Evercade Alpha Bartop Arcade Review - The Best And Most Versatile Home Arcade Machine

The dream of having an arcade inside your home is considerably more realistic these days thanks to the proliferation of consumer-grade cabinets, led by Arcade1Up. But unless you have a plethora of open space and the disposable cash to buy a bunch of cabinets, bringing the arcade home means maybe one or two machines. And unlike arcades, you're usually locked into a specific lineup of games; you can't take your quarters elsewhere when you have the urge to switch things up. Multiple cabinet manufacturers have tried to solve the space and boredom concerns by becoming arcade platforms. It hasn't really worked yet, but that could change with the arrival of one of the best pieces of gaming hardware in years: the Evercade Alpha Bartop Arcade.

Officially licensed by Capcom and created by Blaze Entertainment, the Alpha offers an authentic arcade experience with full-size controls in a compact form factor for $250--a $20 discount is available if you complete your purchase before the Alpha's November 28 release. Two models, each with six preloaded games, will be available at launch: Mega Man: The Power Battle and Street Fighter II: Champion Edition. But what makes these superbly realized bartop cabinets so exciting is support for the 535 (and counting) games in the Evercade library.

For those unfamiliar with the brand, Evercade is a line of cartridge-based hardware that debuted as a handheld in 2020. Today, there are multiple iterations of the handheld as well as a home console. All Evercade devices share the same game library, which means the Alpha is launching with a massive catalog of over 60 cartridge collections featuring arcade, home console, and handheld classics.

We'll dive more into the overarching Evercade platform later in this review, as it's important to understand not just what's in the box, but the wide-ranging hardware and software options available to purchase separately. While the Alpha will inevitably elicit comparisons to Arcade1Up, including from me, it's more comparable to traditional consoles like the Switch and PS5. Sure, the Alpha is themed around Street Fighter/Mega Man--and some people will get it purely for those franchises--but it's not a countertop version of Arcade1Up's Street Fighter II: Champion Edition standing cabinet; the Alpha is a home arcade platform that happens to come with a half-dozen games to get you started.

Build quality: The alpha of compact arcade machines

Evercade hardware has always punched above its price, but the Alpha's sturdy build quality, presentation, and overall feel still surprised me. Four rubber feet keep it firmly in place on solid surfaces, and at just 13 pounds, I comfortably played for hours on the couch with the cabinet on my lap. If you're familiar with Arcade1Up's countercades, the Alpha has a similar size profile. It's 16.1 inches tall (410mm), 9.6 inches wide (244mm), and 12.4 inches deep.

Despite its relatively small form factor, the Alpha is an eye-catching piece of tech. I tested the Mega Man edition, while my colleague Tamoor Hussain checked out the Street Fighter model. Both models feature artwork inspired by their original full-size counterparts. For Street Fighter II: Champion Edition, that means the granite-like pattern on the front, character panels along the bezel, and the logo on each side. And while it maintains the minimalist aesthetic, the new solid blue finish complements the speckled gray control deck nicely. The Mega Man cabinet has a more colorful and playful look, with a character collage matching the cover art for Rockman Power Battle Fighters for PS2 set against a space-themed background. The control deck and bezel are brushed with a streaky mix of blue and white. Taking cues from the Street Fighter model, you'll also find lovely little character panels flanking the screen.

Each model has a light-up marquee featuring the same artwork from the original release. The panel covering the art is so well integrated into the build that I wouldn't have thought the artwork could be replaced if no one told me. This added bit of customization is a nice touch, but sadly three-packs of official marquee art are sold out at Funstock. It probably won't take too long for Evercade enthusiasts to start printing their own designs.

