Apple Employees Testing Apple Arcade Ahead of Launch

[Khedron]

What if I told you that they are doing that in order to test even the payment / subscription system?

So they'll be issuing refunds? Otherwise it's not a "test", it's actual payment.
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Technically they are games but most mobile games are shallow and repetitive. They lack the depth and playability of AAA console/PC games. They have some interesting games on the platform but I’ll be very surprised if people want to pay a monthly fee for access to them.

Apple wants every app to move to a subscription model so they're leading by example. None of these individual games are worth subscribing to so they're bundled together.

 

[Windoes]

PlayStation and PC for gaming. Mac for everything else
So won't jump on this train

 

[Macpro2019]

I will stick with playstation...playing some teal platform games like castlevania.

 

[masteroflondon]

I'd be worried if apple doesn't have the payment system working 100%, cause they have lots of services that have billing. This isn't apples first service operation.

And anyone who ever coded or tested for bugs knows that if this thing works and that thing works then you just put them together and the whole thing will definitely work. Right.

 

[MandiMac]

Haha, you know this happened as recently as the Apple Card.
Using employees for beta testing is nothing new, the $0.49/month fee is probably just to test the billing process.

And that access will not function anymore after iOS 13 release. With the free trial month, beta testers will pay ... exactly 0.49 dollars :O

 

[old-mac-man]

Apple is making casual games available- “casual” being games with little to no story line, easy to pick up and play, simple mechanics, no complicated settings or button layouts, short gameplays, requiring no special skills to play, no cutscenes, minimal hardware demands etc.
Opposite being “real games” - longer game play, usually with big storylines, more complicated settings, cutscenes, takes some tome to get into how game works, demands deeper dive into virtual world in general, not just tapping screen in one place for Mario to jump.
Hope my definition clears this clears this up lol.

So Space Invaders wasn't a real game?

 

[peglegjack]

This thread is fairly predictable, especially considering that there's a lot of people with little to no info on this service out there.

I'm sure that they'll have some of the same mobile type games as they've always had, but (and this is based on the presentation) some of the games really do seem to be next level from the traditional mobile experience. Oceanhorn 2, The Pathless, and Beyond a Steel Sky come to mind. I'm definitely signing up as I do not have or want a console and I'm really interested to see how it works with the Apple TV.

I will say that this service may be close to DOA if it is $9.99 a month. I know that that's what some people are expecting, but it just doesn't make as much sense considering the kind of games relative to something like Xbox Game Pass. However, what may be its saving grace is:

• the ability to pick up and play across iOS, Mac, and tvOS
• the ability to use Xbox and PS controllers (I'll prob just use the Nimbus)
• No microtransactions whatsoever

 

[robjulo]

And we see how well that worked out with Apple News.

I think the nature of smartphone games tends to lend themselves to games that can be enjoyed in short bursts (ie: 5-10 minutes at a stretch). Basically any time you have a couple of minutes to kill.

This is likely what Apple is targeting - curation for the masses. Console-quality games like Grimvalor or Implosion may have higher production values, but they are also the sort of games you really want to sit down at a table with a game controller in hand for hours on end to really get the full experience. And that is extremely limiting when you think about it. That is not the scenario Apple is going for.

I am also willing to bet that there will be a decent mix of all the various categories. We know oceanhorn 2 will be one of the bundled titles, so that’s your ARPG fix right there.

 

[Abazigal]

And we see how well that worked out with Apple News.

I think Apple news shows promise, and it does offer something unique - human curation. It's on a slow burn right now, but I have faith in Apple's ability to iterate and improve on the service and give it the support it needs to take off. I just wish it would come to more countries. I am definitely interested in signing up for it.

 

[peglegjack]

Oceanhorn 2 is an open-world action adventure taking heavy inspiration from Legend of Zelda. It's predecessor was about the length of the recent (new) hand-held Zelda games (~15–20 hours), the sequel is claimed to be longer and bigger.

