Alpha mini-arcade units move the bar for Evercade

Four years and a million sales into the Evercade adventure, and producer Blaze continues to push the brand. Their recent news barrage started with the upcoming lower-cost "-R" models, arriving in July, and the beefier Giga cartridges to support larger PlayStation-and-beyond games (starting with the Tomb Raider Trilogy). 

Now they move the goalposts a few steps further with the arrival of Alpha, hinted at on the recent new controller hardware. Before the launch, it was easy enough to figure out this is Evercade's big seasonal seller as there are two hardware gaps in the Evercade roadmap for November. 

With the big reveal just gone live,  Evercade has teamed up with Capcom again for a Street Fighter and MegaMan pair of bar top mini-arcade versions. The Evercade Alpha features an 8” high-resolution IPS screen and USB-C power, stereo speakers, cart and controller connectors, and a headphone jack at the front of the unit. 

It comes pre-built in the box, so no assembly is required, and it packs-in WiFi for any system updates. The unit stands at 410mm tall meaning it will fit in even the smallest households or game rooms. 

I'm not classing these as an essential gaming purchase, but they should definitely be a Christmas hit for collectors and a great gift, although Evercade definitely needs to get some physical Capcom carts to fill in the gaps for those who didn't get the EXP and might miss out on these models. 

• Evercade Alpha has two Bartop Arcade designs, with 6 built-in Capcom games on each
• Compatible with all other Evercade cartridges.
• 6 unique Built-in games on each unit including the Street Fighter™ Alpha series, Mega Man™ - The Power Battle, Final Fight™, Strider™, and more.
• Pre-orders at a special introductory price: £199.99 | $229.99 | €229.99 
• Normal price £229.99 | $249.99 | €249.99 after pre-order period

Games featured include:

Evercade Alpha Street Fighter™ Bartop Arcade Game List

• Street Fighter II' Champion Edition
• Super Street Fighter II Turbo
• Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams
• Street Fighter Alpha 2
• Street Fighter Alpha 3
• Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo

Evercade Alpha Mega Man™ Bartop Arcade Game List

• Mega Man: The Power Battle
• Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters
• Final Fight
• Knights of the Round
• Carrier Air Wing
• Strider

 For more serious arcade collectors, a more sturdy offer comes exclusively from Fun Stock in the form of the Evercade Alpha Deluxe Edition. Each Evercade Alpha will come pre-upgraded with SANWA arcade controls, additional marquees and more for over £100 of extras for £249.99 / €289.99 with pre-orders opening on June 4th.