Blaze's Evercade range covers both the home and portable markets thanks to its Evercade VS and Evercade EXP products, and it recently expanded into the lower end of the handheld sector via subsidiary HyperMegaTech's Super Pocket devices.
The company's next move was always going to be noteworthy, and the announcement that the next member of the Evercade family would be a tabletop arcade machine was met with a reasonably positive response from fans.
The Alpha range combines arcade-quality controls with an excellent IPS display and the ability to run Evercade cartridges – as well as play a selection of pre-loaded classics, all for £229 / $249 (pre-ordered units are slightly cheaper at the moment, costing £199.99 / €229.99 / $229.99). It comes in two versions – Street Fighter and Mega Man – and is also available in a 'deluxe' variant, which boasts improved Sanwa-made controls.
Is the Alpha worth all that cash, though? And is it still of interest if you're an existing Evercade owner? Join us as we find out...
Evercade Alpha Review: Design & Display
Measuring 410mm x 316mm x 244mm, the Evercade Alpha is a step up from other tabletop systems, such as the Neo Geo Mini, Egret II Mini and Astro City Mini. It's well constructed and has a decent amount of heft to it, so much so that it doesn't shift around on your table when you're hammering the controls. Even so, it's not as chunky as some other examples we've seen (the Neo Geo MVSX springs to mind), which makes it easier to move around the house and incorporate into your gaming setup.
The unit boasts a single, sturdy stick and six action buttons, along with other buttons to control stuff like inserting credits and dropping back to the main user interface.
Below the controls, you'll find dual Evercade cartridge slots (a feature also present on the Evercade VS home system), the illuminated power button (neatly disguised as a coin slot), volume controls and a 3.5mm headphone jack. There are also two USB-A ports here, which allow you to connect up wired USB pads for two-player action. The Evercade VS controller works perfectly, and Blaze claims that other third-party pads will function just fine, too.
The unit is powered via a USB-C connection on the back and comes with a nice long cable and power supply. However, there is no internal battery, so you can't use the Alpha away from a plug socket.
Like old-school arcade cabinets, the Alpha features wooden side panels and an illuminated marquee, the latter of which can be swapped out for a different design (three are included in the box). Speaker grilles are located on the sides of the unit, housing surprisingly punchy and bass-rich stereo speakers.
Unlike some other tabletop mini arcade-style units, there's no way to connect the Alpha to your television via HDMI. Given the bartop nature of the product, this might seem logical, but it feels like an optional feature that most people would have welcomed.
The 8-inch, 4:3 IPS display is a pleasant surprise – not only is it bright and colourful, it makes the games look pin-sharp. It comes with a protective film applied, which is annoyingly tricky to remove completely – we had to loosen the screws that hold the plastic screen panel in place or order to rip off every single piece of the film – but we'd rather have to do this than risk having a scratched display while the unit is in transit.
You can apply artificial scanline effects in the UI, and these look pretty decent – something that isn't always the case with this kind of product. Because it's a 4:3 screen, it's the perfect aspect ratio for retro gaming, but you'll still find that some titles have a border around the action (like TATE-mode shmups, for example). You can also select between the original ratio of the game, a pixel-perfect scaling or full screen, and it's possible to add bezels around the sides of the display.
Evercade Alpha Review: Controls & UI
Blaze says the stick and buttons on the Alpha are full-size and "competition-grade," and we're inclined to agree with that statement. The control panel never feels cramped, and everything is responsive and satisfyingly "clicky" when in use. Within moments of switching it on, we were happily pulling off Dragon Punches without a hitch.
Some might moan about the fact that the Alpha doesn't have two sets of controls (like the larger MVSX or the Capcom Home Arcade), but the fact that you can plug in USB controllers makes up for this somewhat. Sure, someone is always going to be stuck with the joypad rather than the authentic coin-op interface, but it's not the end of the world.
You can also, if you wish, plug in two USB pads and play with two players that way.
