Three retro handhelds reach shoppers inside a four-day window, and each one bets on a different kind of nostalgia. Hyperkin ships the SupaBoy Crimson and SupaBoy Prime on Oct. 28, and its trade catalog lists both at a $129.99 MSRP. Blaze Entertainment follows with the Evercade Nexus on Oct. 30 at $199.99. My Arcade lists the Gamestation Retro Go for Oct. 31, also at $199.99.
The Nexus carries the highest price of any Evercade handheld so far and the biggest screen, and the Evercade.info spec listing confirms the Oct. 30 date with prices of £169.99, $199.99 and €199.99. As of Oct. 25, none of the three has shipped. All sit in preorder or pre-release status, so every spec below reflects what the makers have published, not what reviewers have found after retail launch.
For buyers weighing a retro handheld this holiday season, the choice splits three ways: original Super Nintendo cartridges, Evercade’s physical cartridge ecosystem, or a built-in library of licensed games. If you want emulation-class hardware instead, our Evercade Nexus vs Retroid Pocket 6 vs Miyoo comparison covers that side of the market. This piece focuses on the launch week itself, what each device costs, and what the timing says about the retro hardware business.
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What Ships Between Oct. 28 and Oct. 31
The calendar is tight. Hyperkin’s wholesale listing shows an expected ship date of Oct. 28 for the SupaBoy pair, with item numbers M08889-PM for Prime and M08889-CR for Crimson. Preorders opened Sept. 17 through Hyperkin’s own store, according to GameSpace’s launch coverage, and the company set Oct. 28 as the US and EU date.
Two days later, on Oct. 30, the Evercade Nexus arrives alongside a limited DOOM Edition and the Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack cartridge. Blaze confirmed that date back on Aug. 6, and it has held through a rough autumn for the company’s other hardware (more on that below). The Gamestation Retro Go closes the run on Oct. 31, per its GameStop listing, where preorders opened Sept. 2 at $199.99.
That is three launches from three companies in roughly 96 hours, and the price spread is narrow: $129.99 at the low end, $199.99 at the high end for the standard models. The narrow band matters. It tells shoppers that the retro handheld market has settled into two pricing tiers, one for single-system cartridge players and one for multi-system devices with bigger screens.
SupaBoy Crimson and Prime: Original SNES Cartridges on a 4.3-Inch Screen
The SupaBoy is a rechargeable handheld that plays original Super Nintendo and Super Famicom cartridges. Launch coverage of the new pair describes a 4.3-inch IPS display, roughly 10 hours of battery life and two controller ports. Hyperkin’s September positioning also reportedly stressed support for both PAL and NTSC cartridges, which matters for collectors who import games.
Pricing runs $129.99 in the US, €129.99 in Europe and £119.99 in the UK for each model. European availability reportedly arrives for the first time with these colorways. Crimson is described as a translucent, Famicom-inspired colorway, while Prime uses colors inspired by the SNES and Super Famicom.
Which one is the limited edition?
Reports disagree. Some coverage calls Crimson the standard model and Prime the limited colorway, while other coverage reverses that. Hyperkin’s own trade catalog lists the two at the same MSRP and does not settle the question in the lines we could verify. Check the product page at checkout before you assume either one is a permanent part of the lineup.
One point is more consistent across sources. Hyperkin said the new colorways would replace the existing SupaBoy models rather than sit beside them. A retailer listing on Oct. 7 reportedly showed the earlier Hyper Beach edition at $119.99 on Amazon, a $10 discount from the $129.99 list price, which looks like a typical run-out price. Treat that figure as retailer pricing, not an official cut. In France, one report says Prime is a Micromania exclusive at €129.99 with availability from Dec. 1, which conflicts with the Oct. 28 date used elsewhere.
Evercade Nexus: A 5.89-Inch Screen Aimed at 32-Bit and 64-Bit Games
The Nexus is the largest Evercade handheld to date. Blaze’s own listing gives it a 5.89-inch 840×512 IPS screen with 500-plus nits of brightness. Compare that with the Evercade EXP and EXP-R at 4.3 inches and 800×480, or the Super Pocket at 2.8 inches and 320×240. Dimensions follow the same trend: the Nexus measures 215 by 111 by 34 mm, against 192.7 by 78.5 by 20.7 mm for the EXP.
The hardware change that matters most is the addition of two analog sticks. Earlier Evercade devices stuck to a D-pad and buttons, which suited 8-bit and 16-bit libraries. The Nexus targets games from the 32-bit and 64-bit era, and Blaze made the point by bundling the Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack, which holds Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie. The cartridge also sells separately from Oct. 30.
