This Rare retro gaming handheld helped me finally realise a childhood dream – and all for under £50
The HyperMegaTech Super Pocket – Rare Edition hosts a game I've wanted to complete for decades
Quick Summary
A new HyperMegaTech Super Pocket has arrived and this one has arguably the best games collection yet.
You get 14 games from the Rare back catalogue, including some ZX Spectrum classics, like Jetpac and Knight Lore.
As a lover and collector of retro gaming tomfoolery, I've been a big fan of the HyperMegaTech Super Pocket handhelds since they first emerged in 2023, but few of them have ticked my boxes as much as the latest.
The Super Pocket – Rare Edition has the same specs as the other six in the collection (that are currently available) but with one important distinction. Rare has been inarguably one of the finest game development studios for four decades, and so the games library found here demands attention.
There's Banjo Kazooie, which is the headline inclusion (of course), and some of its console greats from the 8-bit, 16-bit era and Game Boy era, such as Battletoads and Conker's Pocket Tales. But what really helped transform me back to my own childhood, and even help me realise a long-standing ambition, are the ZX Spectrum games.
One in particular, in fact.
Rare started out life as Ultimate Play the Game and it ruled the scene in the 80s. Its games were inventive, highly addictive and often took the Speccy's limited hardware to whole new levels. And considering its earliest games had a file size lower than an average email today, they still hold up well.
Jetpac is the one that I remember most fondly – not least because I never managed to complete it first time around. I likely never got past the third or fourth level, in fact.
It ran on a 16K Spectrum, so was accessible to all owners (I had a 48K model that was also custom upgraded to eke a bit more from it), and its simple platforming premise made it a quick, fun experience. Still does.
It's why it was the first game I loaded on the new Super Pocket and I can now finally say I have bested it. Well, I've beaten the eight levels before it loops back and ups the difficulty, but that's pretty much my original childhood target.
Now I have to finally finish Knight Lore, which is also present, and I can retire happy. Until the Rare collection 2 arrives, that is.
What is the Super Pocket?
Unlike many retro game handhelds, the Super Pocket is a cartridge-based handheld that comes with a collection of preinstalled games. You cannot add your own roms or emulators, but each of the included titles has been optimised to work perfectly on its 2.8-inch 4:3 IPS display and using the Game Boy-style controls.
It is made by Blaze, the company behind the Evercade products, so while you can't add downloaded games, you can purchase Evercade cartridges and use them with the Super Pocket, too – thanks to the cartridge slot around the rear.
That opens up a vast library of additional games that you can purchase and collect.
There are several Super Pocket models available – all for £50 or under. Other particular favourites include the Atari Edition (of which I have the special edition version with fake wood panelling on the front) and the Neo Geo Edition, which includes 14 classic games.
As they are all officially licensed, much like the cartridges, there's no worrying about "illegal" roms or setting up different emulators. You can add shaders to the display, to make it look like there are scanlines to mimic the CRT TVs of the period, but things are keep simple. It truly is a pick-up and play device.
Now please excuse me, there's a Knight that needs Loreing – or something. Ahem.
