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We may not quite be to Blaze’s biggest releases of the year (that new Nexus hardware and the Banjo pack), but if you’re looking to buy stuff for the platform, you don’t have to wait. Two new Evercade arcade collections from Japanese developer Visco pack some serious gems! And hey, there’s also finally an official wireless controller option, sporting analog sticks too.
Two Evercade Visco collections
Drift Out is the cover star of Visco Arcade 1, but the focus of the cart is clearly scrolling shooters. Andro Dunos, Ashura Blaster, Asuka & Asuka, Earth Joker and Galmedes are all here, making for more shoot-’em-ups in one place than most modern compilations and for a reasonable price. But yeah, Drift Out is also fun, and the case includes a fun bonus pamphlet showcasing the game’s infamous almost-real car lineup.
Visco Arcade 2 is headlined by Bang Bead, a head-to-head cult classic for fans of Sanrio World Smash Ball! and Windjammers. (And yeah, presumably Visco didn’t understand what they did with the name.) In it, you protect stars on your side of the field, because as long as one remains unhit, a barrier protects your screen edge from being hit for a point. It’s fast and frantic, and exactly the sort of late-era MVS game that holds up well. Also included is its predecessor, Battle Flip Shot, which shares characters and mechanics but is generally a bit slower and tamer. It’s pretty good too. Also in the second collection are two more Drift Out games and fighting game Breaker’s.
Evercade Wireless Controller
In preparation for this holiday’s big Banjo push, Blaze is making sure players have more options for acquiring analog sticks. In addition to the big Nexus handheld, that means a controller! If you’re playing on a VS console or Alpha cabinet, you’ve had some compatible options for a bit, but there wasn’t anything that matched or had more formal official support. (Also, all the official controllers have been wired.) So the new Wireless Controller seeks to solve a few of those problems.
It’s essentially the existing controller with a few downward handle protrusions and two analog sticks. The colors match the VS-R model, though I think it looks fine with original VS systems. Don’t expect any changes to the D-pad or buttons; they are, for better and worse, what they’ve always been. This would also have been a good opportunity to upgrade the shoulder buttons, but nope. They’re still loud, clicky, thin, and generally unsatisfying to use. Thankfully, not a lot of Evercade games use them, but… well, not a lot of Evercade games use analog sticks either. And those are generally the same games! Hrm.
While most analog-forward Evercade games are on the horizon, there are a few existing titles that I was able to test. The two for which I found it most useful, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and Glover, make sense! Navigating and platforming in 3D benefits from the granularity. In the case of the latter, it’s a game that already presents enough challenge in its movement, so even without official support, its emulation of the D-pad still allows for smoother adjustments. From our experience with the Banjo Super Pocket, analog will be a necessity for the cartridge later this year.
There’s also a turbo-fire button, as well as a lightly magnetic storage spot on the back for the wireless dongle. It’s compatible with Switch, PC and mobile devices as well, if you want? We’re not sure it can really hang with the available options on those platforms, as it’s best considered as a way to maintain aesthetic consistency within Evercade’s ecosystem.
Activision Super Pocket
Also in this new batch of releases is the Activision Super Pocket. We’ve covered these games in their cartridge forms, but this rainbow design is nice and these Atari 2600 games don’t lose anything on the small screen and with limited controls. It’s safe to say you won’t be surprised by these, though.
The Evercade Wireless Controller officially launches on September 28, 2026. The Evercade Visco Arcade 1 and Visco Arcade 2 cartridges, as well as the Activision Super Pocket, are out now. For more on the Evercade hardware and library, check out our archive
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