{"id":1911332,"date":"2026-04-30T16:40:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T13:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1911332"},"modified":"2026-04-30T16:40:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T13:40:11","slug":"two-computer-giants-of-the-80s-the-spectrum-and-c64-are-being-turned-into-pocket-sized-handhelds-by-the-makers-of-evercade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1911332","title":{"rendered":"Two computer giants of the 80s &#8211; the Spectrum and C64 &#8211; are being turned into pocket-sized handhelds by the makers of Evercade"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Two computer giants of the 80s &#8211; the Spectrum and C64 &#8211; are being turned into pocket-sized handhelds by the makers of Evercade<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Both launching this October.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/evercade-home-computer-handhelds.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Promotional image of The Spectrum Handheld and The C64 Handheld, both sporting clamshell designs.\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"evercade-home-computer-handhelds.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Eurogamer\/Blaze Entertainment<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Matt Wales avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/1521645425.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Matt Wales avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"1521645425.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/matt-wales\">Matt Wales<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      News Reporter<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-04-30T16:40:11+00:00\">April 30, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/spectrum-commodore-64-handhelds-october?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          19 comments<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>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 &#8211; via its Hyper Mega Tech arm &#8211; has unveiled handheld editions of two 80s home computer giants, the Spectrum and Commodore 64, that are launching this October.<\/p>\n<p>Simply called The Spectrum Handheld and The C64 Handheld, both machines feature the same clamshell design &#8211; which, at W136mm x H26mm x D86mm, should tuck comforably into your pockets, depending on your pocket size. Open them up and you&#8217;ll find a 4.3&#8243; IPS screen, as well as a similar arrangement of controls in each: a d-pad, four face buttons, four &#8220;function&#8221; buttons, plus buttons for menu, start, and select. They&#8217;re not identical, though. Alongside their two distinctive colour schemes &#8211; both inspired by the machines they&#8217;re based on &#8211; there&#8217;re minor variations in button design. Pick the Speccy version, for instance, and those function keys are made of rubber.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Trailer - THEC64 Handheld and The Spectrum Handheld - HyperMegaTech!\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TY-V0INbaR0?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/TY-V0INbaR0\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Trailer &#8211; THEC64 Handheld and The Spectrum Handheld &#8211; HyperMegaTech!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Here&#8217;s trailer for both new machines.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TY-V0INbaR0\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As you&#8217;d hope, both handhelds come with speakers and a headphone jack, plus built-in games &#8211; 25 apiece &#8211; from their respective systems. A MicroSD cart slot means you can play your own games too. That&#8217;s welcome news, given the included selections &#8211; despite a few highlights such as Skool Daze, Head Over Heals, and Manic Miner on the Speccy side &#8211; aren&#8217;t perhaps complete slamdunks. We&#8217;ll get to the games properly in a moment, though. The other thing worth noting is that the Spectrum variant (but seemingly not the C64 version) includes a USB I\/O port round the back to support keyboards and joysticks.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Both machines are priced at \u00a3109.99 and launch on 15th October, with pre-orders open from today. And as is usual for Blaze, Limited Edition versions are being <a href=\"https:\/\/funstock.co.uk\/\">sold exclusively through retailer FunStock<\/a>. These cost \u00a3129.99 and include the handheld, a hardshell travel case, and a magazine. For the Spectrum handheld, that&#8217;ll be a specially produced version of Zzap! magazine, while the C64 version includes a version of Crash! And if you&#8217;re not familiar with Hyper Mega Tech&#8217;s other handhelds, namely the Super Pockets (which are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/from-atic-atac-to-banjo-kazooie-evercades-squeezing-14-rare-classics-into-a-cute-little-handheld-thats-launching-this-june\">set to expand with a new Rare-themed edition this June<\/a>), they&#8217;re solidly built things. And with all that out the way, let&#8217;s end with a big list of included games:<\/p>\n<h2>THE C64 HANDHELD<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>A Pig Quest<\/li>\n<li>Sam&#8217;s Journey<\/li>\n<li>Nebulus<\/li>\n<li>Boulder Dash<\/li>\n<li>Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe<\/li>\n<li>Paradroid<\/li>\n<li>Hunter&#8217;s Moon Remastered<\/li>\n<li>Knight &#8216;n&#8217; Grail<\/li>\n<li>Aztec Challenge<\/li>\n<li>Krakout<\/li>\n<li>Druid<\/li>\n<li>Encounter!<\/li>\n<li>Galencia<\/li>\n<li>Ice Guys<\/li>\n<li>It&#8217;s Magic 2<\/li>\n<li>Lee<\/li>\n<li>Metal Warrior Ultra<\/li>\n<li>Millie &amp; Molly<\/li>\n<li>Planet Golf<\/li>\n<li>Shadow Switcher<\/li>\n<li>Spherical<\/li>\n<li>Squish &#8216;Em<\/li>\n<li>Steel Ranger<\/li>\n<li>X-Out<\/li>\n<li>Yeti Mountain<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>THE SPECTRUM HANDHELD<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Head Over Heels<\/li>\n<li>Manic Miner<\/li>\n<li>Skool Daze<\/li>\n<li>Tiny Dungeons<\/li>\n<li>Archon<\/li>\n<li>The Great Escape<\/li>\n<li>Bounder<\/li>\n<li>Switchblade<\/li>\n<li>Nightmare Rally<\/li>\n<li>M.O.V.I.E.