Gallery

Countertop arcade machines are sometimes rightfully seen as gimmicks because, even if they look cool, they are less than ideal to actually play due to the small screen and/or controls. But that's not the case here, and it starts with the really impressive eight-inch HD IPS display. The 4:3 aspect ratio is ideal for many retro arcade titles and the vast majority of classic console and handheld games. The IPS technology is integral here, as it helps this small screen provide superb color accuracy, consistently smooth performance, and wide viewing angles. Evercade's handhelds have always had better screens than you might expect for the price, and the Alpha continues this trend. The picture is considerably more vibrant and rich than the Arcade1Up countercades I've used.

The cabinet comes pre-assembled and carefully cradled by form-fitting foam inserts to protect the wood. Protective film needs to be removed from the screen and marquee before playing for the first time. If your experience is anything like ours, the "pull here" tabs might instantly rip, and you need to be careful near the edges, corners, and screws. I had to loosen the screws to safely remove some of the film. While somewhat of an annoying introduction to the Alpha, the end result is all that really matters. Once I removed all of the film, the screen, just like the rest of the build, was in pristine condition. This should be the expectation with a piece of new tech like this, but I have purchased multiple arcade cabinets with protective film that were already scratched upon arrival.

Even more impressive than the beautiful display is the premium control deck. Both machines have identical layouts, just with different button colors and labels. Blaze smartly opted for the bat-top stick, which allows you to use a more relaxed grip than ball-top sticks. From a technical perspective, marketing the Alpha with "competition-grade arcade controls" doesn't really mean much. What's strange is the Funstock-exclusive Deluxe Edition has high-end Sanwa controls, so these regular versions are supposed to be a step down. But if I didn't know that beforehand, I would've guessed these were made by Sanwa. The stick and buttons feel better than any other home arcade cabinets I own. It's not uncommon for a budget-priced arcade cabinet or even a fight stick to have a "loose" joystick. Not only does that make it feel cheaply made, but that looseness can cause inaccurate inputs. The Alpha's stick is fast and tight, with a satisfying click marking each input. I haven't had any issues with false diagonals or latency. I'd be curious to compare it to the Deluxe version with Sanwa components, because the "competition-grade arcade controls" are better than what's found on the cabinets in retail stores.

Gallery

The Alpha has six convex face buttons split into two rows of three. Fast and clicky without being too loud or loose, the buttons have the same premium-but-not-Sanwa quality to them as the stick. Above the face buttons are three smaller buttons: start, select or insert coin, and menu. One really interesting design choice is the slightly textured, matte finish on the control deck. Most home arcade cabinets have a glossy, laminate-type finish, but the Alpha's control deck surface provides a bit of additional grip and stability I didn't even know I wanted until I tried it.

For context on these comparisons, I have multiple Arcade1Up standing cabinets, an Arcade1Up countercade, the iiRcade (discontinued), AtGames Legends Ultimate, and two Quarter Arcades (with very tiny controls).

Third-party controller support adds versatility

Because multiplayer is such an integral part of the arcade experience, most full-size cabinets have at least two sets of controls. Arcade1Up has included multiple sets of controls on a few of its countercades, including NBA Jam, but it's a cramped experience. Even standing home arcade cabinets can feel like a squeeze for multiplayer on the same control deck.

The Alpha takes a different, more versatile approach to multiplayer. Two USB ports flank the volume rocker, right below the cartridge slots. Though it's still listed as in beta, USB controllers can be enabled and fully remapped to your liking in the settings. In addition to Evercade-branded controllers, a wide variety of third-party controllers are compatible via a wired connection, including DualSense, DualShock 4, official Xbox controllers (Series X|S, Xbox One, and 360), Microsoft's Adaptive Controller, and many, many 8BitDo controllers. With certain Bluetooth receivers, you can establish a wireless connection.

I'd highly recommend grabbing 8BitDo's Wireless USB Adapter for $20. This versatile little dongle works for numerous platforms, letting you sync Bluetooth controllers to normally unsupported devices. It's what I used to play Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on Switch with my Xbox Elite Series 2 Controller. All of 8BitDo's Bluetooth controllers will work wirelessly on Alpha with this dongle, including the best ones for retro gaming: the SNES-inspired SN30 Pro and the 8BitDo Pro 2. 8BitDo's flagship Ultimate Bluetooth Controller will also work, but keep in mind that the dongle that comes with it for 2.4GHz wireless will not work; you need the separate adapter that's designed for Bluetooth connections.

