I specifically discussed the difference in the post you are replying to, and gave examples of shows (like The Office) being removed from a streaming service. It happens ALL THE TIME.
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First Batch of Apple Arcade Games Removed as Developer Contracts End
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And that’s why I don’t do subscriptions. Did I mentioned I still play my games in Stadia without subscription?
Apple today removed 15 games from Apple Arcade, just over two weeks after it listed the first batch of titles set to leave the subscription service due to developer contract expirations.
On July 18, Apple added a section to the Arcade area of the App Store titled "Leaving Arcade Soon" and listed the games that would be removed, but it did not specify when they would be gone.
That section of the App Store has now been taken down, and the titles that were included in the first batch no longer show up in a casual search of the Store. Games that have gone from Apple Arcade include Spelldrifter, Projection: First Light, Lifeslide, EarthNight, Cardpocalypse, Dead End Job, and more.
Apple says in a support document that users who downloaded a game before it was removed from Apple Arcade can continue to play the game for "at least two weeks after," suggesting the titles will remain playable until at least August 16 and possibly beyond then.
After such a time, users who launch an Apple Arcade game that is no longer playable will receive a "No Longer Available" message.
Apple says that after a game has been removed from Apple Arcade, the developer might choose to make their game available on the App Store for all users, although the game may differ from the version offered on Apple Arcade.
If a developer chooses to allow users to load their saved progress in the App Store version of the game, users can continue playing right where they left off in the Apple Arcade version. Otherwise, users must start the game over again.
A source informed MacRumors that when Apple Arcade first launched, Apple signed three-year deals with a number of developers, and some of these contracts are apparently nearing expiry and not being renewed, which is why the games have been removed.
Article Link: First Batch of Apple Arcade Games Removed as Developer Contracts End
Hope the developers will now bring the game back on the App store with an option to restore the progress.
And yet, the copy of Donkey Kong Country I literally bought myself back in 1994 from Toys 'R' Us remains. It's sitting right next to my SNES. No license to expire, no subscription needed... there until I die.
Ah... physical media.
Ah... physical media.
Hopefully they'll replace these mostly poor to average games with some actual games that will attract people to the service.
Some real gaming classics there /s
If they start removing sonic etc I’d really start worrying
If they start removing sonic etc I’d really start worrying
I have to say there is a lot to agree here and I also think that arcade is lacking with games with some depth. But what I think they nailed it is in offering a compelling counter to mobile games. I have all but given up on mobile games, due to the horrible IAP mechanics that make sgames feel more like gambling than anything else.As much as I'd like to see Arcade succeed, as an One member, Arcade is the least used. Wait - News is actually least used. My youngest still plays Sasquatch. But otherwise, that service goes completely untouched. One game. When it is pulled, there will be none games.
As others have said, Arcade never landed that big ticket item. Maybe in part due to the coding requirements for games in arcade. Once you've tried 3-4 games, you hit the limit of possibilities of any Arcade game. There are only a handful of mechanics devs can tap. And to be clear, some have been very creative with how they leverage those mechanics. But overall, the platform feels pretty entry-level. And I say that as a non-gamer that would likely be more interested if there was something more to Arcade. Not quite sure why Apple doesn't dig into their pockets, out out some lent and put that towards creating a more significant scenario. And while I'm likely not the target for Arcade, I can't imagine the target finds these games compelling. I could be wrong. Apple seems to be doing pretty good regardless of wether I use Arcade or not. 🤪
So this had me curious to review the full list of One offerings and rank them in order of most used:
1. iCloud - while I don't actively use it, its' kind of the heart of the whole ecosystem. So by default, it's a daily driver - even if in the background.
