Blaze has lifted the lid on the Evercade Nexus – the latest in their line of retro-dedicated handhelds. We also know that a Banjo-Kazooie double-pack cartridge will launch alongside it, featuring the two N64 classics enhanced with widescreen support, new unlockable extras and an analogue camera.
Yes – the Nexus has two built-in analogue sticks. It also boasts an ultra-bright 5.89” screen, a customisable RGB light-up logo, wireless headphone support, and local multiplayer gaming via EverSync – which allows players to share their game wirelessly to another Evercade Nexus. This means two players can go head-to-head using a single cartridge. Blaze also reports a five-hour battery life and a TATE Mode for vertical screen play.
Pre-orders go live tomorrow (1st April) ahead of an October rollout. The price has been set at £169.99/$199.99/€199.99 including the new Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack – which will be available separately. Additionally, Funstock will be stocking a limited Evercade Nexus 64 Edition for £189.99 with a hard case and coloured buttons.
“Since launching Evercade in 2020, we’ve built a passionate community that values physical experiences, gaming history, and classic games. Nexus is the result of six years of listening and learning, delivering features our players have consistently asked for. It’s the evolution of Evercade, and a product we can’t wait for people to experience,” said Blaze’s Andrew Byatt.
Those hoping for a more powerful system have a little longer to wait. It was hoped that the Nexus would be able to support PS2 games, but it seems that the Evercade’s future lies within analogue support for now.
This is something exciting in its own way, allowing for more N64 and later PS1 games to make the jump. We can only speculate right now, but we wouldn’t rule out more of Rare’s N64 games (Perfect Dark, Blast Corps and Killer Instinct Gold), the N64 or PS1 versions of id’s Quake and Quake II, and perhaps Spyro or Crash Bandicoot via Activision. A few Crystal Dynamics PS1 games could be lined up, too, such as Gex: Enter the Gecko. Safe bets, one and all.