Evercade is bringing the arcade and a dose of nostalgia to gamers with its upcoming handheld console, the Evercade EXP. Targeting a winter release window, the EXP is the latest in a quiet resurgence of both handheld consoles and retro gaming in recent years.  Pre-orders are available for $150 ($225 roughly for the Limited Edition)
 
Specifications

• 7.76 x 3.1 x 0.8 inches
• 4.3-inch IPS screen (800×480)
• 1.5GHz Processor
• 4BG Memory
• WiFi
• USB-C, 720p Mini HDMI port, headphone jack
• “4-5 hours gaming” battery life

 
Just Like Old Times
The biggest difference with Evercade’s devices is their use of game cartridges, while most modern hardware relies on digital downloads. The growing game library includes titles from Intellivision and the Ataris to the Sega Genesis and SNES.

• Usually $20 and includes multiple games
• Comes with actual, physical game manuals
• If it makes a difference to the end-user, the cartridges’ licensing deals help gamers avoid the legal gray areas commonly associated with game emulation.

 
Filling a Niche
There’s something to be said for Evercade’s obvious strategy. Nearly every smartphone on the market blows it away in performance, let alone PCs and gaming consoles. But who cares. It’s relatively cheap, styled to maximize the nostalgia hit, and has little  pretensions about being more than that. If it’s got a competitor besides a handful of other retro consoles, it’s the various emulators gamers can easily find floating around the internet.

• Emulation Isn’t Niche: While Evercade will never be a huge name, don’t sleep on the value of game emulation in the coming years. There will never be an end to nostalgic gamers; one need only to see how many legacy titles from older consoles are included in PlayStation and Xbox’s subscription services.
• Handheld Gaming Is Returning: The Steam Deck and Evercade EXP serve very different gaming segments, but at the end of the day they’re both signs of life from (excluding the Nintendo Switch) the largely dormant handheld gaming segment. We’ve seen multiple new devices in the past couple years, with Aya announcing the Geek 2 this week as a potential rival to the Steam Deck in the future. Expect a slight uplift too as gamers increasingly return to commutes and venturing out into the world.