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Evercade VS coming soon

Agent X

Member
Blaze Entertainment sent the following tweet on Twitter a few days ago:



Judging from the name, it implies some sort of multiplayer angle, which is interesting because the current Evercade portable system only allows one player to play at a time. The only multiplayer games on Evercade tend to be turn-based games where players pass the system around.

What could Evercade VS be? Is it a new and improved portable that supports connection of multiple systems for simultaneous multiplayer games? Maybe it's some sort of add-on for the existing handheld system to enable that sort of connectivity. Another possibility is that it's a "home console" version of Evercade that accepts the same cartridges as the handheld.

Many existing cartridges for Evercade contain games with simultaneous multiplayer modes. Although those multiplayer modes might not be properly playable on the current Evercade system, Blaze Entertainment has hinted in interviews that there might be some method of fully enjoying those modes in the future.

In another tweet, it seems that this is planned for a 2021 release:



It appears that more information about Evercade VS will be revealed on April 23, 2021. Meanwhile, you might want to keep an eye on the page that they've set up:

 

Agent X

Member
Blaze Entertainment has officially revealed the Evercade VS.

VS-Banner-5.png


While the Evercade was a portable device which could also connect to a TV, Evercade VS is strictly a TV-based console. It will work with the same cartridges that the current Evercade system uses. It has four controller ports, and can accept two cartridges at a time.

The new Evercade VS controller has a similar control scheme to the handheld, but now has four shoulder buttons: L1 and L2 on the left, and R1 and R2 on the right. (The handheld only has two shoulder buttons.)

left2.png


It will also be possible to use the Evercade handheld as a controller with Evercade VS. Other USB controllers and wireless dongles will also be usable, although the site does not go into great detail about this yet.

Evercade VS can output up to 1080p resolution, and also has Wi-Fi connectivity for updates to firmware and games. The system contains a Quad Core 1.5 Ghz processor, which they say will power a brand new user interface and the best available emulation for consoles and arcade titles.
 

PhaseJump

Banned
Wow, that's very impressive. I've never seen a console before that could take a DP.

Bandai made the SuFami Turbo for the Super Famicom.

2 cart slots. You could link content between them. It was official and allowed for smaller, cheaper cart development.
 

Agent X

Member
The official Evercade Twitter account has made the following announcements regarding Evercade VS packages.





See this thread for more details on the games contained in the pack-in cartridges.

They've also teased another announcement for tomorrow.

 

Agent X

Member
The handheld is very good. It's surprisingly well designed, coming from a relatively small company. The unit feels solid and sturdy, and the controls are comfortable and responsive. It feels a lot like the Wii Classic Controller, except that the D-pad is a little larger and circular, like some of Sega's Genesis and Saturn controllers.

I feel confident that they'll carry these design aspects over to the Evercade VS. The controller appears to have a similar design to the handheld, and if it's similar quality, then it would surely be one of the better "retro" controllers out there.

Speaking of controllers, Blaze Entertainment has said that the Evercade VS will be able to use other USB controllers. If they play their cards right, this can open up a whole bunch of wonderful possibilities. For example, it would be cool to be able to plug in the official Sega Genesis USB controllers (either the pack-ins from the Genesis Mini, or the licensed controllers from Retro-Bit), and use them with the emulated Genesis games (or other games, too).

I'd like to see them go even further. Imagine being able to plug in Atari 2600 style paddle controllers. You could use them to play the paddle games on the existing Atari 2600/7800 compilations, or with games like Pong, Super Breakout, and Warlords on the upcoming Atari arcade collection. I'd like to have a Trak-Ball, to play the arcade versions of Missile Command, Centipede, Millipede, and Crystal Castles with authentic arcade controls. Perhaps they could produce a USB version of the Intellivision controller, so longtime Intellivision fans could relive their memories of the Intellivision games with the same controls that they grew up with. While all of the games should be playable with the standard Evercade controller, I feel that the option to use these alternate controllers would add a new layer of authenticity and fun.
 

Agent X

Member
The Evercade VS Founder Edition is a limited edition package that will be sold exclusively by Funstock for £159.99 starting on May 27. The production will be limited to 5000 units.