Early critics have been warm. Pocket Tactics titled its review “Evercade Nexus review – my new favorite retro-style handheld,” and the full Pocket Tactics review is dated Oct. 13. Retro Dodo’s review headline calls the device “A $199 Cartridge-Based Handheld That Stops Gaming Fatigue.” Both reviews appeared before retail launch, so wait for post-launch impressions on battery life and build quality.
Three editions, three price points
Blaze announced three Nexus variants. The standard model costs £169.99, $199.99 or €199.99 and includes the Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack. The Nexus 64 Edition costs £189.99, $229.99 or €229.99, sells only through Funstock and is limited to 2,000 units. The DOOM Edition, priced at £199.99, $249.99 or €239.99, also sells through Funstock while supplies last. One support page puts the DOOM run at 3,000 units, though that count appears in a single source and Blaze’s press release does not repeat it.
The Nexus also supports EverSync, Evercade’s wireless multiplayer feature, including two-player split-screen play, and it runs The DOOM Collection. Firmware updates in October brought DOOM Collection improvements to the VS, VS-R, EXP, EXP-R, Alpha and Nexus. SpazioGames reports that a further update around Oct. 21 added a suspend function, a feature the Italian outlet had called missing.
My Arcade Gamestation Retro Go: 200-Plus Games on an 8-Inch Display
My Arcade takes the opposite approach. Instead of cartridges, the Gamestation Retro Go ships with a built-in library of more than 200 licensed games. The listing describes an 8-inch display, SmartGlow controls, Wi-Fi updates, HDMI output and a rechargeable battery. The bundle adds a case, a grip, a screen protector, cables, an adapter and a guide, per TechCravers’ preorder report.
The game count has grown over time. Early 2026 coverage described the product as holding more than 100 classic games, and September reporting raised that to 200-plus, with titles tied to Bandai Namco, Capcom, Jaleco and PIKO Interactive. Treat the exact count as provisional, because My Arcade’s own pages did not confirm a final tally in the material we checked.
The Retro Go reportedly arrives more than a year late. According to one report it was first expected in Q3 2025, before slipping to Oct. 31, 2026. A BJ’s Wholesale Club listing dated Oct. 23 reportedly shows the bundle as a “New Arrival” at $199.99, so stock may reach some stores before the official date. Do not confuse it with the Atari-branded Gamestation Go, a separate product. Our Atari Gamestation Go vs Super Pocket comparison covers that device.
Launch Week Specs and Prices Side by Side
| Device | Release date | US price | Screen | Game source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyperkin SupaBoy Crimson | Oct. 28, 2026 | $129.99 | 4.3-inch IPS | Original SNES and Super Famicom cartridges |
| Hyperkin SupaBoy Prime | Oct. 28, 2026 | $129.99 | 4.3-inch IPS | Original SNES and Super Famicom cartridges |
| Evercade Nexus | Oct. 30, 2026 | $199.99 | 5.89-inch IPS, 840×512 | Evercade cartridges (Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack included) |
| Evercade Nexus 64 Edition | October 2026 | $229.99 | 5.89-inch IPS, 840×512 | Evercade cartridges, 2,000 units |
| My Arcade Gamestation Retro Go | Oct. 31, 2026 | $199.99 | 8-inch display | 200-plus built-in licensed games |
The table shows how little the three overlap. A buyer with a shelf of SNES cartridges has one logical choice. A buyer who wants new releases and physical collectibles looks at the Nexus. A buyer who wants everything loaded and ready to play, preferably on a screen big enough to share, looks at the Retro Go.
Price Per Inch: What the Screen Math Says
Screen size is the easiest spec to compare across these devices, so we divided list price by screen diagonal. The figures below are our own arithmetic on published US prices and screen sizes, not manufacturer claims.
| Device | US list price | Diagonal | Price per inch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyperkin SupaBoy (Crimson or Prime) | $129.99 | 4.3 in | $30.23 |
| Evercade Nexus | $199.99 | 5.89 in | $33.95 |
| My Arcade Gamestation Retro Go | $199.99 | 8 in | $25.00 |
The Retro Go wins on raw display value. The Nexus costs the most per inch, but its price also covers analog sticks, a brighter panel (500-plus nits) and access to a cartridge catalog that keeps growing. The SupaBoy sits in the middle, and its price buys a handheld that reads media many buyers already own.
Screen size is only part of the picture. A bigger display on a built-in library means you can only play what ships in the box plus whatever Wi-Fi updates My Arcade pushes later. A smaller display on a cartridge reader opens up the whole secondhand SNES market. Which of those matters more depends on whether you collect games or simply want to play them.
