Evercade, purveyor of all things retro gaming, has unveiled the Evercade Nexus – its next-generation gaming handheld, which launches this October.

Evercade Nexus is the successor to 2024’s EXP-R, and marks the first time analogue sticks have been included in creator Blaze’s Evercade line-up. That means its effectively opens up a whole new world of retro classics, given it’s much better suited to 3D games (such as the already available Evercade versions of Legacy of Kane and Tomb Raider) compared to its d-pad only predecessor. And to celebrate that fact, Rare’s 3D platform classics Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie are being bundled in.

Blaze notes analogue sticks can also be used when playing in TATE mode, serving as an arcade stick for those vertically configured games.

Additionally, Evercade Nexus introduces wireless game sharing, making it easy to play multiplayer games with a second Nexus owner, no second cartridge required. Blaze is touting a 5.98″ IPS screen with 500 nits of brightness for Nexus – EXP-R features a 4.3″ screen by comparison – alongside new textured trigger controls and WiFi 6 support for faster update downloads. And where audio is concerned, the Nexus features front-facing stereo speakers (hopefully with a bit more oomph than the EXP-R), and supports wireless headphones – it’s unclear, however, if it still includes a headphone jack.

On the software side, Blaze says the Nexus will support the usual Evercade features such the library, save/load states, and display options. And if you’re wondering how long the battery will last, the company reckons around five hours, and a USB-C cable for charging is included.

Evercade Nexus is currently targeting an October 2026 launch window, with pre-orders opening tomorrow, 1st April. The standard edition Nexus costs £169.99/€199.99/$199.99 and comes with Banjo-Kazooie/Banjo-Tooie on an Evercade cartridge complete with case and manual.

If you’re looking for something a bit fancier, though, there’s the limited Evercade Nexus 64 Edition, which fancies up its buttons with some familiar colours inspired by the N64. Alongside the Banjo cartridge, this one includes a screen protector kit, poster, and a certificate of authenticity. It costs £189.99/€229.99/$229.99 and pre-orders are open now via Evercade partner retailer Funstock – but only 2000 are available.

News of the Evercade Nexus follows this month’s announcement of a Rare-themed edition of Evercade’s adorably dinky sister handheld, the Super Pocket. It’ll cost £49.99/€59.99/$69.99 when it launches this June.