Blaze Entertainment Hyper Mega Tech Super Pocket Taito Edition Arcade Handheld Gaming Device

First impressions are great. The build quality seems reasonable (for £49.99), it feels comfortable in the hand (I do have smaller hands FYI) and it has a really nice selection of Taito arcade games (classics such as Puzzle Bobble, Bubble Bobble, Space Invaders) and that Evercade cartridge slot.In the box you receive the device itself, a USB charge cable (USB A to USB C) and a basic quick start guide/promotional leaflet. There is no USB power adapter in the box, however is what most companies do now and I appreciate it's an environmental/cost measure. Just be sure to use a good quality USB power adapter (Apple, Anker, Belkin etc) when charging the device.The screen is small (2.8 inches), however, for the size of the device and that you're holding it close anyhow, I think it's fine and the brightness and colour quality are pretty good too. Its an IPS display so viewing angles are decent too. The D pad and other buttons on the front of the unit are good and I had no problems with using these during gameplay. They felt responsive and comfortable, even during longer gaming. The four triggers on the back are a bit weird.. I haven't had to use them for any of the games Ive played yet, but not sure how they will work out during games that do use them. I guess there weren't many options for their placement given the size of the device. Sound can get pretty loud and its clear at the lower to medium levels... I think Id prefer if the lowest volume setting was a bit lower prior to mute (especially for bedtime use etc although do note the device has a headphone jack too).The emulation is pretty good indeed. In the time I’ve used it already I’ve not had any issues at all. No crashes and the graphics, sound and input are fine.It's a real plus having the cartridge slot for Evercades game cartridges... Ive not tried this yet as I don't currently own any... but I think you need to check compatibility first before buying (apparently not all of them work, but maybe future firmware updates would fix this). Can confirm now that firmware updates are possible on this unit if required for future cart compatibility etc. (This requires connecting to a windows PC and using the updater from their official website). Also note the smaller screen could be an issue on some games. But for the included Taito games, I think they all look good on the devices small screen.Battery life has been fine (I’ll update on this once I’ve gone a few battery cycles). And now that I’ve used the unit for quite some time (almost a year, the battery is still going strong and battery life has been as expected (4 plus hours depending on the games played etc) I’ve not noticed much heat at all coming off the device, so good on that front too.Overall I think it’s a great device, for what it is. There are other options to play these games. There is the Evercade EXP from the same company (admittedly a more premium device), but that costs over twice as much and the Taito games are not currently available on a separate Evercade cart. You can buy most of these games on other platforms such as Nintendos eShop. But I think where this device excels is its compact size.. way smaller than a Nintendo switch. You can carry it in a bag, barely notice it, and have it for on the go gaming while traveling to work etc. if you’re into the preloaded games, want a cheap way to try a few Evercade cartridges, and understand this devices limitations/price point, I think you will be happy with it. A nice Xmas present for retro gamers.

My cousin and myself have recently delved into the past with retro arcade gaming and become reobssessed with Bubble Bobble. This device was an obvious Christmas gift then. The sound is just like the arcades, and is surprisingly loud for such a small device. Thankfully there is volume control.Bubble Bobble itself is arcade perfect, down to it's occasionally infuriating level design with seemingly impossible bits thanks to old fashioned 8 direction control.The range of games is great, and whilst you can get retro emulators with a significantly larger library, the quality of this set makes it stand out, along with the ability to get cartridges which can expand the game's list. Of course if you're after quantity over quality, this won't be for you, and I would direct you to other options, but for the retro gamer purist, this is great.I hear some people comment about the positioning of the back buttons, and this will clearly cause contorted fingers, as they can make it awkward during play, but buttons can be remapped now so hopefully this won't be too much of an issue.

