Evercade Reviews?

[VideoGameCritic]

Finally picked up a mini HDMI to HDMI converter at Best Buy so I can hook my Evercade to a TV. Man I'm surprised how hard it was to find this wire. Went to Target and Staples and their HDMI section was blown out.

[MSR1701]

Finally picked up a mini HDMI to HDMI converter at Best Buy so I can hook my Evercade to a TV. Man I'm surprised how hard it was to find this wire. Went to Target and Staples and their HDMI section was blown out.

Looking forward to how the cable works for you, I considered getting the cable, though I primarily play portables far away from a TV, or while NCAA Football is on.

[Wehrwolf]

Well I need to buy a mini-HDMI to HDMI cable to play on the TV.

I tried Centipede and it played well. Unfortunately there's no high score save. You'd think they'd figure out how to do that by now. Next I played Adventure and noticed there's no way to toggle the difficulty switches. Seems like they are permanently set to B.

I'm having a lot of mixed feelings right now.

For high score save, assuming the game remembers high scores until you turn off power, just make a save state each time when you’re done and load the save state each time you start.

I noticed that about the difficulty switches too, I haven’t found a way to set them.

Also, the rulebooks, while neat, should’ve at least told you what the different settings for Atari 2600 games are (what the 1-66 choices are for Asteroids, for example).

Other than the Atari 2600 games, I’m really happy with the system though, particularly considering the cost.

[MSR1701]

The Atari Collectuon 1 is by far the weakest of the initial carts overall, especially as the Atari Collection 2 has several of the same games in their 7800 version instead of 2600. I considered getting the Atari Collection 2, but will hold out for the 2 Lynx sets coming later this year (Super Asteroids was a fave of mine).

[VideoGameCritic]

The cable converter worked, and the system plays GREAT on the TV. Now I just needed an HDMI extender so I don't need to sit right in front of the TV.

By the way, although the Evercade isn't much to look at (looks like cheap plastic to me) it is remarkably comfortable to use. It pretty much molds to your hands.

[MSR1701]

I agree, it looks like a cheap toy, but handles very well. Very impressed with the screen and speakers, though I'm still getting used to the Xbox button layout for the main menu...

For the packs, I've acquired most of the current crop (Namco 1 and 2 are on supplier backorder thru August right now), and here are some brief thoughts:

Atari Collection 1 - 20 games
- Aside from finally being able to try Ninja Golf (I've never found a reliable 7800 emulator), this is a sub-par collection. The game list is impressive, with Asteroids, Centipede and Adventure, but most of the games are sub-par (Tempest 2600 (wasn't this just a prototype?), Crystal Castles and Yar's Return), and others have 7800 versions that feature in Atari Collection 2 (Asteroids, Centipede, Desert Falcon).
Rating - C-

Data East Collection 1 - 10 games
- An interesting collection of games, highlights for me being Joe & Mac 2, Magical Drop II and Fighter's History, with Burgertime and Midnight Resistance being fun diversions. Not a fan of Bad Dudes, but still interesting. A good collection all around.
Rating - B

Interplay Collection 1 - 6 games
- Interplay Collection 1 and 2 really give off a vibe that they should have been in the same collection, given the low game count of both sets. To their credit, the games are of good quality, what with Earthworm Jim, Boogerman (YES!), and Clayfighter. Battle Chess is interesting, and I've always wanted to try Incantation. I'm glad this was in the Premium pack, as I would find it hard to pay $40 for both Interplay 1 and 2 together on their own.
Rating - B+

Interplay Collection 2 - 6 games
- As stated above, this really should have been all on one cart with Interplay 1. That said, the games are an interesting lot, with Earthworm Jim 2 (FRESH!), Clayfighter 2 and Prehistorik Man being highlights, and Claymates and The Brainies being interesting diversions.
- Rating - B

Mega Cat Studios Collection 1 - 10 games
- This is an interesting collection, as instead of old games being repackaged, these are new games for old systems being repackaged. All releases from recent years for classic systems (and also released on newer systems like the Switch and PS4), these games have a nice classic appeal, though none have yet to really hit that zen that I get with certain classic games. Highlights include Tanzer, Little Medusa and Coffee Crisis.
- Rating - B-

Piko Interactive Collection 1 - 20 games
- This one is the collection that decided on me getting the Evercade. Jim Power, Tinhead, Brave Battle Saga, The Immortal, 8 Eyes, Dragon View, and The Humans are some of the games included, and while some may not meet everyone's tastes (Jim Power is punishing, but I can't get enough of the soundtrack...), there is easily something for everyone. Of special note is that aside from Adventure on the Atari Collection, this collection has the first true (J/W)RPGs on the Evercade, and while a couple of these are English translations of Tiwanese Genesis games, the quality of the games is suprisingly high. This cart has been in my Evercade for a good while now, and probably will stay there until the Atari Lynx cart with Chips Challenge...
- Rating - A

[VideoGameCritic]

The Atari Collectuon 1 is by far the weakest of the initial carts overall, especially as the Atari Collection 2 has several of the same games in their 7800 version instead of 2600. I considered getting the Atari Collection 2, but will hold out for the 2 Lynx sets coming later this year (Super Asteroids was a fave of mine).

I think this is a fair statement. I was very underwhelmed by the Atari collection. However, since I've been playing the Data East collection I've been warming up to the system. But what the heck happened to the music in Side Pocket? Yikes.

[VideoGameCritic]

Update - the music in Side Pocket is fine, but the mini-HDMI connection is very temperamental. If you jostle it while playing it will reset the system. Also, I'm going to blame this for some of the audio issues I've been seeing, since it doesn't happen when I play using the system's screen.

[VideoGameCritic]

With no difficulty options, you will never ever see any UFO's in Asteroids on the Evercade. (You need to set to A for that). That was a pretty big part of the game. It's a real shame because the emulation is dead on. The controls feel super responsive and the graphics look so crisp.

[MSR1701]

Update - the music in Side Pocket is fine, but the mini-HDMI connection is very temperamental. If you jostle it while playing it will reset the system. Also, I'm going to blame this for some of the audio issues I've been seeing, since it doesn't happen when I play using the system's screen.

That might be the case; Evercade's site mentions an HDMI audio issue for a select few titles, though Side Pocket is not on that list.

https://www.evercade.co.uk/hdmi-game-capture-fix/