Maybe I'm just getting old, but 100 games at the start seems overwhelming already. I hope there's good algorithms built-in for suggestions based on the types of games you like to play in addition to just broad categories.
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Apple Shares Video Showcasing Apple Arcade Games in 100 Seconds
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I understand that, but Apple could include more with the subscription than the original content. You are signing up for mostly unknown stuff.
Depends. I don’t like paying again and again for the same thing, which is why I don’t use Microsoft Office anymore. A subscription with new content every month is more palatable.
You’re mistaken. Perhaps the rules have changed since I last checked, but it was a requirement that games developed for TVOS supported the limited game controllers that Apple allowed at the time. Game developers designed games with controllers in mind, and then simplified it for easier control after. This is why many game developers use on screen controllers even on iOS.
I’m pretty sure Apple Arcade is TV first and thus has the same approach as the TVOS games. Otherwise, opening up the platform to DualShock controllers, etc would have been less of a priority if Apple was satisfied with users tapping on a screen. This is a push to turn the Apple TV into a gaming platform, that happens to also let people play on mobile, not the other way around.
Not sure what you mean by "competitive gamers" but gamers that spends thousands on PCs and consoles are also willing to spend $5/month on casual games they can play on any Apple device at anytime. One person can participate in multiple gaming lifestyles. Most gamers already do that.
Apple isn’t focusing on controllers, as they want to embrace touchscreens. They’re allowing controllers to help in certain situations, but it’s not the primary focus of their demographic. Nor should it be. They’re finally figuring it out: create an easy to use ecosystem specifically designed for phone gaming.
As a PS4 gamer, I’m excited for this. A Switch is a very expensive product that I don’t need and iPhone games are fairly hard to find that don’t require IAP (which I refuse to pay for). I’ll gladly pay $5 for high quality games designed for the iPhone, by AAA and indie devs that I can easily sift through and try. It’s a cherry on top to be able to shift over to my TV, plug in my already purchased four PS4 controllers ($160!) and play LEGO Brawl with my nieces and nephew. Maybe I’ll load up Oceanhorn 2. Apple is nailing it.
Arcade isn’t a bundle of pre-existing games, it’s an ecosystem of content designed for your Apple devices. It’s very Nintendo. As someone that’s spent 10 years frustrated with the App Store (for gaming), I can sternly say I’m excited for this service. Can’t wait to see it evolve over time.
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That depends on how you're defining gamers. There are more casual gamers in the world and they are also growing faster than traditional or hardcore gamers. That would seem to indicate that Apple is best positioned and already does have their finger on the pulse of gamers.
Apple Arcade games might not hold up over time but they are just an extension of the most popular games already embraced by the most gamers. Cutting edge gaming tech has never been something that Apple has embraced well or at all so I'm glad they chose not to even target hardcore gamers. Let Steam and Sony and MS take care of that crowd.
Read some of the other replies, and it seems a few (if not many) believe this is primarily a mobile platform thing.
Think about it, iOS already had enough big budget games that earned game creators more money than Apple Arcade ever will. There was no incentive to create Apple Arcade for iOS. Instead the device that didn’t have as many games as Apple wanted, was Apple TV. They tried to push the Apple TV as a gaming platform but that never really took off. So the game plan became to create a bunch of “high quality” (relative) games that would create more incentive to play games on TV via a subscription form.
There was already a significant number of users playing games on mobile. What is the point of Apple Arcade on mobile? A cheap mobile gaming platform for users that already play / pay more for mobile games? Is that really Apple’s MO? Game developers will get pennies per play on a subscription based service that’s only $4.99 ... they make significantly more from their iOS games. There’s no incentive on iOS. This is an Apple TV thing, just as TV+ is, etc ... they were announced together because they are part of the same TV agenda.
Even in the video that this thread references, they specifically said that “Skate City” was born for touch. The fact that it was specified meant, the other games were not specifically born for touch. They even spoke about the Apple TV special features of games. This is an Apple TV and controller thing. There’s no incentive on iOS other than allowing more people to play, and increase the popularity of their TV games.
