Koch Media Evercade Retro Handheld Premium Pack

Didn't know what this product was going to be like, but I have a Nintendo Switch so was pretty open minded when it came to owning another handheld. I'm glad I was because this is awesome. form factor wise, it's the perfect size, it'll fit in your pocket so you can play it on the train or wherever you like. It's also really well made, not cheap at all, and a special mention has to go to the dpad, it's reminiscent of the Sega Saturn one, but in my opinion it's better. Also have heard from some people that they'd prefer a glass screen (as the Evercade has a plastic one), but I can confirm that the screen is fine and good enough any retro titles and you feel a little better about your purchase because it's not fragile so you can just chuck it in your bag if you're going out for the day. You can also play on your television screen (as long as you have the correct HDMI cable). But the absolute best thing about this is that it's geared towards collectors like me. The boxes and their artwork are top notch and the cartridges are numbered. Little touches like this matter. It shows that the people behind the console care about their content. I also like the fact that the games are licensed from the original company's that made them so they get paid. You get a good variety of games on the cartridges as well so there's something for every one. If you like retro gaming then this is for you.

Total rubbish

Got this for myself, but my 12-year old daughter grabbed it first, based on seeing Dig Dug in Stranger Things recently. She had great fun with that, Centipede, Pac Man, Earthworm Jim and a few others before I managed to swipe it back - so Evercade could have a wider appeal than you might think beyond us grown-up-kids. Always good to have a high-score competition buddy.As for the Evercade unit, delighted at the overall feel, comfortable for extended play and easy on the eye with a solid, if plastic, feel to everything. The screen is crystal clear, the d-pad and large buttons are smooth in use. Haven't tried it on a TV yet!If you're a really old gamer, the cartridges are quite tight to fit and extract, so not sure what people without a strong grip might do?The button mapping can be a bit odd on some games, but a firmware update has sorted that if its an issue (there was one game where a face button quit the game, but the only example I'd noticed).Think the bundle is well worth the money, with great value in the early game packs, even if there are a few misses among the curated titles. Looking forward to the Atari Lynx collections and Xeno Crisis. Also later in the year when more arcade originals are promised.The future looks bright for this little handheld and I'll happily support it all the way. Guess it'd be cool if some of the money went to the original developers rather than whoever holds the copyright of the games, but maybe Blaze can sort that out.

First, positively speaking, the range of games is really quite interesting. Some expected classics and some fun surprises. The screen, while fairly low res, is fine for the age of gaming it emulates, and there is improvement when you connect to an HDTV, though that is not how I ever intended to play with the Evercade.The negatives: If you look at the screen at any angle other than directly at it, the colours will darken, brighten or even fade away completely.. Really annoying when your hands naturally twist and turn during frantic moments of some games.The build quality is fairly poor too, though perhaps to be expected at this price point. The shoulder buttons especially feel cheap. Giving an annoying, tinny clicking noise when you press them. The speakers in the device are awful also. though these games tended not to have amazing sound quality anyway.Finally, and most annoyingly, the cartridges are an extremely tight fit in to the console. So much so, that I fear I am going to break the screen when trying to remove them. I hope this loosens over time, otherwise I can't see the device surviving the warranty period.This is a fun collector's device and a very interesting way to legally play retro-games. I just wish it cost a little more and had the improved build quality that would have come with that price.