It's worth noting that Blaze is also offering 'deluxe' editions of the Alpha which cost £249.99 / €289.99 and are available exclusively from Funstock. These boast upgraded Sanwa-made controls, five swappable marquees, a certificate of authenticity, an exclusive poster and a recoloured Evercade Alpha control pad based on the pad that ships with the Evercade VS.
The Alpha's UI will be familiar to anyone who has used an Evercade device in the past. It's possible to use save states in games, as well as adjust controls and other settings. The unit has built-in WiFi, so you can apply system updates and unlock new features as they become available; for example, you can browse the entire Evercade catalogue from the main menu to identify carts you might want to purchase in the future.
The Alpha also benefits from Evercade's long-running "game of the month" system, which lets you play a different indie game each month of the year.
Evercade Alpha Review: Games
The Evercade Alpha is currently available in two flavours: Street Fighter and Mega Man.
The Street Fighter unit (which is what we're reviewing here) comes with the following games:
- STREET FIGHTER II’ CHAMPION EDITION
- SUPER STREET FIGHTER II TURBO
- SUPER PUZZLE FIGHTER II TURBO
- STREET FIGHTER ALPHA – WARRIORS’ DREAMS
- STREET FIGHTER ALPHA 2
- STREET FIGHTER ALPHA 3
That's a pretty solid selection of games for Street Fighter fans, and the inclusion of the spin-off Puzzle Fighter is a nice touch. It's a shame that the original Street Fighter didn't make the cut, but it's not in the same league as its more illustrious sequels, so it's not a massive loss. Twinned with the excellent arcade controls, these games really come alive on the Evercade Alpha.
The Mega Man unit features:
- MEGA MAN – THE POWER BATTLE
- MEGA MAN 2 – THE POWER FIGHTERS
- CARRIER AIR WING
- FINAL FIGHT
- KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND
- STRIDER
Surprisingly, given the prominent Mega Man branding, this unit only includes two games from the Blue Bomber's library – and they're both fighting game spin-offs. None of Mega Man's famous platforming adventures are included, which might seem a bit odd – but this is more than mitigated by the inclusion of four other classic Capcom coin-op releases.
Given that each unit only has six pre-loaded games – games that don't take up a massive amount of ROM space – you could argue that it would have made more sense to just pop all 12 on a single Alpha unit rather than force Evercade completists to buy two. As much as we like the headline games included on the Mega Man unit, they're not essential enough to be worthy of their own SKU.
We realise there's more to this situation than that, from a commercial perspective, at least – Capcom will be charging Blaze a licencing fee, and that will presumably rise the more games that are included. Even so, it feels like a bit of a shame to have to make the choice between which unit to buy, especially when there are amazing games on both.
Naturally, with this being an Evercade device, you're not limited to playing the games that come pre-loaded. You can boot up Evercade cartridges and play hundreds of other titles – so if you already have an Evercade collection, the Alpha is a great way to revisit those games with brilliant arcade-style controls.
It's worth noting that the Evercade Alpha also has the same 'hidden game' system as seen on the VS and EXP.
Evercade Alpha Review: Conclusion
The Evercade Alpha is an almost resounding success as an affordable bartop arcade unit. It's solidly built and boasts excellent controls, a great screen and powerful sound, while the pre-loaded selection of games on both available units will keep you busy for quite some time.
Of course, with this being an Evercade product, the fun doesn't end when you've exhausted the included software; you can load up hundreds of other games covering decades of arcade, console, home computer and handheld history.
The $250 price tag is going to make the Alpha less appealing to casual players, of course – but it's hard to see how Blaze could offer this kind of quality for any less. It would also have been nice to have the option to connect the unit to a TV via HDMI; this would obviously cannibalise sales of the Evercade VS, but there were times when we really fancied playing some of these titles on the big screen. Other tabletop arcade systems offer this functionality, so it's a shame Blaze couldn't do the same with the Alpha.
