and the setup experience is more polished than it used to be.

Again — emulator-based, ROM-dependent. Same grey area as Miyoo.

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BEST POWER: RETROID POCKET 5

Price: ~£150–£180

If raw emulation power is the priority, the Retroid Pocket 5 is the current leader. Android 13, a 5.5″ OLED screen, and enough processing muscle to tackle PS2, GameCube, and Dreamcast. It’s as close to a proper handheld gaming PC as you’ll find at this price point.

The trade-off is setup complexity — Android means configuring emulators, scraping metadata, and managing your own library. It’s a tinkerer’s device, and a rewarding one if that’s your thing.

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BEST PREMIUM: ANALOGUE POCKET

Price: ~£200–£220

The Analogue Pocket is a different beast entirely. It uses FPGA — field-programmable gate array — rather than emulation, meaning it recreates the original hardware at a silicon level rather than simulating it in software. The result is accuracy that emulators struggle to match, particularly for games that rely on precise timing.

It plays original Game Boy, GBC, GBA, and Game Gear cartridges natively. Additional cores cover other systems. The 3.5″ screen is one of the best ever put in a handheld. It’s expensive and perpetually hard to get hold of — but for purists, there’s nothing quite like it.

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BEST FOR PHYSICAL, LICENSED GAMES: EVERCADE NEXUS

Price: £169.99 | $199.99 | €199.99

The Evercade Nexus is the only handheld on this list that plays exclusively licensed, physical cartridges — and that’s its entire point. Every game in the Evercade library has been officially licensed from the original rights holder. Each cartridge comes in a proper box with full-colour artwork, a spine label, and a printed manual — a physical product you can display on a shelf and actually own. There are no ROMs to source, no grey areas, no configuration.

The hardware is genuinely strong: 5.89″ IPS screen at 840×512, dual analogue sticks, WiFi 6, EverSync wireless local multiplayer, and a 5,000mAh battery. The new 32 and 64-bit Nexus-era cartridges — including the Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack — are designed specifically for it.

The library itself is curated rather than exhaustive — Blaze works directly with publishers like Atari, Namco, Data East and Rare to produce themed collections, so every cart feels considered rather than thrown together. There’s also a genuine community around the platform — active Discord servers, Facebook groups, and dedicated fan sites like this one.

If you care about owning a proper physical collection, supporting the publishers behind the games, and playing without setup hassle, the Nexus is in a category of its own. It doesn’t try to compete with Retroid on emulation breadth — it does something none of the others do at all.

More affordable entry points into the Evercade ecosystem: the EXP-R handheld (~£80–£100) and the HyperMegaTech! Super Pocket (from £49.99) both use the same cartridge format. For TV play, the Evercade VS-R brings the full library to your living room with up to four-player local multiplayer. Not sure which Evercade device is right for you? See the Nexus vs EXP-R comparison.

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QUICK COMPARISON

Device	Price	Approach	Best for
Miyoo Mini Plus	~£45	Emulation	Budget, portability
Anbernic RG40XXV	~£70	Emulation	Mid-range, build quality
Retroid Pocket 5	~£165	Android emulation	Maximum power, PS2/GC
Analogue Pocket	~£210	FPGA	Purists, original carts
Evercade Nexus	£169.99	Licensed cartridges	Physical collection, no faff

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THE HONEST VERDICT

There’s no single “best” retro handheld — it depends entirely on what you value.

If budget is everything: Miyoo Mini Plus.
If you want power without breaking the bank: Anbernic RG40XXV.
If you want the most powerful emulation device: Retroid Pocket 5.
If accuracy matters more than anything: Analogue Pocket.
If you want physical, licensed games with zero setup: Evercade Nexus.

The Evercade sits apart from the others because it’s the only legitimate, licensed option. Every other device on this list exists to play ROMs. Evercade exists to sell you a proper physical product — and in 2026, with the Nexus launching and the cartridge library growing past 80 collections, it’s never been a stronger proposition.

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New to Evercade? Read the beginner’s guide or see how Evercade compares to Anbernic, Retroid and Miyoo in more detail. Ready to buy? See where to get Evercade.

