Blaze Entertainment has revealed a new Evercade gaming handheld device, the Evercade Nexus. Billed as the successor to its Evercade EXP-R handheld, preorders for the Nexus will go live on April 1, with the unit being priced at $200 ahead of its shipping date in October 2026. A Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack cartridge is included in the bundle.
Compared to the Evercade EXP-R, the Nexus features several substantial upgrades like a larger 5.89-inch IPS display, twin analog sticks, wireless headphone support, and EverSync for local multiplayer. This feature will allow players to share a game wirelessly with other Evercade Nexus consoles, and is similar to the single-cart local multiplayer of the Nintendo 3DS handheld.
Designed to play 32 and 64-bit games, the device can also switch to TATE Mode with the push of a button, shifting the screen into a portrait mode that works well with vertically orientated arcade games. The Nexus has a battery life of up to five hours, and it can download content faster thanks to Wi-Fi 6 functionality. For anyone who already owns an Evercade console, the Nexus will be backward compatible with over 80 Evercade cartridges from the officially licensed retro collection libraries.
Evercade Nexus specifications
Size and weight
- W215mm x H111mm x D34mm
- 410g
Controls
- Dual analogue sticks
- D-pad and face buttons
- Rear bumper and trigger buttons
- Texture grip on the rear
Screen
- 5.89-inch 840×512 IPS high-resolution screen
- 500+ nit brightness
Processor
- Quad Core 1.5Ghz
Memory
- 4GB EMMC RAM
Connectivity
- Wireless headphone support
Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi 6 5Ghz/2.4Ghz for console updates
Battery
- 5+ hour 5000mAH battery
Charging
- USB-C (cable included). 5v 2a required for charging (mains adaptor not included)
Local Multiplayer
- EverSync connectivity (Another Evercade Nexus required)
Extras
- Customizable RGB Light-up Logo
- TATE Mode for vertical screen gaming
All Evercade devices share the same library of games and run on the same easy-to-use operating system, and multiple handhelds are available to purchase. While it’s not as powerful as the upcoming Nexus, the Evercade EXP-R comes equipped with a 4.3-inch high-resolution IPS display (800 x 480p), D-pad, six face buttons, two triggers, and a pair of shoulder buttons. You can pick one up for $130 and get the original trilogy of Tomb Raider games with it. Additional games typically retail for $20 – $30 each, and they’re broken up into console, home computer, and arcade collections.
The library includes some big classic titles so far, like Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars, and Technos arcade classics.