Evercade Nexus Is Out Now, Bringing Banjo-Kazooie And Dual Analog Sticks

Blaze Entertainment‘s latest retro gaming handheld, the Evercade Nexus, has officially arrived. The new handheld is available for $199.99 through Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Funstock, and other Evercade retailers. And if you’re a fan of Rare’s classic platformers, there’s a pretty good reason to take a closer look.

Every Evercade Nexus includes the Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack, a physical cartridge containing Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie. Both Nintendo 64 classics have been adapted for Evercade, making them fitting launch titles for a handheld designed to take the platform beyond its traditional 8-bit and 16-bit roots.

The biggest changes are immediately noticeable. The Nexus features a 5.89-inch IPS display, the largest screen on an Evercade handheld, along with dual analog sticks that make playing 32-bit and 64-bit games much more practical. After all, navigating a 3D platformer with a D-pad isn’t exactly something we need to revisit.

Under the hood, the Nexus offers:

• Display: 5.89-inch IPS, 840 × 512 resolution, over 500 nits brightness
• Processor: Quad-core 1.5GHz
• Memory: 512MB RAM, 4GB storage
• Controls: Dual analog sticks, D-pad, face buttons, bumpers, and triggers
• Battery: 5,000mAh, rated for over five hours
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 for updates and wireless headphone support
• Extras: TATE mode, customizable RGB logo, and EverSync multiplayer

EverSync is another addition worth noting. It allows two Nexus handhelds to connect directly for supported multiplayer games without an internet connection. Better yet, only one player needs to own the cartridge, although both players will need a Nexus. The system also supports the entire existing Evercade cartridge library, which now includes more than 80 cartridges and over 700 games. That’s a substantial collection for anyone who has been building their physical Evercade library over the years.

At $199.99, the Evercade Nexus faces plenty of competition from other retro handhelds. However, Evercade continues to carve out its own niche by focusing on officially licensed physical games rather than downloadable ROM collections. For collectors who still appreciate sliding a cartridge into a console, the Nexus offers a modern way to keep that tradition alive.

Tags: banjo-kazooie, banjo-tooie, blaze entertainment, evercade, Nexus, retro gaming Written byMitchell Gassner Old enough to have played retro games when they were still cutting edge, Mitch has been a gamer since the 70s. As his game-fu fades (did he ever really have any?), it is replaced with ever-stronger, and stranger, opinions. If that isn't the perfect recipe for a game reviewer, what is?