Evercade has a reputation as a solo collector’s platform — cartridges, couch, and quiet nostalgia. That reputation isn’t wrong, but it sells the ecosystem short. Across its hardware lineup, Evercade has built out a genuinely solid set of multiplayer options, from traditional couch co-op to something genuinely new with EverSync. Here’s every option explained, so you can pick the right setup for your situation.

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THE VS-R: THE NATURAL MULTIPLAYER HUB

If you want the most straightforward Evercade multiplayer experience, the VS-R is where you start. It’s a home console with two built-in controller ports, designed from the ground up for couch co-op and head-to-head play. Plug it into your TV, load a cartridge, hand a pad to whoever’s sitting next to you, and you’re done.

The VS-R draws from a wide library of two-player arcade and home console titles. Beat-em-ups, sports games, puzzle games, platformers — the catalog covers most of the genres where multiplayer has always mattered. It’s the closest thing the Evercade lineup has to a traditional living room games console, and for families or anyone who plays with friends regularly, it earns its place easily.

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THE ALPHA: BUILT FOR TWO FROM THE START

The Evercade Alpha is an arcade-style bar-top cabinet with one set of built-in controls, but it supports multiplayer via USB controllers plugged directly into its ports. Grab a second pad, plug it in, and you’re ready for two-player play without any additional hardware setup.

The Alpha is particularly satisfying for arcade head-to-head and co-op titles. Fighting games, run-and-guns, scrolling beat-em-ups — anything that was designed for side-by-side arcade play feels at home here. It’s a more specialised piece of kit than the VS-R, but for what it does, it does it well.

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EVERSYNC ON THE NEXUS: THE BIGGEST LEAP

EverSync is the most significant development in Evercade multiplayer, and it lives on the Nexus handheld. Using WiFi 6, two Nexus units can connect directly to each other for local wireless multiplayer — no internet connection required, no router needed, no subscription. Just two handhelds in the same room.

The clever part is that only one cartridge is needed between the two players. One Nexus runs the cart, the other connects wirelessly and joins the session. For a platform built around physical media, this is a meaningful step forward. It keeps the collector appeal intact while removing the biggest practical barrier to handheld multiplayer.

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BEST CARTRIDGES FOR MULTIPLAYER

Knowing the hardware is one thing — knowing which carts to load is another. Technos Collection 1 is an easy first pick, giving you Double Dragon co-op in the way it was meant to be played. Worms Collection 1 brings Worms Armageddon, which needs no introduction as a multiplayer classic. Bitmap Brothers Collection 1 includes Speedball 2, still one of the most brutal and entertaining two-player sports games ever made.

The arcade collections are worth loading up too. Data East, Namco, Taito, and Jaleco all have strong representation on the platform, and most of those collections carry titles originally designed for two-player simultaneous or alternating play. For sports-style multiplayer, the Piko sports collections round things out with a range of options that work well in a pass-the-pad session.

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HOT-SEAT: THE OFTEN OVERLOOKED OPTION

Not every multiplayer session needs simultaneous play. Hot-seat — where players take turns with a single controller — works across virtually every VS-R and Alpha title. It’s a low-friction way to involve more people, especially with puzzle games, sports titles, and anything turn-based. Don’t overlook it as a genuine option for groups.

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EXP-R AND SUPER POCKET: SOLO ONLY

To be clear about what the lineup doesn’t offer: the EXP-R and Super Pocket handhelds are single-player devices. There’s no link cable, no wireless, no multiplayer of any kind. They’re excellent for what they are — personal, portable, cartridge-based gaming — but if multiplayer is your goal, neither of these is the answer.

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THE VERDICT

Evercade multiplayer games span a wider range than most people realise. The VS-R handles couch co-op with no fuss. The Alpha nails the arcade head-to-head experience. EverSync on the Nexus breaks new ground for the platform in a genuinely useful way. Pick your hardware based on how you actually play, load the right carts, and there’s a lot here worth sharing.

For more detail on the Nexus and EverSync, see our full Evercade Nexus guide. Trying to decide where Evercade fits against other handhelds? Our Evercade vs Anbernic, Retroid, and Miyoo comparison breaks it down.

