HyperMegaTech Super Pocket Edition Review
Blog Andrew Joseph 30 Oct , 2025 0
Back in 2020, Blaze Entertainment made a splash in the retro gaming market by launching a cartridge-based game. Evercade Platform. Since then, the platform has grown to include a variety of handheld device, consoleand bar arcadeand over 650 games on 78 (and counting) cartridges.
At the end of 2023, the company will create a new brand Super Mega Technology Released a series of simpler GameBoy-like handheld computers with built-in games that also happened to accept Evercade cartridges. Like a growing number of other Evercade-compatible devices and cartridges, the Super Pocket series already comes in six variants. While the Super Pocket series may not have the best screen sizes and resolutions, or offer the most ideal controls for every game, it's still a great value for money portable companion that fills a completely different niche than regular gaming. handheld gaming computer. However, depending on your gaming preferences, some models may be better value than others.
HyperMegaTech Super Pocket – Design and Features
Aside from the aesthetic theme and associated colorways, each Super Pocket version features the exact same hardware. The only difference between the different models is the type and number of built-in games, themed to specific publishers such as Taito, Capcom, Atari, Technos, NeoGeo (SNK) or Data East. Sometimes limited editions will have additional cosmetic changes, such as the Atari Edition or the NeoGeo Edition, the former with a wood grain look and the latter with an MVS look.
As a plug-and-play device, each Super Pocket package comes with the handheld device, USB-C to USB-A charging cable, and quick start guide. All you have to do is charge it and turn it on.
When you power it on for the first time, you'll be prompted to answer a few questions, including your language and preferred difficulty (easy or normal) for all included games. Of course, these and other settings can be changed after the fact by pressing the Game Menu button and selecting Settings.
The Super Pocket measures 3.07 x 4.92 x 0.98 inches and weighs 0.36 pounds, making it slightly smaller and lighter than the original Game Boy's dimensions (3.5 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches). The sleeker body does support a slightly larger 2.8-inch display (2cm larger than the Game Boy), although this is still quite small for a modern handheld device.
The IPS screen has a resolution of 320×240 and an aspect ratio of 4:3. Overall, the display is colorful, with good brightness and viewing angles, but the small screen size and low resolution do mean detail is lost in places, especially in text or games that don't have the native 4:3 aspect ratio. While good close-up viewing is always helpful with a handheld monitor, keep in mind that some games on the Super Pocket won't provide an optimized viewing experience.
Display options include native, pixel-perfect or full-screen aspect ratios, and shaders/scanlines. The native aspect ratio ensures that the original game's graphics are not stretched or distorted, but may result in black bars appearing on the sides or top of the screen. Perfect pixel aspect ratio maps the original pixels to a “perfect” pixel square, but may result in the active display being smaller than the original pixels. The full-screen aspect ratio stretches the game image to fit the entire screen, eliminating any black bars or dead space on the display, but can also stretch or distort objects in the game. Shader/scanline options include None, Subtle, or Strong, the latter two designed to emulate the way classic CRTs display processed pixel graphics. Subtle adds thin scan lines with minimal screen dimming, while Strong adds thick scan lines with more obvious screen dimming.
Below the display are the game menu button, D-pad, front-facing speakers, Select/Insert Credits button, Start Game button, and the A, B, X, and Y side buttons. Both the directional pad and panel buttons use standard membrane, so they have a softer feel without a real click, but are still responsive enough for most games.
Each Super Pocket comes with a blank dummy cartridge to protect the rear slot. The back of the device also has a volume control button as well as R1, L1, R2 and L2 buttons, the last two of which are used for quickly scrolling through menus. Below the buttons are the rear speakers, which when combined with the front speakers deliver clear, distortion-free sound output even at maximum volume, although you'll still need to use a good pair of wired headphones to get the best audio. (As with other Evercade-compatible hardware, Bluetooth audio is not supported.
On the bottom of the Super Pocket are the USB-C charging port, the power switch next to the indicator light (which lights up blue), and the 3.5mm headphone jack. There is a charging indicator light between the power switch and the charging port, which displays red when charging and green when fully charged.
With its modest 3000mAh battery, you'll only get around four hours of runtime at most, depending on the amount and type of gameplay. On the plus side, the battery does an excellent job of retaining charge. I haven't used some fully charged Super Pockets in months, and when I picked them up again they were still gaming at 100% capacity.
