iPhones and iPads are about to get their first retro game streaming service- Atari owns 10%

[PowerDubs]

https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/antstream-arcade-iphone-ipad-app-store/?amp

[PowerDubs]

Another-

 

https://www.engadget.com/antstream-will-be-the-iphones-first-official-game-streaming-app-204617575.html

[Mockduck]

Pretty cool!

[ukiha]

Very interesting, I can only hope this is a sign going forward of more freedom on the iOS store.

 

Still holding out hope for the Xbox/Microsoft app store that is planned for the near future on iOS...

 

yeah, I used to have a Windows phone, I'll still sing its praises till the end of times...

[82-T/A]

Nice, it's definitely a good move to engage in the larger market.

 

People often don't realize it, but there are more active cell phones than all the desktop computers and video game machines combined.

[phoenixdownita]

15 minutes ago, 82-T/A said:

Nice, it's definitely a good move to engage in the larger market.

 

People often don't realize it, but there are more active cell phones than all the desktop computers and video game machines combined.

Well, that was the Amico pitch … sheer numbers don’t translate automatically in sales, vast swathes of mobile owners do not play games, also streaming over cellular lines twitchy retro games may have challenges especially on the go … let’s see.

 

PS: I bought a used OnLive console many years ago and with the internet of way back then streaming those oldies was not a fun experience… too much lag —> insta-death 

(and this was over a wired Ethernet to a “up to 100Mb” cable connection) 

I have not tried streaming games since … 

Edited June 24 by phoenixdownita

[Video]

Streaming games suck though, and like said, more phones doesn't equal more games, with a few exceptions, like angry birds or candy crush, those are huge, but most others are rather forgettable.

 

Granted Atari, especially 2600 games seem perfectly suited to cellphone play. Though I assume the looks will turn many people off.

[CharlesEChuck]

RCT classic is top 50 on IOS and Android bestsellers since it was fixed by Graphite. That's a good mobile game!

[atarifan88]

Playing games, especially classic games on a cell phone is the worst way to experience them. I would rather play them on those ridiculously small mini arcades that people collect. At least you have buttons and a controller stick. 

[Mockduck]

Antstream is one of the secret best things about the new Atari VCS, and the subscription for it also works on your PC, so you get it in both places for the same price. The Xbox and now presumably iPhone version will be separate accounts and subscriptions. Well worth it though, and even though it - is - cloud streaming it has worked really, really well since I first encountered it in 2020. 

[Giles N]

Everything Antstream needs to get to grips with lag-problems.

 

It truly wrecks some of the games, while others performs just fine.

 

I wonder if some sort of temporary ROM installation with some activation-program being the thing that would actually be streamed, (- without it, it just cuts -), could be made, so that game-ROMs dependent on this stream-activation program (streaming and keeping track and record of score and progress) could be put on the hardware unit for the session, then deleted when changing game.

 

The lag really spoils some of fun… sad.

[Lord Mushroom]

2 hours ago, Giles N said:

The lag really spoils some of fun… sad.

Have you tried with a cable connection?

 

I have only tried with a very slow cable connection and possibly with WiFi with a better connection. The experience was not good, but the problem was probably (mainly) at my end. My cable connection had an upload speed of only 1Mb/s.

[+Torq]

I have a symmetric 1Gb/s fiber connection.  Ping to my provider is 3ms; to Antstream's servers 45ms (so ... "lag" of about 1 frame, averaged to 60fps).  I think that is about as good as is achievable; it wasn't the biggest issue I had with the service.

 

I piddled with their demo, which seemed to work "well enough" (given the constraints) using a desktop (macOS) machine with an Xbox controller.  But, I couldn't get a good enough feel for how things worked from it.  It kept pushing me towards pointless "challenges", when all I really wanted to do was see how arcade Pac-Man and Space Invaders "felt" vs. local emulation/actual machines.

 

Let me play Pac-Man, without restrictions ... and if I can get to the Keys stages without losing a life, we probably have something.  

 

Nope, can't do that.

 

At the time, it was pushing a $5/month subscription, which is, I think, now $29.99/year.

 

You don't generally drop prices if demand is high.

 

Really, though, the biggest problem I have with Antstream is that is has very few games I care about, and for which I can't get a vastly better experience with using a ~$60 Anbernic handheld, much less my Analogue Pocket or Nintendo Switch.  That's before we get to the horror-show that is trying to play 8-bit arcade games with a touch-interface.

 

...

 

Assuming the other issues were resolved ... and I was willing to cart about a Bluetooth controller ...

 

There are about 100 classic (pre 1983) arcade games I'd want to see properly supported, about 250 Atari 8-bit games, and about 70 games for the 2600 that aren't there before it'd be worth me bothering again.