The clamshell C64 and ZX Spectrum handhelds have been delayed by six months because of production quality
Blaze Entertainment says the handhelds were “not meeting our high standards”
The upcoming handhelds based on the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum have been delayed by six months.
The handhelds were originally announced back in April as a collaboration between Blaze Entertainment (the manufacturer of Evercade products) and Retro Games (which specialises in mini and full-sized modern recreations of home computers).
Both were set to release on October 15, but a statement on Blaze’s website now says they’re planned to release on April 22, 2027, because it was unhappy with the production quality.
“After careful consideration, we have made the decision to move the release date from 15th October 2026 to 22nd April 2027,” the statement reads. “This date change applies to both standard and collector’s editions.
“During production, we identified areas where the product construction was not meeting our high standards. While we could address some issues quickly and release the products in 2026, we believe taking this additional time is the right decision to give you the best experience possible.
“We know this news will be disappointing, and we’d like to thank you for your patience and continued support. We cannot wait for you to get your hands on TheC64 and The Spectrum Handhelds when they launch on 22nd April 2027.”
Blaze also adds that its upcoming Evercade Nexus handheld is unaffected by this and is still set for release on October 30.
The C64 Handheld and The Spectrum Handheld will each cost £109.99 / $129.99. Each handheld contains 25 games built in, but – as with Retro Games’ other C64 and Spectrum recreations – each also includes a MicroSD card slot, allowing players to add their own (legally obtained) game ROMs.
The handhelds have a 4.3″ IPS screen with a 800×480 resolution, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack and a USB port for keyboard or joystick support if needed.
Each device also has its own array of buttons – plastic for the C64 and the trademark rubber buttons for the Spectrum – which are tailored for each built-in game and can be remapped for other titles.
