Forget emulators: These new handhelds are built to play Commodore 64 and Spectrum games

Retro handheld gamers are spoilt for choice these days (if you ignore the RAM crisis at least). If you needed even more retro handheld options to spend your money on, Evercade’s sister brand, Hyper Mega Tech, has revealed two new handhelds inspired by the Commodore 64 and the ZX Spectrum.

Hyper Mega Tech’s C64 and Spectrum handhelds feature a clamshell design that pays homage to the era’s palmtops (h/t Retrododo). These new handhelds feature a 4.3-inch IPS LCD with a resolution of 840 x 480. There’s a quad-core 1.2GHz CPU on board, coupled with 256MB RAM. Both handhelds come with 25 built-in games and, thankfully, also feature a microSD card slot to let you play your own legally sourced game ROMs.

The C64 handheld supports C64 PAL/NTSC, C64C PAL/NTSC, C64SX PAL/NTSC, PET64 PAL/NTSC, and C64 GS formats. On the other hand, the Spectrum handheld supports Spectrum 48K, Spectrum 48K (NTSC), Spectrum 128K, Spectrum +2, Spectrum +2A, Spectrum +3, Spectrum +3e, and Spectrum 16K formats. It also supports Spectrum CUP underclocking and overclocking.

Both handhelds come with a 2,000mAh battery that promises over three hours of gameplay. You can charge them via USB-C, and there’s also a USB-A port for connecting external keyboards or joysticks. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack on board.

Hyper Mega Tech’s C64 handheld is available in Retro Beige color, while the Spectrum handheld is available in Classic Black color. You can pre-order each for $130, and the handhelds will begin shipping on October 15, 2026.