Third-party controller support also extends to fight pads and arcade sticks. 8BitDo's Arcade Stick for Switch/PC works with the aforementioned adapter; if you want a wireless stick, this offers the best combination of price and performance. But heads up: The Xbox version of 8BitDo's Arcade Stick will only work in wired mode, as it doesn't support Bluetooth. As for even cheaper, wired options, Hori's $50 Fighting Stick Mini worked well for me. There's also the Mayflash F101 for $45 or F300 for $60.

Multiplayer is where the IPS display's wider viewing angles offer the most practical benefit. Two people can't sit directly in front of an eight-inch screen, and without IPS technology, the picture wouldn't be as crisp when looking at it from an angle. Including two USB ports was a good move. When I played multiplayer with my kids, whoever was using the onboard controls sometimes blocked the bottom of the screen. That problem was solved when we switched to USB fighting sticks and controllers.

Controller support is a huge boon for the Alpha beyond multiplayer, too. The Evercade library has hundreds of console and handheld games, and while many of them play great with stick controls, the option to use the Alpha as a miniature home console with a built-in display is an awesome perk.

User-friendly interface

Speaking of miniature consoles, the Alpha's menu systems and user interface are just as clean and straightforward as the mini consoles from Sega and Nintendo. All Evercade devices run on the same operating system with largely identical navigation systems, so if you already own an Evercade device, almost all of this will sound familiar.

From the moment you press the power button--which glows red and charmingly resembles the coin-return button on an arcade cabinet--it takes just under 40 seconds to fully boot. The home screen is a vertical carousel of the six preloaded games, represented by cover art and a screenshot, against a custom background themed around Mega Man or Street Fighter. You can switch the background to one of six other themes: dark, light, blue and gold, neon, radon, and neo (black with checkered boxes). Clicking on a game opens a menu with a blurb and pertinent details such as how many players it supports and the default controls (which you can remap). Each game can be loaded from scratch, or, if you've played it before and created a save state, you can load directly to that spot. It's a handy feature that exemplifies Evercade's pick-up-and-play mentality.

Cartridge games populate in a separate menu. If you insert a cartridge containing 12 games, 12 individual tiles will appear within a few seconds. Games can be sorted in alphabetical order or by release year, and when two cartridges are loaded, you can choose to separate the tiles or let them mingle as one big group. Below the cartridge menu you'll find Evercade's Game of the Month, which you can download and play for free with each monthly update. Firmware updates and occasional cartridge patches are the only features that utilize Wi-Fi; Evercade devices do not have online multiplayer or leaderboards. The Game of the Month is directly above a collection of nine hidden games. These are unlocked through various methods such as entering secret codes and inputting specific button combinations.

Evercade was born from a place of love for playing and preserving physical media, and its library system is something I'd really like to see adopted by other hardware manufacturers. The library logs how many cartridges and the total number of games you own, not including preloaded, as well as upcoming releases.

By default, the Alpha displays games in their original aspect ratios, which fills the screen on the preloaded games. If you buy cartridges featuring games in genres such as vertically scrolling shooters with 3:4 aspect ratios, black borders will cover part of the screen. Alternate borders such as the game's cover art can replace the black bars. You can alter the display mode to Pixel Perfect to spruce up dull or muddied pixels. Some people like this, others, like me, don't really care for it. You can also force full-screen mode if you don't mind stretched pixels. If you love scanlines, you can add subtle or strong lines to mimic a CRT TV.

