1
Blaze Entertainment:
As announced last year, the Evercade Handheld is now out of production. Whilst it is still available at retailers who have stock and via second-hand sales, Blaze Entertainment are no longer producing this product.
Last year, we advised that there would be a final firmware update and now, it is finally here.
Firstly, we want to apologise to you all that have been patiently waiting for this update. Whilst it was originally planned for the end of 2022, a lot of testing was required along with updates around the launch of the Evercade EXP, which took a lot of our resources. So whilst it sadly slipped, it has meant we’ve been able to make this better than we originally intended by adding more features to help bring the experience as close to being in line with the other consoles as possible.
NEW FEATURES
We have been able to bring many new features that are either already a part of the VS and EXP firmware or will be coming when those updates release in the coming weeks.
This includes the coin limiter function for competitive arcade play, competition mode, game statistics and Dynamic Rate Control to assist with non-standard refresh rates.
There is also an option to enable a 50Hz mode as well that will play PAL developed games at 50Hz via HDMI and we’ve added performance boosts and emulation improvements. Most notably on Atari emulation which has seen an overhaul. However previous saves will not be compatible with this new firmware for Atari console games.
We’ve also made lots of corrections, typo updates, fixes to some graphical glitches and also added patches for Roniu’s Tale (Mega Cat Studios Collection 2) and Thunder Hoop (Gaelco Arcade 1).
Many of the new updates regarding performance and game options will be found in our new Ellipsis […] menu, on the game description page. This is where all advanced features will be found.
You can find the full changelog below with all of the updates. If you have never updated your original Evercade handheld, you can do so by following the steps on our support page:
DOWNLOAD THE EVERCADE HANDHELD UPDATER HERE
(Note: Windows update only is currently available. Mac Update will be available in the next few days and Linux in the next few weeks)
There are a few things that we want to highlight, as we know there will be many questions going forward about the future of the handheld after this update.
Will the new carts work?
The short answer is yes, as long as you have this new update.
Whilst we are no longer updating the original handheld, we are still testing our releases to make sure they work on version 3.0.0. They may work on older firmware versions but are best played on the original handheld with version 3.0.0, and we cannot guarantee that they will work on older firmwares, or would have compatible save games with other Evercade devices.
All cartridge hardware compatibility will be advertised on that cartridge so if there are any instances where it is just not possible to make a cart work with the original handheld’s hardware limitations, you will be made fully aware of this.
Why are there no bonus games?
One of the biggest problems we’ve had updating the original handheld is it’s incredibly small storage. Every single KB can count when bringing you a full, rich and usable operating system that squeezes the most out of the hardware.
This means that some of the bonuses and even some of the fixes we’ve been able to provide to certain games on other devices are simply impossible to deliver on the original handheld. But any carts updated using other hardware (VS or EXP) will update the cart and therefore be usable on the original handheld.
Will there be any other updates?
Whilst there are no other planned updates, if there is a serious problem that arises with compatibility or a game, then we will issue a hotfix for that issue via the Evercade Handheld installer.
This also means that there are no plans to add any future major software features that will become available on Evercade VS or Evercade EXP, such as per-game button mapping. This down to the aforementioned limitation of the hardware capabilities of the original handheld. We are sadly at the limit of what we can squeeze into it.
Will I still get support?
If you do have any issues at all with the firmware or device then our support team is on hand to help. We are honouring all warranties along with a proof of purchase and should there be any problems we will look at these on a case by case basis by emailing support@evercade.co.uk.
Can I use this installer on non-Windows based systems?
Yes, the Mac updater will be updated with the new firmware and the Linux updater will also be coming for those who are not using either operating system. We expect this in the next few months.
Sadly we are unable to provide the use of this updater on tablets, ChromeOS devices and android based operating systems.
Patch Notes
– Added new Ellipsis menu to game details for advanced features
– Added coin limiter
– Added competition mode
– Added game stats tracking
– Added DRC (Dynamic Rate Control)
– Added PAL 50Hz HDMI switch
– Added performance boosts
– Added flashing lights warning
– Added numerous typo fixes to cart names, descriptions etc.
– Added improved descriptions, fix typos, update control diagrams for:
– Codemasters Collection 1
– Indie Heroes Collection 1
– Worms Collection 1
– Gremlin Collection 1
– Intellivision Collection 1
– Mega Cat Studios Collection 2
– Renovation Collection 1
– Added Roniu’s Tale patch (Mega Cat Studios Collection 2)
– Added Thunder Hoop patch (Gaelco Arcade 1)
– Update Blast Backend
– Fixed SRAM saves
– Improve performance and shader accuracy (scanlines, etc.)
– Better game rendering (more crisp image in original display)
– Overhauled Atari 1 + 2 emulation (NOTE: This will take 10 seconds on first boot to update, old saves on these carts will be incompatible with this update)
– Fixed missing buttons
– Fixed missing difficulty switches
– Fixed gameplay issues
– Improve performance
– Increase emulation accuracy
– Fixed graphical glitches
– Improved control diagrams and layout
– Plus more miscellaneous fixes and enhancements
– Fixed reset for a some arcade games
– Fixed THEC64 save cross compatibility
– Fixed menu graphical errors
– Fixed incorrect theme images
– Improved Polish localisation (Many thanks to Arek)
– Improved Spanish localisation (Many thanks to Joshua + Andres)
– Overall improvements to localisations
– Improved Nestopia emulation (Accuracy, performance, RF filter, ratios)
Quelle: https://evercade.co.uk/evercade-original-handheld-final-update/
As announced last year, the Evercade Handheld is now out of production. Whilst it is still available at retailers who have stock and via second-hand sales, Blaze Entertainment are no longer producing this product.