Overland is a turn-based survival game. I have seen it described as something like a hybrid between Oregon Trail and XCOM.

Beyond A Steel Sky is a story-driven cyberpunk adventure game.

Atone is a narrative 2D puzzle adventure/RPG game.

The Bradwell Conspiracy is a first-person narrative exploration/puzzle game.

Does any of these games sound like a simplified, one-button casual game to you?

I'm not saying anything coming to Apple Arcade will offer a deep gameplay experience. Quite contrary, there are quite a few games in the announced line-up which seem to be trite shovelware crap. But claiming there are nothing but simple casual games coming is either uninformed or actively ignorant.

There certainly won't be any "triple-AAAYYY" games like GTA V, Assassin's Creed, or Battlefield coming to Apple Arcade, as these simply would be out of the scope of the targeted platforms – both performancewise and playabilitywise –, but good, acclaimed indie games in the vein of LIMBO, Hyperlight Drifter, Tacoma, FTL, or Into The Breach are absolutely a possibility.

All depending on Apple's perseverance, of course. If they lose interest in gaming again a few months later (as they were prone to do in the past), it's all for naught.

Ah nice, I hadn't seen Atone. Has a Hyper Light Drifter vibe. And the Bradwell Conspiracy reminds me a lot of the Stanley Parable. I can see this shaping up nicely.

 

[dogslobber]

$700B has been created after Steve Jobs died.

Failure in your mind isn’t reality. Cook has been a demonstrably fantastic CEO.

I simply don’t understand how anybody can see Cook as a success as a CEO. If you do then consider Microsoft now have a larger market cap than Apple. Microsoft. If Steve were here Apple would be worth at least $5T.

 

[cardfan]

I haven’t downloaded any games (or apps really) besides the few and trusted but even kingdom rush bit on in-app purchases. Most of my money was spent early on. Several apps I spent on fell by the 32bit thing.

I’ll give this a whirl though. But I don’t expect it’ll be for more than the trial. The kids already have Minecraft and roblox. They don’t even consider other Xbox game pass games.

For Apple I don’t see it adding revenue. Most likely it’ll cut back whatever revenue they’re getting already on the freemium garbage. For devs, it’ll be a loser. This is just something Apple doesn’t do well. A reaction from their desperate need for more services which of course won’t do anything for that.

Can’t help but feel apple’s attempt at this and video only lead to bad apps. Nagging. Endless promotion of their content. I’m already dreading having to use atv app since they’re making it much worse.

 

[MandiMac]

So Space Invaders wasn't a real game?

I‘m banking on Apple „Arcade“ there. Ideal place for games for everyone.

 

[Abazigal]

I simply don’t understand how anybody can see Cook as a success as a CEO. If you do then consider Microsoft now have a larger market cap than Apple. Microsoft. If Steve were here Apple would be worth at least $5T.

If Steve Jobs were still alive, he would likely have stepped down and handed the reins over to Tim Cook anyways. Different people are needed at different points in Apple’s lifetime.

 

[JimmyHook]

Exciting that real AAA games will be here, like Oceanhorn 2!!!
[doublepost=1566137028][/doublepost]Oh, I just read some people's false narratives about how this service won't have AAA games. Well, I can easily say that's a complete lie
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Apple is so greedy charging beta testers.

Dude, they have licensing agreements with devs. The devs have to get paid per play... they don't work for free.

 

[Heres2thecrazy]

Apple is so greedy charging beta testers.

Huh? That's like saying it's greedy to charge beta testers for Apple Music. The artists/game makers still need to get paid. They don't work for free.

 

[sfwalter]

So they revealed this in March but it's still not here. Five months ago. Meh. Sounds like it'll flop to me.

ummmmmm its tied to an OS which isn't getting released until next month.

 

[cmaier]

So they revealed this in March but it's still not here. Five months ago. Meh. Sounds like it'll flop to me.

Agreed. Just like that time Kennedy announced the moonshot in 1961, but then NASA didn’t actually do it until 8 years later. What a flop.

