First look at EVERCADE VS - Everything you need to know

 Posted by: Gemma @ Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24

Evercade VS - Everything you need to know

Press Release
The Evercade retro gaming system is growing with the announcement of the Evercade VS​, a new home gaming console from Blaze Entertainment.

Following the successful launch of the Evercade Handheld gaming system in 2020, which became the go-to officially licensed option for many retro game players, the Evercade VS builds on this by bringing the Handheld experience to multiple players.

Evoking the nostalgia for retro gaming with its physical only game distribution, the Evercade VS goes one step further in allowing people to Play Together. The new console has support for up to four players simultaneously via either the proprietary Evercade VS USB Controller provided in the pack (or available to purchase separately for additional controllers). This follows the same levels of comfort that many praised the Evercade Handheld for, with ergonomically designed controllers that suit all retro games. Evercade games already come with multiplayer support so the existing library with multiplayer capability will be instantly supported.

The Evercade VS will also support numerous third party USB and wireless controllers, including the Xbox Adaptive controller and 8bitdo wireless controllers.

Evercade itself is a retro gaming ecosystem which delivers fully licensed, curated, collectable game packages via a cartridge with a retro styled box and manual. The cartridges are currently playable using the Evercade Handheld console, launched in 2020. With the Evercade VS, Blaze are continuing to offer Evercade customers a gaming experience like no other with a catalogue of stone cold classic titles and Indie gems from over four decades of gaming. Including iconic hits like Double Dragon, Earthworm Jim,
Asteroids, River City Ransom, Burger Time, City Connection and many more.

The Evercade VS uses the same Cartridge based game system as the Evercade Handheld, meaning that the existing library of over 260 games across over 20+ cartridges available throughout 2021 will be fully supported* with all future cartridges also supporting both platforms. So those who already have the Evercade Handheld or are invested in the cartridge family can instantly enjoy their games on the Evercade VS, or those new to the system will have an incredibly large back catalogue to choose from.

In addition to this, the Evercade VS will support two cartridges simultaneously. This will allow gamers to have up to 40 games selectable at any one time depending on the number of titles on the cartridge. This will all be displayed on screen with a new and improved UI with full visual features including screen filters, sorting options and resolution features allowing for Pixel Perfect representation on screen. The Evercade VS will output at 1080p, making it the highest resolution compact gaming system on the market, and will feature built in WiFi for easy updates and future online features.

The games themselves are all tied to the cartridges with top of the line emulation powered by the Evercade VS’s 1.5Ghz quad-core CPU and 512mb DRAM. All cartridges contain save and load states. This means any progress on an Evercade Handheld can be easily resumed on the Evercade VS or visa versa. Save states will also have a new, full visual area within the new UI to show users exactly where they saved their games.

One of the benefits of the Evercade family is its value and affordability. With prices starting from £89.99/$99.99/€99.99 the Evercade VS allows for a great entry point for those who wish to have an impressive library of official game collections on their televisions at home, and for existing Handheld customers to have an cost-effective and new, enjoyable way to experience their existing collections.

Customers will be able to pre-order the Evercade VS from Friday May 28th 2021 (with exact pack configurations to be announced the week beforehand) with an estimated release date of early November 2021.

*Namco Museum collections (cartridges 02 and 06) are not compatible with Evercade VS due to being
exclusively licensed to the Handheld.

“This is a hugely exciting time for the Evercade, with new carts, new hardware and improved software becoming available. When we began this project we believed that a physical only console would work in an increasingly digital world and the reaction has been amazing. Today we move this to the next level.”
​
Andrew Byatt, Managing Director of Blaze
Entertainment

Evercade Vs Details:
A home based Evercade gaming system with external controller support offering up to four
play local multiplayer on supported titles.
• HDMI output to TVs at 1080p resolution and 5v power to make use of any USB power
device.
• Dual cartridge slot, to enable more games to be selectable at a single time.
• Fully supports existing Evercade cartridge ecosystem. Cartridges (subject to licence) are
compatible with both the handheld and VS console to enjoy curated collections of official,
fully licensed games from top publishers in gaming history. Over 280* by the end of 2021
• Save states on cartridges so progress can be saved on handheld and resumed on VS or visa
versa.
Brand new UI to be implemented with refined style, increased screen feature set and
dynamic menu options including sound and library sorting.
• New resolution options including Pixel Perfect option.
• Built in Wi-Fi to enable hassle free UI and game updates only (no online play)
• New controller with increased button selection (full bumper button set) for games.
• Supports non-Evercade controllers including wireless adaptors, Adaptive controllers and
other USB controllers.
• Existing Handheld can be used as an additional controller with a link cable (sold separately)
*Subject to license

Technical Specifications
• 1.5Ghz quad-core processor, 512MB DRAM and 4GB internal storage.
• 4x USB ports for controllers (up to four players supported) with support for third party
controllers.
• HDMI output with 1080p resolution (cable not provided)
• Updated UI with resolution options (4:3, Pixel Perfect, Full Screen), Scan Line Filters, visual game
library and visual save states.
• Built in WiFi for easy updates and future network enabled features.
• Dual Cartridge slot for expanded library
• 5V micro USB power (cable provided, power adapter not included)

FAQ:
Why is there no online play or features?
These are possible in the future, but right now we felt it was right to concentrate on the original experience with limited online features – great gaming with collections of physical cartridges and
local multiplayer experiences.
​
What does “subject to license” mean?
The Namco Museum collections are by contract Handheld exclusives and are only available in Europe only. Therefore those two cartridges will not be compatible with the Evercade VS.

Why two cartridge bays?
Having two cartridge bays gives users more freedom of choice with their game selection at any one time, and will enable the visual library to display up to 40 games at any one time. It offers convenience, if you don’t want to change a specific cartridge, or choice if you want multiple game options.

Why no power supply/HDMI cable?
We wanted to limit the cost to the consumer. Our research also shows that many people either already have one, or multiple power supply options or HDMI cables available to them.

What will happen with the Evercade Handheld?
Both the Evercade Handheld and Evercade VS will be fully supported with all cartridges except the aforementioned Namco Museum titles, available on all systems. The Evercade Handheld will also have a UI update as well coming later in 2021 to give the same feature as the Evercade VS.

Find out more at evercade.co.uk and Facebook or Twitter.

 Posted by: Gemma @ Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24

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