Evercade Nexus Brings Twin Sticks and a Bigger Screen to Cartridge Gaming

The Evercade Nexus went on sale on 30 October 2026, bringing a larger screen, twin analogue sticks and a physical cartridge containing Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie. Blaze Entertainment’s new handheld also introduces EverSync, which lets two Nexus owners play supported multiplayer games using a single cartridge.

First announced on 31 March, the Nexus builds on the cartridge format Evercade has used since its launch in 2020. The games still come in cases with printed manuals. For existing collectors, the main changes are in the handheld itself: the display, controls and ways to play together.

A bigger screen and twin analogue sticks

The screen grows from the 4.3-inch display in the EXP and EXP-R to a 5.89-inch IPS panel. Resolution rises more modestly, from 800 × 480 to 840 × 512. Blaze rates its brightness at over 500 nits; that is the manufacturer’s specification rather than an independent measurement.

The two analogue sticks sit below the D-pad and face buttons. Games that support them can use separate sticks for movement and camera control, as the included Banjo adventures do. The D-pad remains available for games designed around digital controls.

TATE mode returns for arcade games with vertical displays, allowing the handheld and picture to be rotated for play. TV output is absent: there is no HDMI connection, USB-C video output or wireless TV streaming. The original EXP had Mini-HDMI, while the EXP-R had already dropped that feature.

The Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack is included

The standard Nexus package includes the Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack, Evercade Home Console cartridge number 53. Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie share one physical cartridge, accompanied by a full-colour manual.

Blaze worked with Rare on native Evercade ports: versions built for the platform, rather than simply running the original Nintendo 64 games through an emulator. The announced changes include widescreen support, improved performance, a revised camera and two control schemes called Retro and Replay.

The collection is also sold separately and works on earlier Evercade and Super Pocket devices, with controls adapted for hardware without analogue sticks. Buying a Nexus is therefore optional if the two Banjo games are the main attraction.

Alongside the console and game, the standard box contains a USB-C to USB-A charging cable and a quick-start guide. A mains adapter, the separate EVA carry case and a screen protector are not included in the basic package.

How EverSync shares one cartridge between two handhelds

EverSync connects two Nexus handhelds directly, without an internet connection or router. Only the host needs the cartridge. The second device receives the game’s picture and sends inputs as player two’s controller. One player hosts a session from the EverSync menu and the other joins it.

Games retain their local multiplayer layout. A split-screen game still shows the divided picture on both handhelds, rather than giving each player a separate full-screen view. This applies to Banjo-Tooie’s multiplayer modes too. The current limit is two players, and the connection is for local play rather than online sessions.

Existing cartridges and a compatibility exception

The Nexus supports the existing Evercade cartridge library with current firmware. However, Blaze’s Nexus support page lists one launch exception: Bubble Seahorse from Indie Heroes Collection 3, which requires a further compatibility update.

Blaze recommends installing the 5.0.5 day-one patch. Among its changes is an update to version 1.1 of the Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack.

More cartridges are on the way, including the Last Ninja, International Karate and James Pond collections scheduled for 4 December. The shared format lets owners move a cartridge between compatible home and handheld systems without buying the same collection for each device.

Early reviews: good controls, slow starts

The larger display and analogue controls have been well received, although reviewers have also criticised start-up and loading times. In its October review, VGC measured 42 seconds from pressing the power button to reaching the main menu, followed by roughly another 20 seconds to launch Banjo-Kazooie. Those figures come from its pre-launch review unit.

Battery life also varies. Tom’s Guide reported closer to four hours when playing Banjo-Kazooie, rather than the five-plus hours advertised by Blaze.

A proper sleep or suspend mode was also missing in Creative Bloq’s review of 6 November. Blaze told Destructoid that the feature would arrive in a later firmware update, without a confirmed release date.

Time Extension notes that processing power has not increased over the existing EXP and VS systems. Both that publication and VGC also say they were unable to properly test EverSync with two devices, so their reviews do not establish how smoothly wireless multiplayer works.

Price and what the upgrade buys you

The Nexus is considerably larger than the EXP-R and the compact Super Pocket Activision Edition we previously covered. It uses the same cartridge format, with the extra space accommodating a larger display, more controls and a bigger battery.

These are the recommended prices for the respective markets. Local availability, taxes, delivery and any import charges depend on the country and retailer. The collector-focused 64 Edition and DOOM Edition have different bundles and higher prices.

For an EXP-R owner who mainly wants the Banjo collection, the separate cartridge is enough. The reasons to move to a Nexus are the larger screen, analogue controls and local play between handhelds. Newcomers get two games in the box and can build a cartridge collection from there.

Primary sources: Blaze’s Nexus announcement of 31 March 2026, the official specification and FAQ, the Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack announcement of 6 August, Banjo support and update notes and the Nexus firmware patch notes. Independent findings are attributed to the reviews linked in the article. Information checked on 8 November 2026.