Look, I'm not saying you shouldn't grab the new Banjo-Kazooie handheld everyone is raving about. In fact, the new Rare edition of the Super Pocket is one of the flavors yet, and not just because it's packing an N64 classic. However, if you're not fussed about the red and blue getup, or the publisher's hits before the bear and bird were a thing, then there's an opportunity to save some Doubloons.
If you have already caught my Super Pocket Rare Edition hands-on and are already sold on playing Banjo on the retro handheld ASAP, I won't stop you. It's sitting pretty for $69.99 at Amazon for pre-order, and I can't guarantee it'll be in stock after its June 26 release date. If you're willing to play the waiting game, though, you could hold off for Prime Day gaming deals to drop and grab the often-discounted TECHNOS version for under $50.
Before you start shouting about how that version doesn't include Banjo, let me elaborate on my hair-brained scheme. Yes, you'll be buying a version that's loaded with 15 arcade classics like Double Dragon and River City Ransom instead, but every Super Pocket boasts the same Evercade cartridge slot. That means if you do grab the TECHNOS version for less, you'll then only have to wait until October to obtain the physical Banjo-Kazooie collection for the portable, which just so happens to also include Banjo-Tooie.
Effectively, if you pick up the Super Pocket Rare Edition AND a copy of the Banjo-Kazooie collection down the road, you'll be almost buying twice. That's not to say you shouldn't do that if, like me, you love the developer's other classics, like Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship for the NES, or the various ZX Spectrum oddities on the handheld. But, if you've got no love for that back-catalogue, you can optimize your purchasing plans.
Of course, I'm highlighting the TECHNOS version purely since it tends to drop during the sales, but there are other enticing versions. The Neo Geo Edition specifically is going to hook you up with some legendary arcade romps, like King of Fighters and Metal Slug X, and there's an Atari brick if you're itching for something of the vintage variety (Yars Revenge, wherever you go, yo).
Not everything has to be a money-saving exercise, especially when it comes to choosing the right gaming handheld. The Super Pocket is already exceptional for the price, so there's no real wrong way to pick one up. You might even decide you want to spend more on something that supports Blaze's cartirdges, and options like the $129.99 Evercade EXP-R will hook you up with a larger screen, a beefier 3,000mAh battery, and Wi-Fi for firmware updates.
Blaze is also cooking up the Evercade Nexus, a beefier handheld with dual analogue sticks and a 5.89-inch IPS screen that caters to later 3D games, like Banjo-Kazooie (it's $199.99 at Amazon). If you want to keep costs to a minimum, though, your attentions should be focussed on the Super Pocket, and while I'll be sharing discounts on the entire line-up when the sales kick off next week, I'd get ahead of the curve and keep eyes on that TECHNOS variant.
If you miss physical games, you should swing by our Everything Evercade guide to learn more about Blaze's cartirdge-based retro console ecosystem.
