Apple Arcade to support game controllers, Google Stadia may come sooner though – CNET

With Apple Arcade, you’ll be able to play games on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV devices. Apple first announced its gaming service at an event in March, saying that Arcade would launch with more than 100 games exclusive to the service. And this week at its Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple confirmed that Arcade will be available later this year and come with support for game controllers.

With Stadia from Google, you’ll stream games wherever you can run the Chrome browser. Google first announced its streaming game service at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco and said it will have more news this week. Google’s service will work a bit like Netflix, where you can stream games to your PC, Chromebook, phone, tablet, TV — anywhere you can use the Chrome browser. Google also will have a Stadia game controller that will connect via Wi-Fi to Google’s services and offer dedicated buttons for sharing gameplay on YouTube and for seeking gaming help with a Google Assistant button.

For Apple, the push into gaming is part of a larger effort to provide services tied to its hardware. Its games service, video-streaming platform and even Apple Music all are compelling reasons to remain loyal to Apple’s world and use an Apple device. For Google, it’s about the cloud, and its gaming platform plays to its strengths, letting players take part in cloud-based gaming and then share gameplay through YouTube.

We have way more questions than answers about which one may be right for your gaming style and give you more for your money. But here is what we do — and don’t yet — know about the game platforms.

When they’re coming

Apple confirmed at WWDC this week Arcade is coming this year. In a Tweet from the end of May, Google said it would have more news about pricing, games, and launch date this summer.

For what it’s worth, Google had Stadia up and running in its booth at GDC for conventioneers to play with. In the short time I got to play a game through Stadia, the service seem solid, and I couldn’t tell I was streaming a game instead of playing it locally.

We caught a glimpse of the service late last year, when Google had a beta version of the service running under the name Project Stream.

How much they’ll cost

While neither company has talked much about price, Apple acknowledged that its service will be available through a subscription with no in-app purchases.

Google didn’t say anything about how users will pay to play. However, one of its partners offered a hint.

“I think we will have a multitude of ways,” Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot told GameSpot about the cost of Stadia. “Either you buy full price and you play; or you will be able to also register, possibly, to play either one hour or two hours a day. There will be plenty of ways,” Guillemot suggested.

What about controllers

Google said it will have its own controller for Stadia, connecting to the service via Wi-Fi. You’ll be able to your own controller too.

Apple CEO Tim Cook at WWDC this week said an upcoming version of Apple TV will support Microsoft Xbox One S and PlayStation DualShock 4 controllers. “Apple Arcade is also going to look amazing on the Apple TV 4K this fall,” Cook said. The controllers — which will work with Arcade on iOS and MacOS devices and as well as on Apple TV — open up interesting possibilities for Arcade gameplay and gives Apple an answer to Google’s Stadia game controller.

Who will make the games

Google said it’s working with a range of game developers — including Ubisoft and ID Software — to deliver games to Stadia. At GDC, Ubisoft showed off Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey and ID demoed Doom Eternal on Stadia. Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey has been with Google since Stadia was still known as Project Stream. If you were part of the Project Stream beta, you played it last year.

Google is also opening its own game studio but didn’t offer details on games it has in the works. Stadia will have exclusive games as well as ones available elsewhere.

Apple said all Arcade games will be exclusive to the new program and won’t be available on other mobile devices or part of other subscription services. Arcade will include games from Annapurna Interactive, Bossa Studios, Cartoon Network, Finji, Giant Squid, Klei Entertainment, Konami, Lego, Mistwalker Corporation, SEGA, Snowman and Ustwo. Apple is also getting into the game-design business and said it’s contributing to the development costs of games coming to the service.

Which service is for you?

It’s way too early to say for sure. But if you like console games and have a good internet connection, based on what Google showed at GDC, Stadia might be a good fit with its controller-driven service. If you’re a casual gamer or attracted to indie games, Apple’s approach might be a better choice. Arcade support for Microsoft Xbox One S and PlayStation DualShock 4 controllers certainly make the decision more interesting.

Apple Arcade vs. Google Stadia

	Apple Arcade	Google Stadia
Release date	This year	This year, with more info this summer
Price	You’ll subscribe, but nothing about price	Google was silent on pricing
Devices	Phone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV devices	Anything with an internet connection and Chrome browser
Controller	Yes	Yes
Number of games	100 exclusive games to start	Unknown, but a mix of exclusive and general