This is primarily a TV and game controller thing. Apple TV is where game developers were getting little revenue from, and had less motivation to design games for that platform. So they made a concerted effort.
Think about it, iOS already had enough big budget games that earned game creators more money than Apple Arcade ever will. There was no incentive to create Apple Arcade for iOS. Instead the device that didn’t have as many games as Apple wanted, was Apple TV. They tried to push the Apple TV as a gaming platform but that never really took off. So the game plan became to create a bunch of “high quality” (relative) games that would create more incentive to play games on TV via a subscription form.
There was already a significant number of users playing games on mobile. What is the point of Apple Arcade on mobile? A cheap mobile gaming platform for users that already play / pay more for mobile games? Is that really Apple’s MO? Game developers will get pennies per play on a subscription based service that’s only $4.99 ... they make significantly more from their iOS games. There’s no incentive on iOS. This is an Apple TV thing, just as TV+ is, etc ... they were announced together because they are part of the same TV agenda.
Even in the video that this thread references, they specifically said that “Skate City” was born for touch. The fact that it was specified meant, the other games were not specifically born for touch. They even spoke about the Apple TV special features of games. This is an Apple TV and controller thing. There’s no incentive on iOS other than allowing more people to play, and increase the popularity of their TV games.
This is primarily a TV and game controller thing. Apple TV is where game developers were getting little revenue from, and had less motivation to design games for that platform. So they made a concerted effort.
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And you're quite certain that everyone who might play games fits into one of the three pigeon holes you've lined up? No one is allowed to be more enthusiastic that "casual" without meeting all the requirements you list for "competitive"?
Maybe so, but none of the games look interesting. They just look like basic phone games from what I've seen.
Then why wouldn't someone use an XBox on their TV? Game Pass looks a lot better than AAracade for living room gaming.
Lately, I've spent more time playing games on my iPad and iPhone than my dedicated systems (currently have a PS4 and Switch; recently sold a Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and Xbox One S; I've owned every major system as far back as the 8-bit Commodores, NES and Master System).
I don't get the all or nothing, hardcore or casual gamer mentality. I love every thing from deep RPGs you sink months into down to simple tap games. For $5 a month, I'm almost certain there'll be enough here to keep me entertained for an hour or two a day.
My perception is Apple want to blur the lines, too. There are some typical mobile titles in here, but there are also games that aspire to the level of console titles - and some actual console titles, launching day and date with Switch/PS4/Xbox counterparts.
Someone doesn't understand English. Apple has already done a tone of teasers. This is their own bloody product, they dont need anymore teasers. Show everything. Who will it hurt to have an in-depth video showing off every feature and game coming to the service on day one?
Funny how many people are being negative about this because it isn’t geared specifically for them. If it isn’t how they want it, it’s no good. It’s today’s entitlement attitude, make it the way I want it or don’t make it at all, even if other people would enjoy it. If I can’t enjoy it, nobody can!
Also, people expecting the highest quality graphics comparable to consoles or even better.
Also, people expecting this to be just for serious gamers only.
The list goes on.
Amazing how out of touch with reality and out of touch with the rest of the world people are.
Also, people expecting the highest quality graphics comparable to consoles or even better.
Also, people expecting this to be just for serious gamers only.
The list goes on.
Amazing how out of touch with reality and out of touch with the rest of the world people are.
I'm excited about this as a platform, if Apple continues to put effort behind it. Having it be "standard" for games to be playable across every device they sell (well, except for the Watch) is a pretty cool thing. And they're really the only ones who can do this well because of the coverage of their product line (phone -> tablet -> pc -> TV).
I dont see the reason to cover the whole product line with each game. TV/PC/Mobile are very different platforms used in very different ways. On PC I want a complex game with complex controls, for a simpler controller-friendly experience, a desk-chair and small monitor are uncomfortable, so I'll move to the living room couch. For mobile games, I want something light than can easily be played a few minutes at a time without a controller. I'm not going to sit for hours playing a "big" game on a tiny phone screen.
