Blaze Ent?ertainment and its Evercade brand have teamed up with various developers and publishers over the years,?? from Bandai Namco to Jaleco and beyond. Next up is a partnership with SNK, with products from the Neo Geo lineup planned throughout 2025 and 2026. 

As for what thos?e products are, specific titles have yet to be announced. We can certainly imagine the multi-game carts that might be in the works for the Evercade platform, though. So far, Blaze simply says that "licensed retro gaming products and physical cartridge relea??ses" are in the works. 

Here's the announcement in teaser trailer form:

Hardware mentioned in the PR includes Evercade EXP-R, VS-R, Alpha bartop arcade machines, and the HyperMegaTech branded Super Pocket devices. Look, I'm not asking for much, but it wouldn't hurt to slap a Metal Slug collection on a humble little Evercade ?cart, wo??uld it? Let's make it happen. 

The first licensed SNK Neo Geo products are penciled in for some time in 2025. A special showcase video will kick things off with a look at the lineup, release dates, and pre-order info in Q1 2025. "This partnership isn't just about adding great g?ames; it's about celebrating the artistry and legacy of NEOGEO in a way that's accessible to fans old and new," said Blaze Entertainment CEO Andrew Byatt. "We’re thrilled to give these classics a new platform in 2025."

Evercade has been pretty good about steadily releasing new cartridges. The latest include the Legacy of Kain collection, a second Data East Arcade cart, a two-pack of Metal Dragon and Life on Mars, and two more dips into the To??aplan Arcade bucket. 

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The Evercade line of consoles and handhelds have been gaining a number of 3D games as of late, including ones initially released on the PS1 and N64. However, there hasn’t been a way to actually play them using a controller designed for 3D navigation, i.e., ones with analog sticks. That’s about to change as the Evercade VS�latest update adds support for analog controllers.

I’ll be honest with you, I don’t own an Evercade VS, so my relief is strictly vicarious. I can’t imagine playing Glover or Legacy of Kane using strictly digital controls. It can be done, the company assures, which I’m sure most handheld owners already know. I believe it, I just wouldn’t prefer it. They admit that it was a “hotly requested feature.�/p>

Iâ€?™ll copy+paste the list of g??ames that support analog from Evercade’s site:

• Worms Armageddon (Worms Collection 1)
• Speedball 2100 (The Bitmap Brothers Collection 1)
• 40 Winks (Piko Interactive Collection 3)
• Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes (Duke Nukem Collection 2)
• Duke Nukem: Time to Kill (Duke Nukem Collection 2)
• Glover (Piko Interactive Collection 4)
• Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft (Tomb Raider Collection 1)
• Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (Legacy of Kain Collection)

They note that this feature is still in beta, so they’ll try and improve it over time. In the meantime, Time Extension notes that it supports Xbox, PlayStation, and 8BitDo pads. The compan??y does note that t??hey're not planning on producing any official Evercade analog controllers, so it's strictly BYOB right now.

On top of this rather important feature, they are adding a cartridge eject feature, in case you’re not brave enough to hotswap. There’s also a turbo-fire function that is being added in beta. On one hand, I’m not sure why that wasn’t already a feature, but also, I guess I don’t just normally expect a turbo-fire. So, it’s nice to have, especially if you play any of the platform’s numerous scrolling shoot-’em-ups and are willing to sacrifice your pride to save your thu??mbs.

This update is available for Evercade? VS systems today.

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Blaze Entertainment today has announced the newest member of the Evercade family, the Evercade Alpha. Thi??s version of the hardware takes the form of a tabletop arcade with a dedicated screen.

The Evercade is a retro-focused family of consoles and handhelds. What distinguishes it from mini consoles, is the fact that its games are stored on cartridge. The collections Blaze releases have included games from consoles, classic microcomputers, and modern digital games, but one of ?the most important facets of its preservation efforts is with arcade games from developers like Toaplan and Data East??.

So it makes sense to have one of its form factors be more arcade-like. It includes an 8�4:3 screen and “competition level�arcade buttons and stick. The deluxe version comes with Sanwa buttons, but I’m assuming that you can probably replace them yourself if you'r??e savvy. You can also plug in external controllers for two players.

If there’s one feature I’m missing it’s the ability to plug into an external display. It’s a ??fairly big unit to just plu??g into your TV, but it would be nice to have.

The Evercade Alpha is coming in two versions. There’s the Megaman Power Fighters version, which comes with the two titles in that series, as well as some classics like Final Fight, Strider, Knights of the Round, and Carrier Air Wing. The other is Street Fighter branded and has Street Fighter II�Champion Edition, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo, and Street Fighter Alpha 1-3. The marquees are swappable, and the deluxe edition of? each comes with six different ones.

