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Apple Arcade Is a New Game Subscription Service For iOS, Mac, and Apple TV (theverge.com)
Apple has unveiled a few different subscription services today at its "show time" event, including a new Apple Arcade game subscription service for titles that can be installed from the App Store. The company is aiming to curate some of the 300,000 games currently available from the App Store into this new ad-free subscription service. "There will be 100 new and exclusive games available on Apple Arcade, which will launch on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV," reports The Verge. From the report: These games won't be available on any other mobile platform or any subscription service other than Apple Arcade. Games will be downloaded and played straight from the App Store, and subscribers will be able to try games whenever they want and resume them across devices. All of the game features, content, and future updates will be included, and there will be no ads shown within the games.
SimCity creator Will Wright is also making a game for the service. Apple is promising games from Annapurna Interactive, Bossa Studios, Cartoon Network, Finji, Giant Squid, Klei Entertainment, Konami, Lego, Mistwalker Corporation, SEGA, Snowman, ustwo games, and more. Apple isn't just curating the games for Apple Arcade; it's actually planning to contribute to the development costs of creating them. Apple might not have announced its own game studio today, but it's certainly a big step toward that. Apple Arcade is launching this fall in more than 150 countries, but Apple is not yet revealing pricing for this subscription service. Apple does say that "access for up to six family members," will be available, suggesting you'll be able to share the subscription. While the full list of games isn't available yet, some of the titles revealed on Apple Arcade's website include: LEGO Brawls, HitchHiker, Kings of the Castle, Where Cards Fall, and Frogger in Toy Town. If you're a game developer, you can sign up for more information about the service here.
SimCity creator Will Wright is also making a game for the service. Apple is promising games from Annapurna Interactive, Bossa Studios, Cartoon Network, Finji, Giant Squid, Klei Entertainment, Konami, Lego, Mistwalker Corporation, SEGA, Snowman, ustwo games, and more. Apple isn't just curating the games for Apple Arcade; it's actually planning to contribute to the development costs of creating them. Apple might not have announced its own game studio today, but it's certainly a big step toward that. Apple Arcade is launching this fall in more than 150 countries, but Apple is not yet revealing pricing for this subscription service. Apple does say that "access for up to six family members," will be available, suggesting you'll be able to share the subscription. While the full list of games isn't available yet, some of the titles revealed on Apple Arcade's website include: LEGO Brawls, HitchHiker, Kings of the Castle, Where Cards Fall, and Frogger in Toy Town. If you're a game developer, you can sign up for more information about the service here.
Either Slashdot is doing poorly and they're looking for ways to get people to post inane bullshit about products they need not buy or the editors are staying away from politics because they know Trump ain't going to jail after all.
Either way it's hilarious. Slashdot must be suffering.
So basically this is what Google just announced in Stadia
Actually it's the opposite.
Not just because it's IOS only (though Apple TV is included). No, because these games are all playable offline (in fact they even through a little shade at Google during this segment by saying unlike streaming games you could play these with no network connection).
It also means a much more stable experience though, that is truly portable - Stadia doesn't seem like a thing that would work well outside a really strong wifi connection and would eat your mobile plan for lunch.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
to recap:
Netflix - but from Apple
Steam - but from Apple
Visa - but from Apple
News - but from Apple
The only innovation I see here is the attempt to direct other peoples' revenue streams into Apple's coffers.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Gives everybody six more months of nauseating hype before the disappointment. Call it the Apple *Mueller Report*.
Hey now, at least Apple will deliver something people can use.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
They show the exact same game running on an iPad, iPhone, TV, and MacBook. And you're supposed to be able to seamlessly switch between each platform, moving the same game between them, just like Stadia does.
So what's the problem believing that? They already do this today, really well, with iCloud syncing of save game content between an iPad and iPhone for example.
Apple gets flak for some services being unreliable but iCloud sync has been really reliable, and fast, for me.
It's only a tiny bit more work for games to able to run on AppleTV from other iOS devices, it's still IOS - since they don't really use UIKit at all. Moving to the Mac is similarly very easy as well, with a compatibility layer - all the real work is done by the GPU of any given system, and Metal is much the same across all those platforms (or at least most of it is).
And the only way you can pull that off is with streaming.
Simply not true, syncing game state in save files is a totally legit way to do it. I wouldn't say it would be AS seamless as streaming, but for most games very close and really more than close enough.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Game makers can't afford lock-in. If Apple wants everything to be exclusive this thing is dead in the water before it starts.
And msmash is responsible for 3 of them.
Show us your bank records! How much are they paying you!
Also: Stop it!
So basically this is what Google just announced in Stadia, but worse, because it will only run on Apple hardware.
But unlike a new Google product, it will still be available a year from now.
Stadia was (you might as well say it will be cancelled) an online game streaming service (the game is executed "in the cloud"). This is an 'app subscription' service where you actually get the app downloaded to your device.
Two different things completely. And yes, you can has a controller (Bluetooth) to iOS.
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