Technologies

Evercade EXP Review: A Retro Mini Console With a Twist

This might be an answer for lovers of vertical arcade games.

There were a ton of retro gaming mini consoles a few years ago, a trend which faded away shortly after the global pandemic started. Remember the NES Classic, the Sega Genesis Mini, and even the Turbografx 16 Mini? There are still ways to play retro games: tons of them, in fact. The Nintendo Switch has a bunch. There are compilations like the stellar Atari 50. There are gaming handhelds that play older game cartridges. And then there’s the Evercade EXP.

The second-gen version of the Evercade is a handheld specifically made to play ready-made cartridge compilations of retro games. The Evercade EXP can also plug directly into TVs using an HDMI mini cable, effectively becoming a mini console.

But my favorite thing about the EXP is how it flips into a vertical mode to play vertical-orientation, or «TATE,» arcade games. It handles that in a way that’s so easy, it’s weird that more handhelds don’t do this. (The Nintendo Switch allows for TATE game modes, but it depends on each individual game’s support.)

The Evercade EXP is chunky. It’s close to the size of a PlayStation Vita (remember that one?), but it’s smaller than a Nintendo Switch Lite. It could be jacket-pocketed, maybe. The handheld comes studded with most of the buttons that 8- and 16-bit games need: four buttons on one side, two on the other next to a d-pad that all work together in vertical mode. There are dual shoulder button-triggers on each side.

The back of the Evercade EXP handheld and its cartridge slot, with two cartridges near it — The Evercade EXP uses cartridges that have game compilations. Some games are also preinstalled.

Scott Stein/CNET

Unlike a ton of small handhelds that can also be modded to run emulations, the Evercade EXP is strictly designed to play the system’s own cartridges. There are a few dozen that the Evercade EXP has to choose from, costing about $25 per multigame cartridge. There are collections of classics from Namco, Atari, Data East, Interplay and even more obscure sources. There are plenty of missing companies, though: Konami is a no-show, and don’t expect Sega (or, obviously, Nintendo). But there are surprising compilations of Atari Lynx (I finally got to play Blue Lightning!), Commodore 64, Intellivision and Amiga games, and Evercade splits its cartridge collections up between console-based and arcade-based classics.

The $150 Evercade EXP does throw in some tempting extras. The system has 18 Capcom arcade and console games built in, and it’s a great mix. You get Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, Strider, Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting and Mega Man games. There’s also an included compilation arcade cartridge of games from classic game publisher Irem with six other games including R-Type, In The Hunt and Moon Patrol. The arcade games feel great, and the vertical TATE modes when available open up a lot more screen space on the 4.3-inch screen. There are also five more indie games on the system, which can be unlocked with hidden codes.

Capcom game titles shown off on the screen of the Evercade EXP handheld — There are 18 preinstalled Capcom games, and five more hidden indie games to unlock.

Scott Stein/CNET

Theoretically, the Evercade EXP could download new games via Wi-Fi, but that feature doesn’t seem enabled yet. The handheld’s software has been updated since the original Evercade, and the display, while still being a somewhat low-res IPS LCD screen (800×480 pixels), is totally fine for all the games it plays. The system charges via USB-C, and lasts enough hours for me to play until I get bored and do something else (about 4 hours). There’s also a headphone jack.

I don’t think there’s enough gaming time in my life for the Evercade EXP to steal attention away from the Nintendo Switch (or the Panic Playdate), but I appreciate how this handheld offers up so many lost treasures on the go. It’s sort of a philosophical alternative to the Analogue Pocket, a great handheld that’s more purely focused on playing original Game Boy games and replicating older hardware platforms. The Evercade EXP is a good enough arcade package for anyone who really loves vertical shoot em ups, though. And hey, will more gaming handhelds please support vertical TATE mode at the press of a button like the Evercade EXP does? Thank you!

Game console reviews

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sunday, June 8

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for June 8.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword isn’t too tough, but 1-Across might make you think of the sky, and that’s not the direction you need to go. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Org. with shooting stars
Answer: NBA

4A clue: Buildings with weather vanes, stereotypically
Answer: BARNS

6A clue: Swiss watch brand
Answer: OMEGA

7A clue: What Santa, Gandalf and Dumbledore each have
Answer: BEARD

8A clue: Pie in the ___
Answer: SKY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: «I’m bad with ___» (party excuse)
Answer: NAMES

2D clue: Start of a billiards game
Answer: BREAK

3D clue: Seeing red
Answer: ANGRY

4D clue: Timothée’s role in «A Complete Unknown»
Answer: BOB

5D clue: Feeling blue
Answer: SAD

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for June 8, #258

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 258, for June 8.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition isn’t too tough, but let’s hope you know the résumé of a certain NBA player to get the blue group. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Let’s go at it.

Green group hint: Signal-callers.

Blue group hint: Hoops star’s teams.

Purple group hint: Great barbecue town.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Competition.

Green group: Names of NFL QBs.

Blue group: Teams Tyrese Haliburton has played for.

Purple group: Kansas City ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is competition. The four answers are bout, contest, event and match.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is names of NFL QBs. The four answers are Baker, Bo, Dak and Tua.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is teams Tyrese Haliburton has played for. The four answers are Iowa State, Kings, Pacers and USA.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is Kansas City ____. The four answers are Chiefs, Current, Monarchs and Royals.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for June 8, #728

Here are some hints and the answers for Connections for June 8, #728.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle could be tricky. The purple category is one of those «sounds like» groups, that can be really tough to figure out. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group, to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Keep at it.

Green group hint: Think Wall Street animals.

Blue group hint: Online encyclopedia subheads.

Purple group hint: $$$.