2. Music - daily! Easily my fav of the group, has broadened my already broad music appreciation.
3. TV - weekly? While content has been thin, it's been pretty high-caliber. I'd take that approach over the inverse.
4. Fitness - weekly-ish? Needs to be more.
5. Arcade - one game. On occasion.
6. News - never. Mainly because I can no longer stomach the catastrophic sea of awful that is considered "news." After four long years of reading nothing but the most psychotic tweets, from the most self-centered people, exhibiting the worst behavior and with absolutely zero accountability, I realized that I actually had a choice to not consume their garbage (yeah, sometimes I'm a slow learner). So I stopped. Now, I'm much more intentional about when and from where I get my news. They say you are what you eat - and I wholeheartedly agree. But many tend to stop at the food with which we choose to nourish our bodies. In actuality, it's also the social media, books, music, movies, art, humans, ideas, perspective you choose to consume. Thus, it goes without saying, choose wisely. 😉
so I think that arcade offers that style of game in a decently priced package, I feel Arcade is in fact created for families. You pay 4,99 for all the members to play a bunch of games that do not require extra money down the line. I don’t know how much would it cost to maintain a kid interest in an IAP game, or how many times do you have to tell them no, but I think 5 a month is probably less In the end. Especially considering that this covers tye entire family.
as for me, I find it weird and silly that it makes more sense to pay for Arcade to play games like Solitaire than to have multiple subscription for what I would consider base kind of games. Idk if I wpuld be paying for Arcade alone if it wouldn‘t be part of Apple One. But I can see who it is aimed at and why would it be good value for money.
In the end, I would still like to see it develop further with inclusion of some more ‘serious’ games. Have some variatey and also games geared at an older audience. And with this last experience, a way for people to keep games after they leave Arcade.
I wonder how much of a technical jump it would require for atv arcade games to approach say , Nintendo switch level ?
Is it technically feasible or just impossible at this current time ?
Is it technically feasible or just impossible at this current time ?
Apple devices are now far more powerful than Nintendo Switch. It is about the games themselves.
The solution is simple: Shut Apple Arcade down and just let Microsoft put Xbox Game Pass for Cloud on the App Store.
Yep, no 30+GB prerequisite download either when you use the cartridge or disc. I can continue to enjoy my Yoshi's Island, Super Mario World, and Zelda games forever. At least they have replay value unlike most games today, which appear to be intended for the TikTok short attention span spoiled brats who need new things every second, which is the point of services such as Stadia and Apple Arcade.
and/or the developer could remove the app, or stop updating the app.
Let's be honest most games (especially since 3D) have a shelf life. Apart from a very niche selection of people no many want to go back and play PS1 games, they've aged like milk - things get better and going backwards seems strange in all but a very few rare exceptions.
But even if you do own the disc - you still don't own it forever do you. If you don't lose or break the disc, and/or it doesn't degrade to the point of not being readable, you still need to own specific old hardware to play it on which is also subject to degradation and/or maintenance. Ironically owning old stuff illegally is probably the best way to preserve it!
I dunno...my NES games are over 30 years old and still going; my SNES games are 20+ years and still going, and my DS and Wii titles are over 10 and still going. Also, there's emulation and ROMs which don't degrade like CDs or carts.
Will Apple Arcade be around in 30 years? As for the selection getting better, not so much unless you love having to double/triple pay for DLC or in-app purchases, or deal with constant updates breaking your mods and so on. Fallout 4 and Subnautica are the newest I've even enjoyed as yet. But my main games I still enjoy date back to the 1990s at the minimum. They haven't aged like milk they're just as enjoyable and challenging today as they were new. I mean how does a Zelda game, about some elfin guy from a mythical city called Hyrule age badly? What do you have to compare it with in real life? What about Super Mario World? Does the Mushroom Kingdom have a real life counterpart? I do not understand your remarks.
As for the original PlayStation...you cited a horrible example given that system had more support than any console it competed with or even itself! I mean they made games for that from 1996 to the mid 2000s. There's literally millions of games available for that system. Now, had you used an example such as the Atari 2600 or the Intellivision you'd be correct.