I’m interested in the Evercade Alpha because I love th??e Taito Eg??ret II Mini and Sega Astro City Mini, but I like the idea of being able to just slot in easy-to-obtain cartridges for more games. My only issue is the size because I don’t have a lot of surface space.

The Evercade Alpha will be up for preorder on June 4, 2024, and will be priced at £199.99/$229.99/�29.99 for the normal versions. The Deluxe versions?? will be more expensive, ??but the US price hasn’t been announced. In Europe it will be £249.99/�89.99.

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Launching with two editions: Capcom and Taito

The creators of the popular arcade handheld Evercade have announced their newest device, the Super Pocket. The handheld can fit in ??your pocket and will featu??re officially licensed arcade games built-in.

Furthermore, the devices ?boast compatibility with Evercade cartridges. There are two separate Super Pocket devices coming to retailers, each pre-loaded with their catalog of games.

[caption id="attachment_391406" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Hyper Mega Tech[/caption]

Super Pocket Capcom Edition

The first variant features a dozen Cap?com titles. Here's what you'll find in this edition:

• • 1942
  • 1943
  • 1944: The Loop Master
  • Bionic Commando
  • Captain Commando
  • Final Fight
  • Forgotten Worlds
  • Ghouls 'n Ghosts
  • Mega Man
  • Street Fighter II': Hyper Fighting
  • Strider
  • Wolf of the Battlefield: MERCS

[caption id="attachment_391407" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Hyper Mega Tech[/caption]

Super Pocket TAITO Edition

The second device comes loaded with 17 games from the Japanese arcade giant TAITO. The games on this ha?n?dheld are:

• Bubble Bobble
• Cadash
• Chack'n Pop
• Don Doko Don
• Elevator Action
• Football Champ
• Growl
• Kiki Kaikai
• Legend of Kage
• Liquid Kids
• Operation Wolf
• Rastan
• Space Invaders
• Space Invaders '91
• The Fairyland Story
• The NewZealand Story
• Volfied

A few more cool features

The Super Pocket boasts an easy-to-use UI that lets you easily save or load games and toggle screen options. Furthermore, those who a??ren't up for an old-shcool challenge can active an Easy Mode to lower the difficulty of the included games.

The device is small enough to fit in your pocket and has four face buttons, a start and select button, a menu button, and a new circula??r D-Pad. It can be charged via USB-C, and it features a 3.5mm headphone jack.

I have to admit, these seem like a pretty great value. We'll have to see if the handhelds offer impressive quality and durability fo??r the price.

Both the Super Pocket Capcom Edition and Super Pocket TAITO Edition are releasing in November 2023 for $59, �9, or £49. They will be available on Amazon and Funstock globally, at Be?st Buy and Video Games Plus in North America, and at Game and Argos in the UK.

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Damn, I’m looking sorry

Blaze Entertainment has retracted a lead image they were using for Duke Nukem 1+2 Remastered after it was?? discovered by fans to have utilized AI in its creation process.

There isn’t a lot of official information on this aside from the apology statement from Blaze. On May 31st, they announced that Duke Nukem was coming to their Evercade platform via two collections. The first features Duke Nukem 1+2 Remastered and Duke Nukem 3D. The second is Duke Nukem: A Time to Kill, Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes, and Duke Nukem Advance.

However, as soon as their lead image for Duke Nukem 1+2 Remastered hit social media, it was torn apart for blatantly being AI-generated. As it often is, the giveaway is the hands, which don’t seem to know how to hold a gun. There are ?also some extremely warped perspectives going on with some of the features of the guns. It’s kind of hil?arious.

Blaze Entertainment initially went on the defense, saying that they did commission an artist, to which some in the community responded with: “You might want to ask for a refund.�Blaze went as far as stating the artist's name in a now-deleted tweet, which further insulated the use of AI, as the artist in question describes themselves as a “hybrid artist.�/p>

[caption id="attachment_383624" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Blaze[/caption]

Duke hates robots

So, faced with concrete evidence, Blaze eventually conceded and put out an a?pology, via Andrew Byatt, CEO of Blaze Entertainment:

“As part of this, an artist was commissioned to produce a lead image for the new Duke Nukem 1+2 Remastered game developed by Blaze Entertainment. It is abundantly clear from the response on social media that the work on this commission has fallen below the expectation and standards demanded by fans due to the artists�use of AI in the process. We are immediately removing the art where possible to do so and will be announcing a replacement commission in due course that better meets the high standard expected. We would like to apologise to you, all of the fans, who have felt passionately about this enough and please be assured are working to remedy this. We also would like to thank everyone who’s worked on the project to date for their input.�/p>

Yeah, its clarity is pretty abundant. I have to agree with ??him there.

//twitter.com/evercaderetro/status?/1664378815563419649?s=20

Robots always piss on the parade

To be fair, the first I heard about Duke Nukem 1+2 Remastered was through all the ridicule for this i??mage erupting through Twitter. If there is a silver lining here, it’s that any publicity is good pub?licity.

