The ZX Spectrum and C64 have been reimagined as Nintendo DS-style retro gaming handhelds – and they look amazing Leave a comment
My childhood was stuffed with playground battles about whether or not the C64 or ZX Spectrum reigned supreme. (The C64, natch. Don’t @ me!) However whichever camp you swore allegiance to, your pleasure and pleasure was tethered to a wall and a telly. Transportable gaming again then meant squinting at a Nintendo Game & Watch and calling it a day. However now we get to see what these Eighties classics would have regarded like had they been transportable, by the use of the (awkwardly named) THEC64 Handheld and The Spectrum Handheld.
They’ll rock up in October 2026 and value $129.99/£109.99 every. You’ll be able to preorder now by way of HyperMegaTech, the outfit behind the Super Pocket vary, with its ties to the Evercade ecosystem. Not that you simply’ll discover Evercade cart slots right here (boo), as a result of these new handheld micros are a part of a team-up with Retro Video games Ltd, primarily squishing down the THEC64 Mini and The Spectrum consoles and making them foldable.
Spec-chums
Each machines go heavy on nostalgia cosplay. The ZX Spectrum handheld is a slick black slab with rainbow stripes and – sure – rubber keys. The C64 handheld is… very beige, with plastic buttons. They usually’re clamshells too, bringing to thoughts the Nintendo DS (or, in case you’re of Eighties classic your self, the Donkey Kong Game & Watch).
Which means the 4.3in 800x480px display screen might be protected once you sling your handheld in a bag. And when taking part in, you’ll be able to tilt to style, whereas getting ready to find that you simply left your reflexes again within the Eighties alongside along with your authentic 8-bit {hardware}.
Past that, these devices provide you with front-firing stereo audio system, a headphone jack for once you’d moderately not topic strangers to Spectrum screeches or lush C64 SID warbles, and USB-C charging. Battery life clocks in round three hours. And there’s a USB-A port for joysticks – and even keyboards, in case you’re mad sufficient to wish to sort out a textual content journey on a tiny transportable.
Sport on
No retro field is full with out video games, and each handhelds ship with 25 built-in titles. In every case, you get a strong mixture of basic heavy-hitters alongside newer video games that wring magic out of historic {hardware}.
The Spectrum Handheld line up is: Archon: The Gentle and the Darkish, Avenger: The Approach of the Tiger II, Bounder, Bugaboo the Flea, Devwill Too ZX, Hammer Knight, Hammerfist, Head Over Heels, M.O.V.I.E., Manic Miner, Nightmare Rally, Penguin Assault, s1ncla1r c1ty, Shovel Journey, Skool Daze, Snake Escape, Sorcerer Child Journey, Splat, Starquake, Switchblade, The Nice Escape, Tiny Dungeons, Tourmaline, The place Time Stood Nonetheless, and Zynaps.
And on the THEC64 Handheld, you get: A Pig Quest, Aztec Problem, Druid, Encounter!, Galencia, Hunter’s Moon Remastered, Ice Guys, It’s Magic 2, Knight ’N’ Grail, Krakout, Lee (as in, Bruce), Metallic Warrior Extremely, Millie & Molly, Nebulus, Paradroid, Planet Golf, Sam’s Journey, Shadow Switcher, Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe, Spherical, Squish ’Em, Metal Ranger, Tremendous Boulder Sprint, X-Out, and Yeti Mountain.
Every little thing’s totally licensed, though in case your private favorite is lacking, there’s a microSD card for loading your personal video games.
If that’s not sufficient to scratch your retro itch, there are additionally Collector’s Editions. These value $149.99/£129.99, are restricted to 2000 models and include an identical hard-shell case, together with a printed copy of Crash or Zzap!64 with articles concerning the included video games.
All of which leaves one burning query: the place’s The Amstrad CPC Handheld? Come on, HyperMegaTech: full the set. I dare you.