However, all in all, the Evercade Alpha is a great device for retro gamers. Not only does it offer a fantastic way to revisit some of Capcom's most acclaimed arcade hits, but it's also a wonderful way of reconnecting with some of the many amazing cartridge collections that have been released in the Evercade range so far – especially those that feature coin-op releases that are well-suited to the Alpha's control setup.
Evercade Alpha Review: Where To Buy
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Comments 28
It does look cool and I do love Evercade, but this seems like a novelty item to me instead of a device that I would use often. I think Evercade VS with a decent arcade stick is the way to go in terms of comfort and convenience.
If this had a rotatable screen for Tate mode, like the Taito Erget II Mini, then I may well have went for this.
Pretty awesome. I really wish I had room for an arcade cabinet, but it's hard to complain to much given how easy it is to play all these old games on the screen I already have.
This really is a golden era for retro-gaming enthusiasts.
Just a guess, but I’m assuming neither of the system specific games (Street Fighter, or Mega Man/Final Fight) are available on the mentioned separate cartridges?
I’m not 100% familiar with Evercade, but I thought I’d read before that the Capcom licence was for console exclusive release only, and not cartridge releases (?). Hence to play these on Evercade, you have to buy all the different machines.
If I had room I'd consider one.
@Bod2019 Correct, there's no Capcom cart for Evercade. And I heard the same thing, this is due to Capcom wanting the licence to be tied to hardware.
In a way, this is super cool! It looks great, and I might get one (especially if they do a unit from a company I like; Taito seems like a good contender. Although they have the Egret II Mini, it'd be neat to have some Taito games, and then play whatever cart as well)
That being said, I think I'm getting console fatigue from the Evercade line. They're just putting out too many console variations too quickly and it's personally turning me off. And to a extent I wonder how sustainable it is (although I'd guess that Blaze is flush with cash to be pushing out so much hardware so quickly?).
@Damo thanks for confirming.
It’s a shame as it would be a great cart collection, would likely interest me more in the system too, in a big Capcom fan, not a lot they could do wrong in the 90s really.
I love Evercade (I own the original handheld, the EXP, the VS and every cartridge) but I just can't justify any kind of arcade hardware that doesn't have two sets of controls.
I'm kind of on the fence with this release.
On the one hand, quality seems great and it having compatibility with all carts means lots of games.
On the other hand, the limited game selection and no HDMI out are two absolutely massive blunders.
The Egret II Mini (which I picked up for around $120 USD) comes pre loaded with 40(!) games and has HDMI out as well as support for a trackball controller, flight stick and more with 3 extra optional game packs (and a 4th on the way).
Unless the emulation and input lag are top notch, I can't see this being a solid purchase at this price point.
Also, while it's a solid review, I would have appreciated a further in depth look at emulation quality input Lag and controller compatibility.
Button layout might work for Street Fighter, but it sucks for everything else.
Also, no way to rotate the screen, for vertical games, also sucks. It's something even the tiny Egret II mini could do. The screen is so small, that it will be difficult to see the bullets, when you can only play it, in horizontal mode, with borders. My old eyes, just can't survive that 😂
@gojiguy To be fair, with all of the Evercade carts taken into account, there's more than 500 games across 60 cartridges. Although most of them are not arcade games, so may not be a good fit for the control scheme.
Heck yeah, this looks really awesome. This will definitely be my first Evercade system. Very excited to eventually get my hands on one!
Does anyone know how difficult it is to hack this thing or other Evercade products? Cause that's neat hardware but it'd be even neater with MAME.
Unless it's so can be used as a portable device I'm not seeing the need to buy this. 🤔
I pre-ordered the Mega Man version (you're shocked, I know) and my only real concern is whether or not I'll be able to set this on a table and sit a comfortable distance away with a wireless controller. Despite advertising "compatibility" as a feature, I've found that never worked out on the Evercade Vs, as no USB A controller other than theirs ever functioned for me (dongle/wireless OR wired).
