The Apple Arcade Splash Screen

Okay, I admit it. I was wrong. Back in March, when Apple announced all its new services, I wasn’t that excited about Apple Arcade. At the time, we didn’t know enough about the service and how it would work. But as it turns out, it actually is an excellent service.

Apple Arcade Pricing Game

Apple Arcade feature screen
Apple Arcade feature screen

The lack of a price when the announcement came held me back from getting too excited about the service. If the service were priced too high, it wouldn’t make much sense to have for long. The thing that was especially worrisome was how many games there would be on the service or what quality it would be.

But Apple landed a slam dunk here. It launched the service at only $5 a month and it provided some great games at launch. For $5 getting access to 75 titles was pretty great. Five dollars isn’t too much to spend on gaming a month, considering console quality games cost around $60 for one game.

Of course, the types of games we are getting aren’t the same as a Legend of Zelda or Call of Duty but there are some good games.

If Apple had decided to charge more, I’m not sure that the service would have started as successfully as it has. That said, I’m not going to be surprised when Apple decides to up the price either. I’m not sure how the payments work, or how to become an Apple Arcade Developer, but as more developers want in it will be harder to pay them enough to make it worth their effort.

The Apps Store

One thing that I don’t like on iOS 13 and iPadOS is that Apple Arcade lives in the App Store with other games and apps. Putting it here makes the App Store more crowded and slightly harder to find the types of games that you might like to play.

Apple arcade in the app store
Apple arcade in the app store

On the Apple TV, Apple Arcade is it’s own App. I wish that iOS would copy that and make Apple Arcade its own app. That way, it could highlight new apps, have different tabs at the bottom for different types of games.

Not that I really want another standard app on my home screen, I think this one is one that I might actually use.

The Games

I haven’t tried all the games. I don’t think I ever will, there are so many.

What I have tried has been really easy to dive into. By that I mean that since you don’t have to actually pay for the game or get trapped by a free-to-play game you can download and try whatever you want from the App Store. There’s no risk!

My favorite so far has been Mini Motorway, but I’ve been trying out a few others as well. I recommend The Bradwell Company, Oceanhorn 2, and Word Laces.

When playing the games, it is actually refreshing. There are no ads to sit through or be bothered by at the bottom of the screen. There are no requests for money nor do you have to wait until your fuel gage is replenished. It is just games.

Browsing the store shows that there are lots of different kinds of games. There’s engrossing RPG as well as quick like word games. It feels like there’s something for everyone.

Some of these games have even made it to the other consoles, so you are getting a console quality game.

Better than that, there have been weekly additions to the game catalog so far. If the addition of games keeps up, there’s going to be so many choices for those that game, it will be great.

Controls

One of the smartest moves that Apple made is setting support for X-Box and Playstation controllers. Link these up and you don’t have to use the touch screen anymore.

Genius struck when Apple decided to allow it’s iOS and Apple TV devices to these controllers. There are many people out in the world that already own at least one of these consoles. Now there are so many people that can attach the controller to an Apple Device and play some great games.

Sadly, I’m not one of them. I only own a Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch Pro Control isn’t one of the controls that work. Someday soon I’ll look to get one of these controllers though.

Apple TV as a Gaming Console

With Apple Arcade and the ability to add a controller that you might not need to buy, the Apple TV has become a pretty great gaming console.

One of the ideas of Apple Arcade is that a game that you play on your phone can also be played on your tablet, your tv, your computer, etc. Some of the games do span multiple versions of devices like that but not all. Yet the ones that do are pretty great because of iCloud syncing and Game Center. If you find that you play on your TV mostly, but then happen to travel, your spot will most likely be saved on your phone. It’s like a more fluid version of the Nintendo Switch, which is a console you can play on your TV and then take with you on the go.

Just a note: I have heard, but haven’t really experienced it yet but word is that the Apple TV HD (or 4th generation) struggles a little bit with some of the games. The processor inside is a bit older than the Apple TV 4. Hopefully with rumors of a new Apple TV coming, they might update everything and bring the price down to get the device into more households.

My Opinion

So, is Apple Arcade worth it?

I think right now, The Apple Arcade service is something that you should check out if you are interested or series about gaming. For the price, I don’t really think you can go wrong with it.

If nothing else, you should try it out for the free month you get. I did, and I’m fine with continuing to pay that monthly fee for what I’m getting. I hope they continue to push it forward. Apple Arcade is definitely worth it.

What do you think about Apple Arcade? What are your favorite games? Let me know in the comments or on the FaceBook page

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