PC and Living room gaming are owned by companies that do them very, very well and Apple is not going to make a dent in those markets with a handful of iPhone-friendly casual low-budget games. In terms of mobile gaming, Apple had a huge opportunity and they were nailing it until they murdered the platform with IAP hell. iPhone gaming used to be fantastic, there were tons of great games in the $1-$10 range. Now 99.9% of games are broken by design since they're designed to attract a few whales into paying $$$$ for the games while gameplay actually sucks. That other 0.1% that's actually decent is just too hard to find and not worth the trouble. I used to spend a lot on iPhone games and live on toucharcade.com. I haven't visited the site in months or bought an iPhone game in years.
A handful of low-budget super casual games is not going to fix that problem. Apple created the problem with IAPs and allowed to to fester like a cancer. They need to fix that, not introduce a dinky subscription.
Most IAP-funded games are designed from the ground up around some kind of magic token currency you buy with this IAPs. Because of that, they entire game is designed to make you buy those tokens, and the games are fundamentally broken. There's some games that a ported between PC and iOS so you can really see the difference.
I've been playing Motorsport Manager on PC a lot lately. It's $49CDN on Steam and I got it for around $15 at the last Steam sale. The iOS version is "free" with iAPs. To over-simplify the game, on the PC version, you win races to make in-game money and use the money to pay for upgrades to your vehicles to win more races. The iOS version, you spend real money (a lot more than $15) to buy in-game money and use the money to pay for upgrades to your vehicles to win more races. The PC version is fundamentally fun. The IAP-hell version is fundamentally broken.
There are other games on the same page. Pandemic is an excellent PC game where abilities unlock through natural progression. On iOS you have to pay real money to unlock all the abilities you need to win.
Think RPGs where the mobs scale way faster than you so several levels in, you're getting 1-shotted by even level mobs. Or you can pay real money to boost your character's power.
Think Plants vs Zombies 2 where every few levels you hit a level where the difficulty is scaled up to "practically impossible", but you can spend real money on a single use "beat a level automagically" device.
The majority of these games are fundamentally broken and horrible to play. Most people figure that out pretty quickly and dump the game, but enough whales stick around paying insane amounts of money to finish the games.
How hilarious to see Apple users become game snobs!!
As a member of the Glorious PC Master Race, I take my serious gaming, pretty serious and have machines that reflect my seriousness.
However, when my adult children come over, we more often end up with Jackbox Games on the TV (Steam Link) or we might break out a LEGO Harry Potter (LoL at the guy who thinks LEGO games are only for children)
I plan on subscribing, because with my Apple TV and Xbox controller I can have a "console like" experience when I feel like more casual gaming or want to play with guests. And yes, you can be both a casual gamer and a hard-core gamer.
When I want to play Assassin's Creed Origins, it's not going to be on a whimpy Xbox or PlayStation. It's going to be on an RTX 2080ti. Anyone who thinks they can get a "serious" gaming experience from Apple is delusional.
As a member of the Glorious PC Master Race, I take my serious gaming, pretty serious and have machines that reflect my seriousness.
However, when my adult children come over, we more often end up with Jackbox Games on the TV (Steam Link) or we might break out a LEGO Harry Potter (LoL at the guy who thinks LEGO games are only for children)
I plan on subscribing, because with my Apple TV and Xbox controller I can have a "console like" experience when I feel like more casual gaming or want to play with guests. And yes, you can be both a casual gamer and a hard-core gamer.
When I want to play Assassin's Creed Origins, it's not going to be on a whimpy Xbox or PlayStation. It's going to be on an RTX 2080ti. Anyone who thinks they can get a "serious" gaming experience from Apple is delusional.
This is probably their only decent idea in the past 4 or 5 years, actually. This will make a lot of money, more inflation tricks by Cook to inflate Services revenue for when iPhone revenue dips again, but this idea actually has merit and could save mobile gaming from the curse of IAP. I don’t see how anyone makes enough money at $4.99 with no IAP’s though. Price seems destined to go up soon?
We already have some titles that are playable (and enjoyable) on multiple platforms. So while I don't think every game can/should be forced into being playable on every device, it's useful where it exists. I mean that's one of the main selling points of the Switch, is it not?