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

See the latest CNET gaming coverage here.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Oct. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 14.

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 Mini Crossword has an odd vertical shape, with an extra Across clue, and only four Down clues. The clues are not terribly difficult, but one or two could be tricky. Read on if you need the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

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: Smokes, informally
Answer: CIGS

5A clue: «Don’t have ___, man!» (Bart Simpson catchphrase)
Answer: ACOW

6A clue: What the vehicle in «lane one» of this crossword is winning?
Answer: RACE

7A clue: Pitt of Hollywood
Answer: BRAD

8A clue: «Yeah, whatever»
Answer: SURE

9A clue: Rd. crossers
Answer: STS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Things to «load» before a marathon
Answer: CARBS

2D clue: Mythical figure who inspired the idiom «fly too close to the sun»
Answer: ICARUS

3D clue: Zoomer around a small track
Answer: GOCART

4D clue: Neighbors of Norwegians
Answer: SWEDES

Technologies

Watch SpaceX’s Starship Flight Test 11

Technologies

New California Law Wants Companion Chatbots to Tell Kids to Take Breaks

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the new requirements on AI companions into law on Monday.

AI companion chatbots will have to remind users in California that they’re not human under a new law signed Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The law, SB 243, also requires companion chatbot companies to maintain protocols for identifying and addressing cases in which users express suicidal ideation or self-harm. For users under 18, chatbots will have to provide a notification at least every three hours that reminds users to take a break and that the bot is not human.

It’s one of several bills Newsom has signed in recent weeks dealing with social media, artificial intelligence and other consumer technology issues. Another bill signed Monday, AB 56, requires warning labels on social media platforms, similar to those required for tobacco products. Last week, Newsom signed measures requiring internet browsers to make it easy for people to tell websites they don’t want them to sell their data and banning loud advertisements on streaming platforms.

AI companion chatbots have drawn particular scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators in recent months. The Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into several companies in response to complaints by consumer groups and parents that the bots were harming children’s mental health. OpenAI introduced new parental controls and other guardrails in its popular ChatGPT platform after the company was sued by parents who allege ChatGPT contributed to their teen son’s suicide.

«We’ve seen some truly horrific and tragic examples of young people harmed by unregulated tech, and we won’t stand by while companies continue without necessary limits and accountability,» Newsom said in a statement.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

One AI companion developer, Replika, told CNET that it already has protocols to detect self-harm as required by the new law, and that it is working with regulators and others to comply with requirements and protect consumers.

«As one of the pioneers in AI companionship, we recognize our profound responsibility to lead on safety,» Replika’s Minju Song said in an emailed statement. Song said Replika uses content-filtering systems, community guidelines and safety systems that refer users to crisis resources when needed.

A Character.ai spokesperson said the company «welcomes working with regulators and lawmakers as they develop regulations and legislation for this emerging space, and will comply with laws, including SB 243.» OpenAI spokesperson Jamie Radice called the bill a «meaningful move forward» for AI safety. «By setting clear guardrails, California is helping shape a more responsible approach to AI development and deployment across the country,» Radice said in an email.

One bill Newsom has yet to sign, AB 1064, would go further by prohibiting developers from making companion chatbots available to children unless the AI companion is «not foreseeably capable of» encouraging harmful activities or engaging in sexually explicit interactions, among other things.