Will Apple Arcade be around in 30 years? As for the selection getting better, not so much unless you love having to double/triple pay for DLC or in-app purchases, or deal with constant updates breaking your mods and so on. Fallout 4 and Subnautica are the newest I've even enjoyed as yet. But my main games I still enjoy date back to the 1990s at the minimum. They haven't aged like milk they're just as enjoyable and challenging today as they were new. I mean how does a Zelda game, about some elfin guy from a mythical city called Hyrule age badly? What do you have to compare it with in real life? What about Super Mario World? Does the Mushroom Kingdom have a real life counterpart? I do not understand your remarks.
As for the original PlayStation...you cited a horrible example given that system had more support than any console it competed with or even itself! I mean they made games for that from 1996 to the mid 2000s. There's literally millions of games available for that system. Now, had you used an example such as the Atari 2600 or the Intellivision you'd be correct.
See what HBO Max did today? https://tvline.com/2022/08/04/hbo-max-removed-tv-shows-vinyl-camping-mrs-fletcher/
As some said earlier in the thread, this is normal for subscription services. It isn't big bad Apple being evil and weird here.
As some said earlier in the thread, this is normal for subscription services. It isn't big bad Apple being evil and weird here.
I mean, in a practical sense, this is absolutely true. While I have lost games on iOS and Android that I wish I could still play, these are games that I can count with just 2 hands. The games were so affordable that I'm only out around $25 TBH. The vast majority of video games I play, I'm glad to have tried them once, and even beat them. However, I have no desire to play them again. This is especially true of Nintendo's AAA titles.
Same thing is true with streaming, I understand that that the shows and films I like may disappear one day, but ditto here... I don't really have any desire to rewatch a lot of them. Definitely not enough to "get all doom and gloom about it", neither go out and buy them on physical media. I have a modest collection of 12 DVDs, and I haven't even touched them for ages. I can see if kids like to rewatch their favorite shows and movies, and adults have their cult classics, but those DVDs take up space, and time to enjoy them, both which can become a premium.
TL;DR, My use case would be to get AA as the most useful of these services.As much as I'd like to see Arcade succeed, as an One member, Arcade is the least used. Wait - News is actually least used. My youngest still plays Sasquatch. But otherwise, that service goes completely untouched. One game. When it is pulled, there will be none games.
As others have said, Arcade never landed that big ticket item. Maybe in part due to the coding requirements for games in arcade. Once you've tried 3-4 games, you hit the limit of possibilities of any Arcade game. There are only a handful of mechanics devs can tap. And to be clear, some have been very creative with how they leverage those mechanics. But overall, the platform feels pretty entry-level. And I say that as a non-gamer that would likely be more interested if there was something more to Arcade. Not quite sure why Apple doesn't dig into their pockets, out out some lent and put that towards creating a more significant scenario. And while I'm likely not the target for Arcade, I can't imagine the target finds these games compelling. I could be wrong. Apple seems to be doing pretty good regardless of wether I use Arcade or not. 🤪
So this had me curious to review the full list of One offerings and rank them in order of most used:
1. iCloud - while I don't actively use it, its' kind of the heart of the whole ecosystem. So by default, it's a daily driver - even if in the background.
