Sometimes Technology Moves TOO Fast!
Out With the Old?
One of the Evercade YouTubers that I watch regularly is 'Crazy Birger', who does nice reviews and reports on retro gaming. And in his last video he discussed - hypothetically - the idea of what a updated EXP handheld might look like and why he thinks it's needed...
....I'll be honest, I'm not sure an EXP2 is needed quite yet. Not only does it - in my opinion - fulfil - all that is needed for mobile casual retro gaming (I always pack my EXP for trips and holidays) but Evercade have already - in a way - done a clever 'upgrade' of this handheld.
In 2023 Blaze Entertainment (makers of the Evercade range) launched the 'Super Pocket' - a compact handheld games console which could be seen a mini-EXP in a way. In taking the handheld concept DOWN a size - rather than taking it UP in size - they have made this handheld Evercade even MORE mobile and convenient for carrying than the bigger EXP.
That said, I still prefer my EXP - even though it needs to be totted around in a bag - unless you have super-size pockets 😁- to be fully 'mobile'. And - in a way - if I want really pocket size gaming with me at all times I use my iPhone! (A lot of the retro arcade games - or versions of them - are available on the Apple Arcade Store.)
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| Above: My favourite retro arcade game - 1942 - on my iPhone 11. Handy portable gaming with me at all times! |
But I can see a lot of people liking the 'Gameboy'-like format of the 'Hyper Mega Tech' (Blaze's new brand line for this console) Super Pocket.
Back to Upgrading the EXP , First Question Would Be 'Why'?
Well, the simple answer might be this - BLAZE are starting the push the envelope of what the EXP is capable of because they have lately started to introduce N64 games to their library (and there are likely to be Playstation 1 and Dreamcast games too if they can work out the coding to get these on a cartridge).
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| Add: 1998's SEGA Dreamcast. A retro gaming fan favourite, but how would an EXP emulate THAT controller? |
This push to add more (comparatively - remember we are talking retro games here) sophisticated games from later consoles come at a cost. In essence it like they are trying to squeeze these games into a package that was never really designed to cope with them.
What eventually might be needed is a slightly more powerful and versatile EXP so that it can make the most of this later generation of retro games.
NOW... Here's the rub. I kinda have a problem with this.
... To me Evercade might be going in completely the wrong direction IF they made an EXP2. They would be kinda solving the issue of a limited amount of less sophisticate older types of games by trying to open up new fresh fields of availability by going to slightly newer generations of console games (like the N64, Playstation 1, SNES and Dreamcast).
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| Above: 1996's 64 bit Nintendo 64. Trying to get N64 games onto the EXP is sorta like squeezing a quart into a pint pot! |
I think this would be wrong-thinking. I'll explain why I think this in a minute but I would say this.
IF they truly need a more powerful type of EXP to play these game properly, do we need a EXP2 to do that? OR... Just as they added the Super Pocket and potentially killing the EXP by replacing it, might it be better to simply add another handheld in the line specifically for those who want a more powerful machine?
Not an EXP 2 but something else! (And remember here, this is all speculation. BLAZE have not said they intend to launch any new consoles this year.)
And the other reason I say an EXP2 would be wrong thinking is this...
IF the reason BLAZE might be looking at a new machine it might be because - as I mentioned - that it's getting a bit harder to find suitable older games for the systems they already have. Not that theres a limited amount of retro games out there - there isn't, there are huge amount - but because getting the rights to these games might be getting harder and harder.
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| Above: In case you need a reminder, this is the EXP. Not a lot of real estate, on top or inside! |
Theres still plenty of avenues to explore for the current machines - I am hoping for some Sinclair Spectrum games to be added - but like a shark that must keep swimming to survive, BLAZE may feel that they need to keep periodically upgrading hardware just to maintain market interest (this is - in my opinion - why they made the Super Pocket).
Never Say Never
OK, so that's my reasons why I think an EXP2 might be a bad idea, though - at the same time - I do like some of the ideas in Crazy Birger's video. Yes, I'd like a bigger screen on the EXP and a better battery life. I even like the idea of a future machine adding a port so you can add alternative controllers as one of the nice things I like about the EXP is you can sorta turn it into a tabletop console by plugging in a HDMI cable and attaching it to you big TV!
But, anyway, whatever BLAZE intend to do next I'm sure it won't be what we expect it to do. After all, every Evecade fan has their own personal 'wish list' of things that they would like to see BLAZE doing.
And with that said... Here's my ideas...
1. Make NEW Evercade Featured Release!
We all love the retro games, but as I mentioned above, these may be getting harder to find for BLAZE. So why isn't BLAZE developing it's own 'new' retro games??? Or, if they don't want to do it...
There are colleges and universities (and small indie developers) all over the UK who would love to get a start by having their own games featured on a special Evercade cartridge. Why isn't BLAZE sponsoring a competition for these groups, winners of submission to go onto a cartridge.
2. Add a 'MIX TAPE' feature?
Now I don't even know if this is technically possible BUT...
Evercade fans really like the collecting aspect of the physical media. It's kinda old skool and quite addictive! BUT, this means that your favourite games are spread over many different cartridges, which can be a bit of a pain!
Every tie I go on a trip and want to take my EXP I then have the daunting task of choosing which carts to take with me - ideally all of them 😂 but that is impossible - but if we could produce a 'mix tape' cart ourselves this would solve the problem.
Again, this seems technically hard - PLUS there are issues of piracy here, so it may never happen.
3. Add Alternative Controller Ports
I touched on this in my main post, but the reason I think this would be cool is that it would actually solve one of the main issues that Crazy Burger raises in his video. Later gaming consoles like the N64 had thumbstick controls and their games utilised these... The EXP does not have thumbsticks, so this poses a big problem when considering which N64/Dreamcast game to port...
How do they emulate thumbsticks on a console that doesn't have them?
So, adding - say - a USB port to an upgraded EXP or VS would allow third part controllers to be plugged in. This gives a EXP2 a kind of future proofing as newer consoles have many different ways of handling controls...
Crazy Burger even suggested that a mouse could be attached... I agree, as this opens up a lot of games that required one to play. Think of some of the computer shooters, for example.
Edit: 4. Bluetooth!
I don't know why this didn't occur to me until I had to plug in my wired headphones last night... I mean, who had wired headphones there days (aside from old gits like me who never throw anything away)! 😉
The EXP only comes with a 3.5mm audio plug if you want to output sound to anything. A bit anachronistic these days when everything seems to have Bluetooth now! Being able to pair up a EXP2 to your earbuds would be idea as it enhances the portability aspect of the console...
Nobody wants to hear the tinny clanging of 8bit games on a train journey! 😛
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So there you go. I'm trying to have my cake and eat it as I don't think a EXP2 is a good idea BUT I can think of reasons that it might be! 😂
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