Antstream Arcade the retro gaming cloud gaming service has had a rollercoaster of existence and as someone who not only uses Antstream but also collects retro games I have to write this piece to argue that Antstream is a great alternative to collecting games. Now before someone gets mad in the replies please listen to what I have to say. Let’s go.
The Library Is Vast, But Missing Some Gems:
Let’s start with the first discussion point at the time of the publication of this article Antstream offers gamers 1393 games to play. This library stretches over eighteen unique gaming platforms including fan favourites from platforms such as Arcade Cabinets, Atari 2600, Sega Mega Drive, Pico-8 and PlayStation One among many other platforms. However, despite having many gems from publishers such as Atari, SNK, Namco and Taito there are some notable omissions including the likes of Sega, Capcom and Nintendo. The fact that this service also has a rotating library makes it a little less compelling than owning your catalogue, although it saves you shelf space.
However, it is also worth noting that Antstream does house some obscure and forgotten gems from many platforms as well as having a strong library of homebrew and indie games. If you want to experience many of these games then Antstream is the easiest way for you to access many of these titles, especially games from Amiga, ZX Spectrum and C64 systems, as well as the Net Yaroze homebrew PlayStation games.
The Price Is Good For What You Get:
The next point we have to go over is the actual price of Antstream compared to collecting retro games. Antstream Arcade is £3.99 on the web, £4.99 on iOS devices and has a yearly subscription for £32.99 on Xbox and PlayStation platforms which also offers a Lifetime Pass for £79.99. In comparison retro game collecting has varying prices depending on which system and which games you are trying to buy as well as the demand which in a lot of cases has been driven up by content creators, Personally, I think if Antstream can keep offering more games and maintain a good price then I feel like on the price front Antstream wins compared to spending £400 on an obscure console only to pay another £200 for a single game.
Verdict:
Antstream Arcade is good value for money and for many gamers who haven’t got the disposable income to spend on a lot of retro games and consoles, I feel Antstream is a good replacement for game collecting. I also feel that retro game collectors could benefit from using Antstream to try out select games before they go on a site like eBay and spend money bidding on some obscure game. Antstream Arcade is one of the most unique cloud gaming platforms and I hope that they can continue to grow.
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