Apple Arcade vs. Google Stadia: Games Services Face Off

The plan of Apple is to let you play games on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV devices. Google wants you to stream games anywhere you can find your Chrome browser. And although we know a little more about Apple's Arcade game subscription service and Google's Stadia cloud game platform, we have many more questions than answers about the one that's right for you. your style of play and gives you more for your money.

This week, at an event rich in ads including magazine subscriptions and a credit card, Apple unveiled Arcade, a gaming subscription service that will debut with more than 100 exclusive games serving. Unlike Google's stages, Apple Arcade is not a streaming solution. Players will download the games on their Apple devices, offline or online.

The week before the Apple event, Google announced its streaming game service at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco. Called Stadia, Google's game service will work much like Netflix, in which you can stream games to your PC, Chromebook, phone, tablet, TV – anything that can run the Chrome browser. Google will also have a Stadia game controller that will connect via Wi-Fi to its services and offer dedicated buttons to share the game on YouTube and search for help via a Google Assistant button. You can also use your own controller.

For Apple, the push in the game is part of a broader effort to provide services related to its hardware. Its gaming service, video streaming platform and even Apple Music are compelling reasons to stay true to the world of Apple and use an Apple device. For Google, this is the cloud and its gaming platform takes full advantage of its assets: it allows players to participate in games based on the cloud and then share the game via YouTube.

That's the big picture. Here's what we do – and most of the time not yet – know about the platforms.

When they arrive

Apple has announced that Arcade will be launched this fall. Google seems to stick to a similar schedule, and it would have more to say this summer.

For what it's worth, Google has installed Stadia on its stand at the GDC so that the congressmen can play with it. In a short time, I had the opportunity to play a game via Stadia, the service seems solid and I could not say that I was streaming a game instead of playing it locally.

We had a preview of the service at the end of last year, when Google had a beta run under the name Project Stream.

How much will they cost

Although neither company has talked much about pricing, Apple has acknowledged that its service would be available via an integrated no-purchase subscription.

Google has not said anything about how users will pay to play. However, one of his partners offered a hint.

"I think we will have a multitude of ways to do it," Guillemot, Ubisoft's CEO, Yves Guillemot, said about the cost of Stadia. "Either you buy the full price and you play, or you can also register, possibly an hour or two hours a day.There will be many ways," suggested Guillemot.

Who will make the games

Google has reported working with several game developers, including Ubisoft and ID Software, to offer games to Stadia. At GDC, Ubisoft introduced Assassin's Creed: Odyssey and ID to the Doom Eternal demo on Stadia. Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Odyssey has been part of 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 gaming studio but has not provided details on the current games. The stadiums will have exclusive games as well as those available elsewhere.

Apple said all Arcade games would be exclusive to the new program and would not be available on other mobile devices or as 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 launching into the game design industry and claims that this contributes to the development costs of games offered to the service.

Which service is for you?

It is too early to say for sure. But if you like console games and have a good internet connection, according to what Google has shown the GDC, Stadia could fit well into its controller-driven service. If you are a casual player or if you are attracted to independent games, Apple's approach could be a better choice.

Apple Arcade vs. Google Stadia

	Apple Arcade	Google Stadia
Release date	This autumn	This year, with more info this summer
Price	You subscribe, but nothing on the price.	Google was silent about prices.
features	Phone devices, iPad, Mac and Apple TV	Anything that has an Internet connection and a Chrome browser
Controller	No	Yes
Number of parts	100 exclusive games to get started	Unknown, but a mixture of exclusive and general