The Evercade is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by British company Blaze Entertainment.

The original handheld console was discontinued and replaced with the improved Evercade EXP, released at the end of 2022.

The Evercade was developed by the UK-based Blaze Entertainment,[1] which had previously produced Atari-related products and the Game Gadget.

[2][3] Blaze began development of the Evercade in 2018, with the intention of creating a console superior to plug-and-play devices.

[7][11][12] The console is white and red in color, for a retro appearance like the Nintendo Famicom,[3][13][14] although a black edition was also sold in the United Kingdom.

[15] Andrew Byatt, the Evercade's development director, hoped to sell hundreds of thousands of units within the first year.

[14] Like the Nintendo Switch, the Evercade can be connected to a television, however with a mini-HDMI cable, as opposed to a normal HDMI output.

[26] Two-player games converted for the Evercade retain the multiplayer function, with the intention that future hardware will allow two players.

[2] The addition of Bluetooth had been considered as a way to add multiplayer, but the development team scrapped this idea because of cost and complexity, which did not go well with the console's focus.

At the end of 2019, before the Evercade's release, Blaze was already working on a second version with multiplayer capability and a possible, easier alternative for connecting the console to a television.

[7] Unlike other retro consoles, the goal for the Evercade was to provide retrogamers a chance to build a collection of physical games.

[16] Cartridges, clamshell packaging, and paper instruction manuals were part of the effort to appeal to retrogamers, as digital game downloads had become common in recent years.

[13] Giga Carts, though identical in appearance and size, will feature additional storage space for emulating modern games on the Evercade.

[36] Arc System Works published a cartridge full of beat 'em up games originally developed by Technōs.

[41] The Namco Museum Collection cartridge includes the first official English translation of the game Mappy Kids.

[38] In 2021, Blaze also began releasing cartridges featuring arcade ROMs, with the first four containing games from Technōs, Data East, Gaelco, and Atari.

[49] In July 2022, Blaze announced a cartridge featuring Commodore 64 games, the first with ROMs from a home computer system.

[1][13][14][19][25][26][56] Andrew Liszewski of Gizmodo stated that the games worked flawlessly: "There's no stutter, no dropped frames, no screen tearing artifacts, and no issues with sound sync.

"[13] Brendan Griffith of GamesRadar+ rated the Evercade three and a half stars out of five and called it "handheld heaven for older gamers wanting to revisit some classic games," while writing that "curious newcomers" may also have an interest in it.

[26] Damien McFerran of Nintendo Life called the system "appealing enough to surely sell in the modest numbers required to build a fairly robust audience".

[3] John Linneman of Digital Foundry praised the size of the console compared to smaller handhelds, writing that it has "a nice weight and doesn't feel like a cheap, hollow device.

"[19] Adam Patrick Murray of PC World rated the console four and a half stars out of five, and also praised its size.

[58] Andrew Webster of The Verge stated that the Evercade "straddles the line between modern and retro in a way that's very satisfying", while writing that the game cartridges "strike a nice balance of well-known hits and more obscure releases.

"[41] Nick Thorpe of Retro Gamer praised the inclusion of Atari 7800 games, which are lesser-known and more difficult to acquire.

[25] Adam Ismail of Tom's Guide rated the console four stars out of five, but criticized the lack of games from Nintendo and Sega.

Blaze stated that these reviewers had received an early model and that the issue was remedied ahead of the console's launch.

[64][65] The console's improved screen and its addition of vertical orientation were both praised,[67][68][72][73][74] although some critics were disappointed by the lack of Bluetooth.

[75][76][77] A redesigned version, the Evercade EXP-R, will release in July 2024 at a lower retail price, while the original EXP will be discontinued.

[63][78] In July 2023, Blaze Entertainment unveiled its new line of Super Pocket handhelds to be produced under the company's new HyperMegaTech brand.

The console featured a smaller design at a lower price along with built in games by Capcom and Taito, depending on edition.