<\/li>\n<li>Avenger: The Way of the Tiger II<\/li>\n<li>Bugaboo the Flea<\/li>\n<li>Devwill Too ZX<\/li>\n<li>Hammerfist<\/li>\n<li>Hammer Knight<\/li>\n<li>Penguin Attack<\/li>\n<li>S1NCLA1R C1TY<\/li>\n<li>Shovel Adventure<\/li>\n<li>Snake Escape<\/li>\n<li>Sorcerer Kid Adventure<\/li>\n<li>Splat!<\/li>\n<li>Tourmaline<\/li>\n<li>Where Time Stood Still<\/li>\n<li>Zynaps<\/li>\n<li>Starquake<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>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 &#8211; via its Hyper Mega Tech arm &#8211; has unveiled handheld editions of two 80s home computer giants, the Spectrum and Commodore 64, that are launching this October.<\/p>\n<p>Simply called The Spectrum Handheld and The C64 Handheld, both machines feature the same clamshell design &#8211; which, at W136mm x H26mm x D86mm, should tuck comforably into your pockets, depending on your pocket size. Open them up and you&#8217;ll find a 4.3&#8243; IPS screen, as well as a similar arrangement of controls in each: a d-pad, four face buttons, four &#8220;function&#8221; buttons, plus buttons for menu, start, and select. They&#8217;re not identical, though. Alongside their two distinctive colour schemes &#8211; both inspired by the machines they&#8217;re based on &#8211; there&#8217;re minor variations in button design. Pick the Speccy version, for instance, and those function keys are made of rubber.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Trailer - THEC64 Handheld and The Spectrum Handheld - HyperMegaTech!\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TY-V0INbaR0?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/TY-V0INbaR0\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Trailer &#8211; THEC64 Handheld and The Spectrum Handheld &#8211; HyperMegaTech!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Here&#8217;s trailer for both new machines.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TY-V0INbaR0\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As you&#8217;d hope, both handhelds come with speakers and a headphone jack, plus built-in games &#8211; 25 apiece &#8211; from their respective systems. A MicroSD cart slot means you can play your own games too. That&#8217;s welcome news, given the included selections &#8211; despite a few highlights such as Skool Daze, Head Over Heals, and Manic Miner on the Speccy side &#8211; aren&#8217;t perhaps complete slamdunks. We&#8217;ll get to the games properly in a moment, though. The other thing worth noting is that the Spectrum variant (but seemingly not the C64 version) includes a USB I\/O port round the back to support keyboards and joysticks.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Both machines are priced at \u00a3109.99 and launch on 15th October, with pre-orders open from today. And as is usual for Blaze, Limited Edition versions are being <a href=\"https:\/\/funstock.co.uk\/\">sold exclusively through retailer FunStock<\/a>. These cost \u00a3129.99 and include the handheld, a hardshell travel case, and a magazine. For the Spectrum handheld, that&#8217;ll be a specially produced version of Zzap! magazine, while the C64 version includes a version of Crash! And if you&#8217;re not familiar with Hyper Mega Tech&#8217;s other handhelds, namely the Super Pockets (which are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/from-atic-atac-to-banjo-kazooie-evercades-squeezing-14-rare-classics-into-a-cute-little-handheld-thats-launching-this-june\">set to expand with a new Rare-themed edition this June<\/a>), they&#8217;re solidly built things. And with all that out the way, let&#8217;s end with a big list of included games:<\/p>\n<h2>THE C64 HANDHELD<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>A Pig Quest<\/li>\n<li>Sam&#8217;s Journey<\/li>\n<li>Nebulus<\/li>\n<li>Boulder Dash<\/li>\n<li>Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe<\/li>\n<li>Paradroid<\/li>\n<li>Hunter&#8217;s Moon Remastered<\/li>\n<li>Knight &#8216;n&#8217; Grail<\/li>\n<li>Aztec Challenge<\/li>\n<li>Krakout<\/li>\n<li>Druid<\/li>\n<li>Encounter!<\/li>\n<li>Galencia<\/li>\n<li>Ice Guys<\/li>\n<li>It&#8217;s Magic 2<\/li>\n<li>Lee<\/li>\n<li>Metal Warrior Ultra<\/li>\n<li>Millie &amp; Molly<\/li>\n<li>Planet Golf<\/li>\n<li>Shadow Switcher<\/li>\n<li>Spherical<\/li>\n<li>Squish &#8216;Em<\/li>\n<li>Steel Ranger<\/li>\n<li>X-Out<\/li>\n<li>Yeti Mountain<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>THE SPECTRUM HANDHELD<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Head Over Heels<\/li>\n<li>Manic Miner<\/li>\n<li>Skool Daze<\/li>\n<li>Tiny Dungeons<\/li>\n<li>Archon<\/li>\n<li>The Great Escape<\/li>\n<li>Bounder<\/li>\n<li>Switchblade<\/li>\n<li>Nightmare Rally<\/li>\n<li>M.O.V.I.E.<\/li>\n<li>Avenger: The Way of the Tiger II<\/li>\n<li>Bugaboo the Flea<\/li>\n<li>Devwill Too ZX<\/li>\n<li>Hammerfist<\/li>\n<li>Hammer Knight<\/li>\n<li>Penguin Attack<\/li>\n<li>S1NCLA1R C1TY<\/li>\n<li>Shovel Adventure<\/li>\n<li>Snake Escape<\/li>\n<li>Sorcerer Kid Adventure<\/li>\n<li>Splat!<\/li>\n<li>Tourmaline<\/li>\n<li>Where Time Stood Still<\/li>\n<li>Zynaps<\/li>\n<li>Starquake<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Two computer giants of the 80s &#8211; the Spectrum and C64 &#8211; are being turned into pocket-sized handhelds by the makers of Evercade Both launching this October. Image credit: Eurogamer\/Blaze Entertainment News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on April 30, 2026 19 comments If, like me, your childhood was one of Masters [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1911332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1911332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1911332"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1911332\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1911332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1911332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1911332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}