Last year, we advised that there would be a final firmware update and now, it is finally here.
Firstly, we want to apologise to you all that have been patiently waiting for this update. Whilst it was originally planned for the end of 2022, a lot of testing was required along with updates around the launch of the Evercade EXP, which took a lot of our resources. So whilst it sadly slipped, it has meant we’ve been able to make this better than we originally intended by adding more features to help bring the experience as close to being in line with the other consoles as possible.
NEW FEATURES
We have been able to bring many new features that are either already a part of the VS and EXP firmware or will be coming when those updates release in the coming weeks.
This includes the coin limiter function for competitive arcade play, competition mode, game statistics and Dynamic Rate Control to assist with non-standard refresh rates.
There is also an option to enable a 50Hz mode as well that will play PAL developed games at 50Hz via HDMI and we’ve added performance boosts and emulation improvements. Most notably on Atari emulation which has seen an overhaul. However previous saves will not be compatible with this new firmware for Atari console games.
We’ve also made lots of corrections, typo updates, fixes to some graphical glitches and also added patches for Roniu’s Tale (Mega Cat Studios Collection 2) and Thunder Hoop (Gaelco Arcade 1).
Many of the new updates regarding performance and game options will be found in our new Ellipsis […] menu, on the game description page. This is where all advanced features will be found.
You can find the full changelog below with all of the updates. If you have never updated your original Evercade handheld, you can do so by following the steps on our support page:
DOWNLOAD THE EVERCADE HANDHELD UPDATER HERE
(Note: Windows update only is currently available. Mac Update will be available in the next few days and Linux in the next few weeks)
There are a few things that we want to highlight, as we know there will be many questions going forward about the future of the handheld after this update.
Will the new carts work?
The short answer is yes, as long as you have this new update.
Whilst we are no longer updating the original handheld, we are still testing our releases to make sure they work on version 3.0.0. They may work on older firmware versions but are best played on the original handheld with version 3.0.0, and we cannot guarantee that they will work on older firmwares, or would have compatible save games with other Evercade devices.
All cartridge hardware compatibility will be advertised on that cartridge so if there are any instances where it is just not possible to make a cart work with the original handheld’s hardware limitations, you will be made fully aware of this.
Why are there no bonus games?
One of the biggest problems we’ve had updating the original handheld is it’s incredibly small storage. Every single KB can count when bringing you a full, rich and usable operating system that squeezes the most out of the hardware.
This means that some of the bonuses and even some of the fixes we’ve been able to provide to certain games on other devices are simply impossible to deliver on the original handheld. But any carts updated using other hardware (VS or EXP) will update the cart and therefore be usable on the original handheld.
Will there be any other updates?
Whilst there are no other planned updates, if there is a serious problem that arises with compatibility or a game, then we will issue a hotfix for that issue via the Evercade Handheld installer.
This also means that there are no plans to add any future major software features that will become available on Evercade VS or Evercade EXP, such as per-game button mapping. This down to the aforementioned limitation of the hardware capabilities of the original handheld. We are sadly at the limit of what we can squeeze into it.
Will I still get support?
If you do have any issues at all with the firmware or device then our support team is on hand to help. We are honouring all warranties along with a proof of purchase and should there be any problems we will look at these on a case by case basis by emailing support@evercade.co.uk.
Can I use this installer on non-Windows based systems?
Yes, the Mac updater will be updated with the new firmware and the Linux updater will also be coming for those who are not using either operating system. We expect this in the next few months.
Sadly we are unable to provide the use of this updater on tablets, ChromeOS devices and android based operating systems.
Patch Notes
– Added new Ellipsis menu to game details for advanced features
– Added coin limiter
– Added competition mode
– Added game stats tracking
– Added DRC (Dynamic Rate Control)
– Added PAL 50Hz HDMI switch
– Added performance boosts
– Added flashing lights warning
– Added numerous typo fixes to cart names, descriptions etc.
– Added improved descriptions, fix typos, update control diagrams for:
– Codemasters Collection 1
– Indie Heroes Collection 1
– Worms Collection 1
– Gremlin Collection 1
– Intellivision Collection 1
– Mega Cat Studios Collection 2
– Renovation Collection 1
– Added Roniu’s Tale patch (Mega Cat Studios Collection 2)
– Added Thunder Hoop patch (Gaelco Arcade 1)
– Update Blast Backend
– Fixed SRAM saves
– Improve performance and shader accuracy (scanlines, etc.)
– Better game rendering (more crisp image in original display)
– Overhauled Atari 1 + 2 emulation (NOTE: This will take 10 seconds on first boot to update, old saves on these carts will be incompatible with this update)
– Fixed missing buttons
– Fixed missing difficulty switches
– Fixed gameplay issues
– Improve performance
– Increase emulation accuracy
– Fixed graphical glitches
– Improved control diagrams and layout
– Plus more miscellaneous fixes and enhancements
– Fixed reset for a some arcade games
– Fixed THEC64 save cross compatibility
– Fixed menu graphical errors
– Fixed incorrect theme images
– Improved Polish localisation (Many thanks to Arek)
– Improved Spanish localisation (Many thanks to Joshua + Andres)
– Overall improvements to localisations
– Improved Nestopia emulation (Accuracy, performance, RF filter, ratios)
Quelle: https://evercade.co.uk/evercade-original-handheld-final-update/