Sound customization is limited to master volume in games, but you can adjust BGM and SFX for the home screen. For such a small cabinet, the Alpha's stereo speakers are plenty loud enough--too loud, if you turn it all the way up. Speakers are typically located on the front of arcade machines, but the Alpha's speakers are on the sides. This could have become a design flaw, but the speakers efficiently disperse crisp, clear audio. The only downside to speaker location is that you won't want to place the cabinet directly next to anything that could muffle the sound. As usual, headphones can provide an even better audio experience. Sadly, the Alpha doesn't have Bluetooth, so you'll need to plug headphones into the 3.5mm jack below the left cartridge slot.

Built-in Capcom Games

Gallery

Though the Alpha isn't the first Evercade device with preloaded games, the overt Capcom themes will probably make it hard for some to not see these as Street Fighter and Mega Man cabinets. Ironically, these have fewer Capcom games combined compared to the Evercade EXP, which came with 18 preloaded games and a plain white design. But arcade cabinets typically aren't viewed as platforms, and unless you've used a Neo Geo MVS, you've probably never played an arcade machine that takes cartridges. So, yeah, we're in largely uncharted waters here, but the Evercade Alpha is akin to a themed special-edition console. Some people buy those because they are splashed with art celebrating their favorite game franchise, but most want access to the platform.

As a longtime Evercade user with dozens of cartridges, the six preloaded games were merely a bonus. Those who are new to the platform may view the preloaded games as the deciding factor.

I think tying a purchasing decision to the built-in games would be a mistake, but let's say that's you: If the cartridge slots were removed from the Alpha, I'd probably only recommend this machine to big Mega Man fans. Emphasis on big because Mega Man: The Power Battle and Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters--the only two entries in the series developed for Capcom's CP System arcade boards--are fun but ultimately forgettable experiences that are about as niche as it gets for a major franchise like Mega Man. These are truncated boss-rush games that play similarly to the mainline series, just without the platforming stages leading into the bosses. One cool thing is that they support co-op, which I had more fun with than solo runs.

Since there are only two Mega Man arcade games, the rest of the list is occupied by a random assortment of Capcom games. The best games on the Mega Man edition are Final Fight and Strider, both of which were originally released in 1989 for the then-nascent CP System. Final Fight is a classic beat-'em-up that still holds up well today, while Strider is one of the pioneers of the hack-and-slash genre. Both games were ported to practically every home console under the sun in the years following their release, but these are the originals.

Only including Capcom's arcade games makes sense thematically, but it also means some of the games feel like stripped-down versions of home-console games from the same era. Mega Man: The Power Battle is a prime example of this, as I was left wanting to play a full side-scrolling stage rather than just boss battles that typically end each stage.

While I didn't personally test the Street Fighter cabinet, my colleague Tamoor Hussain expressed a similar sentiment: Playing the arcade versions with fewer features and modes made him want to play the complete experience.

If you were to buy one of these cabinets purely to play the included games, the Street Fighter edition is probably the better choice. It features a cohesive selection of Street Fighter games and Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo, a stellar tile-matching game similar to Puyo Puyo. Plus, there's a reason why Street Fighter 2 has been the focal point of numerous home arcade cabinets. No offense to the Blue Bomber, but the same can't be said for Mega Man: The Power Battle. But the novelty of its existence might be precisely why longtime Mega Man fans pick it up.

All of the built-in games look and play great--the emulation is really solid--so if you love these classic Capcom arcade games, the Alpha offers an authentic arcade experience in a compact form factor. And maybe that's all you want out of this. Surely there's someone out there whose favorite Mega Man games are the lone two arcade releases from nearly 30 years ago. And if that's you, this is your moment.

With that said, if you own an Evercade device and only play preloaded games, you are missing out on a lot.