Cartridges vs Built-In Libraries: Two Ways to Buy Retro
Two of the three devices still treat the physical cartridge as the product. That choice looks odd in 2026, when subscription libraries and download stores dominate, but it fits what many collectors say they want. Cartridges can be lent, traded and resold, and they do not vanish from a digital storefront.
The SupaBoy leans on the oldest version of that idea. Its library is whatever you already own, which puts most of the cost of ownership in the past. Evercade offers the newer version: curated collections on fresh cartridges, with licensed catalogs and a monthly free-game program that, per the company’s plan, runs April through December 2026. The October pick was FLEARUN!, and the 2026 Game of the Month titles are reportedly slated for an Indie Heroes Collection 5 cartridge in early 2027.
My Arcade picks the third route. Everything is on the device, nothing needs buying, and the company bets that a family wants one box that works on day one. The weakness is obvious. When a licensor pulls a title, or a firmware update changes the catalog, the buyer has no physical fallback.
Evercade’s Cartridge Economics
Hardware prices tell only half the Evercade story. In July, Blaze raised UK cartridge prices from £19.99 to £24.99 and European prices from €24.99 to €29.99, according to the company’s own announcement. US cartridges stayed at $29.99, and the Super Pocket stayed at $69.99 in the US. Blaze also said then that no price changes were planned for the EXP-R, VS-R or Alpha.
| Evercade product | UK price | US price | EU price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nexus (standard) | £169.99 | $199.99 | €199.99 |
| Nexus 64 Edition | £189.99 | $229.99 | €229.99 |
| Nexus DOOM Edition | £199.99 | $249.99 | €239.99 |
| Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack (sold separately) | £24.99 | $29.99 | €29.99 |
| Standard cartridge before July 2026 increase | £19.99 | $29.99 | €24.99 |
The bundle logic is clear from the table. A standalone Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack costs $29.99, so the standard Nexus effectively packs a $29.99 game into its $199.99 price. Evercade also announced The Last Ninja and International Karate Collection and the James Pond Collection for Dec. 4, each at £24.99, $29.99 or €29.99, with both planned to work on the Nexus. Those dates give owners a reason to keep buying through the holidays.
For wider context on where the platform sits among its rivals, see our Evercade vs Polymega vs Analogue Duo comparison, which prices the premium end of the physical retro market.
Blaze’s Delay: THEC64 and Spectrum Handhelds Slip to April 2027
The Nexus is not Blaze’s only handheld launch this year, and the company’s other two have slipped. On Sept. 29, Gaming.net reported that Blaze postponed THEC64 Handheld and The Spectrum Handheld from Oct. 15, 2026 to April 22, 2027, after the company found construction problems that did not meet its standards. Preorders for both reportedly opened on May 11.
Blaze said the Nexus schedule was unaffected, and as of Oct. 25 the official pages still show Oct. 30. That separation is worth watching. A company willing to move two products to protect build quality, while holding a third to its date, is signaling confidence in the Nexus. It also means the Nexus has to carry Blaze’s fall hardware revenue without help from the two home-computer-themed devices.
Both delayed handhelds are officially announced but not yet released. They target a different retro niche (home-computer nostalgia, as opposed to console nostalgia), and no retail date earlier than April 22, 2027 has been given.
Competitive Picture: Emulation Handhelds Press From Both Sides
All three launch-week devices compete with a crowded field of emulation handhelds, where buyers load their own ROMs and pick from a wide range of systems and prices. Those devices offer more flexibility, and many offer faster hardware. They also ask more of the owner, who must set up software, find game files and sort out legal questions. Our Anbernic vs AYANEO vs Retroid comparison maps that segment.
The launch-week trio sells the opposite promise: no setup, licensed games, and in two cases a physical product with a clear chain of ownership. That pitch targets parents, gift buyers and collectors who care about authenticity more than raw performance. It is a smaller audience than the emulation crowd, but a loyal one, since cartridge buyers return for software.
The SupaBoy faces a different rival, the secondhand cartridge market and the used-console shelf. Anyone with a working Super Nintendo can already play their games on a TV. The SupaBoy’s case rests on portability, battery life and a screen that does not require a CRT or an upscaler.
Historical Context: Why Retro Hardware Keeps Coming Back
Retro hardware has cycled through boom and quiet phases for years. Platform-holder mini consoles built the modern wave, then third-party makers filled the gap with cartridge readers, clone systems and licensed collections. The current cycle looks different in one respect. Makers now compete on screen quality and physical media rather than on loading a pile of games onto a chip.