The package contains:
  • Evercade VS Founder Edition Console
  • Evercade VS Founder Edition Controller (x2)
  • Evercade VS Founder Edition Exclusive Packaging
  • Evercade Handheld Black Link Cable
  • Founder Edition Certificate of Authenticity
  • Two Evercade VS Exclusive Art Cards
  • Evercade Exclusive Founder Edition Poster
  • Evercade VS Steel Book Cartridge Holder
  • Evercade VS Founder Edition Keyring
  • Six game cartridges:
    • Intellivision Collection 1 (21)
    • Bitmap Brothers Collection 1 (22)
    • Technos Arcade 1 (01)
    • Data East Arcade 1 (02)
    • Gaelco Arcade 1 (03)
    • Atari Arcade 1 (04)
E16dgjZXoAsNq3n


 
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Agent X

Member
According to this blog post from the official Evercade site, Evercade VS has been delayed until mid December for Europe, and January 2022 for the US and Canada.


The estimated release window for Europe is between the 8th and 17th of December 2021. With regard to the Evercade VS Founder Edition, their UK retail partner Funstock intends to ship worldwide by December 8, 2021.

The estimated USA/Canada release date is January 14, 2022.

The above delays also apply to 6 of the upcoming cartridges: Intellivision, Bitmap Brothers, Technos Arcade, Data East Arcade, Gaelco Arcade, and Atari Arcade.

They intend to give updates on the following:
  • A User Interface Tour to show more detail about all the features for the VS (Premiering on YouTube – Monday, October 11)
  • Merchandise via their UK partner Funstock (which has already been announced)
  • A new cartridge, that will be announced in early December
  • A special edition Evercade Handheld that will shortly be available for purchase (no pre-order)
  • More cartridge collections, which are close to being signed and unveiled for 2022 and beyond
 

Agent X

Member
The video from YouTube showed some great features for the user interface. They also posted a blog post on their official site:


They've got several screen display modes, including original aspect ratio, "pixel perfect" mode with integer scaling, and full-screen stretch.

vlcsnap-2021-10-11-16h56m28s256-700x394.png


If you're using original aspect ratio or pixel-perfect modes, then you can choose from several optional borders (or just plain black). They'll eventually release more "themes". You can also add scanlines, if you want.

The system supports save states with six slots per game (same as the handheld), but the Evercade VS also saves a screen shot with each file. Slot 1 can be used as a "quick save". You can also delete save states from the UI.

vlcsnap-2021-10-07-12h26m06s260-700x394.png


Since the system has two cartridge slots, the system can show the available games from either cartridge alone, or both cartridges combined. The video shows this with Atari Collection 1 in slot 1, and Technos Collection 1 in slot 2. The UI will display their full box art, or for arcade games, their game posters. You can sort the games by name, release year, or the number of players.

The system also button remapping for non-Evercade controllers.

Here's a direct link to their video:

 
Looks to be a cool console. I emailed them some feedback on the UI such as adding music for the dash like PS4/5 do.

They are enthusiastic about a achievement system but how or if they do it remains to be seen

 

yurinka

Member
Interesting, I think the black one looks way better. Also, I'd prefer to have Dual Shock shaped more ergonomic controllers. NES pads were a hell with these corners.
 

Agent X

Member
Also, I'd prefer to have Dual Shock shaped more ergonomic controllers. NES pads were a hell with these corners.

The shape of these controllers resembles that of the Evercade handheld, which is quite comfortable to hold. For those who haven't held an Evercade handheld, it feels a lot like a Super NES controller, more squared off on the sides, but with rounded corners. The back side of the handheld (or bottom, if you're laying it on a table) also has a slightly rounded contour around the edges.

One of the nice things about the Evercade VS is that it's supposed to recognize a good number of USB controllers, and even wireless dongles. This is demonstrated in the video review in post #16 above (starting about 7:32), where he connects a wired Xbox 360 controller, and also a Bluetooth dongle to use a Retro-Bit Sega Genesis Bluetooth controller.
 
Received mine as a birthday gift, absolutely delighted with it. Love the UI and the music along with it, games play great and it’s a cartridge system which I always have a soft spot for.

Only slight complaint is I wish the controller had a headphone jack but I can use my Xbox and PlayStation controllers with it so no big deal.
 
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