Introduction
During the last few weeks we have heard new gaming platforms such as Google Stadia and Apple Arcade. We also news of a new game called Borderlands 3.
However this week I wanted to focus on the Apple Arcade announcement. I must admit, the name is catchy.
Let us see what this service will entail and will it be revolutionary as Apple always says.
Apple Arcade
This is a system that will be part of the App Store, that will allow to play iOS games on both iOS and Mac OS. For an unconfirmed amount of money per month, Apple will allow you to play this on your Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and any other Mac system.
You may be asking, and that is different from? You are right, until now there is nothing really out of this world. However, the main attraction here is that Apple wants to get away from the Free Apps that then force you in most cases to pay in app purchases. They want you to pay a subscription so that you do not have to dish out the extra cash for in-app purchases.
Apple Ad for Apple Arcade
As you can see from the ad, they are really pushing the fact that you can get console like gameplay and graphics on mobile.
Bottomline
There is a lot to talk about here and I will try to approach it in a step by step way.
The price was not announced. I would assume that it will not go higher than 10$. If it does that will turn off most people. However, the deal would be good. You have a chance to play the games on the App Store without dishing the money to purchase the app. This model is the same as XBOX Game Pass.
Will the games be any good? If Apple follows similar guidelines to the Super Mario Run model, it may have potential. Not everyone was a huge fan of the game as it was a pay once and that is what you get with no DLC or expandability. However, it did the trick. For 14.99$ at launch, the cost was hard to see at first as most games were below 4.99$. However, in the end, the game felt polished and not an afterthought like most mobile games.
The one thing that I am struggling with is, I have never said to myself, I wish that I could play this app on my Mac or TV. On older iPhones I wished that I had a bigger screen, but that was because the iPhone 3 had such a small screen. Now iPhones are big enough and you can play games comfortably for the most part. At least for the games that I play.
Where I think Apple lost me, is where the Nintendo Switch excels. The one thing that I also found that was not great on mobile, are the controls. They are always wonky and often my fat fingers get in the way of the screen. It makes it difficult to navigate. Yes you can buy third party accessories but that would defy the point. However, this is not a problem with the Nintendo Switch as the Switch has the joycons on the side. This makes it easier to see the screen. I personally think that a good partnership would be, Apple Arcade on the Switch. This would be a similar idea to XBOX Live App on the Switch. In this scenario I can see this service succeeding. However, with the way that it is laid out right now, I am not sure that enough people will support it. Apple is also is not exactly known for launching great services. Between, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Crave TV, XBOX Game Pass, XBOX Live, PSN, Playstation Membership and many more, those are a lot of subscriptions and adding an extra whatever, may not be enough to get people onboard.
My personal opinion is that this does not solve a problem that people have. I understand that Apple wants to pump some life into the mobile gaming market, but no one really cared. I know that this is what they are trying to do but i am not convinced that it will. In most cases when people are annoyed they change games. Most players play the Angry Birds or Candy Crush games on their way to work. I do not picture people playing a Diablo game on their way to work.
Some sites have said this will legitimize mobile gaming. It very may very well be, but it will not for me. My iPhone is to play silly puzzle games and to listen to podcasts. Mac OS is not a gaming OS even though there are games that run on there. I think it will take a lot to change the mentality of how games are perceived on Apple products.
Unless you are a diehard mobile gamer, I am not sure that the average gamer will go for this. However, I do applaud the idea. This should have been done years ago and it may be a little too late for this service. The reason I say that is that everything is a service now. Whereas a few years ago, subscriptions were few and far in between.
What do you think? does this have any legs. Let me know below.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Arroundtable
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aroundtable.ca/
Email: allroundtable@gmail.com
Website: http://www.aroundtable.ca/