Rare Super Pocket – Banjo-Kazooie on a handheld with no analog stick
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Banjo-Kazooie is a 3D platformer from 1998. It was built around the Nintendo 64’s analog stick. Putting it on a Game Boy-sized handheld with only a D-pad sounds like a joke. Then the reviews came in.
The Rare Super Pocket is a pocket console with 14 built-in games from the British studio Rare, a brand-new port of Banjo-Kazooie, and a cartridge slot for Evercade games. It costs about 70 bucks.
I want one. Mostly to prove to myself the bear can walk in eight directions.
What is the Rare Super Pocket?
It’s the seventh Super Pocket from HyperMegaTech!, the handheld brand of Blaze Entertainment, the UK company behind the Evercade. Earlier editions covered Capcom, Taito, Atari, Data East and NEOGEO. This one came out in June 2026 in a red, blue and yellow color scheme that screams Banjo.
The 14 games in the launch announcement:
- Banjo-Kazooie
- Conker’s Pocket Tales
- Battletoads and Battletoads in Battlemaniacs
- Cobra Triangle, R.C. Pro-Am II, Slalom and Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll
- Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship
- Atic Atac, Jetpac, Lunar Jetman, Knight Lore and Gunfright
The US Amazon listing also names Blast Corps as a 15th game. The maker’s own page still says 14, so check the box before you count on it.
On paper the hardware is simple: a 2.8-inch IPS screen at 320x240, about four hours of battery, USB-C charging (cable included) and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Around the back sits a slot that plays every Evercade cartridge. Blaze says there are over 75 of those, with more than 650 games between them.
How does Banjo-Kazooie work on a D-pad?
Blaze calls it “enhanced and optimised” for the Super Pocket. Damien McFerran at Time Extension explains the trick: a tip-toe button on R2 stands in for a gentle push on the stick, and the camera moves to the shoulder and face buttons. He gave it a 9 out of 10 and says it runs at 60Hz, smoother than the N64 original. After about half an hour he was moving almost as easily as on the N64.
Adam Randall at Pocket Tactics found lining up egg shots harder without a stick, but adapted quickly. Video Games Chronicle spotted a bonus: finish the game and you get a music player with over 20 unused tracks from cut levels.
The good and the not-so-good
What I like:
- A full Banjo-Kazooie you own and can carry. Pocket Tactics calls it the first truly portable version of the original ever officially released.
- Two Battletoads games and Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll in the same box.
- The cartridge slot. It’s an Evercade with a theme.
- Save states for most of the games.
What could be better:
- The rear L and R buttons are hard to reach while pressing other buttons, says Time Extension.
- Volume is two buttons with no on-screen indicator, and Pocket Tactics found the sound a little tinny.
- No Bluetooth, so wired headphones only.
- One early buyer on Amazon points out that Banjo-Kazooie itself has no save states.
Who is the Rare Super Pocket for?
Anyone who spent 1998 collecting musical notes. Rare fans, Battletoads survivors, and people who already own a shelf of Evercade carts and want a smaller way to play them.
Skip it if you need an analog stick. McFerran points to the bigger Evercade Nexus for that. And if you want a weirder handheld with its own new games, the Playdate has a crank. For a Nintendo-flavored retro gift, there’s the Game & Watch: Legend of Zelda.
Where can I buy the Rare Super Pocket?
It’s on Amazon US for about 70 bucks at the time of writing (October 2026). Extra Evercade cartridges cost about 30 bucks each.
A bear, a bird and two battletoads in one pocket. Take my money.