The C64 And ZX Spectrum Are Getting Official Handhelds
- Lee Murray
- Mar 1, 2026
- 2 min read
If you were lucky like me and grew up in the 80s, you will remember most of your mates at school either had a ZX Spectrum or a Commodore 64. I was a Speccy kid (not literally).
Well, the rivals are back, with Blaze and Retro Games Ltd announcing official handheld versions of both, and they are being released in October this year.
First off, I'm liking the design of these, my preference being the Spectrum version (I did say I was a Speccy kid!) in the classic black with the rainbow stripe down the front. The C64 version is in the familiar beige. Both are built like a Nintendo DS, so they fold open and shut, and each one has 25 games built in.
Two handheld 8-bit machines
You get a 4.3 inch IPS screen, a D-pad and face buttons, a set of function keys along the top, USB-C charging, a headphone jack, and a MicroSD slot so you can load your own games on there too. There is even a full-size USB port for plugging in a keyboard or joystick, which feels right for a couple of classic home computers.
The built-in line-ups are proper greatest-hits stuff. The C64 gets the likes of Sam's Journey, Boulder Dash, Paradroid, Nebulus and Speedball 2, while the Spectrum brings Head Over Heels, Manic Miner, Skool Daze, The Great Escape and Starquake, and a load more besides on both.
Cost and where to buy them
The standard version is £109.99, or a fiver cheaper on Amazon at £104.95, and there is a collector's edition for each at £129.99. The collector's editions are limited to 2,000 of each, sold through Funstock, and come with a hard shell carry case and an exclusive magazine.
It's a nice touch with the magazines: the C64 one is done up as Zzap!64, and the Spectrum one as Crash. If those two names mean anything to you, you probably already know whether you are buying one!
Both are up for pre-order now and due in October 2026 (I've ordered both of the collector's editions!). You can grab THEC64 Handheld from Funstock or Amazon, and The Spectrum Handheld from Funstock or Amazon. There is more in the full Evercade announcement.
So, all these years later, you can finally settle the playground argument by simply buying both!
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