Thread by @GailSimone

Okay, so, here is the SECOND amazing box that showed up on my Magic Porch this week. This came on Monday, we missed the delivery and I had to have @rocketspouse chase down the mailman because IMPORTANT! :)

Oh, baby, I have been waiting for this!

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Okay, we finally hunt down the box.

It’s from England!

The label sends it to ‘Trains, Bears, and Virtual Boys, Inc.’. Ha!

Woot!

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Okay. Holy crap. It’s an @evercaderetro! 3/

Here's the deal. I LOVE retro games. I LOVE handheld systems. So when this @evercaderetro was announced, I WAS SO EXCITED. I planned to buy one immediately. But then the corona turnips happened and things got delayed.
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Anyway, this system is made for me. I have lots of emulator handhelds, and I just eventually stop playing them. Cheap builds, bad feel, confusing navigation...I get why people like them, but I have a ton of them and they just collect dust.

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The @evercaderetro does it differently. It's cartridge based, which, yay, and the games are all fully licensed.

So hundreds of games available, each cartridge has multiple games. All in cartridge form on one handheld.

I love this idea.

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Now, Evercade isn't paying me for this, you guys know my love of gaming. This is my favorite game development since the Switch, maybe.

I'm serious.

Spoiler: it's awesome.

Okay, what's in the box?

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First, this version of the console comes with three cartridges for under 100 bucks. Retro glee! Data East, Atari, and Interplay. It is beautifully boxed and presented. 8/

But they also sent all the other carts! Ten carts at launch! Joy! @evercaderetro# 9/

So let’s open these boxes up!

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Every aspect of this device and presentation is first class. The packaging is gorgeous, it feels like it’s made by people who love gaming. Just first class. 11/

Even the packaging is fun. This reminds me of opening a vita or a game boy, rather than some of the sketchier things out there. Sorry these pictures suck, I was happy!! 12/

Okay, but how does it feel?

First, it feels great. It’s SOLID. It has weight. I am delighted by the dpad and shoulder buttons especially. They feel responsive, and the design of the shoulder buttons should be stolen by other handhelds, there’s a little divot in them. 13/

Buttons are bouncy and responsive, they feel solid. The whole console feels great for a system so reasonably priced.

There are two versions at launch, I think on the $79 version comes with one cart, the $99 version comes with three. Each cart has between 6 and 20 games. 14/

It just all feels carefully thought out, it feels curated.

One of my favorite things is, the carts come in a full clamshell box, with a complete color booklet describing each game. I miss these a lot, with the bland, empty packaging of even some AAA games...

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I mean, it’s just a system that celebrates gaming. It doesn’t feel like hasty shovelware.

I fired it up with a random cart...the PIKO COLLECTION, worries that it might be disappointing in some way. I meant to try it for ten minutes.

I played for two hours.

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Then my son stole it and I had to steal it back.

So I have had this for three days, I keep playing it, I keep going back to it.

And the funny thing is, I haven’t even tried half the games for a single cart! The rest are still unwrapped!

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One of the funnest aspects is, the games are carefully chosen as favorites and hard-to-find gems. You can play a short twitchy game, or a long, long RPG. Everything from the 2600 to the Lynx.

Two more carts have been announced, with a lot more on the way.

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All I can say is it's the first game device my whole family has wanted to play repeatedly in a good while. It's solid, it's fun, it feels like you're playing those games for the first time in a system that really presents them well.

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I will cover a bit more about it once I've played with it more, but it's a JOY MACHINE.

I love the @evercaderetro and if you just want a fun plug and go system, this is my favorite.

You want one. :)

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Small details for those interested...I am told they have arrived in the states and will be shipping in a little over a week. Carts are $20 each.

Sound is pretty good, screen image is excellent, control is outstanding.

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All the reviews so far have been great, except one guy had a fair point that there should be an option to map the buttons, to match the original systems and games, if desired. I had no problem with the button mapping but they have added a free firmware update if you like.

Oh, and you CAN output to a tv or monitor with a mini-hdmi cable. I have a couple somewhere and will try, but the joy of this thing is its handheld mode to me.

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One of the things about being part of a fandom, in this case retro gaming, is you can tell when someone is just throwing out a product meant to grab your wallet, versus someone who really cares. This thing was made by gamers. You can tell the difference.

I love it.

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Final thing, it's kind of fun, but when you put in a system-specific cart, like the Atari carts, you FEEL like you're transported to that system a bit. Can't explain it, but it's super fun.

Anyway, this makes me happy and now I am going to pick another cart to try!

Which cart should I open next?

Also, I forgot to say THANKS, @evercaderetro and for people who are intrigued, check out their website: evercade.co.uk

It's available online and in stores shortly!