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What\u2019s better, a roundup of several $500-$1,000 arcade machines or a single, ultra-expensive XR headset? Apple\u2019s $3,500 Vision Pro with its striking 4K micro OLED displays seems like the perfect candidate to finally determine if a virtual arcade can ever match a bare ounce of a real arcade\u2019s glory. That\u2019s why the upcoming Apple Arcade app Retrocade was so enticing. It promises to drop a full arcade suite right in your living room, saving you the space you would need to spend to fill your basement with the quarter-based cabinets of your youth.<\/p>\n
Apple and the app\u2019s developer, Resolution Games (you\u2019ll remember them from games like Demeo<\/em> and Spatial Ops)<\/em>, offered me a chance to play Retrocade early before its release on Feb. 5. In practice, Retrocade\u2019s retro gaming experience is as engrossing as it is disappointing. Arcade games were built as a communal experience. Even those single-player-only titles would involve slack-jawed kids gathered around the glow of the screen like moths to a flame, either marveling at a high score or waiting for their turn. An XR (extended reality) headset like the Vision Pro is by its nature a solitary affair. The games look glorious thanks to the Vision Pro\u2019s displays, but the few titles on offer don\u2019t have any of the feel of an actual arcade machine\u2019s clacky buttons and joystick.<\/p>\n