This is my hot take after having had this in hand for a couple of hours.Overall I'm impressed. There is something so cool about having space invaders in your pocket, even after all this time.If you're not familiar with Evercade eco system, this little unit is part of that family meaning you can buy other game cartridges for it. Currently there's 500 odd games available across the range and they come from a range of retro systems. The included 18 Taito games may be all you wanted it for and there's hours of fun to be had with just these games.This little machine also exists in a world where you can get other devices of a similar size with thousands of built in games across a ton of systems for not much more money, often less. So what's the draw?For me at least it is nice to have some officially licensed games. The idea of owning physical game carts is also a draw. Digital delivery is great, don't get me wrong, but that retro feel of plugging in a game cart is still worth something.This device straddles the realm of those novelty devices that are so small they can barely be played but are simply cool that they exist. However, this does offer some decent gameplay on many games. Is this going to give you the best gaming experience you ever had - not a chance. But what it does give is a well produced little package you can fit in your pocket and pull out when you have some time to kill and it will definitely provide entertainment.My biggest worry for my aging eyes was the screen size. Obviously it's small but it's actually ok when the games use all of the screen. I wouldn't want it any smaller and I probably couldn't tolerate hours and hours on this thing but that's not what it is for. The screen is bright and the colours are punchy - overall it looks good. Some of the included games like volfied, when played at their original aspect ratio, have significant bars left and right on the screen making the play area not much bigger than a christmas postage stamp and probably too small to enjoy for some - so you're kind of stuck playing it in a stretched out mode which doesn't look right. Other games like space invaders have bars (not as big) but they make it slightly harder to really know when the aliens will reach the end of the play are. So I've been playing in fullscreen mode which does effectively alter the original aspect ratio and stretch things out a bit. Meaning you're not getting the truest arcade experience (were you anyway on a 2.8 inch screen??) but it makes it easier to play and enjoy. The resolution of the screen does make certain intricate graphics shimmer a bit. So in New Zealand story for example, fine lines seem to be drawn more clearly in some instances than others and I think it's to do with the graphics lining up with the pixels of the display. I'm not doing a very good job explaining but it does lead to a slightly less optimal experience with games with super detailed backgrounds for example. Game killing? No, but it might be a slight annoyance you can't unsee once you've clocked it.The system does have some basic settings you can change so you can make the screen display scanlines for an even more retro vibe but the resolution and size of the screen may be too low to really pull this off.I have tried a few of my other Evercade carts like the Atari collection. The screen is quite unforgiving for games like Lunar Lander. Is it playable? Just, but it feels like an effort. Games like R-type from the Irem cart - looks fine and is super cool to play on the tiny screen! I've tried a number of included games, New Zealand Story and Space Invaders, Bubble Bobble - all are great overall to play. The console does even have shoulder buttons L1, L2 and R1, R2! They are tucked into the back but are side to side rather than vertically stacked. How easy these are to press in fighting games remains to be seen. I found I was clicking them by mistake just holding the console but then realised there's a ridge on the back of the unit to rest your fingers and to keep from accidental presses. So they've thought about it a bit. Overall I feel the console will work well for simpler games that use a couple of buttons.The sound was a surprise. Decent volume and crystal clear. There's a nice little synth track that plays across the menus which sounds decent for what this is. The unit does have a headphone socket. The volume is software controlled and has a number of preset steps. The lowest volume level is still probably too high if you were trying to game and not disturb anyone. It get's surprisingly loud.The console has a slide switch on the bottom for on / off and a usb C port for charging. Battery life is quoted around 4 hours. The volume rocker is also on the back. Nicely built overall.There's no hdmi out like you get on the Evercade XP for example. I can't necessarily fault it for that at this price point as it's really not aimed at that kind of use.So, would I recommend? Yes - as long as you understand what you're getting. It's small, so concessions have to be made. It won't be able to offer a perfect gaming experience on some games because of these limitations. But there are plenty of games it can offer a genuinely good experience of. Think of it like this: if you're buying this TO play Evercade games, being the chapest compatible console in the range, I think it'll be a bit hit an miss. Some games genuinely need a bigger screen and the TATE mode of the Evercade XP for example to get the best out of them. If you're buying this because it CAN play Evercade games as a nice extra, then that's a more realistic proposition. Some games work fine with the small form factor, others not so much and you might not really know until you've tried. Some of the cartridges offer old school point and click adventures - I can't imagine these are very playable at all on this little thing.Pros:It's small and cuteFeels well builtBright colourful screenSuprising soundEvercade compatibleCons:It's small and cuteShoulder buttons may not suit everyoneNot all games will translate well to such a small device3.5 stars

This is a great little device. It's well made and has a good number of games built in. All old arcade games from the 80's and 90's.A trip down memory lane but the real winner is the evercade cartridges which can contain loads of games for a low price. Good for kids as well adults.Very pocketable and a decent way to while away a free minutes once in a while.Best in mind the built in games are old but check out Evercade to see what is available and you'll know if it's a system for you