At the same time, this is a bad look. Blaze Entertainment doesn’t say that the use of AI in promo material was unintentional. If they said, “We were had!�that would be one thing, but they probably don’t want to look foolish. So now, it just looks like they might possibly s??upport the use of AI as a replacement for traditional artists. If that’s th?e case, where else do they use it? Was the remaster accomplished with machine generation? If so, I don’t want it. I’d rather just download a mod for these games that was put together by a fan using their meaty, human hands.

Duke Nukem might have been the thing that finally got me to add an Evercade to my collection, but just like that, it’s not so certain. I was planning another playthrough of Duke Nukem 1 and 2, but I think I’ll j?ust stick to the DOS versions.

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The 4.3" cartridge-based handheld includes a collection of Capcom games, but they're built-in

While the retro-focused Evercade systems are known for their (officially licensed) game cartridges, there's an interesting w??rinkle with the upcoming Evercade EXP handheld �it's bundling a coveted selection of Capcom games that won't be available on a cart.

And it's not just som??e ran??dom titles from Capcom's stretched-out catalog, either.

When the Evercade EXP releases later this year (on November 24, with pre-orders opening on September 6), it will come with games like Bionic Commando, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Strider, Mega Man X, and Breath of Fire direct??ly built-in. There are 18 titles alt??ogether.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ljnes-4Ebb4

The Capcom Collection included with Evercade EXP:

• 1942 (Arcade version)
• 1943 (Arcade version)
• 1944: The Loop Master (Arcade version)
• Bionic Commando (Arcade version)
• Captain Commando (Arcade version)
• Commando (Arcade version)
• Final Fight (Arcade version)
• Forgotten Worlds (Arcade version)
• Ghouls ‘n Ghosts (Arcade version)
• Legendary Wings (Arcade version)
• MERCS (Arcade version)
• Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting (Arcade version)
• Strider (Arcade version)
• Vulgus (Arcade version)
• Mega Man (8-bit)
• Mega Man 2 (8-bit)
• Mega Man X (16-bit)
• Breath of Fire (16-bit)

These games will be "instantly playable out of the box," according to Evercade creator Blaze Entertainment. ??"?No download, no need for connection �simply go to the EXP button on the main menu and select The Capcom Collection."

One of the cooler Evercade EXP features is that it can be played on its side, which is perfect for vertical-minded games �1942, 1943, Commando, and MERCS, to name a few. If you were wondering about those ??extra A and B buttons on the left side, they're for TATE.

[caption id="attachment_342947" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{A look at the Evercade EXP's underside.}[/caption]

Why isn't there a cartridge equivalent?

Players who are already invested in the Evercade ecosystem (which includes the VS home console) aren't thrilled about the idea of built-in games that aren't also available separately on a cartridge �the physical aspect is the whole point of Evercade, after all.

From the sound of it, if Blaze Entertainment could've worked out a different deal ??within reason, it would've. It seems like a "better th??an nothing" approach prevailed.

"For those that are asking, physical is still our primary outlet and we will continue to produce cartridges," the company tweeted. "[The Capcom Collection] is specifically a bonus for the Evercade EXP and currently the only way we could bring Capcom to you at this time. We hope this? opens the doors fo?r future carts."

Capcom is a big deal, so I get it. With Mega Man X, this announcement is the first time I've seriously looked into the Evercade EXP, so from that lens, the plan worked. For the long-termers and other physical-or-bust players, this f?irst step will hopefully pave the way for additional Evercade agreements, whether that's with Capcom or other notable publishers.

[caption id="attachment_342936" align="alignnone" width="1500"] _{What's included in the Evercade EXP box.}[/caption]

Evercade EXP launch details

Evercade EXP pre-orders begin on September 6, ahead of the November 24 launch, and the console will cost $149.99 / £129.99 / �49.99 at participating retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Argos, and GAME, depending on your country. You'll also get a Capcom Collection manual, Irem Arcade 1 cartridge, and USB to USB-C cable in the box.

More stats for the handheld, if you need 'em: 800x480 resolution on a 4.3" IPS screen, 1.5GHz processor, 4GB memory, stereo speakers, built-in Wi-Fi, 3.5mm headphone jack, 720p mini HDMI output (though you'll need to buy a cable??), and a 3000mA battery for "4-5 hours of gaming." H?ow big is it? The Evercade EXP is 7.76" x 3.1" x 0.8".

If you're not a retro game enthusiast who?? values physical media, you might scoff at Evercade �admittedly, I did a double-take. But when there are so many games to play, especially with densely-packed subscriptions on the rise, it's nice to stop and consciously appreciate games one cartridge at a time. I've been eBaying GBA games lately, so I g??et it.

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