While HyperMegaTech's Super Pocket Neo Geo Edition has been attracting all of the attention recently, it's important to remember it's not the only new addition to the lineup that launched this month – there's a Data East-themed Super Pocket, too.
Pre-loaded with 18 games and sporting what I personally think is the best colourway of the lineup so far, this £49.99 / $59.99 / €59.99 handheld supports Evercade cartridges, opening up access to over 600 different games.
However, the range already includes multiple Data East cartridges, so is this still worth a look if you've already dipped your toe in the Evercade ecosystem? Let's find out...
Super Pocket Data East Edition Review: Design & Display
There's not much more I can say about the Data East Super Pocket beyond what I've said in the past – this is a dinky handheld with good proportions and excellent controls (apart from those rear buttons), all backed up by a decent-for-the-price display and a rechargeable internal battery.
One thing that I do like about this particular edition, though, is the orange-and-blue colour scheme. The Super Pocket series has always had a "My First Handheld" vibe, and the Data East device really leans into this; it's bright and eye-catching in the same way a Fisher Price toy is, but that only adds to its appeal.
You might think differently – in which case, the Neo Geo Edition is right there.
Super Pocket Data East Edition Review: The Games
The software lineup is going to be the biggest point of contention with the Super Pocket Data East Edition, largely because, unlike the Neo Geo Edition, there's a lot of duplication here if you're already a card-carrying Evercade fan.
The system comes loaded with the following arcade games:
- B-Wings
- Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja
- BreakThru
- BurgerTime
- Burnin' Rubber
- Chain Reaction
- Crude Buster
- Gate of Doom (Dark Seal)
- Joe & Mac Returns
- Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja
- Karate Champ
- Lock 'n' Chase
- Peter Pepper's Ice Cream Factory
- Spinmaster
- Super BurgerTime
- Edward Randy
- Tumblepop
- Wizard Fire (Dark Seal II)
Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja, BurgerTime, BreakThru, Chain Reaction, Gate of Doom (Dark Seal), Tumblepop, Wizard Fire (Dark Seal II) and Lock 'n' Chase are all included on Data East Arcade 1, while B-Wings, Peter Pepper's Ice Cream Factory, Edward Randy, Joe & Mac Returns, Crude Buster and Super BurgerTime are present on Data East Arcade 2.
That means 14 of the games pre-loaded on the Super Pocket Data East Edition are available elsewhere, and, if you're a dedicated Evercade supporter, you might already own them.
That leaves Burnin' Rubber, Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja, Karate Champ and Spinmaster as the sole 'exclusive' games on this console, and even then, Burnin' Rubber and Karate Champ are part of Data East Collection 1, albeit in their NES forms.
This paucity of 'new' games is disappointing for longstanding fans of the Evercade project, but will obviously be less of an issue for newcomers. In fact, if you're coming in totally cold, the 18 titles featured on this system are pretty amazing; Edward Randy is my own personal highlight, as it wasn't available legally on any system until its Evercade release.
It's also fair to say that Evercade maker Blaze is in a tight spot here, as it has pretty much mined most of Data East's most famous arcade games – or at least the ones owned by current IP holder G-Mode (Karnov, Chelnov and Windjammers are all owned by Paon and have therefore been afforded their own Evercade collection).
There are a few titles I would have liked to have seen – Boogie Wings being perhaps the most pressing – but on the whole, these 18 games sum up Data East pretty well; they were never a top-tier developer in the same way that Capcom and Taito were back in the day, but they had their moments.
Super Pocket Data East Edition Review: Conclusion
As the Super Pocket family grows, picking out a particular variant will become increasingly about the games that come pre-installed, and there's no denying that the Data East Edition is in a tough spot.
Most of its pre-installed games are available elsewhere in the wider Evercade range, so it's hard to recommend to fans of the platform; there's far too much duplication going on here, and the four exclusive titles perhaps aren't enticing enough to justify the price.
However, if you're entirely new to the Super Pocket concept and Evercade in general, then this is a good way to familiarise yourself with Data East's unique history.