Evercade debuts “bartop” arcade machines with cartridge support

Evercade is entering the arcade market with the launch of Evercade Alpha, a ‘bartop’ style arcade cabinet with support for Evercade cartridges.

The Evercade brand has been growing in strength since the launch of the original handheld. Many users appreciated being able to access retro games using officially licensed cartridges on modern hardware.

Now, Blaze Entertainment is entering the world of arcades with the announcement of the Evercade Alpha. This is a Bartop-style arcade cabinet that has one particular selling point – it is compatible with Evercade’s existing physical cartridge library.

The Evercade Alpha is planned to have two variants at launch, both themed on iconic franchises from Capcom. The first will have a design themed around Street Fighter, while the other will have artwork inspired by Mega Man.

Evercade

Both arcade cabinets will feature six built-in games from Capcom, including the Street Fighter Alpha series, Mega Man: The Power Battle, Final Fight, and Strider. As usual for Evercade products, all these games are fully licensed.

The Alpha is fully compatible with the existing Evercade ecosystem and has two cartridge ports. This provides users with a potential library of over 500 games across 50 cartridges.

Players will be able to use ‘competition grade’ arcade controls or utilize the two USB ports for two-layer multiplayer. The Evercade VS and VS-R controllers are compatible, as are a range of third-party controllers and arcade sticks. The display is an 8-inch IPS screen, and the unit comes with stereo speakers and a headphone jack.

For customers who pre-order from the official website, a discounted rate will be available, knocking the price down to $229.99, compared to the normal retail price of $249.99. Pre-orders will be available from June 4, 2024 until November 2024.

The Evercade Alpha is planned to be released in November 2024.