The Evercade EXP and Evercade VS are now a few years old, but both have already had a redesign in 2024, swapping out the white colour scheme of the original models for a grey-and-blue approach, known as 'Neon Retro'.
Manufacturer Blaze has now given both machines a third spruce-up, this time adopting a grey-and-red colourway ('Classic Retro') which, for me at least, calls to mind the design of the NES.
That's no bad thing, but how do these new models compare to the originals?
Hold tight, because we're going to find out.
The EXP-R (2025)
I never got around to picking up the refreshed EXP-R in 2024, so this is my first time with that particular system. The most significant change from the original EXP is the removal of the pre-loaded Capcom games, which is a real shame, primarily as no stand-alone Capcom cartridge exists currently.
The other noteworthy difference is that the HDMI-out port is gone, although I have to admit, with the Evercade VS hooked up to my TV since it arrived in 2021, I barely used that feature on the original EXP. It's still a nice bonus to have, however, so some of you might want to hang onto your old units instead of upgrading – especially if this is the only Evercade system you intend to own.
A far less pressing issue (and one that equally applies to last year's Neon Classic design) is the fact that most Evercade carts are made from white plastic, which matches the case of the 2022 EXP. With this new variant, carts now 'clash' with the grey casing; this might bother you, it might not, but guess what? It bothered me.
The screen is an LCD panel, the same as the one on the original. When you consider that some emulation handhelds are using OLED panels these days, it feels a little bit like the EXP-R is stuck in the past, but it's perhaps foolish to expect such a display on a mass-market device priced below £100. The battery life remains thoroughly average, too.
On the plus side, the EXP-R is ever-so-slightly lighter; the original model weighs 280 grams, while the newer variant weighs 251 grams. The amazing TATE button – which rotates the screen 90 degrees so you can play vertically-scrolling shooters and the like – remains, and feels to me like it has been made slightly more pronounced, which means the Evercade TATE Grip is less likely to fall off.
Sold without a cartridge, the new EXP-R ships with a USB-A to USB-C charging cable and costs £99.99 / €119.99 / $129.99. It won't have escaped your attention that the 2024 model – which comes with the Tomb Raider Collection 1 cart – can still be purchased at the time of writing for the same amount (outside of the US, at least – all Evercade prices were increased in that region recently thanks to Trump's tariffs). The 2025 models are reflective of 2025 inflation, basically.
So, while it actually represents worse value for money due to the missing game, the price 'freeze', according to Blaze, goes against industry trends to bump up prices. The company has a point; Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have all increased the price of hardware recently. Blaze also stresses that the 2024 versions of both the EXP-R and VS-R are of limited stock, and once they sell out, the 2025 model will be the only one you can buy moving forward. Blaze will also be offering bundles which bring down the cost of buying a system with a game.
One way of looking at it is this: we could potentially have had a situation where the EXP-R was more expensive AND lacked a pack-in game. Of course, none of this gets around the fact that you're getting less for your money with the 2025 EXP-R, even if it does look nicer than last year's edition.
Financial justifications aside, if you already own the EXR or EXR-R (2024), then there's little reason to 'upgrade' to this new model. In the case of the 2022 version, you'll not only be losing the 18 Capcom games, but also the TV-out functionality. If you own the 2024 variant, then you're going to be paying the same price again, but you won't get any bundled software.
However, if you're a newcomer to the Evercade ecosystem, then this is a great entry point right now, assuming you don't fancy looking for a pre-owned 2022 model. I love the NES-style colours, and while I don't think that's reason enough to upgrade on its own, it does mean the EXP-R finally looks as good as it performs.
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The VS-R (2025)
Originally released back in 2021, the original VS came in a white-and-red colour scheme, and was updated in 2024 with the same 'Neon Retro' design as its stablemate, the EXP.
Unlike the EXP, however, the VS hasn't undergone any internal changes and is effectively the same system that was released four years ago. It ships with a single controller and a USB-A to Micro USB lead – sadly, Blaze hasn't updated this system with a USB-C port.
The VS-R is capable of hosting two game cartridges at the same time. This not only saves you from having to swap games as often as you can have your two favourite carts booted up at all times, but it also allows you to unlock hidden games via cartridge combinations.
The VS-R also offers a massive benefit over its handheld sibling: It can play multiplayer games. There are four controller ports, and the console can accept USB controllers, even if they're not Evercade ones. More recently, the firmware has been updated to support analogue control for certain games – this is only possible on the VS-R.
As much as I love the original VS, I always felt that the case looked a bit cheap. The new 'Classic Retro' design fixes that to a degree, but the plastic is still a bit on the naff side. This naturally doesn't impact the system's functionality.
Costing £89.99 / €109.99 / $129.99, the VS-R remains good value for money if you're interested in getting on board with Evercade but don't tend to play handhelds all that much. Again, the same story applies to the price – you can get the 2024 model with Tomb Raider Collection 1 for (around) the same price as this redesigned edition, but not for long.
Both the EXR-R (2025) and VS-R (2025) are expected to ship on 25th September, 2025.