The Evercade Nexus is out. Blaze Entertainment's newest cartridge-based retro handheld went on sale on October 30 in Europe and the US, at Amazon, Funstock, Best Buy, GameStop and other Evercade retailers, according to Inven Global's report on Blaze's launch press release. That matches the release date Tom's Guide gave in its hands-on report earlier this month: October 30, for $199 / £169.
Blaze's own Evercade site isn't one of the sources we can check directly, so every detail below is attributed to the outlet reporting it. Inven Global is the only launch-day report we could read; Tom's Guide, VGC and GamesRadar+ covered it before launch: Tom's Guide in a hands-on, VGC in its March report of Blaze's announcement and GamesRadar+ at the reveal.
Price and what's in the box
Inven Global gives the price as $199.99, £169.99 or €199.99, citing the official Evercade Nexus page; VGC reported the same dollar and pound prices at the announcement. Every unit ships with Rare's Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack cartridge, holding the Nintendo 64 games Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie, plus a USB-C to USB-A charging cable. Inven Global notes that a mains adapter isn't included.
VGC reported that both games were customised for the console, with widescreen support, an overhauled camera with twin-stick support, D-pad control support and unlockable content. Tom's Guide, writing from its hands-on time, describes improved resolution, a 60fps frame rate and the ability to return to the hub from the pause menu.
A limited Evercade Nexus 64 Edition, exclusive to Funstock and capped at 2,000 units, is listed as sold out, according to Inven Global. A hard-shell carry case that holds six cartridges and a screen protector kit are sold separately.
What changes from the EXP-R
VGC describes the Nexus as the successor to the Evercade EXP-R. The headline change is size: a 5.89-inch IPS screen, up from the EXP-R's 4.3 inches. Inven Global puts the resolution at 840×512 with more than 500 nits of peak brightness, and says it's the largest screen Evercade has put on a device.
The bigger body makes room for twin analog sticks, which VGC says are a first for an Evercade device. Per Inven Global, the rest of the spec sheet is a quad-core 1.5GHz processor, 4GB of storage, a 5,000mAh battery rated for more than five hours, Wi-Fi 6 for system updates, and a weight of 410g. VGC adds wireless headphone support.
Blaze claims the Nexus offers "best-in-class emulation from over five decades of gaming," covering systems from the Atari 2600 to the PS1, N64 and Sega Saturn, as GamesRadar+ reported at the reveal.
EverSync and the library
The new feature is EverSync. Inven Global says it links two Nexus consoles directly, with no Wi-Fi or internet connection, so two people can play the same game at the same time on their own screens. Only one cartridge is needed, though both players need a Nexus.
The Nexus also plays the existing Evercade library: VGC reported it's compatible with the more than 80 cartridges released since 2020, and Blaze says, per Inven Global, that the library runs past 80 cartridges and 700 games from publishers such as Activision, Taito and Rare. Returning features listed by Inven Global include TATE mode for vertical arcade games, scanline and display ratio options, a library that tracks the cartridges you own, and monthly Indie Heroes bonus games delivered through updates.
"The Evercade Nexus has arrived, marking a huge moment for us and an exciting new chapter for Evercade," Blaze CEO Andrew Byatt said in the launch release, as quoted by Inven Global.
Mason's take: The interesting bet here isn't the screen or the sticks. It's that Blaze keeps building a whole platform around physical cartridges, and the Nexus doubles down on that rather than hedging. EverSync is the clearest sign of it, because it makes a single cartridge worth more. At $199.99, the Nexus is asking retro fans to pay for ownership, and the Banjo pack is how Blaze is trying to make that case on day one.
Reporting notes