Would really like to have it, but no space
@MegaManFan
Hmm i used two different 8 Bitdo Controllers via Dongle and the Defender from Retro Fighters.
Maybe you could try one of those
Looks very cool but the biggest thing putting me off is the choice of arcade stick. I much much prefer the kind with a small ball on the end, especially for fighting games.
There is no point in comparing its price to the price of other mini arcade cabinets, it's way bigger, but I agree that Egret II Mini is the best one out there, with the rotating screen and the amount of available and purchasable games.
The Evercade Alpha is another beast, and is compatible with a lot of arcade games we already own. The bezels making the potentially very big screen smaller are the least appealing thing to me, though.
Anyway, I'll wait for a sale, there must be several, this would be the first Evercade product not being price reduced at some point otherwise.
"there's no way to connect the Alpha to your television via HDMI (...) feels like an optional feature that most people would have welcomed."
I'll go a step further and say that such a feature would/could have legitimized this entire endeavor, in terms of justifying the purchase. as is, it feels like an executive toy mostly for display/nostalgia purposes. ✌️
"Because it's a 4:3 screen, it's the perfect aspect ratio for retro gaming, but you'll still find that some titles have a border around the action (like TATE-mode shmups, for example)."
Imo the second half of this couplet actually disproves the first, by demonstrating that a 1:1 screen is actually the perfect ratio for retro gaming, when it comes to arcade games in particular (also handheld games made for a variety of different screens.) ✌️
"Sure, someone is always going to be stuck with the joypad rather than the authentic coin-op interface, but it's not the end of the world."
1) or they can use a stick of they so choose, right?
2) especially given #1 above, far worse is that player 2 will always be peerng over the shoulder of player 1, kind of like trying to see what someone is doing on their ipad. 🙂↔️🙂↔️
3) two sets of controls is the ONLY way for street fighter, this is DOA for me personally for this reason.
"None of Mega Man's famous platforming adventures are included, which might seem a bit odd"
what seems odd is the choice of Mega Man for this project at all, given that the "famous platforming adventures" mentioned are not arcade games. 🤔
thanks for the review! my take is that this seems high quality, but the lack of AV out, second controls, and odd choices for the marquee franchises make it irrelevant for me right off sadly.
@Azuris I do have an 8BitDo with a dongle I use with my Steam Deck, so I'll give that one a go. Thanks!
Great review, and I really like the look of this. I really like the fact that you can buy physical cartridges, and pick and choose which games you want (I would probably mainly go for the ones aimed at younger gamers, as something for my son and I to play together).
The price is slightly high for me, in terms of how much use it would realistically get, but as the quality appears to be so high, i may be wrong on that. It seems a very fair price if you think you would get enough use out of it!
I would really like the opportunity to try one first, to see if the controls feels comfortable. It kind of looks too small for my hands and like it would force me into a more hunched up position than I would like - on the other hand, it’s small enough that it could be stored away when not in use. Really need to try before I buy if possible
@BowsersBuddy The Alpha uses full sized arcade parts, and the limited edition version even comes with Sanwa parts. So in that sense, all of the buttons and the lever should be good in terms of their size. That said, the buttons may be a bit too close to the lever to be comfortable. But it's an understandable choice to keep the size somewhat reasonable and portable.
@MegaManFan I have Evercade VS too, and the controller support is decent but far from perfect. I can confirm that 8bitdo arcade stick works on it, and so does wired version of 8bitdo SN30 Pro. But then wired 8bitdo Pro 2 or 8bitdo Ultimate (bluetooth + 2.4Ghz version) do not work on it.
@KoopaTheGamer when I said about the size, I meant the overall unit, which makes the sticks and buttons look close together. Which I am likely to find uncomfortable. All of that being said, I really think the size is probably a good thing for many families, as it’s the type of thing that could easily be put away when not in use. I am tempted, but would definitely want to try one first.
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