The Evercade Nexus's TATE mode, tested: vertical shmups like never before
Evercade has posted a short video showing off the Nexus's new TATE mode: an analogue stick, repositioned buttons and a bigger screen for your vertical shmups. Here's what we think of it.
Evercade has posted a short on its channel showing, first-hand, how TATE mode works on the Evercade Nexus: the handheld rotated 90 degrees, the way Japanese shoot 'em ups were meant to be played on classic arcade cabinets. It's a short clip, but it makes clear the three upgrades the Nexus brings here over previous Evercade handhelds: an analogue stick, repositioned buttons and a bigger screen with a more comfortable grip.
What changes compared to the rest of the Evercade family
No earlier Evercade had an analogue stick: the EXP, the VS and the rest all use a d-pad and digital buttons. The Nexus introduces twin analogue sticks, and the clip shows how, once rotated vertically, that stick lands right under the left thumb — the natural spot for moving around in a shmup without having to reposition your hand.
Blaze has also moved the action buttons so that, in TATE mode, they still sit under your fingers instead of ending up on the side, which is what happens if you simply rotate any other handheld in the family. It's a small detail that only shows up once you're actually playing, but it's the difference between a "token" TATE mode and one genuinely designed for it.
Our impressions
Going by the clip, the extra screen size (the Nexus carries a bigger panel than its siblings) helps especially in vertical orientation: in a shmup you see more of the bullet pattern coming without shrinking the sprites. It's the kind of upgrade that doesn't sell itself on a spec sheet as "5.89 inches", but you feel it the moment you turn the console on its side.
With this, the Nexus is shaping up to be the best Evercade yet for the catalogue's collection of vertical shoot 'em ups — Evercade has been packing genre classics into its Arcade cartridges for years, and until now all of them played in landscape even when the original game was vertical.
You can watch Evercade's original video below. If you want to get the console, you'll find the full listing and the current price of the Evercade Nexus in our catalogue.
Published: 21 September 2026