HyperMegaTech Super Pocket – built-in gaming options
Blaze has been working to work around licensing restrictions on how some games are sold by building them into Evercade and HyperMegaTech hardware. While some of these restrictions have been loosened recently – meaning you're starting to see some games that were previously only built-in appear on cartridges – products like the Super Pocket are still one of the more reliable ways to guarantee access to games that aren't yet, or may never be, on Evercade cartridges. You can read the full lineup of pre-installed versions of each in this table.
Each Super Pocket features original games from its original platform, so they are not scaled or optimized for display. For many games this isn't a problem, but for some (especially arcade games with vertical/portrait (aka TATE) displays) the active area can be very small unless you choose to deliberately distort the image using the full-screen aspect ratio option. Examples of arcade games that display portrait orientation include Kiki Kaikai on the Taito Edition Super Pocket and BurgerTime on the Data East Edition Super Pocket, the latter highlighting how difficult it can sometimes be to decipher text. Overall, though, there are always enough games that even the 12-game Capcom version can run well within the limitations of the monitor.
You also have to consider that the d-pad and four face buttons aren't the best way to control every game. For example, Operation Wolf, included in the Taito Edition, is a light-gun game in the arcade, so using the D-pad to drag the targeting cursor around the screen is less than ideal. Likewise, games like Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighter on the Capcom version are controlled via six buttons. Normally this wouldn't be an issue, but the placement of the rear buttons on the Super Pocket isn't ideal, making it impossible to hold a handheld device and press the buttons easily and consistently, especially in the heat of battle. Games that require four buttons or fewer (admittedly, that's the majority of what's included) aren't an issue.
On the plus side, when you're playing any game, you can press the Game Menu button to save or load your position in one of six slots, as well as reference controls. You can also change display settings, reset the game, or exit back to the main menu.
Of the six current versions, the Atari version has the most games (50) and the most games from (five!) different platforms. And some arcade games like Super Breakout or Crystal Castles Having a portrait display or native controls that don't map well to a digital directional pad, for the most part, other games run just fine on the Super Pocket due to the modest controls and resolution of the original consoles and handhelds. Of course, for some, older arcade and 8-bit console games may not have the same appeal as something like Capcom Edition Super Pocket, even though it only has 12 games.
If you want a slightly newer mix of arcade and console games, the Technos Edition may be more suitable for you, although it only contains 15 games and there's a lot of overlap. If you want better variety, the 18-game Data East version might be more ideal, although it also includes some games that aren't specifically optimized for display. Finally, there is the NeoGeo Edition which contains 14 games, but each game is very well optimized for control and display, and since Super Pocket's setup matches so well with what the MVS Arcade has to offer, if you could only choose one game, it would undoubtedly be the best choice.
HyperMegaTech Super Pocket – Cartridge Game
The HyperMegaTech Super Pocket's trump card is its cartridge slot, which provides access to hundreds of Add-on games of almost every type Across dozens of cartridges. There is some overlap, such as Taitung Mall 1but generally speaking, these games can only be found outside of what's built into the Blaze hardware.
Every cartridge is compatible, but not every game included is optimized for the Super Pocket's display or controls. However, they are tuned or tunable for mainline Evercade hardware; this Evercade EXP-R For example, the handheld computer has a 4.3-inch IPS screen with 800×400 resolution, and can also enter TATE mode to better display vertical arcade games. Two pairs of shoulder buttons are also easier to reach and press during the heat of action.
Another feature that the Super Pocket lacks on mainline Evercade hardware is online connectivity. This means the Super Pocket doesn't have access to firmware updates or this month's free games, nor can it apply any updates to the cartridge. In the rare case that a cartridge requires an update to function properly, this will need to be done on the mainline Evercade console, handheld, or bartop before it can be used in Super Pocket.
Generally speaking, if you want the full Evercade experience, you're better off with the EXP-R handheld, VS-R consoleor Alpha bar. Fortunately, this isn't a zero-sum game, as the Evercade platform is designed to scale as your needs and wants evolve. In other words, investing in one or more cartridges (and one or more pieces of hardware) allows you to play a specific game as much as you want. The Super Pocket, which mimicked the design of a regular Game Boy, certainly had its appeal, as it was able to carry both its internal games and a cartridge that nearly doubled the content available on the go.