When the Evercade launched in 2020, it arrived with 10 cartridges ready to go — a solid debut that gave players a taste of what Blaze Entertainment had in mind. Fast forward to today, and that number has exploded past 80 cartridges. That’s a remarkable amount of growth for a dedicated retro gaming platform, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

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WHERE IT ALL STARTED

The original Evercade lineup leaned heavily on established retro publishers — Atari, Namco, Interplay, Data East — and for good reason. These were names that carried instant recognition for anyone who grew up gaming in the 80s and 90s. Collections like Atari Collection 1 and Namco Museum Collection 1 gave the platform genuine credibility right out of the gate.

Those early 10 cartridges covered everything from arcade classics to home console favourites, and they made it very clear what Evercade was all about: curated, legal, physical retro gaming done properly.

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THE LIBRARY FINDS ITS FEET

Through 2021 and into 2022, the catalogue expanded at a steady pace. New publishers joined the fold — Jaleco and others — bringing with them a huge range of genres and platforms. Beat-em-ups, platformers, sports games, shooters: the Evercade was building something genuinely varied.

The introduction of the Evercade VS home console in late 2021 added extra momentum. With a home device in the mix, multi-cart support and couch co-op became part of the conversation, and the appetite for new cartridges grew alongside the expanding hardware range.

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GOING BEYOND THE CLASSICS

One of the most exciting developments in the library’s growth has been the shift toward indie and homebrew content. The Morphcat Games Collection, the Bitmap Bureau Collection, and others showed that Evercade wasn’t just a nostalgia machine — it was a platform willing to champion modern developers making games in a retro spirit.

The Evercade EXP and Evercade EXP-R handhelds pushed things further still, with built-in titles and a sharper focus on specific genres and platforms. Each new hardware launch has brought fresh cartridges with it, keeping the library moving forward.

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OVER 80 CARTRIDGES AND COUNTING

Hitting 80+ cartridges is a genuinely impressive milestone. Think about what that means in practice: hundreds of individual games, spanning multiple decades and dozens of original publishers, all available in a consistent physical format with proper manuals and artwork.

The breadth of the catalogue today is something few would have predicted back in 2021. You can jump from an Atari 2600 classic to a sharp 16-bit beat-em-up to a modern indie gem — all on the same device, all on cartridge.

And with Blaze continuing to announce new collections regularly, the library isn’t done growing yet. Every few months brings something new to track down and add to the shelf.

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EXPLORE THE FULL LIBRARY

Want to see exactly what’s available? Our Evercade games database lists every cartridge and game in the library — fully searchable and regularly updated. Whether you’re a newcomer figuring out where to start or a collector tracking down the gaps, it’s the best place to get a complete picture of just how far the Evercade catalogue has come.

Seven editions. One pocket-sized handheld. Same price. So how do you pick the right Super Pocket for you? Here’s a breakdown of every edition and who each one is best suited for.

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WHAT IS THE SUPER POCKET?

The Super Pocket is a compact handheld developed by HyperMegaTech! — the same company behind the Evercade ecosystem. Each edition comes themed around a classic publisher, with a built-in game library pre-loaded and ready to go.

Every edition shares the same solid hardware: a 2.8″ IPS screen, quad-core 1.2GHz processor, full shoulder buttons, USB-C charging, and up to 4 hours of battery life. At 165g it genuinely fits in your pocket.

Crucially, every edition includes an Evercade cartridge slot — so on top of the built-in games, you get access to 80+ officially licensed Evercade collections and 700+ games. No downloads, no internet, just insert and play.

All editions are priced at £49.99 / €59.99, with the Rare Edition at $69.99 in the US.

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TAITO EDITION — 18 GAMES

Best for: Fans of classic Japanese arcade games and bubble-based platformers.

The Taito Edition packs in some genuine arcade legends. Space Invaders and Space Invaders ’91 are here, alongside Bubble Bobble, Puzzle Bobble, The NewZealand Story, Rastan, and Operation Wolf. There’s real variety — action, platformers, shoot-’em-ups, and puzzle games — making this one of the most well-rounded built-in libraries.