2. Music - daily! Easily my fav of the group, has broadened my already broad music appreciation.
3. TV - weekly? While content has been thin, it's been pretty high-caliber. I'd take that approach over the inverse.
4. Fitness - weekly-ish? Needs to be more.
5. Arcade - one game. On occasion.
6. News - never. Mainly because I can no longer stomach the catastrophic sea of awful that is considered "news." After four long years of reading nothing but the most psychotic tweets, from the most self-centered people, exhibiting the worst behavior and with absolutely zero accountability, I realized that I actually had a choice to not consume their garbage (yeah, sometimes I'm a slow learner). So I stopped. Now, I'm much more intentional about when and from where I get my news. They say you are what you eat - and I wholeheartedly agree. But many tend to stop at the food with which we choose to nourish our bodies. In actuality, it's also the social media, books, music, movies, art, humans, ideas, perspective you choose to consume. Thus, it goes without saying, choose wisely. 😉
For me, the iPad is pretty much a gaming device, nothing much else. It's also my only modern Apple device. As such, #1 isn't really needed since I don't have other Apple stuff to transfer files to. If I really needed the space, I would've been better off buying an iPad with a larger capacity (didn't want to pay +$150 for an additional 192 GB of storage. I have a feeling this still won't be an issue despite AA games being a wrench in the works)
#2 - I just listen to YouTube for music. I've tolerated their ads thus far. if I'm on the road, I also have Sirius XM in my car (bonus is it works without internet, which some areas can get spotty). Otherwise, I can always set up an iPod Classic I have in storage.
#3 - I really enjoyed my free trial of this. When key shows get a new season (e.g. Foundation, Central Park, See), I'll resub for those, and to watch the stuff I didn't have the time to get to (some movies, For All Mankind, Severance, WeCrash, Wolfwakers, Pachinko)
#4 - This requires an Apple Watch and by extension, and iPhone, of which I have neither, so this is also out
#5 - My main game ended up being Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls. They released some extra content for it, but I suspect it'll be minimal value since the difficulty goes up in Hard mode, and along with the grind for consumables and farming stuff to level up my equipment. I've got some quick casual games I could go back to like SP!NG, Lumens+, and Spire Blast. Longer games include Cat Quest II.
#6 - doesn't seem bad, but doesn't seem great either. I just get news from "the standard bog" like here on MR. I too cut back sharply on news since the state of politics and nations has gotten even more depressing (didn't think that would be possible!). If people want just this and have a Costco membership, they can get a yearly sub for $90.
AA is the only thing that remotely interests me. I'm off AA since my free trial expired and TBH, even though I had a lot of fun with it, I'm still taking a break from it, and enjoying the extra free time. If I do resub, I can see myself doing so through Costco at $45 for a year. FWIW, I've spent $45 in worse ways on the regular mobile stores.
Maybe I am just odd here but I rewatch a ton of shows. Given most of the shows I prefer go back to the 50s-60s they're still plenty watchable. You can rewatch shows like Green Acres, M*A*S*H and even the many Star Trek series and still gain enjoyment out of them.
Since I don't like any modern shows perhaps the demographic is different and it doesn't have the same rewatchability value. There's also a ton of movies and video games I love replaying again and again. There's always something different to see. Another example I suppose of 'newer ain't always better'.
Hell, I've seen M*A*S*H and The Andy Griffith Show countless times and they never get old.
Another thing re:music is I like being in control of what I listen to. I don't even listen to radio anymore because then I have to listen to what the station thinks I like and then hear tons of ads I find offensive (as a vegan myself, hearing the endless tirade of Arby's adverts gets grating) in between. I much prefer my MP3 collection that doesn't need an internet connection, good signal coverage, and I can pick any song in my library and enjoy it. On my terms. While Klaus Schwab wants everyone to live life via a subscription I will continue to resist. That kind of future is a hellscape to me.
Since I don't like any modern shows perhaps the demographic is different and it doesn't have the same rewatchability value. There's also a ton of movies and video games I love replaying again and again. There's always something different to see. Another example I suppose of 'newer ain't always better'.
Hell, I've seen M*A*S*H and The Andy Griffith Show countless times and they never get old.
Another thing re:music is I like being in control of what I listen to. I don't even listen to radio anymore because then I have to listen to what the station thinks I like and then hear tons of ads I find offensive (as a vegan myself, hearing the endless tirade of Arby's adverts gets grating) in between. I much prefer my MP3 collection that doesn't need an internet connection, good signal coverage, and I can pick any song in my library and enjoy it. On my terms. While Klaus Schwab wants everyone to live life via a subscription I will continue to resist. That kind of future is a hellscape to me.
