Apple Arcade

 

I have access to Apple Arcade as a part of my Apple One subscription. The issue that I have with Apple Arcade is that it is the third gaming source that I have behind Playstation and Nintendo, and the fourth gaming source if you count Steam. That isn't Apple Arcade's fault, per se. However, it is important because as a gamer, I want to play the best games that are available and I'm not sure Apple Arcade can say that they have the best games available. Out of the 200+ games available, there are probably 15 or so games that I'm interested in. I'm actually OK with this ratio, but the trouble is out of those 15 games, I've either (a) already played them on a different platform, or (b) I have access to them on a different platform where they're better. NBA2K, for instance, is significantly better on the PS5 than it is on Apple Arcade. 

Apple Arcade has games available for Apple TV, Mac, and iPhone & iPad. Some games are only available on certain platforms, however, and I find this frustrating. For instance, I've been on a huge Final Fantasy kick lately, and Arcade has Final Fantasy I & IV. I do not currently have access to these games on other platforms without purchasing them. However, they are only available on iPhone or iPad. I don't have interest in playing these games on my iPhone with touch controls. If they were available on Apple TV or even the Mac, where I could play with a controller, I would be significantly more interested in the service.

So where does this leave Arcade in the grand scheme of gaming? I'm not really sure. I like the app and interface quite a bit. I think the game selection is OK but not great. I don't think it is all that appealing to serious gamers. I think it could appeal to people who enjoy gaming but don't want to invest in a console or PC for some reason. This includes people who enjoy gaming on their phones and tablets. For me, I'm a bit lost on what to do with it. I'd love to see it expand to more games on the Mac & Apple TV, where you could play on a larger screen and with a controller. I'd also love to see Apple TV get a Playstation Remote Play app (This has nothing to do with Arcade, but I bring it up as an example of how Apple could expand its gaming footprint.). For the time being, I will loosely keep an eye on the games that are available but likely won't participate in it much unless it gets upgraded quite a bit.