If you have fond memories of Taito’s golden age, or you want a handheld with broad arcade appeal, this is an excellent starting point.

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CAPCOM EDITION — 12 GAMES

Best for: Action game fans and Street Fighter devotees.

Twelve games, but what a twelve. Street Fighter II’: Hyper Fighting, Final Fight, Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, Mega Man, Strider, Bionic Commando, and the full 194X trilogy — this is a murderers’ row of Capcom classics.

The Capcom Edition has the smallest built-in library of all seven editions, but the quality-per-game ratio is arguably the highest. If you’re a Capcom fan, you already know you want this one.

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ATARI EDITION — 50 GAMES

Best for: Retro purists, Atari collectors, and anyone who wants sheer volume.

With 50 built-in games, the Atari Edition is the biggest library of any Super Pocket edition — by a long way. It spans Atari’s arcade hits, the Atari 2600, and the Atari 5200, covering decades of gaming history.

Highlights include Asteroids, Missile Command, Pong, Millipede, Berzerk, Yars’ Revenge, Adventure, Haunted House, and many more. If you want the most content out of the box, this is the one.

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TECHNŌS EDITION — 15 GAMES

Best for: Beat-’em-up lovers and Double Dragon fans.

Technōs Japan gave us some of the defining beat-’em-ups of the 8 and 16-bit era. If Double Dragon, Renegade, and Kunio-kun mean anything to you, this edition was made with you in mind.

It’s a more niche pick than some of the others, but for fans of the genre it’s a genuinely exciting collection on a device you can take anywhere.

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NEO GEO EDITION — 14 GAMES

Best for: Fighting game fans and SNK enthusiasts.

The Neo Geo Edition brings 14 games from SNK’s legendary Neo Geo hardware to your pocket. Neo Geo games were premium arcade-quality titles — and having them built into a handheld at this price point is genuinely impressive.

Released in July 2025, this is one of the newer editions. If you’re an SNK fan or always wanted a portable Neo Geo experience, this is your edition.

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DATA EAST EDITION — 18 GAMES

Best for: Arcade game fans who love cult classics.

Data East had a knack for producing wildly creative and memorable arcade games, many of which don’t get nearly enough recognition today. With 18 built-in games, the Data East Edition is a great way to rediscover — or discover for the first time — some genuinely underrated classics.

If you want something a little different from the usual suspects, this edition rewards the curious.

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RARE EDITION — 14 GAMES

Best for: Anyone who grew up with a NES, SNES, or Game Boy in the late ’80s and ’90s.

The Rare Edition is the most anticipated Super Pocket release to date — and arguably the most exciting for a generation of gamers. Rare produced some of the most beloved games of the 8 and 16-bit era, and getting 14 of them built into a Super Pocket is a big deal.

Launching in June 2026, this is the most recently announced edition. It’s priced at $69.99 in the US — a small premium that reflects just how sought-after the Rare back catalogue is.

If the Rare logo gives you a rush of nostalgia, you don’t need us to tell you to buy this one.

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SO WHICH SHOULD YOU BUY?

Here’s a quick cheat sheet:

• Best overall variety: Taito Edition
• Best quality hits: Capcom Edition
• Most games out of the box: Atari Edition
• Best for beat-’em-up fans: Technōs Edition
• Best for fighting game fans: Neo Geo Edition
• Best for cult arcade fans: Data East Edition
• Best for ’90s nostalgia: Rare Edition

And remember — whichever edition you choose, the Evercade cartridge slot means you’re never limited to just the built-in library. Every Super Pocket can play the full range of Evercade carts, so your collection can grow with you.

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Want the full specs, complete game lists, and more detail on every edition? Head over to our Super Pocket hub page for everything you need to know.

The Evercade Alpha is unlike anything else in the Evercade lineup. It’s a bartop arcade cabinet — a proper upright unit you sit at a desk or counter, with a screen, joystick, buttons, and that unmistakable arcade feel. But is it the right choice for you? Let’s break it down.

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WHAT IS THE EVERCADE ALPHA?