I like a hybrid... I have songs of interest that will be hard pressed to get anywhere. The rest, I'm streaming them off YouTube (voice commands are helpful!). I do like curated stuff (Sirius XM here). Sometimes, it's just nice to "go random playlist" from time to time.
And FWIW, I'm not a vegan, I eat at Arby's a few times per year, and their ads aren't any less annoying. :\
It's not just Arby's. The commercials of today are only a few, again, homogenized themes:
1. Fast food
2. Insurance scams/debt relief snake oil/get rich quick scams
3. Car commercials
I mean what happened to commercials that were creative, fun to hear/watch and had jingles? I can still rock to the early 1990s Always Coca-Cola song. Everything really does need to be boring today doesn't it? Also, what happened to the Ad Council? They went from enjoyable Vince and Larry crash test dummy hilarity with a great message at the end to today's "Click it or ticket" propaganda mess.
I do use YouTube music (it comes with Premium) to discover songs, but promply buy them. I never know if YouTube music will be around in a decade, given what happened to Google Play Music and all the other services in the graveyard https://killedbygoogle.com
Thanks to YouTube music however, I discovered a ton of artists I'd never heard of and obviously wouldn't be on the radio. Artists such as Radiorama, Mflex Sounds, and Modern Talking. Figured better buy the songs now and not risk them vanishing from a license dispute or a YouTube Music EOL in a few years.
1. Fast food
2. Insurance scams/debt relief snake oil/get rich quick scams
3. Car commercials
I mean what happened to commercials that were creative, fun to hear/watch and had jingles? I can still rock to the early 1990s Always Coca-Cola song. Everything really does need to be boring today doesn't it? Also, what happened to the Ad Council? They went from enjoyable Vince and Larry crash test dummy hilarity with a great message at the end to today's "Click it or ticket" propaganda mess.
I do use YouTube music (it comes with Premium) to discover songs, but promply buy them. I never know if YouTube music will be around in a decade, given what happened to Google Play Music and all the other services in the graveyard https://killedbygoogle.com
Thanks to YouTube music however, I discovered a ton of artists I'd never heard of and obviously wouldn't be on the radio. Artists such as Radiorama, Mflex Sounds, and Modern Talking. Figured better buy the songs now and not risk them vanishing from a license dispute or a YouTube Music EOL in a few years.
I've liked the Geico commercials. A few of the Kia Soul ads were very nice musical numbers to boot. However, these days, I do try to ignore ads, if not outright paying to not deal with them
I can still enjoy old ads from the 80s or earlier. Today? panic mute is the answer. Geico was ok but they have milked the Gecko theme to death. I mean milked. it. to. death. I remember the original one--the gecko was voiced by an entirely different actor and had a different appearance. My mom hated how he licked his eye at the end of that one.
I kinda miss the ones with the theme "Did you know Geico can save you 15% or more on car insurance? Does Elmer Fudd have trouble pronouncing the letter R?" and so forth. The cavemen ones were ok too.
But ain't nothing like the 80s Juicy Fruit ad, the Pepsi girl, or any PSA Airline advert from the 1970s. Oh, and the old Big Red jingle NEVER gets old.
I kinda miss the ones with the theme "Did you know Geico can save you 15% or more on car insurance? Does Elmer Fudd have trouble pronouncing the letter R?" and so forth. The cavemen ones were ok too.
But ain't nothing like the 80s Juicy Fruit ad, the Pepsi girl, or any PSA Airline advert from the 1970s. Oh, and the old Big Red jingle NEVER gets old.
I just remembered that the legend John Romero inventor of Doom ran a game subscription service in 1988-1989.
It was called Gamer’s Edge.
PC gamers subscribed to his service and every month they would receive a floppy with a new game on it.
Was he the first?
It was called Gamer’s Edge.
PC gamers subscribed to his service and every month they would receive a floppy with a new game on it.
Was he the first?