Evercade’s own path shows the shift. The EXP carries a 4.3-inch screen and a D-pad layout, the Super Pocket shrinks to 2.8 inches at a low price, and now the Nexus jumps to 5.89 inches with analog sticks. Each step widened the supported game era. Hyperkin’s approach is simpler: keep the cartridge slot and refresh the shell. My Arcade, by contrast, shipped a separate Atari-branded Gamestation Go first and now follows with its own non-Atari Retro Go, according to CES-era coverage.
Market Impact for Retailers, Collectors and Licensors
Retailers get a useful holiday trio. At $129.99 and $199.99, these devices land well below current home consoles and the premium emulation handhelds our readers track in the gaming category. That price band suits gift budgets, and each device has a clear shelf label: SNES, Evercade or all-in-one.
Collectors face a different calculation. The limited Nexus 64 Edition and DOOM Edition sell through Funstock only, which pushes early demand into a single channel and invites resale premiums. The SupaBoy colorways could do the same if the limited run proves small. Buyers who want a specific edition should preorder rather than wait for retail restocks.
Licensors should pay attention too. Every device here exists because older games still sell, and each launch underlines demand for catalog access in a form the owner controls. Blaze’s head of communications, Sean Cleaver, reportedly said on Sept. 30 that the company had spoken with EA, Sega and Bandai Namco, and wanted to work with Rare again. That is a single-source statement, but it fits the Banjo-Kazooie bundle.
Five Predictions for the Retro Handheld Holiday
- The limited editions will sell out first. The Nexus 64 Edition and DOOM Edition ship through a single retailer in capped runs, so expect them to vanish before the standard Nexus does.
- Reviews will split on the catalog, not the hardware. Early praise centers on the screen and sticks. Post-launch verdicts will turn on how many 32-bit and 64-bit titles Blaze can license by spring.
- The Retro Go will see promotions before year-end. Its $199.99 price sits against an 8-inch screen and a large library, the kind of bundle retailers like to discount around Black Friday.
- Another Blaze schedule change is plausible. The April 22, 2027 date for THEC64 Handheld and The Spectrum Handheld follows a quality-driven delay, and a second slip would hurt trust in the line.
- More colorway refreshes will follow the SupaBoy. Hyperkin reportedly plans a cycle of annual limited color releases, so expect another around this time next year.
None of these forecasts rests on numbers beyond the dates and prices cited above. They reflect how the makers have behaved this year and how limited-run hardware usually sells.
Which Launch-Week Handheld Should You Pick?
Pick the SupaBoy if you own SNES or Super Famicom cartridges and want them on a plane, a couch or a desk. At $129.99 it is the cheapest launch of the week, and the 10-hour battery estimate gives it good travel credentials. Pick the Nexus if you want new physical releases, analog controls and a bright 5.89-inch panel, and you accept that the catalog is the real long-term cost. Pick the Retro Go if you want the largest screen and a game library that works out of the box.
Whichever you choose, confirm the ship date with your retailer. Regional timing can differ from the headline date, as the reported Dec. 1 French date for the SupaBoy Prime shows, and none of the three devices had shipped as of Oct. 25.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do the new retro handhelds launch?
The Hyperkin SupaBoy Crimson and Prime ship Oct. 28, 2026. The Evercade Nexus follows on Oct. 30, and My Arcade’s Gamestation Retro Go is listed for Oct. 31. As of Oct. 25, none has shipped.
How much does each retro handheld cost?
The SupaBoy models cost $129.99 in the US, €129.99 in Europe and £119.99 in the UK. The standard Evercade Nexus costs $199.99, £169.99 or €199.99. The Gamestation Retro Go lists at $199.99 at GameStop.
Does the SupaBoy play original SNES cartridges?
Yes. It is a portable system for original Super Nintendo and Super Famicom cartridges, with a 4.3-inch IPS display, about 10 hours of battery life and two controller ports.
What comes in the box with the Evercade Nexus?
The standard Nexus includes the Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack cartridge, which holds Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie. The cartridge sells separately from Oct. 30 for £24.99, $29.99 or €29.99.
How big is the Evercade Nexus screen?
Evercade’s official page lists a 5.89-inch IPS screen at 840×512 resolution with brightness above 500 nits. That makes it the biggest screen on any Evercade handheld so far.
Is the Gamestation Retro Go the same as the Atari Gamestation Go?
No. The Atari-branded Gamestation Go is a separate product. The Retro Go is an 8-inch handheld with more than 200 licensed games, Wi-Fi updates and HDMI output.
What happened to THEC64 Handheld and The Spectrum Handheld?
Blaze Entertainment moved both from Oct. 15, 2026 to April 22, 2027 after finding construction problems. The company said the Evercade Nexus launch date was not affected.