The bottom line: Evercade Alpha hardware

From a hardware standpoint, the Evercade Alpha is exceedingly impressive. The control stick is the best not-Sanwa stick I've used, the buttons feel great, and the eight-inch HD IPS display offers a vibrant picture with wide enough viewing angles to make playing multiplayer games a pleasant experience for both players. Robust third-party controller support not only makes multiplayer possible, but also effectively turns the Alpha into a compact game console with a built-in display and a user-friendly OS reminiscent of Nintendo and Sega mini consoles. The Alpha takes up about as much surface space as a modern game console, but it's still an eye-catching device with a premium finish that's complemented by vibrant artwork, a customizable light-up marquee, and charming flourishes like the coin-return-inspired power button.

The Evercade Alpha carries a $250 MSRP, but an early-bird discount of $20 is available for those who preorder either model ahead of the Alpha's November 28 release. For comparison, it costs $100 more than the most recent Arcade1Up countercades with three preloaded games. The Alpha has six preloaded games and supports over 500 overall. Beyond the superb build quality, expandability is the Alpha's biggest strength. It also means $250 is the starting cost--unless you really do just want a compact arcade machine for a handful of Capcom classics.

The Evercade Alpha is the best bartop arcade machine I've used by a wide margin. Thanks to the evolving cartridge-based library, it's quickly become one of my favorite gaming devices, period, which isn't something I could say for other home arcade cabinets.

The Evercade library

Each Evercade cartridge retails for $20-$25. The number of games on each cart varies; some have over a dozen, while others only have a few. Based on current totals, the average is eight. All cartridges come in chunky, retro-style boxes with instruction booklets. The library is split into three series, each of which has its own case color: console/handheld carts are red, arcade carts are purple, and home-computer carts are blue. Initially, the catalog consisted mainly of publisher-themed carts such as Atari, Namco Museum, Data East, and Interplay. Before long, we saw modern retro games such as the combo pack featuring the 2019 shooter Xeno Crisis and 2018 puzzle-platformer Tanglewood, both of which were developed for Sega Genesis. The contemporary throwbacks have become a compelling fixture. Last year, the brand-new GBA game Goodboy Galaxy and popular NES puzzle-platformer Witch N' Wiz released as another combo pack.

Evercade even managed to secure exclusive remasters of the first two Duke Nukem games, and they are pretty darn good. A second collection of Duke Nukem games moved Evercade into the world of 32-bit games for the first time. Just in the past few months, the Tomb Raider Collection and Legacy of Kain PS1 duology added to the burgeoning subset of 32-bit games. The Piko Interactive Collection 4 announced the arrival of 64-bit games with the Nintendo 64 platformer Glover, which was rebuilt from the ground up for Evercade.

On the arcade side, the library is filled with classics from Irem, Gaelco, Jaleco, Data East, Toaplan, Atari, and Piko Interactive. I tried both of the new Data East and Toaplan carts that are releasing alongside the Alpha. Like previous Toaplan carts, if you like retro shooters, it doesn't disappoint. The vertically scrolling shmups Truxton II and Vimana are awesome. I've also enjoyed my time with the vertically scrolling run-and-gun games Out Zone and its spiritual successor FixEight. I had never played these games, which to me is part of the joy of Evercade carts. You may be drawn in by one specific game you have fond memories playing, but then you get to explore other games from the same developer for the first time.

Evercade Arcade Series Cartridge Collections:

A decent chunk of Evercade games aren't available on other contemporary devices. That's part of the charm: the revival of games that have largely been lost to history. Of course, with 500-plus games in the catalog, there are some real clunkers, but out of the 40-plus carts I've tried, I've yet to encounter a compilation I didn't enjoy or appreciate for one reason or another.

At this time, the Evercade library is heavily weighted toward console, handheld, and modern retro games. The arcade series will eclipse 100 games with the release of the fourth Toaplan compilation, and 13th arcade cart overall, next month. For comparison, the console series will have 42 carts next month, with the latest double pack featuring modern Genesis games Life on Mars and Metal Dragon. These figures are somewhat deceiving, as some of the console series carts include games predominantly thought of as arcade games. For instance, the two Namco Museum collections that were part of the original Evercade's launch lineup in 2020 contain some of the most iconic arcade games of all time: Galaga, Galaxian, Pac-Man, Dig Dug, and many others. Technically, these are the NES versions, but they are virtually identical to the original arcade releases.

