I've never been more excited by a retro gaming handheld than these two old school gems

The Spectrum and C64 Handheld games consoles with an 80s style backdrop — (Image credit: Blaze / Retro Games Ltd)

Quick Summary

Two new, flip-style handhelds are coming in October and retro gamers are surely in for a treat.

The Spectrum Handheld and The C64 handheld each come with 25 games and the ability to add more. They're available to pre-order now.

Regular T3 readers will know that I'm a big fan of retro gaming and, in particular, retro gaming handhelds. Obsessed, in fact.

However, the retro gaming market has taken a significant knock this year, with manufacturers having to scale back plans for new devices thanks to the ongoing RAM crisis. And it's even sent existing handhelds soaring in price. Where's my next fix coming from?

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Well, the maker of HyperMegaTech and Evercade hardware, Blaze, and Retro Games Ltd have stepped up to the plate with a couple of devices to boost my collection and then some – hopefully yours too, as they're now available to pre-order for an October release.

Trailer - THEC64 Handheld and The Spectrum Handheld - HyperMegaTech! - YouTube

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The Spectrum Handheld and The C64 Handheld are recreations of the most renowned 80s computers but in flip form. Each like a Nintendo DSi, but without the bottom screen.

The clamshell consoles feature 25 classic games apiece, taken from their respective libraries, a 4:3 IPS screen (800 x 480) for pixel perfect play, and mappable controls and buttons.

There are stereo speakers too, plus a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microSD card slot to add your own game ROMs.

A rechargeable 2,000mAh powers each unit, with an estimated playtime of more than three hours.

Each of the devices is styled on its inspiration, with The Spectrum Handheld having trademark rubber keys as its buttons, for example.

Built-in games for The Spectrum Handheld include many you'll also find on the all-white edition of the full-sized Spectrum reissue that released recently – Manic Miner, Skool Daze, and Head Over Heels are particularly notable.

The C64 Handheld lineup includes Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe, Paradroid, Bruce Lee (renamed Lee for legal reasons), and Boulder Dash.

Both consoles can be pre-ordered now for £109.99 / $129.99 / €129.99 each. There are also collector's editions, at £129.99 / $149.99 / €149.99. These also give you a hardshell carry case and a copy of a respective magazine – Crash for The Spectrum, Zzap! for The C64.

Rik is T3’s news editor, which means he looks after the news team and the up-to-the-minute coverage of all the hottest gadgets and products you’ll definitely want to read about. And, with more than 35 years of experience in tech and entertainment journalism, including editing and writing for numerous websites, magazines, and newspapers, he’s always got an eye on the next big thing.

Rik also has extensive knowledge of AV, TV streaming and smart home kit, plus just about everything to do with games since the late 80s. Prior to T3, he spent 13 years at Pocket-lint heading up its news team, and was a TV producer and presenter on such shows as Channel 4's GamesMaster, plus Sky's Games World, Game Over, and Virtual World of Sport.