The Evercade Alpha is Blaze Entertainment’s take on a home bartop arcade cabinet. It features dual Evercade cartridge slots and plays the same Evercade cartridges you know and love, but the experience is completely different from the handheld or VS console. You’re getting an 8″ IPS screen, a proper joystick and button layout, and a cabinet design that genuinely looks the part sitting on a desk or shelf unit.

It’s designed to scratch that arcade itch without requiring a full-size cab or a dedicated games room. Think of it as the middle ground between a tabletop machine and a full standing arcade unit.

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THE THREE EDITIONS

The Alpha launched in three distinct editions, each aimed at a slightly different buyer.

The Street Fighter Edition is the headline version. It features official Street Fighter branding, artwork across the cabinet, and comes bundled with the Street Fighter cartridge. If you’re a fighting game fan, this one makes an immediate statement on any surface it sits on.

The Mega Man Edition celebrates classic Capcom arcade titles — think Mega Man, Final Fight, Strider, and more. The artwork leans into Capcom’s golden-age arcade aesthetic, and it’s a great fit if you love those iconic Capcom franchises but aren’t solely a Street Fighter fan.

The Taito Edition celebrates classic Taito arcade titles — think Bubble Bobble, Elevator Action, and more golden-age gems. If your retro tastes run a little broader than just Capcom, this is the one with a different flavour of nostalgia baked in.

All three editions share the same hardware — the difference is in the cabinet artwork and the built-in games.

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WHAT’S THE ARCADE EXPERIENCE ACTUALLY LIKE?

This is where the Alpha earns its place. The controls genuinely feel arcade-grade — the joystick has good resistance and accuracy, and the buttons are responsive with satisfying tactile feedback. For fighting games, shoot-’em-ups, and classic platformers, it’s a noticeable step up from a gamepad.

The screen is bright and sharp, and the slight upward angle of a bartop cabinet puts you in exactly the right position for extended play. It’s comfortable in a way that hunching over a handheld simply isn’t.

Two-player gaming is supported via the USB ports on the front of the cabinet — plug in a second USB controller and you’re good to go. Fire up a beat-’em-up or a co-op shoot-’em-up and it immediately becomes the centrepiece of any gaming session.

One honest caveat: not every Evercade cart suits the arcade format equally. Games built around a D-pad and buttons translate perfectly, but anything that leans heavily on analogue input or shoulder buttons can feel a little awkward. Stick to arcade-style games and you’ll be grinning the whole time.

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HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO THE HANDHELD RANGE?

The Evercade handheld — in both its original and EXP forms — is about portability and personal play. You’re gaming on the go, in bed, on the sofa. It’s intimate and convenient, and the flip or landscape form factor suits a wide range of games beautifully.

The Alpha is the opposite in almost every way. It’s fixed, social, and immersive. You’re not taking it anywhere. But what it gives you in return is a shared experience — the kind of gaming moment that gets people gathered round, competing, cheering, and talking about it afterwards.

If you already own a handheld and want to expand your Evercade setup, the Alpha adds something genuinely different rather than duplicating what you have. Your cartridge collection works across both, which is one of the smartest things about the Evercade ecosystem.

If you’re buying your first Evercade device and you’re a solo player who games in different rooms or on the move, the handheld might serve you better day-to-day. But if you entertain, game with friends or family, or just want something that looks incredible on a desk — the Alpha is hard to argue with.

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WHO IS THE EVERCADE ALPHA FOR?

It’s for you if:

• You love arcade games and want that authentic joystick-and-buttons experience at home
• You game with a partner, friends, or kids regularly
• You want a display piece that also happens to be a serious gaming machine
• You already own Evercade cartridges and want to play them in a completely new way
• You’re a Street Fighter, Capcom or Taito Arcade fan and the themed editions speak to you

It might not be for you if:

• You want flexibility of where you play
• Your collection skews heavily towards RPGs, puzzle games, or console-style titles
• Space or budget is a significant constraint

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Want to dig deeper into specs, availability, and all three editions? Head over to our dedicated Evercade Alpha page for everything you need to know before you buy.