 

[dogslobber]

Agreed. Just like that time Kennedy announced the moonshot in 1961, but then NASA didn’t actually do it until 8 years later. What a flop.

You’re comparing Moon Buggy on an Apple app to Moon buggy on the Moon? Go listen to some Pink Floyd.
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ummmmmm its tied to an OS which isn't getting released until next month.

What’s your point?

 

[cmaier]

You’re comparing Moon Buggy on an Apple app to Moon buggy on the Moon? Go listen to some Pink Floyd.
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What’s your point?

No, i’m comparing the stupidity of people who were in a rush then to the stupidity of predicting doom because Apple is releasing a product exactly when it said it would.

 

[Horselover Fat]

For years Apple haven't sold a Mac where you can put in the GPU you want. How's that compatible with gaming? How is the content of Apple Arcade able to compete with Windows or the likes of steam/gog/Uplay/Origin?

 

[Kaibelf]

I think the worry is that this is going to be like the Wii turned out - non-standard controller (Wii-motion plus) and too many crap games. I have no doubt there will be some amazing games in there with full XBox One S-level graphics (on the latest A12 and later platforms), but I'm guessing there will also be a lot of shovelware which puts people off. Also, the lack of standard controller will be an issue for the devs - sure the XBox and PS4 controllers will work but devs can't rely on people having them so what do they do? Perhaps a new Apple TV "Arcahde bundle" will come with a controller, but probably the majority of Apple Arcade subscribers will not want to buy a new system. Keeping an open mind but will be very interesting to see how this works and read the feedback on launch.

They already said right on stage you can use XBox and PS4 controllers with months of notice for everyone, and that's enough for almost any interested player and dev. It's the TINY portion of people who are unable to go to Target to buy one of those who will be a problem, because whatever janky thing they find on Amazon will be the "non standard" ones. There comes a point where people have to be reasonable and just get on board. If you're paying Apple prices for their streaming box, and then buying into their premium game subscription service, then there is frankly little excuse to cheap out on the controller.

 

[JCCL]

That’s a fairly easy question. I have a PS4 and I love the console and the games on it. I’ve poured some heavy hours into the PS4 titles BUT I also find myself on the road a lot, at work, public transit commuting, etc. PS4 Remote Play just isn’t up to par yet. Maybe next generation Sony will have it figured out and OTA remote gaming will have it’s time (I hope!). I see Apple Arcade as an excellent entertainment option for gaming on my iPad/Mac on the go with what sounds like some solid AAA games. If it’s $10/mo that equals two console games ($60/ea) for the year. Totally worth it even for someone like me who enjoys console gaming but can’t always find time to be home and in front of the console.

10 a month is the cost of Xbox game pass. Look at that catalog (most are old games but some quality stuff there). Do you think anything Apple can charge at 10 / month will have any similar in value?

Since I got my Xbox one in 2014, I haven’t touched my phone for gaming, and that is even less likely now that I have a switch as well.

 

[cmaier]

For years Apple haven't sold a Mac where you can put in the GPU you want. How's that compatible with gaming? How is the content of Apple Arcade able to compete with Windows or the likes of steam/gog/Uplay/Origin?

The number of people playing games on iOS blows away the number of people playing games on steam/got/Uplay/Origin.

The number of people playing games who have any interest in taking apart their machine and changing GPUs is minuscule.

 

[Horselover Fat]

The number of people playing games on iOS blows away the number of people playing games on steam/got/Uplay/Origin.

Because they pay next to nothing so far. We don't know the price of Apple Arcade yet, but it has to compete with the other services.

The number of people playing games who have any interest in taking apart their machine and changing GPUs is minuscule.

That's because Apple doesn't allow it anymore. Otherwise, people would realize the better price-performance-ratio and you wouldn't have to throw away your whole machine each time you upgrade. And to swap a GPU is dead easy, really.
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There are already plenty of console-quality games on iOS,

Now I'm interested. Which ones? How's that even possible with a touch screen?