Some classics from the console series may seem more natural with a conventional controller, but I tried a bunch of games never intended for arcades that play great with the Alpha's stick, including classic platformers like Mr. Gimmick, Aero the Acro-Bat, and Earthworm Jim, as well as impressive modern indies like the cinematic platformer Full Void and metroidvania Alwa's Awakening. Did I ever expect to play and reach the credits of Duke Nukem Advance, an actual FPS for GBA, on an arcade machine? No, and neither did you, but it held up better than I expected.

Evercade is one big platform

The Evercade Alpha benefits immensely from the large library of existing cartridges released over the last four years for other hardware. All Evercade devices share the same library of games and run on the same easy-to-use operating system. If you like the Evercade Alpha but also want to play your carts on a travel-friendly handheld device or on your TV, multiple handhelds and a home console are available. Other Evercade hardware costs substantially less than the Alpha, so if you like the idea of cartridge-based retro gaming, but want a more budget-friendly introduction to the platform, you have multiple options.

Likely anticipating increased interest in the other Evercade hardware after the Alpha's launch, Blaze released the Evercade VS-R home console in August, and the Evercade EXP-R handheld releases November 29--one day after the Alpha. Both devices are refreshes of older hardware, now in black instead of white, and cost $100 each. As an added bonus, they come bundled with Tomb Raider Collection, which is $25 on its own.

The Evercade VS home console is otherwise identical to the original white model released in 2021. The VS has been hard to find in the US for well over a year at this point. Like the Alpha, it has two cartridge slots. It connects to your TV or monitor via HDMI and displays in 1080p. While it only comes with one wired controller, just like the Alpha, you can connect third-party wired controllers and Bluetooth controllers with the 8BitDo Wireless USB Adapter.

The original EXP retailed for $150 at launch, so the price has dropped $50 with the EXP-R. The change takes two notable omissions into account: The mini-HDMI port has been removed, so the EXP-R won't have the ability to play in 720p on a monitor or TV. The aforementioned 18 Capcom freebies found on the EXP are also gone. The EXP-R does, however, sport a new textured grip that could improve the already impressive ergonomics of the EXP. The Tomb Raider Collection is also probably more appealing than the IREM Arcade Collection that was included with the EXP.

I haven't tested the EXP-R, but the EXP is a lovely portable device with a sublime D-pad and spacious 4.3-inch IPS display with 800 x 480 resolution. It's also one of the best handhelds I've used for arcade games thanks to TATE mode: an optional play style where you turn the device on its side for games with vertically oriented aspect ratios, just as originally intended. To improve the ergonomics of this play style, Evercade is releasing the TATE Grip alongside the EXP-R.

Blaze also has a spin-off brand called HyperMegaTech for its Super Pocket series of handhelds that debuted last year with Capcom and Taito Editions. These $60 handhelds with Game Boy Pocket-esque form factors still support Evercade carts, but they also include preloaded software: 12 Capcom or 17 Taito games. The Super Pocket line expanded last month with Atari (50 games) and Technos models (15 games). These legitimately pocketable handhelds have 2.8-inch IPS displays and more colorful themes. The D-pad and buttons are stiffer than the EXP, and the build is more toy-like and plasticky, but they offer tremendous value for the price--even if you do only buy them for the preloaded games.

Every cartridge in the Evercade library is compatible with the Alpha, EXP, and Super Pocket. The Evercade VS supports every cartridge except for the two Namco Museum collections. Some cartridges are no longer in print, so prices can creep a bit higher than MSRP on the reseller market, but many Evercade carts can be found on Amazon.

Disclosure: Blaze Entertainment provided GameSpot with review samples of both Evercade Alpha models to test for this review.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com