Evercade EXP is a new portable handheld that can play shmups vertically
The Evercade 2nd Anniversary Show kicked off earlier today, and Blaze Entertainment showcased several new titles, looked back at its history and, most excitingly, revealed the newest entry in its lineup – the Evercade EXP.
The Evercade EXP is a new handheld that’s said to be “on par” with the Evercade VS and includes 4 GBs of RAM, a 1.5 Ghz. processor, a 4.3-inch IPS screen (480p) and will be play the full Evercade library. Perhaps its most unique feature is the “TATE Mode” (pronounced ‘Tah-tay’), which flips the screen 90-degress to play vertical shooters.
What is the Evercade EXP?
The Evercade EXP will include a charging cable and Irem Arcade 1 and retail for $149.99, £129.99 and €149.99. Pre-orders will begin in September, with a scheduled Winter 2022 launch. Blaze also said there will be some exclusive bonus content that will be announced in September, presumably to promote Evercade EXP pre-orders.
Unfortunately, this means the Evercade Handheld will be discontinued, Blaze confirmed. All warranties and games available will still be available, they said, and the final firmware update will be released later this year.
If that wasn’t enough, Blaze also announced the Evercade EXP Limited Edition, which is limited to 5,000 units. This all-black variant includes everything in the standard Evercade EXP, including both Toaplan Arcade 1 and Irem Arcade 1, an exclusive hard-shell carry case, key ring , poster, art cards, a certificate of authenticity and a USB-to-USB-C cable.
The Evercade EXP Limited Edition will be available to pre-order at Funstock.co.uk beginning on June 1. It will cost £179.99 and releases in Winter 2022. Pre-orders will go live June 1 at 5 p.m. UK time, 6 p.m. CET, 12 p.m. EST and 9 a.m. PST.
New Evercade cartridge announcements
While the showcase featured lots of interesting factoids and historical info about Evercade, we were most excited to see the new Evercade cartridge announcements.
The first cartridge announcement was Irem Arcade 1, which features six games including Moon Patrol, 10-Yard Fight, Battle Chopper, R-Type, Lightning Swords and In the Hunt.
Irem Arcade 1 will be available for pre-order September 2022 with a release of Winter 2022. Visit the official webpage here.
The second cartridge announcement was Toaplan Arcade 1, featuring six arcade titles including Tiger-Heli, Guardian, Alcon, Flying Shark, Truxton, Zero Wing, Snow Bros., Teki Paki.
Toaplan Arcade 1 will be available for pre-order September 2022 with a release of Winter 2022. Visit the official webpage here.
Evercade VS Competition Mode
The video also showcased the Evercade Vs new Competition Mode, pitting several YouTube personalities against each other in a 3-minute challenge. Competition which is a feature that was recently added in the Evercade VS 2.1.0 firmware update that was released in April. Competition Mode disables save states and the ability to load a game to provide more authentic speed runs, high scores and other competitions.
Another neat tidbit shared throughout the Evercade 2nd Anniversary Show is there are currently 11 secret games available through button presses or cart combinations. See below for the list.
Evercade Cart combinations
- Atari 1 + Atari 2 = Dark Chambers 7800
- Lynx 1 + Lynx 2 = Raid on TriCity
- Piko 1 + Piko 2 = Pyramids of RA
- Galeco 1 + Indies 1 = Arkade Rush
Let us know what you think about the Evercade EXP in the comments below and if you plan on pre-ordering it!
