If, like me, your childhood was one of Masters of the Universe and Rainbow Brite rather than a strange computer-generated man poking his head out a toilet, prepare to ready the nostalgia klaxon: Evercade maker Blaze Entertainment – via its Hyper Mega Tech arm – has unveiled handheld editions of two 80s home computer giants, the Spectrum and Commodore 64, that are launching this October.
Simply called The Spectrum Handheld and The C64 Handheld, both machines feature the same clamshell design – which, at W136mm x H26mm x D86mm, should tuck comforably into your pockets, depending on your pocket size. Open them up and you’ll find a 4.3″ IPS screen, as well as a similar arrangement of controls in each: a d-pad, four face buttons, four “function” buttons, plus buttons for menu, start, and select. They’re not identical, though. Alongside their two distinctive colour schemes – both inspired by the machines they’re based on – there’re minor variations in button design. Pick the Speccy version, for instance, and those function keys are made of rubber.
Here’s trailer for both new machines.Watch on YouTube
As you’d hope, both handhelds come with speakers and a headphone jack, plus built-in games – 25 apiece – from their respective systems. A MicroSD cart slot means you can play your own games too. That’s welcome news, given the included selections – despite a few highlights such as Skool Daze, Head Over Heals, and Manic Miner on the Speccy side – aren’t perhaps complete slamdunks. We’ll get to the games properly in a moment, though. The other thing worth noting is the Spectrum variant (but seemingly not the C64) includes a USB I/O port round the back to support keyboards and joysticks.
Both machines are priced at £109.99 and launch on 15th October, with pre-orders open from today. And as is usual for Blaze, Limited Edition versions are being sold exclusively through retailer FunStock. These cost £129.99 and include the handheld, a hardshell travel case, and a magazine. For the Spectrum, that’ll be a specially produced version of Crash! magazine, while the C64 includes a version of Zzap! And if you’re not familiar with Hyper Mega Tech’s other handhelds, namely the Super Pockets (which are set to expand with a new Rare-themed edition this June), they’re solidly built things. And with all that out the way, let’s end with a big list of included games:
THE C64 HANDHELD:
- A Pig Quest
- Sam’s Journey
- Nebulus
- Boulder Dash
- Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe
- Paradroid
- Hunter’s Moon Remastered
- Knight ‘n’ Grail
- Aztec Challenge
- Krakout
- Druid
- Encounter!
- Galencia
- Ice Guys
- It’s Magic 2
- Lee
- Metal Warrior Ultra
- Millie & Molly
- Planet Golf
- Shadow Switcher
- Spherical
- Squish ‘Em
- Steel Ranger
- X-Out
- Yeti Mountain
THE SPECTRUM HANDHELD:
- Head Over Heels
- Manic Miner
- Skool Daze
- Tiny Dungeons
- Archon
- The Great Escape
- Bounder
- Switchblade
- Nightmare Rally
- M.O.V.I.E.
- Avenger: The Way of the Tiger II
- Bugaboo the Flea
- Devwill Too ZX
- Hammerfist
- Hammer Knight
- Penguin Attack
- S1NCLA1R C1TY
- Shovel Adventure
- Snake Escape
- Sorcerer Kid Adventure
- Splat!
- Tourmaline
- Where Time Stood Still
- Zynaps
- Starquake
